classic decoster

In 1996 the term "Perfect Season" hadn't been coined, at least not in motocross. But there were winning streaks. Jeremy McGrath was at the height of his powers and it seemed that there was no one to challenge him in Supercross. That…
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Last week we looked back at a column Roger DeCoster wrote for Dirt Bike Magazine back in 1993, when his third son Mika was born. We decided to call Mika today, and see what he's been doing with himself for the last 27 years. IT…
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In 1993, Roger and Kaarina brought Mika DeCoster into the world. He was Roger's third son, prompting a column in Dirt Bike where he reflected on parenthood and youth athletics. In the years that followed, Mika did, indeed, become a…
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By 1998, the U.S team in the Motocross des Nations was proven to be beatable. We had lost the last three out of four. The 13-year winning streak had ended back in 1994. But we were hopeful with the addition of young Ricky Carmichael to the…
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In 1998, Sebastien Tortelli won the 250 World Motocross Championship by 8 points over Stefan Everts. Many motocross fans will remember that fact. A less well-known fact was that at the 11th round, Everts had been disqualified for having a…
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In 2005, Ricky Carmichael and Roger DeCoster brought Suzuki back from obscurity and developed a bike while dealing with the pressure of perfection
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Roger DeCoster has mentored more motocross champions than any man in history. His own racing record is incredible. Beyond his five  500cc World Motocross Championships, he was a member of more winning Motocross des Nations teams than any…
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TAKE CARE OF THE PEOPLE WHO TAKE CARE OF YOU Every kid in the world wants to know how to land that big sponsorship. They spend a lot of time thinking about what a sponsor can do for them. It helps if you turn it around. Think about what…
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HAVE A PLAN A & PLANS B THROUGH Z Of all types of racing, motocross is fairly pure. The gate drops, and the guy who goes the fastest wins. Other forms of racing, like enduro timekeeping, are more strategy than speed. Some types of…
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MAKE YOUR BIKE DO SOME OF THE WORK Today's motorcycles are good. They have come a long way from the days when the buyer had to finish manufacturing them. Even so, the bike you buy isn't perfect. It can't be, because the people who made it…
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CHOOSE AND PREPARE THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT I will be the first to admit it. It's good to be a factory rider. When you don't have to worry about the bike being ready, you automatically have a big advantage.  These days, though, motocross…
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YOUR BIKE RUNS ON PREMIUM. SO DO YOU Computer guys have a saying: GIGO. It stands for garbage in, garbage out. Human beings aren't that different from machines. They need fuel. If you give them poor fuel, they run poorly. The biggest…
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PAY ATTENTION TO YOURSELF-- IF YOU DON'T WHO WILL? You are generally the last person to know something about yourself. Riders can let the most obvious things go by unnoticed--sometimes it's because of ego, sometimes it's because they just…
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BUILDING LUNGS YOU CAN LIVE WITH Jeff Stanton, Jeff Ward, John DeSoto, Mark Barnett, Johnny O'Mara. Sure, they all were fast, but they also were riders who knew the value of training. Basically that's true of almost any rider who made an…
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There are a zillion different ways to train. There's running, bicycling, weight training, racquetball, basketball and a whole wealth of other balls. All of that is fine, but never forget that the best training for motocross is motocross.…
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IF IT WORKS FOR HIM, IT CAN WORK FOR YOU If you want to win, act like a winner. It sounds obvious, but even riders at the top levels can improve their technique by watching other riders and imitating certain aspects of their riding style.…
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SET REALISTIC GOALS TO MEET YOUR DREAMS No one ever became a motocross champion by accident. In fact, no one ever won a race by accident. It takes planning, strategy and goals to get there. The emphasis is on goals.  "That's easy,"…
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In 1996, the two-stroke vs. four-stroke debate had a very different tone. Doug Henry's YZF400 was still on the drawing board and two-strokes were unchallenged at the  elite levels of motocross. In the July, 1996 issue of Dirt Bike, Roger…
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By 1996 the age of the big rig had officially begun in professional motocross. It was a dynamic move the changed the sport forever.  In September of that year, Roger DeCoster had been with Suzuki for about a year, and was still writing a…
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Roger DeCoster looks back on the 1995 Vegas Supercross when the top riders boycotted the main event
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