Andy Stacy wicks it up

Here's Andy Stacy getting air on his big Katoom, riding for George Quay's Keystone Engineering race squad. Andy used to stay at my place north of Atlanta.  Loved having the 3-digit guys hang out and work on their bikes.  I was a 3-digit sort of guy.

The entire Stacy family treated me like gold.  Great upstate New York individuals, nice friends to have.

So my memory is slipping...someone help me fill in the blanks.  What year (1981?) and what race facility?

Bailey's first big win

Here's another shot that David Bailey forwarded yesterday, from the 1982 Unadilla USGP.  He refreshed my memory and let me  know that Donnie Hansen went down in a second turn pile-up, while the "Little Professor" went on to his first big moto win.Is there anything better than a factory rider in this era, cresting a hill at dilla?  Glorious.

Bailey sent a Hannah shot...and I'm in it!

Just got the photo below from David Bailey.  I was attracted to the flying yellow streak called Hannah, running the number 100.  That was his comeback number after he crashed on the rocks while water skiing with Marty Tripes.

My eyes finally roamed to the outer edges of the shot and I spotted...me!  It was my typical MO, camera body slung on each shoulder and taking notes.  I took great pride in my work as a Cycle News East reporter and photographer.

So here's a rags-to-riches story for anyone who appreciates motocross history from yesteryear...a kid from nowhere Wisconsin ends up traveling and working on the National MX circuit.  Incredible.

Mystery shot

Can someone help me with this one?  I think it's Daytona, 1980-1982.  Who's the lead rider and who's that lurking behind him on a Husky?

Mark "The Bomber" Barnett was Supercross champ

Here's Mark Barnett, jamming on his factory RH Suzuki.  He's carrying the #1 plate and it's Supercross so this must be 1982.  Barnett was all around cool.  Blue collar guy with a big work ethic.  Note trick mouth guard (Jofa brand?) and nose piece on Oakley goggles.

We didn't publish much color at Cycle News East in those days as most all of our work was published in black and white. However, I'd many times take my camera-mounted flash with external power pack to the races and attempt to shoot a roll or two of Kodachrome.  I held high hopes of nailing a color cover shot - they were few and far between.

Barnett always served as a good model for photography; you could tell he was strong but the way he carried himself on the bike.  "The Bomber" showed how to get 'er done and was best when conditions got tough.

Bob Hannah was always serious...when racing

Here's MX superstar Bob Hannah, prepped and ready for one of his last great rides at the Unadilla 250cc USGP.  Note the czar of motocross, Bevo Forte, in the background.

Motocross was wonderful in that it carried such a wide array of personalities.  I never knew Hannah as a friend, but observed him over many years.  Very interesting character. He was fast on the track, the king of practical jokes, and a master at mind games with other riders.

There were many good stories to tell, but it's not my place to tell them.  Go ask Hannah if you want the real juicy ones.

Mark Barnett gets big air

Hey, it was the early 1980's and ten feet off the ground was big air.  Here's a shot of 125cc National and Supercross champ Mark Barnett styling for a cover shot, down on his grandma's farm in Alabama.

I used to love hanging out down there.  Just Barnett and granny and a bunch of RM's.  Suzuki would come with a box truck and drop off about 10 bikes.  Barnett would put gas in 'em and ride until a bike either needed work or broke. He'd set that one up against the hog shed and take another. When they were all used up, Suzuki would come, load up the trashed bikes, and leave a new batch.

Those were the days.

Mark Barnett gets big air

Hey, it was the early 1980's and ten feet off the ground was big air.  Here's a shot of 125cc National and Supercross champ Mark Barnett styling for a cover shot, down on his grandma's farm in Alabama.

I used to love hanging out down there.  Just Barnett and granny and a bunch of RM's.  Suzuki would come with a box truck and drop off about 10 bikes.  Barnett would put gas in 'em and ride until a bike either needed work or broke. He'd set that one up against the hog shed and take another. When they were all used up, Suzuki would come, load up the trashed bikes, and leave a new batch.

Those were the days.

Jo Jo Keller in flight on a production CR

I could tell quite a few stories about this guy.  The one-and-only Jo Jo Keller flies the 480R for the Honda B team. I'm pretty sure this is Southwick; note the Jo Jo sign in background. Keller could make time on the deep sand course. Then after the moto, he just might flip a penny and catch it on his nose.

Talented guy. Great racer. Wonderful personality.

Mike "Too Tall" Bell

Here's a shot of factory Yamaha's Mike "Too Tall" Bell after winning the 1979 Philadelphia Supercross. Mike was a wonderful rider to watch - all arms and legs and in stark contrast to the many jockey-sized riders who carried the speed to win at the national level.

Mike played an important role in my life.  I was a kid from Wisconsin who stumbled onto the national MX scene.  When in college, I'd sit in the back row and peruse MX magazines, reading about the bikes and riders and  seeing California as something about as accessible as Mars.

Early in my Cycle News East career, I made a trip to the west coast office.  I had met Mike at the races and looked him up. Think we got together at his brother's house and also went to the Yamaha shop his dad worked at - this is all fuzzed up in my brain at this point.

But the memory I won't forget is how Mike Bell - a California factory rider - would treat a kid from Wisconsin like a real person.  I recall that visit as quite remarkable.  It was guys like Mike Bell who let me live a dream.