So here is my chance to share some of the vintage motocross stuff my dad and I collected from 1965 through 2007. If you are or were into dirtbikes or raced them during the 60's and 70's I am sure you'll find something of interest here.
I've got so many posters andbooks it would take me forever to scan all of the stuff. There are quite a few oddities in the photos and I will probably add to it as I have time.
I have a some extra posters and programs if you are interested. Contact me via email.
I've tried to recall a some of the events I attended during this time. You will find some photos of posters and programs of these events.
So it's been a little more than 30 years since mymom and dad started traveling with us to the AMA/FIM International motocross events. As with all things past I remember some of these races and others I can't remember much of. I do recall meeting the great Joel Robert who had broken his arm at Delta Ohio in the early 70's as he stood smoking a cigar. And taking a motocross school with Gary Bailey in 1972 at Honda Hills. At that same track watching Ake Jonsson on a Macio just crush the great Roger DeCoster and everyone else. So dominate was Ake that he went on to win the 1972 Trans Am series with ease and was then signed to ride a factory Yamaha in 1973 and it was a down hill slide for him from there. None the less Ake Jonsson was the Bob Hannah of the 1972 Trans AMA series.
Other riders I remember well, Jaroslav Falta, Willi Bauer, Adolf Weil, Heikki Mikkola, Bengt Aberg, Sylvain Geboers, Hakan Anderson and a whole bunch more of them would come and go over the year between the World
Chamionship races. These were the beginning's of US motocross. Long before we dominated the Europeans dominated US motocross in a way todays generation of kids would not believe. There were a bunch of young Americans who laid chase to the euros, Brad Lackey, Jim Pomeroy, Tim Hart, Gary Chaplin, Mike Runyard, Gary Jones, Steve Stackable, Mike Hartwig, Rich Thorwaldson.
You could go on naming riders of the era, there were so many young Americans who came and went in the chase to catch and beat the Euros on our turf and until Marty Smith and Bob Hannah showed up the Americans were generally underdogsand rarely won.
In these days you got to see some real WORKS stuff coming from Europe and Japan. The Suzukis that DeCoster, Robert and Geboers rode were one off and they were trick for the time.
Once Hannah joined the party the Euros quit coming over (except for Roger DeCoster) and the Inter AMA and Trans AMA series as great as they were disappeared and quite honestly motocross racing isn't quite the same.
One of my best recollections is of Michigan's Mike Hartwig. A tall skinny kid on a Husqvarna who just crushed everyone at the Baldwin, Kansas and Delta, Ohio Inter AM races. Mike was fast andhe was my inspiration for racing later in my life. Yamaha grabbed him up and we all thought that Mike would just go out and dominate the Nationals. Instead Yamaha gave Mike a pile of a bike that never lived up to Mikes potential. Eventually a back injury stopped Mike from riding all together and we never heard a word about him until Racer X magazine hunted him down and did a nice article on him (Racer X July 2004). CLICK HERE to view my salute to Mike Hartwig!
I have the following race programs from these 1972/1973 Inter Am and Trans Am races. I've tried to write as much as I could recall of the races.
1972
Inter AM Mid Ohio July 30th 1972
I'm not 100% sure on this but I believe the 250 (the Inter AM premiere class) was won by Hakan Anderson on a factory Yamaha YZ250 (the first of the YZ's) I think that Torlief Hansen finsihed 2nd on a Husky. In the 500 class I think it was Gary Chaplin on a Macio who won. I recall that local Michigan rider John Borg riding a Bultaco for Macomb Cycles ran near the front and finished in the top 5 or top 10 which was cool!
Trans Am Honda Hills, Ohio October 1st 1972
Ake Jonsson completely dominated this race on a Macio. As I recall Heikki Mikkola finished 2nd. I believe the 250 race was won by Bob Grossi on a Husqvarna. I rode the Gary Bailey motocross school the day before this race. This was a nasty, gnarly track as I recall full of shale rock. It was a tough track
I don't think anyone saw Ake Jonsson coming and I'm pretty sure that this was the first race that Jonsson won on his way to winning the next nine Trans AMA races and the title in 1972. He stunned a few people!
1973
Inter Am Baldwin Kansas - July 15th 1973
250
Pierre Karsmakers Yamaha
Antonin Baborovsky CZ
Heikki Mikkola Husky
Jim Pomeroy Bultaco
John DeSoto CZ
500
Mike Hartwig Husky
Bob Harris Macio
Gary Ingham Maico
John Dallaire Macio
Ron Pomeroy Bultaco
This was the first time I had seen Michigans Mike Hartwig outside of Michigan and in a Pro race and he left a lasting impression in his total domination of the 500 support class. He is the rider who made me want to become a racer!. Michigan's Randy Goss a multi time Michigan state motocross champion finished 12th on a self sponsored Husky. For those who do or do not remember Randy, he eventually converted to Flat Track and won the AMA National Flat track championship. I believe today is is a Nascar mechanic
Gary Jones on a factory Yamaha won the Inter AMA series while Ake Jonsson on a Maico dominated and won the Trans AMA series.
Inter AM Delta, Ohio 1973
I'm pretty sure if my memory serves me correct this was the race where Jaroslav Falta just spanked everyone and went on a tear winning multiple Inter Am races on a CZ. In the 500 support race Michigan's Mike Hartwig just dominated and won going away. As I recall he even stopped at the top of one hill to look back before taking off to finish the race. Yeah, he was that fast.
Trans AM Mid Ohio October 7th 1973
In the 500 class I believe either Roger DeCoster or Hakan Anderson won the race. I remember the track more than anything. Mid Ohio had a beautiful motocross track.
In the 250 support class I recall Ken Varner who raced for the shop I was working for (Wheels of Royal Oak, Michigan) was riding the new YZ250 which was delivered to our deal a week or so before the series started.
Heikki Mikkola on a Husqvarna won the Inter AMA series while Jim Pomeroy was the Top American in the 1973 Inter-Am series. Adolf Weil on a factory Maico won the Trans AMA series
1977
Trans AM Puyallup Washington Fall 1977
I went to this race while I was stationed at Ft Lewis, Washington.
As I recall Jim Wienert won the 500 class race. I believe a young up and coming Mark Barnett aboard a FOX sponsored Suzuki won the support class. In 1977 Roger DeCoster was crowned the Trans-AMA Champion for the forth straight time. For those who remember, in 1978 DeCoster went head to head with newcomer Bob Hannah in what turned into a knock down war for the 1978 Trans AMA title. In the end the younger Hannah took the title and that effectivelly ended one of the greatest race series the USA had.
The AMA renamed the series (as the Euro's were no longer coming over to compete) the TRANS USA series and in 1982 in it's last run a rider I had raced in Hare Scrambles in the late 70's Michigan's Dave Hollis won the title on a Yamaha.
I have attended many many AMA Motocross and Supercross events since that time. I've included some of the memrobilia I have from the Red Bud Nationals and Pontiac and Daytona Supercross races.
In closing I have to thank the motocross magazines of late. So thank you to Racer X, Trans World and MXA for hunting down a lot of the riders of the past. So many of these guys rode in an era when there was not a lot of money and they raced for the pure love of the sport. The riders of today will never know just how difficult these guys had it and how very lucky they are. Racing today is good, but the good old days of the past are what racing was about. No money, just a love of the sport.
