i A decade of learning, developme
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lAbove) Marty Smith was our first 125cc National Champ. (Below) Huskymounted M.-k Blackwell (621, now Suzuki's Team Manager won the 71
500cc Championship. PIerre Karsmakers (3x) won It in 73.
::E""....,;::~:=
Remember three-time 250cc AMA National Champ Gary Joneslfour-times,
if you count his 71 Inter-AMA finishI? This 1973 win was in Hialeah. Rorida..
By Gary Van Voorhis
12
Motocross. A little over 10 yean ago, most of us didn't even know
what the word meant. Today it~s the biggest of the professional
motorcycling sports.
Scrambles were the closest thing to motocross that Americans
undentood. In fact, come to think of it, we still have an annoying
tendency (annoying to motocross purists) to grade our tracks. But
today our riden are ready to race with the best Europe has to offer
in manpower or machinery.
.
We've learned that physical conditioning means more than the
development of steel nerves and a strong right wrist. We've learned
that there is a market for motocross bikes to the enthusiast, and
thaf the interest keeps the Big Four busy cranking out such exotic
goodies as watercooled moton and seemingly limitless quantities of
suspension travel. And we've learned that, as Team Yamaha IJoss
Ken Clark puts it: "Taking second place in racing is like taking
second place in a gunfight."
We're hot. No question about it. American riden have yet to put
together a full season on EUl'Opean soil and bring home a World
Championship in motoerols, but we can smoke the same riden who
beat our guys over there bad on our homesoil.
We don't have all the answen. We don't win all the races. But
we're ready. The 80s will see an American World Champion.
A lot has happened in the past 10 yean. Do you remember .•. ?
