Any vital members qualified for a national?

Doesn't Eli lurk here?

My dream was always to race one national, didn’t care if I got last place. I was an A class rider, had won local races and always wanted to line up with the best in the business, didn’t have any expectations, just wanted the experience.

One of my closest mates who was a very similar speed to me qualified in one of the last spots for a national, I came to watch the race, he got a mid pack start, got dropped and lapped really quick and more than once. He got something like 38-36, when he came in after the Motos, he just said he felt like he was in the way of everyone and couldn’t believe the pace.

My dream to race a National ended that day 🤣

Red Bud 1984 500 class

Not me but I heard doc McGinley swam from Alcatraz to the shores of San Francisco

Hardcore. What bike were you on?

What track and year?

1993 Southwick I was in quali position in my semi and got taken out by some bone head in the Buckley berm who plowed the front end and wound up up plowing into me on the last lap. Was also in quali position at Unadilla the same year but bike blew up in semi due to severe dust problem that year. I was done trying after that.

I raced Australian Nationals for years with shop support from Honda.

88 Kenworthy 500 national, got like 24/26 motos, got in RJ's way when he lapped me lol

Back in '87... If coach would have put me in, we would have been state champs. No doubt in my mind

I did 4 nationals. Never qualified. Honestly never really went in with the idea to qualify. Just to “enjoy it & experience it.” Embarrassed myself a few times but had a couple decent performances. Pala practice was unreal. lol. Millville was sick. Probably my best riding was at Millville. Ironman was ridiculous. It rained the night before & it was insanely rutted. I feel like it’s way more stacked right now too. Like Josh Mosiman is insanely fast  & he barely made it at Pala & in the lcq at Hangtown. That’s ridiculous. 

87 Hangtown 250

95 Kenworthy’s 250.  30-29.  Damn was it hot that day!! Also made the night show for the Cleveland Supercross. 

Lots of us, I think.

Got close a couple times, tried a few from 05-21. I’m not a single lap speed guy, so I always just went to have fun. Washougal 19 on a 125:
 

I’ve won practice at local tracks many times. Now I’m just bragging.

Stop it. You didn't embarrass yourself. You're a bad mfer. A friend I ride with regularly has tried to qualify many times. Southwick last year or the year before was his last shot at it. He comes up on me and goes by me so fast it catches me off guard sometimes. Mad respect 

No but I did stay at a Holiday Inn

I know Jeff Walker is a member. He's qualified many times. It's mind boggling to see his POV footage on YouTube. He's insanely fast practicing. Then you see the footage from the national motos and see how difficult a national is. Really puts into perspective how fast the guys are who just show up to try to qualify

Anyone that shows up to qualify is a bad ass IMO.

Depends what era and what country  ;-). I did back in the ‘80’s/90’s era in England. 

Reflecting back I’m pretty proud of that as at the time half the national field in the UK were also GP point scorers - this was during the Dave Thorpe 3 World titles era. 

I do remember the first 250 national I qualified at, sitting on the gate before the first moto looking up & down the line and realizing a handful of those guys had won at least one GP and half the field were GP runners and thinking to myself “well I can’t be that bad after all”. 

Any James Dobb stories?

You qualified fair and square. Deserved to be there. And as you say, it was a stacked field in those days. 

Lorreta Lynn's 1984 85cc 12-15 stock and mod, does that count?

Two 125cc nationals: Budds Creek in 2000 and Steel City in 2003!

How many of you guys know someone who is very fast and then you see them not even qualify at a National? Or if they do, they look really slow running around in the back getting lapped? It is amazing how fast the top 10-20 guys are.

escape from alcatraz triathlon. somebody died recently getting jumped on leaving the river boat. talk about greedy promoters, fuck that race. 

A few. Nationals are hard.  😂😂

 Best I can do is 2019 I raced the 125 dream class thing they did back then. I got 22 outta 40. Didn’t have anything for RV 🤣 but it was so rad riding the national track in front of everyone!!

Had two uncles qualify for several in late 70's- early 80's. One of them got 13th in a moto at red bud on a 500 once. To this day when he goes to a national he'll wear an event t-shirt from one of those races just to attract old timers to bullshit with. If you're at Millville this year and see a guy with an old gatorback shirt on, hit him up and he'll tell you stories for hours if you let him.