THE WEEKLY FEED: WARDY ’82 ANAHEIM SX • SOCIAL POSTS • YAMAHA WR500 • MOUSSE BALLS?

BLAST FROM THE PAST: WARDY

Jeff Ward, 1982 Anaheim Supercross. Wardy battled to a second place finish behind Honda’s hot Donnie Hansen. Hansen went on to win the title, Jeff finished eighth. Kawasaki’s resilience standing behind Ward for his entire career paid huge dividends. Ward earned championships in every class outdoors plus Supercross and represented the USA successfully in the MXdN as well. Of note, how’s that front number plate? Can it get any bigger? Photo Karel Kramer

NEWS

SOCIAL POKES

VIDEO JUKEBOX

This is a bit long, shows the brutality of the course, just how good the top athletes are and a good amount of coverage for the rank and file GNCC racers.

GEAR BAG

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Mr. Wolf’s Mousse Balls are the link between versatility of an inner tube and the anti-puncture and performance features of a traditional mousse. Thanks to the innovative and patented segmented structure it is possible to completely customize the firmness according to terrain conditions and rider preference. Mousse Balls are suitable for any brand or size of tire and offer easy mounting compared to a traditional mousse. They are ready-to-ride from the very first minute with optimal performance in any type of terrain. Another benefit of the patented segmented structure and the higher surface/volume ratio is the operating temperatures drop up to 33% which greatly improves durability. How much life you can get out of a set is greatly increased with the ability to be regenerated using the two extra “balls” contained in each package.

Front or rear $189.99

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GODSPEED DAVE BROSIUS

This man was a true friend to everyone he met in the off-road racing world. Dave was a huge supporter of desert racing, he was a gifted announcer and was loved by every racer he came in contact with. I met Dave back in the 80s when he was working for Sunoco Racing fuel. Our lives crossed every year at a myriad of events, from EnduroCross, to Best in the Desert races, GPs and one off events where somehow, we would hook up. We talked about our girls, we talked bikes and we talked about our aging carcasses. I will miss him greatly.

WOLF: BACK IN THE DAY

This is 1991 and I’m testing the Yamaha WR500 in the high desert. I’d spent quite a bit of time on the YZ490, from the early 4-speeder to racing one at the 1988 Barstow to Vegas. They basically pulled the plug on the 490 in 1989 based on slow sales, Honda and Kawasaki both had water-cooled 500s that were far more technically advanced and the bike vibrated and detonated with a vengeance. With the off-road focus on the WR500 they plugged a modified 490 engine into a YZ frame. The machine was lighter, handled better and they got rid of most of the pinging with less compression and head modifications. Also, a smaller carburetor smoothed out the powerband. For an open bike it was docile, the 3.4-gallon tank was miserably thick, the 5-speed gearbox was unchanged from the 490, but they geared it taller to make it feel like the juice was long and soothing. Was it a hit? Ah…no. It still vibrated like a Harley, lacked good bottom power and could not hide in the shadow of a KX500, which had great bottom to mid power and handling traits that catered to the higher speeds in So Cal off-road. Team Green did OK with them in Baja and the California desert.

Drive fast- take chances!