Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126031
• - After thrc£ years on .the National circuit, Gaylon is serious and Maico Motorcycles, which Gaylon has privately competed on since seeing Ake Jonsson win the 1971 Saddleback Trans-AMA (and a short stint on the Honda Team), had finally recognized his talents. 1976 will see Gaylon with his best sponsorship since the Honda ride. Maico will pay him a small weekly retainer, while Cooper Motors and Wheelsmith Motorcycles will give him all the help they can. Mosier will join John Savitski on the Maico Team. Ironically, Savitski and Mosier were the only two privateers to make the top ten last year. The importance of being a privateer and having any success can be understood best in monetary terms. If Gaylon stayed at home and continued to dominate the local races instead of heading east on the AMA circuit, he could make money as often as three times a week in all three classes. And if you're as good as Gaylon Mosier, you either win or break. Gaylon says, "When you' ride locally there are guys that want to see you race. To sell stuff for them right there. You can get a pretty good deal going, someone to supply bikes, expenses and entries ; but they don't want you to leave and race " back east. Because it doesn 't do them any good." The- AMA National Motocrosscircuit" pays large purses, but traveling 300 days a year takes giant bites out of the pocketbook. For Gaylon "Whatever 1 make at the track is what I pay my bills with. That's why I don't make anything. I raced all year and at the end of the year 1 don't have anything because 1've been paying to keep going. I figure there are guys a lot worse off than me. Look • at 'me: I'm traveling around racing with all these fast guys, World Champions and stuff." It is the lot of the privateer to struggle to make the big time. Start money for the top 15 riders appeals to " him, but cutting the purse up into more pieces doesn't. "The winner deserves a lot," says Gaylon, "That's what I'd want if I won. n / • Winning is the name of the game and the successful career that Gaylon believes can last for 15 more years depends on him making his mark. To a serious motocrosser "Fifth in one mote at the U.S. Grand Prix is a lot better than winning everything local." In the course of the long AMA National Championship grind a rider has to shake off injuries and keep going. Unlike many riders on the circuit, Gaylon rides hurt every week with an injury that can not be shaken. He suffers from arthritis in both shoulders. The arthritis restricts his strength training and makes the day after the race extremely painful. He has overcome another major restriction on his training - smoking. "I smoked cigarettes for seven years. It always plagued me." says Gaylon, "I made myself think that it didn't affect me, but it always has. Now I've quit and I can tell the difference." "I think everybody is going to see a drastic change in me this year. I feel better. I never get tired. I'm hyper to begin with. I go wide open all day, every day. I've got nothing to hold me back. Here I come!" • -, .-" '. / ~ 17