Danny LaPorte will go down in his as America’s first 250 GP World Champion. But prior to that he was a So Cal missile who captured the eyes of Factory Suzuki who hired him at the end of 1975. Danny entered a 125 arena that was exploding with talent and factory support. Team Honda had Marty Smith (virtually unbeatable in ’75), Yamaha had just hired Bob Hannah, Broc Glover was just moving up to the Pros and Jeff Ward was Kawasaki’s up and comer. While Danny never won a 125 National Championship, he won two racers in ’76 (Suzuki’s first ever AMA 125 win) and finished in third place. He nearly won the title in 1977, the year that Broc Glover won after Team Yamaha told Hannah to “Let Broc Bye”. Glover and LaPorte tied on points, with Broc getting the title by virtue of more moto wins.
LAST DOG STANDING OUT TAKES
Mark Kariya sent us some pics from last weeks Last Dog Standing Extreme race. Here’s a smattering of pics showing some of the carnage, the heroes and the obstacles that made it unique.
A small, deep mud hole with big timber proved to be a stumbling block for everyone from Amateurs to Pros.
SRT’s Kyle Redmond and KTM’s Taylor Robert off the start in the second leg of the event.
The rock crawler zone proved to be brutal.Wally Palmer nearly goes off the edge on the huge cement pipe fun zone.
Monster hills,bone dry and traction-less greeted all of the racers.
Chaos follows all pilots who failed to make the top of the climbs.
Drop it in the water hole and you’re forced to improvise in order to drain the H2o from the engine.
The teeter totter proved to be a scary obstacle for first timers.
PICS AND PANS
Jeffrey Herling’s is the fastest man on the planet. In the tough MXGP world he has decimated the field with 8 out of 10 wins, 16 moto victories and a huge lead in the points. Photo Ray Archer
Last years MXGP champion Tony Cairoli has been the recipient of several last laps passes by Herlings after he’s led the entire moto. He’s not a happy camper. Photo Ray Archer
Jonny Walker proved at the recent WESS (round 3 and a Classic Enduro styled event) that he is the most versatile of the Extreme experts when he was competitive on the slippery grass tracks and had the speed to finish in the top ten.
A great Ken Hill shot of Kailub Russell narrowly besting JCR Honda’s Trevor Bollinger at the New York round of the GNCC series.
Team SRT’s Cory Graffunder ices down a badly broken ankle at the Last Dog. Cory launched off the Teeter Totter sideways and landed horribly on his right foot. Incredibly he stuck around for the entire event to watch his teammates Trystan Hart and Kyle Redmond to battle.
The Testosterone Candle company offers several ‘manly’ scents- each inspired by Motocross, pipe tobacco, beer and bacon to name a few. The new “Braaap Moto-X” candle scent is inspired by race gas, castor oil and dirt!
The low hanging linkage on the KTM/HQV is susceptible to damage in rough off-road terrain. Bullet Proof’s guard is a tough unit machine to protect the dangling suspension piece. They sell for $80.00
Enduro Engineering’s 4-Stroke Carbon Fiber Exhaust Heat Shield is a light weight heat shields designed to keep from burning boots, pants, and more from the hot header pipe of a 4-stroke exhaust. The Heat shield also doubles as a header protector, from rocks and other debris. For the KTM 2016-2018 450 SXF/XCF , Husqvarna 2016-2018 450 FC/FX they sell for $99.95.
The Acerbis Limited Edition Light – Blue full plastic kit for the 2018 Yamaha YZ450F is now in stock! This all new kit includes: Front Fender, Front number plate, Lower fork guards, Radiator Shrouds, Side panels, and Rear Fender. Stand out from the pack with their all new LTD Edition plastic kits.
Pro Circuit’s Pelican Engine case features a durable case and a custom cut foam interior (you must specify make, model and year) and is available by special order only. They sell for $600.00
April issue, 1974. Billy Payne, a So Cal Maico hero graces the cover on a modified 400 Radial, it featured moved up shocks which was a monumental leap in technology for the times.
WOLF: BACK IN THE DAY
With Mammoth Mountain Motocross starting up this weekend here’s my throw back to racing at the epic event for many decades. This is the early 90s, maybe 1990 or 1991 and I’m racing a KTM 300, my off-road bike. I got killed on the starts but the machine was fun and manageable especially when catastrophic arm pump set in (which usually took less than a lap!). Here’s my little brother Tipper waving me on as I head up the start hill.
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