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/126787
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David BaileyThe ch,..p!'s reign continues
By Tom Kolnowski
In 1983, David Bailey did what most said
couldn't be done: he swept through the U.S.
motocross world and came away with the
maximum number of championship titles.
He was crowned Supercross
Champion, 250cc National
'
Ch amplOn as ~eI I · L f'ITst
as me
ever Grand National Motocross
Champion. If that wasn't enough, he
was a member of the U.S. team that
won twO World Championships at
the Motocross des Nations and Trophee des Nations. He had won everything - where could he go from
there?
David Bailey knew where he wanted
togo, orat least where he didn'l want
to go. It was barely one year ago Bailey
told us in a post-championship interview, "People have told me it's not
easy winning a championship, but it's
even ha'rder to keep it. There's only
one place to go, and that's downhill. I
don't want to do that." And by n<:arly
all accounts, Bailey hasn't gone downhill: he was recently crowned as the '84
Grand Nadonal Motocross Champion
and the .500cc National Champion.
An~ w~tle the Wrangler.Superc~oss
Senesutlehasyettobedeaded,Balley
holdsasLrongthird in the point chase.
The David Bailey of the present is a
much more confident David Bailey
than the one we had the pleasure of
interviewing last year. Bailey explains:
"It feels really good to still be on top.
The main thing 1 wanted 10 prove to
myself, and secondly, til everyone
else, was that 1 was good enough to
win all of those titles last year. Sure, 1
was lucky because the two people
that had the best chance of beating
me out - (Bob) Hannah and (Mark)
Barnell- had their shareof problems.
But 1 also had my share of problems,
and 1 felt I was as fast as either one of
them, anp at the same time was just as
consistent and smart as they were.
"What I set out to do in '84 was to
win the titles again. With the excepiion'of the Superb'oss title, I've'roet
my goal. And the Supercross series
isn't over yet - there are three more
races left and 1 won the last one (in
Foxboro, Massachusetts). I'm in the
driver's seat prelly much, since I have
nothing to lose in Supercross since I
already have the other two titles and
anything other than first won't do me
any good so I'm just going to go for
the win.
"The entire year I could feel my canfidence building. Last year, there was
still a question lingering in the back
of my head, and I'm sure many other
people had the same question, as to
whether or nOli just sort oflucked into
all of the titles. Right now, 1 feel I'm
definitely the guy for everyone to
shoot for and on any size of bike - 250
or 500cc. I feel 1 can ride a 125 pretty
fast, but not as fast as (Jeff) Ward."
Bailey also made sure that overconfidence would not become a problem.
"I never, neverthink I havea title dialed or in the bag before 1actually have
it in hand," said Bailey, "or least not
until I have a big enough point lead
going into the last race of the championship so that 1 don't have to ride.
And that's basically what happ<;ned
in the 500cc Nationals this year, and 1
said to myself, 'I've got this thing in
the bag,' so I could back off a bit."
By the mid-point of the season, Bailey had won eight consecutive 500cc
motos. "I was ridi ng well enough, but
at Mt. Morris (Pennsylvania) Brac
(Glover) beat me in the first motoand
I came back and won the second mota.
Broc was right in there, and I thought
'he could start pUlling- some pointS on
me like 1did 10 him in the firsl half of
the season. No mailer what kind of
stan eiLher one of usgol we would slill
end up in lhe top two SpoL .1 felt 1 was
in control of the series, bUI still 1 wasn'l
where 1couldju t put it in 'cruise conLrol. ".
Bv the nexl-to-last National in Colorado, Bailey had won 15 out of the 16
molOS he would win out of a possible
20. "It wasn't until Color-tdotuat I was
able to put il in 'cruise control,' since a
1-2 finish there would clinch the 500cc
title. So rathenhan put the pressure on
myself, 1 wem out and won the first
moto over Broc then went out and just
rode around and finished second in the
lasl molO."
GLover won both motos in the final
round in Washougal, Washington,
with Bailey's 2-2 finishes good enough
tosew up the GNC title by the margin
of seven poims over Jeff Ward, 541 10
534. BUL afLer iL was all over, some were
quick 10 point out that one of the
reasons that Bailey had managed to
win so many molOS was the fact that
he was mounted on the Honda RC500
waler-cooled factory plOtot)'pe, and
thaI his nemesi •. C lover. was forccd
to' ride ;. !>asical" stock Y