When winter hit and the Nationals were over, there was only one place a young man like me wanted to be: On the AMA Winter-Am MX circuit. I loved the Florida life, covering the races, and between events it was time for interviews and bike tests.
Here's a couple of photos from yesteryear - Gary Pustelak on the "factory" Husqvarna 430cc Open class MXer. I put factory in quotes, to clarify that in those days the non-Japanese factory guys just didn't have anywhere near the same level of support and mods.
But all that said, Pustelak always had a joke and a smile. It was a great era of interaction with those who were less than superstars and looking back, that's always where I found the best fit. I knew some of the factory riders but much of my view of the inner circle were among the three-digit pros and guys who ran on the KTM, Maico and Husky teams.
These shots turned into a feature piece, but with a slipping memory I can't remember Gary's mechanic's name...can anyone help me out?
It may be coming 30+ years later, but thanks to all of you who befriended me and made my job so enjoyable. You were truly exceptional men on flying machines.
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