#28 on a Husky...name the rider

I am grateful that Retro Motocross readers can help out an old prof with 12,000 racing images...when that old prof can't remember most of the details!

Is this Mike Guerra?  Supercross in the early 1980's...Husky was at the races, but not too prevalent in that era in MX and SX...in enduro and hare scrambles, Husky was king.

Thanks for all of you who are checking out the blog and adding comments to embellish the stories we have to tell.  This is a forum for promoting the excellence of the sport we remember from 30 years ago.

Bailey wore big caps...before big caps were cool

Here's David Bailey hamming it up prior to a moto.  Looks like he was posing with the latest in headwear from JT or Dunlop, or maybe Hi-Point. One could always leave it to the factory guys when it came to quick humor and a few laughs in the pits.

I never fully understood the modern day MX stars who wear over-sized ball caps that drop down over their ears...but then of course Bailey was on top of that game 30 years ago!

So if you think it's new...we've seen it before in a different variation.

Jammer interviews the Rhinestone Cowboy

Racing and the heat off the battle were great dimensions during my years of reporting for Cycle News East, but what I seemed to enjoy most were the before and after moments in the sport...the anticipation of the event to come, who had a cocky comment directed towards another racer (there seemed to be many in those days) and of course injury updates.

Then the gate dropped, the race commenced, and within minutes we had a winner.

Here's a shot of Kent Howerton (aka the Rhinestone Cowboy based on his Texas roots) being interviewed after winning a Supercross by Jammin' Jimmy Weinert. Kent and Jimmy represent big brands in the sport of motocross. I used to hang on every word while making winner's circle photos - in those days, our tools were a notepad and two camera bodies, one shooting film for CN East and the other body capturing images for CN West. That's another story in itself and it will be unpacked in another post.

I believe the moto media gives us too many race images and not enough of the "real story"...what's happening in the pits, shots of riders with fans, more on the mechanics and team managers.  The relationships are complex and race photos don't tell the entire story.  I wanted to take my readers behind the scenes, as if they were traveling within the sport, as I was.

Well, that's just the opinion of this old-time reporter.  And I'm glad to have this blog as a platform for my thoughts!

#33 says holy %*$($(# how do I save this one?

Pretty sure this shot is from the Unadilla 250cc USGP, maybe 1980 or 1981.

I'm not sure who #33 is...Kris Bigelow?  It's clear the bike picked up an attitude that wasn't expected and this rider is crawling onto the gas tank to correct the errant front end.

Remember the high two-stroke rev you'd hear when a rider was trying to save it?  Getting the engine gyro effect to assist in correcting the bike's position? Hate to say it but when that rev noise came, it was probably a  millisecond prior to a big crash.

Thanks to Retro Motocross readers for posting comments and helping me ID the riders and mechanics.

Ron Sun is pulling Denny Bentley in a mud moto

Here's some action from a mud race from the early 80's...and that's when I knew I was totally engaged in the sport; even mud races were fun! I'd suit up in a two-piece rain suit and house my FE and FM Nikon bodies with garbage bags.  It was about getting in close and depicting the action on film; Cycle News West editor Charlie Morey was the one who turned me on to shooting tight in the turns with either a 50mm lens, or many times a 28mm. I enjoyed featuring as many riders as possible in news reporting.  This photo captures Michigan Mafia rider Denny Bentley (25) while the rider pulling lead duty is the other Sun - Ron Sun (24). I can't remember how this moto concluded, but what really matters is that the image remains!

Cantaloupi shows off his Open class Katoomer

I'm on a bit of a Donnie Cantaloupi binge as of late...here's Donnie with his works, air-cooled KTM big bore monster.

Can someone help me out and ID Donnie's mechanic?  I want to give cred where cred it due.

I loved looking at bikes in those days.  Shoot a nice, tight horizontal shot and you could show all the pieces and parts.  No shrouds and water cooling jackets and now EFI.  Just give me the finned jug and attached carb and I'm a happy boy.

It was great to walk the pits in my Cycle News days.  There were a million stories to tell and I only had limited time each weekend...what a terrible problem to have!

Loupi gets big air

Here's more viewing pleasure, courtesy of Donnie Cantaloupi on the factory Yamaha and an open face helmet showing his "holy ^*$((#" expression.  No doubt, this was big air back in the day.

I love this old MX stuff.  Seemed more real to me back then and then riders were only 12 feet off the ground...but who cared it was all bigger than life.

Tony Summey is #73; lots of action name the riders

Here's a MX shot from yesteryear; could be a southeast regional race.  I'm not sure of much here but I think #73 is Tony Summey...#229 (?) is hooked up and launching into the lead.

Help and old man out and fill in the details!

Andre Malherbe kept friendly dogs

Here's another shot of my visit to Andre Malherbe's home, in southern Belgium during December, I think 1980 or 1981.  He was world champ at the time and I can't remember the back story on the broken hand.

At that time, Malherbe's life was high style.  The mansion, the dogs...who knew the dreaded crash at Paris-Dakar was in the future. That is how it goes for us all:  We can plan well, but none of us know what's around the next bend in the road.

Thanks Andre, for letting me into your life and home for these wonderful pics. I'm glad that I can share them with Retro Motocross readers 30+ years later.

Howerton says "uh oh" here comes Hannah!

I've been traveling and got a bit behind on the Retro MX posts...so just to keep your chomps a bit wet for more, here's a snapshot from the heat of the action.  Kent Howerton and Bob Hannah were never friends and the state of that relationship produced epic early 1980's racing action.

Once again the open face helmet allows Howerton's facial expression to tell the story.  He's locked and loaded for an exit from the turn, but it seems he's aware it's Hurricane season.

I can't seem to imagine carrying a championship pace lap after lap, especially when one is getting nudged in the behind from some dude with a lightning bolt on their jersey. Those were good days and that was some hot racing.

Broc Glover got clocked at Mid-Ohio

Don't you just love the way we did high-tech, smoke and mirrors winner's circle presentations in the early 1980's?

It's a miracle we were allowed to validate this as real; for cryin' out loud where are the Monster girls?

This is how it happened:  We took the top MX superstar who won the event (in this case "Golden Boy" Broc Glover) then looked for a prop to authenticate the shoot.  Best option here was the Mid-Ohio "podium" you see in the back.

Don't know how you feel about all this, but to this day I think it's downright cool.  Broc was the Trans-USA International Champion and he got a clock to hang on his wall as a bonus. I liked the closeness of it all. No orchestrated photo op, just the Cycle News East guy getting a shot for next week's issue.

Pre-Internet era, things like this mattered. I was proud to be a conduit to all things motocross.

Bailey wadded it after leading Unadilla

Here's art in motion...David Bailey about to catch traction on the rough and demanding Unadilla track during a GP race.  As you well know my memory is fading, so David filled in the blanks:

"1982 first moto," reported Bailey when I showed him this image."Second moto, the uphill right after that one, I hit a haybale somebody moved and wadded and lost the overall, but at least I won the first moto. My first real big win.The next year I won the first moto AND the overall. Look how many people and how rough. THAT'S MX."

You said it bro, that was MX.  And you, my friend, were a big piece of the action.

Kent Howerton in flight on the RH Suzuki

I used to like infield shots at Daytona, shooting into the front straightaway stands.  This was the era where if you had a photo pass, you were all-in.  Could walk anywhere and take any angle you wanted...wasn't yet the age of restrictions, safe zones and photo areas.

This shot of Kent Howerton in flight on the factory RH Suzuki tells it all...shot with either a wide angle 28mm or a 50mm lens (can't remember which) allowed one to get close and crop in the action.

Thanks to photo king Charlie Morey for teaching me about motocross as a fine art; we were years away from long lenses and auto-focus and I believe it also made us more a part of the action.