Upgrade to enjoy this feature!
Vital MX fantasy is free to play, but Premium users receive great benefits. Premium benefits include:
- View and download rider stats
- Pick trends
- Create a private league
- And more!
Only $10 for all 2025 SX, MX, and SMX series.
I also won a Honda XR75 back in that 1978 CMC series.
Battled Juan Benevidez (who later became a Factory Can-Am rider) and David McGhee who tried to win two but ended up with none, the greedy bastard! hahaha
At the start of the Saddleback and Carlsbad series I was the only one on the starting gate with the new and improved 1978 Can Am 250 Rotary-valved MX-4. Bike was a freaken ROCKETSHIP but at the same time it was really potent SMOOTH power compared to the hard hitting narrow powerband Japanese machines. This was way before powervalves. It only had a 32 Bing carb vs the 38 mikuni.
The beauty was in the rotary valve which fed the fuel directly to the crank vs the piston port.
While most were spinning there wheels I was putting it to the ground.
After holeshots and moto wins by the end of the series more and more orange machines were popping up.
I taught my girlfriend to ride on the XR and those were very good times back in the day.
This pic is from Saddleback Saturday and that is my long time Moto bud of 45 yrs behind me..... We still ride together whenever possible.
The Shop
Zahrt - Danny - Bugsy (at Dixon?) - who is 47 & 65. Do you have any shots of Darrel Shultz on the Ossa, would really like some.
Coincidentally, all but one of these are from Argyll/Dixon, though on different days, Yup, Bugs.
65 is my buddy back in the day, Rich Wilson. Rich eventually was my best man; he was a fast local pro who literally did it on his own. No dad, and before working as a motorcycle and then car mechanic, he'd get up at 4 to deliver papers across the East Bay hills in a beat to crap purple 65 Ford Van before first classes at high school. I didn't learn to love bike from Rich, but pretty much he taught me to ride and gave me the chance to ride his stuff while I was saving up to buy a Bultaco basket case, which we (he, actually) ended up rebuilding the crank in metal shop and walking me through splitting and reassembling the cases. Really selfless guy, very fast. Wrenched for him at three nationals and the USGP. Always wondered what he could have done with someone in his corner.
Probably half my local pictures have Rich in them
47 is, of course, (a pimply faced) BobbyM! Rocking the open class RM as a probably a 15 year old pro.
Nice story ! I a few great friends that "lived" Bultaco (and raced them).
Not quite 1970s. These are at Erringer Road in Simi Valley. Only road there a few times in 82. I guess the Honda test track was nearby here.
I would like to see any other pictures you have. The one of Dick Mann on a TT500, and KZ on the OSSA are bitchin.
KZ was one of the local fast guys where I grew up. I had to have a white Bell Star 120 helmet just like him when I was 12yrs old. In fact the helmet is one of the few things I saved somehow from back in the day. Wish I had taken more pictures back then.
1976 RM250
1976 golden eagles MC Virginia beach Virginia
That's me back in 3rd 2nd on the bultaco is 1962 and 1963 east coast surfing champion Ron mallot
My 1979 husky cr250
This might be my 1980 RM125 sorry guys, cool story about this track, it was in the same town as the CZ east coast importer and the Czech riders made the layout and would ride their before heading out on the early trans-ama races
I had a set myself after seeing the 125 Legend Gaston Rahier (RIP) wear them.
SCR,
Cool pics. Muntz park did that turn into Valley cycle park?
If so it looks familiar
I only went there one time and it was for the Jim West memorial race it was a good track those were my 125 beginner days.
Is that a Kolbe Honda jersey in the saddleback pic. They had a lot of fast guys out of that shop.
Pit Row
Then you must be the Gary Chaidez in this article. The article mentions both of us winning our brand new XR75's.
I don't recall ever reading that, did a young Mark Karyia write it? I do remember him writing something about the series going into the 4th or 5th round.
The final round at Carlsbad my parents and sister came and they had never seen me race. Sis took the start gate pic which turned out great.
Also some high school friends came along. I thought going in I could do okay but the nerves must of got to me and I got unusually bad starts.
Actually first moto I Holeshot but washed out in a slick first corner.
Second moto crashed going off that dropoff right hander heading towards the Carlsbad Freeway.
One major flaw of the Can-Am was the left side kickstarter and it would come loose on the shaft.
So as I'm trying to start the bike about a dozen guys went by. LoL
So yea the description in the story is pretty accurate.
Somehow I pulled it together enough to get the Honda which at that point was the biggest thing I've ever won and is to this day.
Sounds like your race was a real nailbiter as well!
Thanks for the article, we laughed pretty good reading it.
Also big props to Stu Peters and Alba Honda for the bike.
Me at one of my first races at Beeline MX on my 77 YZ 80.
1978 RM80 at Canyon MX.
1979 RM125 at Canyon MX, I'm #3.
I thought the bottom one was Brian Meyerscough for a second.
Post a reply to: 70s MX racing. Got pics?