T
here have been so many
memorable moments in
the 75-year history of the
Motocross des Nations, or we
must say of Nations now, that
it's impossible to remember all
of them. However, there was
one Motocross des Nations that
pretty much everyone would just
as soon forget, but I'll remind
them anyway—it happened 20
years ago, just two years before
Chase Sexton's third birthday.
In 2002, the U.S. was set
to host the MXdN (what it was
called at that time) for only the
second time ever, the first was
Unadilla in 1987. You might
remember Unadilla as a fantastic
race, with Bob Hannah coming
out of retirement to ride a 125cc
alongside Jeff Ward (500cc) and
Rick Johnson (250cc). Hannah,
the "old guy," surprisingly chosen
over then current 125cc National
MX Champion, Micky Dymond,
ended up kicking butt on his
screaming little Suzuki RM125,
and Team USA went on to win in
the wet and mud of Upstate New
York. And it was when Americans
were introduced to Jean-Michel
Bayle, the young Frenchman
who impressed the world that
day and became a two-time AMA
Motocross and one-time AMA
Supercross Champion, and, of
course, a world-class road racer
for a brief time.
CN
III ARCHIVES
P138
BY KIT PALMER
WHEN THE MOTOCROSS
DES NATIONS NEARLY
DIDN'T HAPPEN
Competition Park,
the future site of the
2002 Motocross de
Nations, which was
just a few months
away. Unfortunately,
the facility was shut
down and the race
never did take place
in the U.S. that year.
