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/1523663
VOLUME ISSUE JULY , P153 Although Huffman hasn't been a regular announcer at AMA Supercross races for over 30 years, his influence on the way Supercross races are an- nounced lives on today. Racing fans of the day marveled that they could actu- ally hear Huffman in the noisy stadiums, even over the roar of the crowd and the screaming two-stroke motors. Larry himself wondered how he managed to cut through that wall of sound. "I hadn't been to a Supercross race in years, and I finally went to one and couldn't hear a thing they were saying," Huffman said in a 2008 interview with Cycle News. "People tell me all the time they were able to hear me, and I guess from my radio experience, I learned to project my voice. Certainly, the sound equipment wasn't any better back then than it is today." To say that Huffman's style was high energy would be a major understatement. Wearing his trademark tuxedo, Huffman often worked himself into a near frenzy when calling close races. Somehow, his voice held up every Saturday night, thanks to secrets of the trade—a combina - tion of cough drops and water; but you wouldn't want to talk to Huffman early on a Sunday morning. "My voice would be pretty shot the next day," Huffman said. Huffman, who started out announcing drag races, began announcing motorcycles at Speedway events in Costa Mesa when that sport experienced its revival in the late 1960s. His first big motocross gig came at the Cycle World Grand Prix at Saddleback Park in 1970. Nicknamed "Supermouth" for his ability to get the crowds excited and for being clocked at over 300 words per minute on his radio and TV commercials, Huffman initially got bad re - views for his announcing style. "Roxy Rockwood was the main AMA announcer in those days," Huffman said. "He was very good and a walking ency - clopedia of racing knowledge, but his style was pretty sedate. And here I come in wearing a tuxedo and jumping up and down on the platform, and while the fans seemed to like it, a lot of the press didn't approve because it was not traditional. Cycle News and one of the big dirt bike magazines did editori - als at the time saying the sport didn't need my kind of announc- ing because the fans were knowledgeable enough to follow the action on their own. That was wrong; people wanted to be turned on at the races." Huffman followed one of Rockwood's precepts, which was to know his subjects. Huff - man would hang out with the riders, even having them over to his house at times, to give fans insights into the personalities of their heroes. He also became known for his zany description of race battles with catchphrases like "He's holding on like a dog to a piece of meat" or "He's sticking to him like a Hare Krishna to an airport traveler," a phrase he credits to Warren Reid. Do you want more Huffmanisms? How about "He's riding smoother than a mayonnaise sandwich," or "He's tougher than a two-dol - lar steak," or "He goes to Mexico Although Huffman hasn't been 1941-2024