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/126545
1 think 1 really hit a string of bad luck when I broke my leg at the Santa Fe (shon track) National in 1974. 1 was second in the points at that time and it ended my year, but good. Then 1 broke the leg again, practicing for the Hous!on Nationals at the stan of 1975. At that point in my career I felt like it was aD over. 1 was very low after that second break and didn't really see any way I could make a comeback. For· tunately, 1 had a really good doctor who believed in me and my racing. He worked with me for about six months getting me back in shape. I won the first race back, the Terre Haute Half Mile and I figured my luck had chan~. Mike KIcId. the new Grand NlItionel Chemplon. and tuner Mart Lawwlil. the , . title holder. sort things out. "Winnil]J the title maJ(es it aU worthwhile" By Gery V.... Voorhis Photo by Brent Hanson It toole ten yetJrs of tryirIg, but MiJu Kidd finally fvlfilkd his dr.m of wir&niftg the AMJf GrGnd Natiofttil C1uJmpimuhip. Kuld Gnd Gory Scott toole their boUkfor the titk right down to theft-l Wmstem Pro Series TlICe ofthe SetUOft Gnd went into the proFm tied em points. Chortiftg the outcome lIIOuld be simlJ/e - whoeverfinished in Jrcmt of the other UIOuld be the netU chompum. MathemoticGU", defending chomp Rand" Goss UIIIS GUO in the chose Gltliovgh his chonces were, at best, between sum and none at retaining the titk. Ascot tumed out to be G lowlcey Gffair. Ewn Kidd, after winning the titk, said I~ didn't feelliJce a shoot·out for aU the marbles. Less than a weelc afteTUltJrd KidaUIIIS bacia at his TGnch in Boyd, TeJUIS beginni~ his tra.ining schedule of running, TlICquetbaU Gnd trail riding in prepaTGtiem Jor his titk defense in 1982. 20 CongratulatiODI on winning Number ODe. Has the realization or what you've accomplished sunk in yet? I don't believe it will really sink in that I'm Number One until I go to Houston and have my bikes and leathen with number one on them - then 1 guess I'll be6eve it. To me it feeb like AIc:ot was just aJIOther Naticmal but with a lot more at stake. I think Dad really got more out A.Ic:ot than I did - at least up to DOW. Our guys told me Dad was pounding out a trench in our pit area, he .was walking up and down :10 much. He had a heck of a grin on when I finished second. We did a little celebrating last night (September 50), and had a pany at my house for aD the people in Texas who have helped me through the yean. You said at AIcot that "winniDg maltes the last teD yean aU wonhwhile." Can you esplain that? I guess what I reaDy mean is that the good times make up for the bad and I've had some bad times in my career. or It liadn't, beeause a t the beginning of 1976 1 had aD my equipment stolen and that's like taking a guy's job away. I didn't see any way 1 could come back from that, but I did. I rode for Men (Lawwill) in 1977 and two yean later picked up the Army deal. This year when 1 had the back injury at Daytona I thought here we go again, but we pulled it out. 1 guess that's why I say that winning the title makes it all worthwhile. Weren't there a Dumber of times wheu you came very dOle to retiriDg? Yes. Yet somehow 1 took the gamble to keep going. The decision to continue racing was strictly up to me. My dad and my wife didn't try to influence me one way or another, it was something I had to work out for myself beeause I had to live with the decision. When did you believe you had a realiJtic shot at taking the champioDlhip? J really ~ to take my chances for the champIonship seriously after I got third at Tulsa (August 22). After that 1 began to feel ma.ybe Men would let me ride the Harley to finish out the season while Jimmy (Filice) put in time on the Yamaha. It was a case of why build two similar bikes (Yamahas) when we didn't have the bugs worked out of one yet. Although nobody reaDy said anything, 1 think there was a decision, more or less, in everybody's mind to let me ride the Harley and, hopefully, wrap this thing up. I have to give Kenny Clark (of Yamaha) and Men a lot of credit for going along with that program. They didn't want to stand in my way after coming this far. If the Yamaha had been working, then that's what 1 would have ridden. As a racer I want to ride what I know I can win on, but as a businessman - and racing is a business - 1 knew I had an obligation to Men and Yamaha to develop the new bike. That's what I was hired for. Didn't :Kenny Itoberts lay down the law after the Laguna Seca road race that all afon ... to he direcIed -.I'd the cIeveIopmeat of the Yamaha? Correct. We sat down in his motorhome and discuaed the rest or the year and what we would do. When we left the idea was to race the Yamaha. but only if the bike was right, However. we had sponsor commitments to race every National so iDltead of duplicatinJ the Yamaha, which wasn't quite right yet, it was decided to let me ride the Harley and put Jimmy on the Yamaha to fulfill our obligations. I feel the championship was a team efron. It wasn't done by one individual at all. We had a lot of ups and downs during the season. If you count the road races, 1 had eight races where 1 didn't score point!. In that respect it wasn't a successful year in being con· sistent by any means. However, at the end of the year - from Tulsa on - we had a 100 percent effon in one direction and that was to tie up the title. We actually wrapped up two titles when you count jimmy's Rookie