Talking to your heroes

[Evil Rudy]

In the spirit of my new found love of the PC world of OzVmx,I would like to pose a question...

What was it like when you finally spoke with your MX hero if at all

I very literally just got off the phone with Mark Barnett.

I am not worthy, I am not worthy...
E. Rudy & Suzuki 43 (my little pig for the night).

[suzuki43]

Good question that Evil.
I wish I was there 

[vmx42]

In the spirit of my new found love of the PC world of OzVmx,I would like to pose a question...

What was it like when you finally spoke with your MX hero if at all

I very literally just got off the phone with Mark Barnett.

I am not worthy, I am not worthy...
E. Rudy & Suzuki 43 (my little pig for the night).

Nah Rudy,
I only get scared talking to you…
VMX42 

[TooFastTim]

Not an MX rider but road racing. I bumped into Peter Williams (ex John Player Norton rider) in a pub in Auckland. Couldn't have met a nicer bloke.

[GD66]

They are bike folk. There's no class system in bike racing. You can meet your heroes, chat with them, have a beer and talk bike racing, and they'll be just as keen as you. I've been very lucky, and have met a stack of my heroes in bike racing, and they don't consider themselves to be anything other than a bike racer, just like us. 

[VMX247]

I wouldnt say there are any hereos..I always liked Batman though
Actually the time I was talking to someone of mx importants,I didn't know it (which is often) 
I had to point him out and ask someone later who he was, then I followed on with some google research on him.  .............  GEOFF BALLARD
As it turned out I spotted a photo of us together in Roger Harveys CD7 Conondale 2010 book.It shows the finer detail of how interesting the discussion was   
cheers A

[EML]

Ah finally, something close to my heart.....
In '87 we went to Europe to race sidecarcross and had the benifit of going to a training camp with the then 3 time world champion of my chosen sport...quite a buzz but didn't get too close.
Later on we raced at a few international events and always got a nod from him to say gidday.
After we crashed at the Swiss GP while tring to qualify, he met us in the pits and asked what we were going to do, I replied that we would have a short holiday and then go home to Oz. Without hesitating, he asked if we would like to come up to his place and stay a while-now this was unheard of, a Swiss asking us back to his house to stay- we were stunned!
After a day or two with his family he asked if I would like to go training with him-on the Jumbo. I was shocked. Here I was being asked by the current world champion if I would like to passenger for him, I didn't really know what to say but jumped at the chance and after that we ended up staying with him for 6 months and are now still very good friends.
What a great guy to even ask me and put his faith in my ability. Still luvin' it to this day.

[vmx42]

..I always liked Batman though

So Alison, was it the tights or the underpants on the outside… 

[VMX247]

..I always liked Batman though

So Alison, was it the tights or the underpants on the outside… 

There's just no hope for some      its all in the shoulders 

[ksithumper]

Lucky enough, over the years, to have been on the line with a few of the true greats including Noyce, Hudson and Thorpe.

I went to a DT training day in 92-ish, expected to meet a God in a Ferrari. Turned out he was a normal guy in a diesel VW Golf. He taught me more in a day than I ever learned in the rest of my racing career (and yes, I forgot most of it within the week).

At the Telford show last year my 9 year old son asked Joel Robert for an autograph. JR was amazed anyone so young even knew who he was. For 10 mins they chatted like old mates about some GP or other, one reliving his youth and the other turning a grainy DVD into living breathing reality.

Last year at the Farleigh VMXDN Georges Jobe gave an impassioned speech that made hairs stand up on my neck. A marquee of grown men. tears welling in their eyes. Next day I was watching a race when someone wiped out Shayne King. Exhausted, he couldn't start his Maico, so I jumped the fence to help. I couldn't start it either. Then the bikes owner arrived, did no better even after bumping it downthe hill. The piss-taking fromthe crowd was rampant. SK's reaction? - not a tantrum in sight, he thought it hilarious and began the long walk back to the pits.

My point? These guys are bikers. Decent blokes. No airs, no graces. Just a bit fast, thats all.

Can you imagine another sport where your life heroes are so accessible? Can you get a kick-about with Pele? Drink a beer with Schumacher? (though James Hunt would have...).

Justthink how privileged you are to be able to meet your old national or regional champs, have a barbie, share a cold one, go riding. You're privileged. Enjoy it every chance you get. This life is no dress rehearsal.

[TM BILL]

I too have been fortunate to meet a number of my MX Heros  some back in the day and some within the Vintage scene .

Some of the most real people i have been lucky enough to spend a bit of time with have been Harry Everts , Joel Robert, Akira Watanabe, Jeff smith , Joel Smets and the late Jim Pomeroy . All these guys were so humble and unassuming about their acheivments and they genuinely seem interested in us mortals 

Closer to home are guys like Josh Coppins , Hugh Anderson, Laurie Alderton, Tim Gibbes,Ivan Miller and Craig Dack 

As i sit here typing this its a cool feeling that in this very office a number of World MX champions and notable forum members have visited, checked out my bikes and paraphenalia and signed memorobilia for me  how cool is that , i am a lucky Bastard 

[firko]

*A lifetime ago in 1976/77 I worked for American supercross pioneer Mike Goodwin (Currently serving life for double murder). Thanks to that job I met most of the top riders of the day and became friends with some, such as Billy Grossi. One of the memories from that time of my life that's stayed with me is just how nice and normal the top riders were/are once you got through their media image. For instance both Billy and Bob Grossi had reputations as outrageous rock star like party boys but the reality was that they were just a pair of cool Nor-Cal beach town boys who loved hanging with their mates and enjoying the occasional surf, ride and party, no different to most others their age. 

*Many years later I was lucky to spend the day with Roger DeCoster at Hans Apelgrens house. I found him to be one of the most laid back, genuine people I've met in my forty years in this sport as everyone who met him on his later private visit will no doubt agree.

*While covering the last Eastern Creek Australian GP for a now long gone and forgotten magazine, I got to meet my all time road race hero, Barry Sheene, another whose reputation proved to be totally different to reality. I'd been told by many that he was an egocentric arsehole but it only took my half hour with him and a whole weekend of watching him work to realise that he was a really nice bloke who showed genuine interest in whoever it was he was talking to. I was wearing a Steamboat Springs, Colorado vintage motocross festival t shirt which pompted Barry to tell me of his time chasing ski bunnies and drinking cocktails there back in the early seventies. He showed great interest in the idea of vintage racing in Steamboat and asked if I'd ridden the event (yes) which prompted another conversation on the ex DeCoster RH he had at home on the Gold Coast. He was warm, funny and knew how to work a room. Later in the weekend as Barry walked past while I was having a post GP beer with a couple of mates, he winked and said "See ya in Steamboat next year Mark, we'll get some of that ski bunny action". I was really impressed that he's remembered our conversation as well as my name after two days of talking to countless people. He was a class act.

[NR555]

I think you'll find it a common experience with most truly fast guys.  I was 7 when I met Thorpey and I'll never forget it.  Willing to spend a few minutes with a couple of grommets who just asked silly questions!

My brother set up McGrath's suspension a couple of years ago for Super X (when he didn't bring his own with him) and Jeremy was just happy to get some help.  More time was spent with the local riders on the team who a) complained about everything; and b) got totally smoked by McGrath.  From all accounts, he is really down to earth and easy to work with.

The true wankers are the local A grade twits that win the same series, year in, year out with zero competition and think they're God because of it.

[jerry]

Chasing up some Bultaco information recently I had the idea to ring Kenny Zahrt in California.For those that may not know he was National rider of note in the states in the early mid seventies. When he recovered from the suprise of a total stranger calling from "Osstralia" he couldn't have been more forthcoming with the information I was after. Spent some time chatting and he expressed interest in VMX magazine. Said he was aware of it but found it hard to buy. Quick phone call to Firko later who secured a couple of copies and sent them on to Kenny. Thorough gentleman (Kenny) not Firko! Cheers Jerry

[211kawasaki]

When we were kids we all wanted to be Barry Sheene, we even tried to ride like him knee out style (still do today). In about 1993 he walked into the shop I was running at the time looking for a clock. We struck up a conversation and he conveyed to me the story that in 73 he wanted a Suzuki to run around his estate on and that Suzuki had sent him one of Rogers RN370s. As true as I sit here he spent an hour telling me all about that and his life with Suzuki then Yamaha. When he found out that I had a few asked me over to his house at Carara and to bring over one of the bikes which I did. For the next few hours he allowed me to dribble all over his collection of #7s and just hang out at his place. With out a doubt he was one of the most normal and uneffected guys I have ever met, a true champion of the sport - shit, his influence is still on RR today and forever will be.
Was a great day, just a moment in time I wont forget.