What is your 1st memory of Motocross

[number8]

My first memory was at a track i think it was at Narre Warren  somewhere between Wellington rd and Heatherton rd. Bultaco's ruled Black and grey or Red they looked so cool they sounded and smelled even better. Bert was riding i know that cause my dad said gary and trevor may have but i cant remember pretty sure #8's dad may have been their as well must have been late 60's or real early 70s. thinking it may have been hallam scramble but i will never forget the real cool boots they were wearing laces with 3 buckles at the top i just had to get a bike to have a pair of those. I have always been a slave to fashion, now 40 odd years later i have to wear boots like that just to hold ankles together Ha Ha Ha!   

Chris,

There was a track at Narre Warren I remember going to regularly as a kid,

#8

[oldie]

My first memory was at a track i think it was at Narre Warren  somewhere between Wellington rd and Heatherton rd. Bultaco's ruled Black and grey or Red they looked so cool they sounded and smelled even better. Bert was riding i know that cause my dad said gary and trevor may have but i cant remember pretty sure #8's dad may have been their as well must have been late 60's or real early 70s. thinking it may have been hallam scramble but i will never forget the real cool boots they were wearing laces with 3 buckles at the top i just had to get a bike to have a pair of those. I have always been a slave to fashion, now 40 odd years later i have to wear boots like that just to hold ankles together Ha Ha Ha!   

Chris,

There was a track at Narre Warren I remember going to regularly as a kid,

#8

+1 I raced there once.

[Doggy Digger]

Yep, Narre Warren track was off Heatherton Road.   (Kinda north-east of Harkaway, if you were heading up to Emerald.)

The track was consumed by the reservoir that was built there.

I hitch-hiked to it; have bugger-all memory of the actual races though!

[skypig]

And again - back from the dead.
This thread. Too many good memories to let it die.

I'd loved bikes since my earliest memories.
One of the local "big kids" had a Kawasaki KZ75, he let me try and ride it a few times. A nasty exhaust  burn on my leg when the bike fell on my leg during one "lesson" didn't even damp my enthusiasm one iota. (Probably the beginning of my my parents apprehension though).

Eventually I was lucky enough to get a KZ75 of my own.

Years later I got a new YZ80D. We would ride the local bush trails and read Minicycle BMX Action magazine. Trying to make our bikes like the ones in the mag, I put 7X on the number plate (had no idea the x was for expert)

Finally, after months of begging, I was driven to Lake Macquarie track with one of my friends. They took one look at our pimped out bikes(with hand cut "contact" stickers ) and put us on the line in B grade. I was hooked from the moment the rubber band disappeared.

Fast guys were Steve and Paul "Skin" Yorke. (Still faster than me - bastards), Peter Selback (his dad Eagle Selback was a champion from Europe and started riding again in his old age around Jilliby Park on a TT250). Peter "Nugget" Greathead. Chris Bilbourogh. Shayne Cheetham RIP. And some I've probably forgotten.

I managed to win the A grade 80cc club championship in 1979, and have progressively gone downhill ever since.

Skypig circa 1977

[80-85 husky]

early 1970's...racing the "Gemini BOSS 80" at the edwards rd minibike park west of Bendigo and being smoked by a fat kid on a new XR 75...basically lost interest in mx and spent my time wanting to climb hills cross rivers etc.

saw Rahier and the crew at Ravenswood Park south of Bendigo in the late 70's and also flag marshalled on a very wet ravo one day watching a very young flying freckle carve the place up with some exciting new lines, giving Daryl Willoughby an MX lesson in the mud...not bad for a sandgroper I think trevor w was there as well as goof but no s Gall. it was televised live on "Channel 8" there are some good vids of that day about.

1980ish...borrowed a rm 125 S and raced at a club mx at Ravenswood...was still no good at it...got handed a lesson in track smarts by an old bloke known as "Donk" ...he would slow up a tad, I would go for the pass and he would cut me off and then roar off cackling with laughter...

attended a how to MX with Marty Moates at ravo, in the early 80's ...that was a good day...my special test times dropped dramatically

also attended the first round of the world mx at broady and watched Mr Husaberg (cant remember his name?) give the rest of the crew a lesson on what to do in the off season...not piss it up like they must have. was a very impressive display of riding and fitness. I reckon he could have picked the berg up and ran around faster than the rest.

[Natroy]

My first memory was watching Mr Motocross series at Amaroo Park in 74 or 75.
Rode a mate's 74 CR125 around the old Bilpin track.

[allan hughes]

cemetary mx at samford qld
cemetary still there no mx track anymore
 

[Iain Cameron]

My first was at Mt Majora (not sure of spelling ) near Watson in the ACT I raced a Honda 50 in a mini bike class about 1973 (came last )
Mum dropped me off left the trailer and fuel and something to eat and said see you in 4 hours . To this day she still hates the idea of me racing .

[Richo52]

1974 or thereabouts UK Cornwall,Dad took me to a scrambles on the side of Caradon Hill in Cornwall,Paul Pringle was the local Champ on a Bultaco.......right there and then I said I'm going to do that! Moved to Perth Western Australia mid 76,following year mum and dad bought me a used but current 77 XR75 on the proviso I join a club........like a duck to water I was hooked......40 years later still love it.....even though ive smashed the body up pretty bad.....but great memories and friendships forged ;-)

[Morpheus]

My dad took me to a scramble just south of Waitara, dont recall the year exactly but cleaning up in all races were sparkling new silver YZ tank strap twin shock Yamahas. Must have been around '71 or '72. The smell of Castrol R and dirt bikes going flat out had me hooked. I would have been around 13 at the time. I, like a few others around here, went to the meeting north of Wellington to watch Gaston Rahier deal to NZ's best on his factory 125. I remember he needed a crate as a step to climb on it and seemed to never sit on the seat. Mind you, the difference between him standing on the pegs and sitting down would have been bugger all. The Dani Pedrosa of dirt bikes. I still have a couple of snapshots from my old instamatic camera from that day.

[TC91]

early 1970's...racing the "Gemini BOSS 80" at the edwards rd minibike park west of Bendigo and being smoked by a fat kid on a new XR 75...basically lost interest in mx and spent my time wanting to climb hills cross rivers etc.

saw Rahier and the crew at Ravenswood Park south of Bendigo in the late 70's and also flag marshalled on a very wet ravo one day watching a very young flying freckle carve the place up with some exciting new lines, giving Daryl Willoughby an MX lesson in the mud...not bad for a sandgroper I think trevor w was there as well as goof but no s Gall. it was televised live on "Channel 8" there are some good vids of that day about.

1980ish...borrowed a rm 125 S and raced at a club mx at Ravenswood...was still no good at it...got handed a lesson in track smarts by an old bloke known as "Donk" ...he would slow up a tad, I would go for the pass and he would cut me off and then roar off cackling with laughter...

attended a how to MX with Marty Moates at ravo, in the early 80's ...that was a good day...my special test times dropped dramatically

also attended the first round of the world mx at broady and watched Mr Husaberg (cant remember his name?) give the rest of the crew a lesson on what to do in the off season...not piss it up like they must have. was a very impressive display of riding and fitness. I reckon he could have picked the berg up and ran around faster than the rest.

yep, rode at that Edwards road track, Watched Gaston ride, went to the dinner that night at the White Hills School hall where he was the guest speaker, shook his hand,  still have his autographed poster, rode against Donk, have plenty of Donk stories, attended marty's school at ravo, picked up my new CR500 from Elliotts the next day and rode against him on it a month later,  couldn't believe that someone could punt a bike that fast at broadford watching Joel Smets in qualifying,  we must be neighbours !!

[80-85 husky]

you idiot, you live "behind me" not next door

[KTM47]

Is that for real about Graeme Lowe?. Unabashed Manly supporter that I am, I remember Graeme Lowe well. Never would have picked him for a bikie.

Graeme's brother Ian Lowe who lives in Redcliffe raced Motocross briefly.  Graeme also coached Queensland in SoO.  Also motocross racers are not bikies.

[William Doe]

First memories are of going to watch events in the 60s with my parents . The noise and the smell of Castrol R i can still remember.

Then watching the TV scrambles late 60s early 70s . Pestered my parents long enough till they bought me a Bantam and went racing 

Then a kid who was a couple of years older than me and lived up the road by the name of Graham Noyce started winning all the big events and thtas when i started to live and breathe MX about 1975 

[Gerard De Ruyter (Twistandshout)]

Mid seventies Mr Motocross rounds at Amaroo Park. I was 15 and lived not far away, and was totally infatuated with dirt bikes and mx. Pored over every edition of Dirt Bike, MXA, Trail and Track and ADB. Per Klitland, the Floods, Anthony Gunter and Gally of course.  Reed valves.....laid down shocks......monoshock....up pipes.....the first Elsinores.....

Such a heady time (especially when you include the 'other' type of glossy mags I obsessed over at that time.....).