Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

to the Europe GP circuit. They would ultimately blaze the trail for more contemporary American riders such as Bob Moore, Donny Schmit, Mike Healey, Trampas Parker and Tallon Vohland. After four consecutive years of watching the Americans dominate the Motocross and Trophee des Nations, the European-based FIM sanctioning body 'decided it had enough. It was now time to take matters into their own hands. In an effort to stop the American juggernaut, the Motocross des Nations format. - unchanged for over 40 years - was completely revamped. The Motocross and Trophee des Nations would now be merged into a one-day event in which each country would be represented by one I25cc, one 250cc and one 500cc rider. There would be three motos in which all three classes would launch off of the same starting gate and compete with eadl other while being scored individually by displacement classification (due to tremendous scoring challenges and overall confusion, the format was soon changed to include three motos of two classes each). The new-format '85 Motocross des Nations was to take place in Gaildorf, fender of 500cc World Champion David Thorpe. Urged on by the 35,000 frenzied Italian spectators who packed the hillsides, O'Mara put a pass on Thorpe and pulled away to finish just a few seconds behind teammate David Bailey. It was arguably the greatest 12Scc ride in motocross history. The American team left Maggiora, Italy, that evening with the reputation of being the fastest Motocross des Nations team of ali time. 1n the late winter of '86, Australia's Mr. Motocross Jeff Leisk packed his bags and moved to America to race with the best riders in the world. Leisk would use the first year to cut his teeth on the American National and Supercross circuits to make a name for himself across the Atlantic. Leisk hoped to do well among the Americans in an effort to eventually attract a ride for the SOOcc GP series. It was an in\eresting strategy that would eventuaJl y come to fruition. Several other key American victories took place in '86, including Micky Dymond's solid two-moto victory at the Brazilian 12Scc GP, Rick Johnson's first 500cc GP victory at Carlsbad, Bob Hannah's Jeff Stanton twice played major roles In keeping the U.S. win streak alive In the MX des Nations. t encans vs. uro e West Germany, and would prove to be extremely chaotic. When the dust cleared that wild afternoon in September, it was the Yankees standing on the top step of the victory podium - new format and all. While 500cc-mounted David Bailey struggled at times with the likes of GP icons David Thorpe and Kees van der Ven, Jeff Ward (250cc) and Ron Lechien (125cc) put in blistering rides to dominate their respective divisions and bring the title back to America once again. Despite their best-laid plans, the FIM's grand experiment had failed. 1985 will also be remembered for the awe-inspiring rides put in by American riders at their home GPs. Johnny O'Mara would claim the. 250cc Unadilla U.S. GP, while an American contingent led by David Bailey, Rick Johnson and Broc Glover would completely rule the Carlsbad 50Dcc u.s. GP. The pasty-white European 500cc ironmen were no match whatsoever for the Americans that afternoon in the foothills of San Diego. In yet . another American tour de force, Rick Johnson, David Bailey and Broc Glover completely blitzkrieged the off-season overseas supercross circuit, claiming total victory in Paris, Tokyo, Genoa, Milan and anywhere else they bothered to show up. Maggiora, Italy, was the sight of the. 1986 Motocross des Nations and was, by numerous accounts, the most dominating display of riding the sport of motocross had ever seen. Johnny O'Mara on a 125, Rick Johnson on a 250 and David Bailey on a 500 put in a performance that is still talked about today. The American team attacked the highspeed, blue-groove hillside Italian circuit, dominating every single moto from the drop of the gate. In the day's second moto (the combined 125/ 500cc moto), O'Mara put on a riding clinic that saw him rage through the pack on his screaming factory Honda 125. Effortlessly passing riders at will in an effort to get to the front of the field, O'Mara would eventually pull up on the rear Unadilla 2S0cc U.S. GP victory and David Bailey's dominating performance at the three-night Paris Supercross. The 1987 Motocross des Nations in Unadilla, New York (the first time the event was held in the United States), would prove to be the first test of America's ability to dig down deep in order to keep their Motocross des Nations win streak alive. Held in deplorable weather conditions, the American team of Bob Hannah (who was in the twilight of his career and considered to be the team's weak link), Rick Johnson and Jeff Ward had a bitter fight on their hands. The European-based teams, at home in the muddy, sloppy conditions they consistently faced on the GP circuit, were in their element. The incessant, driving rain would level the playing field. While Johnson rose to the occasion, winning both 250cc motos and Hannah silenced his critics with a solid 2-1 score, SOOccmounted Ward had problems keeping up with European riders Georges Jobe and Kees van der Ven in the axle-deep mud. But when the checkered flag fell on the final moto, the American team was once again victorious, preserving the sacred·win streak. While the American wrecking crew continued to dominate the Europeans in virtually every head-to-head contest throughout '87 (Erik Kehoe won the Steel City 125cc U.S. GP - the first 125cc GP in America in five years - and Rick Johnson led an American sweep of the first nine places at the Tokyo Supercross and took two of the three nights of the prestigious' Paris Supercross), there were hushed whispers coming out of Europe about a few young riders who had the potential to take on the omnipotent Yanks. By showing early signs of natural talent, speed and aggression, Holland's Dave Strijbos and John van den Berk, Finland's Pekka Vehkonen and Jean-Michel Bayle of France were being touted as the next saviors of European-based GP motocross. Time would soon tell the tale. 1988 would go down as the year that American Rick Johnson completely dominated International motocross. After ruling the American supercross and National Championship circuits, Johnson would lead an American Motocross des Nation team consisting of the immensely talented problem child Ron Lechien and the ever-stable Jeff Ward to another dominating victory before over 40,000 fans in Villars Sous Ecot, France. Following his des Nations success, Johnson would go on to score victories all over Europe including the Italian Fast Cross in Arsago, Italy, and the Paris Supercross. While aLI of this was taking place, young French rider Jean-Michel Bayle was lurking in Johnson's shadow. After winning the 1988 125cc World Championship and putting in an awe-inspiring ride aboard his 12Scc Honda at the Motocross des Nations, Bayle began to proclalm his desire to move to the United States. No one in Europe had talked so confidently in years. Was he serious? It turned out that he was - very. During the Winter of 1989, JeanMichel Bayle came to America to contest the first five rounds of the American supercross series. While it took him a few rounds to get up to speed, by the time he was scheduled to return to Europe to contest the 2S0cc World Championship, Bayle was .beginning to show loads of potential on the tight, technical American stadium tracks. Before he left for France, Bayle made one last stop in Gainesville, Florida, to compete in the opening round of the AMA 2S0cc National outdoor series. That day in Northern Florida-would prove to be very eventful. During a morning practice session, Rick Johnson suffered a major wrist injury when Texas privateer Danny Storebeck inadvertently landed upon him off a large double jump. The wrist injury was so severe that it would ultimately cost Johnson his career. It would also throw the door wide open for another rider to rise up and take command of American (and international) motocross. That afternoon, Bayle seized on the opportunity, stunning the American spectators by winning the Gainesville National. The Americans had been beaten in their own backyard by a young Frenchman! It would be a harbinger of things to come. Bayle would go on to win the 1989 250cc World Championship, vowing to return to America full time in 1990. Before the year was out, Bayle would hand the Americans another stinging upset by winning the annual Tokyo Supercross, so long the domain of the U.S. supercross stars. The Americans would go on to pick up right where they left off by dominating the '89 Motocross des Nations in Gaildorf, Germany. Jeff Ward, Jeff Stanton and Mike Kiedrowski trounced the European GP riders on the ultrahigh-speed German circuit, proving that the U.S. contingent was by no means ready to give up their place as the world's pre-eminent motocross power. Du!ing the summer of '89, America would leave other indelible marks on international motocross history. Trampas Parker, who never really made much of a name for himself in the United States, stupefied the world by dominating the '89 12Scc World Championship series aboard a potent KTM. Many insiders consider Parker's World Championship to be. one of the most startling and inspirational of all time. Parker's championship would also set off a chain reaction that had a number of inspired U.s. riders packing their bags for greener pastures in Europe. Among these riders were: Donny Schmit, Bader Manneh, Rick Ryan. Ron I:.echien, in an incandescent flash of brilliance that only he could manage, smoked an international field at the dusty, controversial Hollister Hills SOOcc U.S. GP. Rick Johnson, Damon Bradshaw, Larry Ward and Australian-American exile Jeff Leisk (who was then based in Europe) were the big winners at the annual Paris Supercross. All in aJJ, 1989 was a very eventful year in. motocross! 1990 would be the year that cracks began to show in the armor of American motocross dominance. The first dent in

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