FEATURE
INSIDE THE 31
ST
DUBYA WORLD VET MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIPS
P84
LARS LARSSON
W
hat's even more amazing than meeting
a former motocross star who's roots go
all the way back to the dawn of moto-
cross in the U.S.? Watching him line up against
a stacked class of fellow septuagenarians at the
World Vets! Lars Larsson was one of the first Eu-
ropean riders to introduce motocross to Ameri-
ca, and was the first Factory Husqvarna rider in
the country. At 74 years old, Larsson has admit-
tedly lost some of his speed, but certainly none
of his charm. He continues to ride and race with
the crew at Motocross Action magazine, and
remains active in the motorcycle industry as a
conduit to the European market.
"I sell American products in the motorcycle
industry in Sweden," Larsson described. "I rep-
resent companies like Pro Circuit and MSR and
TuBliss and things like that. So I'm still active
in the industry. And on top of it, I have an old
friend in Sweden that is an old American car
buff so I go around and find old Cadillacs and
things like that and ship to Sweden. So I don't
have any problem with my time."
On the motocross track, Larsson is still loyal
to the brand that started it all for him, Husqvar-
na Motorcycles, even if he finds the brand's
newest offerings a bit advanced for his current
skill level.
"Well it's a good motorcycle – there's no
doubt about that. The draw back is that when
you get to my age you don't ride it fast enough
to enjoy the suspension and everything. It feels
sometimes like I have an iron rod in the front.
But it's because of me—not because of the
bike. I'm not going fast enough. Other than that
it's a beautiful bike."
Larsson is a two-time World Vet champion,
but this year had to settle for fourth in the 70+
division, remarking, "Those kids that are just
turning 70, they're hard to deal with!"
Former Swedish
GP star Lars
Larsson is one
of the original
pioneers of
American
motocross, and
still racing at 74
years young.
