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/1437138
VOLUME 58 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 14, 2021 P171 Mint 400. The duo won the Mint and earned $4100. "We got paid in cash," Lind- strom remembers. "We laid out the money across the bed of the hotel we were staying in and took a photograph. For a farm boy from Sweden, I thought I was rich." By 1969, Husqvarna sales were beginning to take off in America, and the company asked Lind- strom to work out of its American headquarters in New Jersey. While there, Lindstrom said he basically lived out of a motorhome as Husqvarna's American engi- neering head. During the late 1960s, mo- tocross really began to take off in America, and Lindstrom was one of the top riders in the early Trans-AMA and Inter-AMA series. He finished sixth in 1970, the first year of the Trans-AMA Series. In 1971, Lindstrom was third overall in the 250cc Inter-AMA Series and was classified first American finisher in three of the six events, since he was by then living per- manently in the country. The first independent AMA National Motocross Series was launched in 1972, and Lindstrom, on a Husqvarna, won the Hang- town 250cc National held near Sacramento, California, in May of that year. He went on to finish third in the 250cc National Cham- pionship, behind Gary Jones and Jim Weinert. Lindstrom retired from full-time racing after 1972, but he continued to race selected events through the mid-1970s. In addition to motocross, Lindstrom also competed in off-road events such as International Six Days qualifiers and long-distance off- road events like the Baja 500. Differences regarding de- sign concepts with one of his superiors in Sweden led to Lindstrom's departure from his beloved Husqvarna in 1974. After leaving Husky, Lindstrom became editor of Dirt Bike magazine. Under his guid- ance, more emphasis was placed on testing motor- cycles, and Lindstrom's engineering background helped introduce a new level of professionalism to the magazine. While he enjoyed his stint at Dirt Bike, in the back of his mind, Lindstrom thought of the maga- zine job as a stepping-stone to a better-paying position. "I thought I might become someone who translated Swed- ish to English and vice versa for a major company," Lindstrom said. "I knew the magazine work would provide me with a resume that proved I could write in English." In 1978, Honda brought in Lind- strom to manage its motocross racing program. A few years later, he moved into the automotive divi- sion. He eventually became senior manager of American Honda's Alternative Fuel Vehicle programs and spearheaded Honda's Natural Gas Vehicle program. Lindstrom retired from Honda after 30 years. His son Lars was a Honda moto- cross test rider and then became a race technician for riders such as Jeremy McGrath, Kevin Wind- ham and Chad Reed. He was named the new Honda HRC Team Manager, succeeding Erik Kehoe, after the 2021 season. "Everyone back then thought I was just one of those arrogant Swedish riders," Lindstrom said of his banquet speech at Daytona in 1971. "They thought my prediction was incredibly funny, but stupid. You look back and now it doesn't look like it was too bad." CN This Archives edition is reprinted from the June 4, 2008, issue of Cycle News. CN has hundreds of past Ar- chives editions in our files, too many destined to be archives themselves. So, to prevent that from happening, in the future, we will be revisiting past Archives articles while still planning to keep fresh ones coming down the road. -Editor Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives also competed in off-road events such as International Six Days qualifiers and long-distance off- road events like the Baja 500. Differences regarding de- sign concepts with one of his Lindstrom's departure from his beloved Husqvarna in 1974. After leaving Husky, Lindstrom - helped introduce a new level of professionalism to the magazine. Lindstrom was pictured on the cover of Cycle News in 1972 after winning the Hangtown National MX in 100-plus-degree temperatures.