Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Iy wrong, but you proved us wrong. One of his most memorable moments You were right.' The bike (Kawasaki) came that following year when he won was down on horsepower. It was really . his first and what would be his last neat they called me up and told me AMA Supercross, at the Super Dome in (Right) Wise won that." New Orleans. his only 250cc Talk about fireworks. That first race "It was wonderful," Wise says of the National MX at Red Wise won came on July 4, 1976, in Baltiwin. "You know, 1 had won so many Bud in 1980. more, Maryland. What heat races before. 1 had (Below) Wise and better way to celebrate been in the hunt right his supercross your first National win up to the end. I had riding style ~ than to do it on the got some seconds, but created qul1e a same day that your My dad and I went in there I finally pulled that stir with the dirt country is celebrating In trackers. Here, and sat down and talked, and one off.the 78 I almost its 200th birthday? won Houston Wise, grabbing a we signed a contract (with Wise recalls that day Astrodome both handful of front like it was yesterday. nights. Bob Hannah brake, causes Honda) for $6000. But I "I remember that . and 1 dueled for the Rich Arnaiz to race so vividly because would've signed for nothing. last lap both nights stall at the I got the holeshot in and he got me. He was Houston TT In both motos," Wise able to pull it off the '82, which says. "The first moto I last few laps there as Wlsewo·n. was just gone; Hanhe did so many other times. 1 had come nah, 1 don't know, he got midpack. so close so many times, then in New Marty Smith caught me with about five Orleans 1 finally won my first superminutes to go and passed me, so 1 got cross. It was such a thrill. It's neat, 1 second. The second moto, 1 got an incredible holeshot again and 1 was' gone and Smith got off to midpack, and I was really thinking, 'Man, this is going to be in the bag, I've got it made.' 1 had about a 20- to 30-second lead and it seemed liked all of a sudden, with about 20 minutes to go, they (Wise's pit board) started going 'Smith - 15 seconds,' then 12 seconds, and he caught me on the last lap. Going down the last straightaway, 1 remember we went down in a dip and I moved over just a little bit and I saw his front tire come up in between me and the fence, and 1 just went right over to the fence and closed him off. We had one more turn to go and 1 ended up winning my first 12Scc National. That was· a very, very exciting time for me and my dad." Following the National MX Series that year, Wise rode a Suzuki RM370 in the Trans-Am Series. "I didn't do very well in the Open class," Wise says. "I think 1 ended up 12th overall; I just didn't adapt very good to the 370 Suzuki, but through the Trans-Am, Honda approached me and said, 'We'd like to talk to you.' What an exciting time .for a young man from McAllen, Texas. 1 was just thrilled. Terry Mulligan approached me at Sears Point and said, 'We'd like for you to come over to Honda and talk to us.' My dad and 1 went in there and sat down and talked, and we signed a contract for $6000. But I would've signed for nothing. 1 rode the 12Scc class tha t year (1978)." Wise also landed a major sponsorship with Moto-X Fox, and his new have it on film, and every once in a Wise was ready for a s u percross mechanic was a sharp young man while I put it in and watch it with my championship, and the way he rode at named Cliff White. boys." the series opener in Seattle that year cer"Cliff White was my mechanic; he The upcoming 1980 season was filled tainly proved that. was the one who built my bike in 1977," with promise. Bob Hannah had broken "I got stuck in the gate and 1 just Wise says. "Cliff was a fantastic his leg in a water-skiing accident during about caught Mike Bell before the end of mechanic. You know, back then you had the off-season and the race and he won," to cut the frame, bend everything and would sit out the entire· Wise remembers. "1 all that kind of stuff. We had so much to year. Now, the playing mean, I came from do to the bike. We had Simons forks, field was even, and ~ dead last. That was Fox Air Shocks and stuff like that. That Wise had just cOme off I had come so close so many probably one of the 'was the year Honda came out with the a successful 1979 seagreatest rides of my 23-inch front wheel, too. I did away son as a rookie. Plus, times, then in New Orleans I life. Mike was one with that and put a 21-inch wheel on it. Honda had unveiled its finally won my first super- corner ahead of me. I We would try anything. 1 didn't do very radical new works was really, really cross. It was such a thrill. good in 78 in the 12Scc class. 1 think I bikes for the 1980 seastoked. The next race ended up fourth or fifth. We had a lot of son. Wise, along with was Oakland and DNFs." new teammate Chuck Chuck Sun was leadWise, in fact, finished out the I2Scc Sun, debuted Honda's ing, and I caught him. National Series in fourth, but his perforrevolutionary single-shock,. Pro-Link I was trying to get around him and then mance in supercross was ever-improvrear suspension system on the new airwe bumped and 1 fell down and ing. cooled RC works Hondas. dropped back to 10th. Then 1 caught "Really, the highlight of those years "Our bikes were really good," Wise back up and Kent Howerton was lead(1978) was that 1 was really starting to ing, and Howerton and 1 diced to the recalls. "We didn't have everything come on as a supercross rider in the dialed in, but tlte bikes were so light, had end of the race." 250cc class," Wise remembers. great power - they were really good." Wise was definitely a title contender. .:<." ffi In fact, after three races i3 (Seattle was a double- g: header), Wise was third ~ in the standings behind ~ Howerton and Bell. Wise a: had high hopes going ~ into the next round in Atlanta, perhaps stay fi: close to the leaders there and really make his move the following race in his home state of Texas. Perhaps there, at the Houston Astrodome, with the backing of the home crowd, he could win and slide into the series lead and take it from there. Of course, he would have to share the crowd's enthusiasm with fellow Texan Kent Howerton, but Wise was ready for the challenge. Houston was a big race for Wise; he knew a win here could turn his career around. And, as it turned ou t, it did, but not the way he wanted it to. '1 sprained my knee and it was kind of all over after that," Wise says. "The year never came into being too much for me anymore. I did win a National that year, I should've done really good in '80. That was going to be my strong 5 year." Wise!s sole 2S0cc. National win that year came at Red Bud in Michigan, but the victory was hardly enough to diminish Wise's disappointment in '80. At the end of the year, though, Wise competed in the Superbikers race in Carlsbad and won, showing his natural talent as a versatile motorcycle racer. The Superbikers race was an invitational race that pitted many top riders from three different forms of motorcycle racing, from motocross to road racing to dirt track. On specially prepared motorcycles, all. the riders would compete in the three differe.nt forms of racing, and Wise outdid them all that year, beating the likes of World M:x Champion Andre Malherbe, road racing World Champion . -"....' ' 0.. ~ 21

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