40 Years!

[Stan S]

Well, 40 years ago in Feb, It was just 9 months since I started racing. I was lucky enough to have a sponsor and offered help by Lyall O'Brien on Monty's for the next season. I had just been promoted to 'A Grade' for that year and life was good.

Stan.

[Rosco86]

Living in Bentleigh. Victoria riding as much as I could. MX , Short Circuit and having a go at the skids at Brooklyn Speedway on solos and sidecars.

[FourstrokeForever]

I was still dreaming of my first bike and watching MR Motocross on the ABC every Sunday aftertnoon..... when I got lucky my mates old man would take us out to Amaroo so we could watch and smell the action.

[John Orchard]

I was 14, my last year at school (Monterey Tech, near Frankston), I was working part-time, I rode a Gemini Boss 80 that kept breaking down, my Dad matched me dollar for dollar for everything that I saved, got my first new bike in '74 ..... TM125L.

Roger & Gerrit were my hero's, had my first motocross race in '74 in Sub-Juniors, use to do ok until Andrew Bailey started coming out on a CR125M.

[KTM47]

40 years ago I had traded my TM 125 L Suzuki on a 1974 Maico 250, the bike cost me about $1,275.00.  It took me three meetings to get to B Grade.  I was in the 3rd year of my aprrenticeship as a Fitter and Turner.  I was driving a white HG Holden ute.  My work was at Kangaroo Point under the Story Bridge.  The flood that year was a foot deep on the workshop floor.

Kevin

[bishboy]

40 years ago I was still wearing nappies 

[supersenior 50]

40 years ago, i had been riding for 26 years (learnt at 11 yo on a 1928 500 Norton) and Bill Watson was my MX hero at Kalgoorlie.
40 years ago was 10 years after I stopped racing cars (MGTC, Morgan, and speedcar midget) and took up scrambling on a rigid 350 BSA.
40 years ago I was racing 400 Husky and 250 Ossa, and had started the Esperance motorcycle club which is still thriving.
40 years later and I still havn't got enough brains to stop. Nor have Bill Watson, Ron Tyers, and Graeme Taylor, all sparring partners from over 40 years ago.

[GD66]

Fantastic Colin, more power to your right arm, son ! 

[Slakewell]

40 years ago I had a Honda mini trail. I really wanted a TM 75 so I could be like Roger my hero. The local ridding area had just 1 green stripe CR 125 a few silver XR 75 and a YZ b 80. 

[steve234]

Just started surfing with a foamy for my 6th birthday resent. Stood up first wave after watching my older brothers from the dunes for what seemed like an eternity. Unfortunately lived behind Fraser Island so those dreams of becoming the most legendary surfboard shaper and Hawaiian tube master never eventuated. Riding and owning motorbikes at that time were even more of a fantasy.

[EML]

1974, my last year in NZ. Moved to Redcliffe Q and met up with Stewie MacLaughlin and co. Bought an ex-race RM250 (B?) from Phil Thew Moto and first practise at Tivoli smashed the rear hub--cost nearly as much as the bike did to fix . Gave it to Stew to race a couple of times then sold him one from Mayfairs where we both ended up working.
By '76 was staying at Bob Johnstons place and he gave me a try on a sidecar at Tivoli which began a life of love for all things sidecar but mostly sidecarcross

[cr4ever]

1974 was doing leaving ( now year 11) at high school, worked as a gardener, dump attendant and builders labourer in school holidays and weekends. Saved enough to buy my 2nd hand Elsinore CR125M in October, ( still got it). Used to take my 1 yo brother on the petrol tank on my track at home, if I did a nosedive over a jump and he hit his head on the crossbar I had to quickly ride a long way from the house so Mum couldn't hear him crying! Eventually padded the crossbar with hot water pipe insulation - much better. Used to try and read the whole of Dirt Bike and Motocross Action magazines at the newsagent - could never afford to buy them - and dreamed of being Marty Smith ( or Daryl Willoughby/Greg Cameron/Steve Rowlands/Danny Reilly/Tony Cook etc who were the gun Elsinore 125 riders in SA back then) . Started racing C grade in 75 while doing matriculation - not a good idea! Now race against my brother (and my son) all on identical CR125M's..now I can look like Marty Smith (without the hair!!!) and live the dream!

[Branchy]

17 and starting to following all the better riders to open meetings in country nsw on a tm125 then picked up a deal on a couple of honda' s then things started to change rapidly including outrunning a nsw police torana xu1 after work on the elsinore 250 on my way to a local track (laying on the tank flat stick) , no worries until the 'boys' were having a beer with the oldman and they asked if my bikes had a race number 97 on them and then it was off to the historic courthouse in port macquarie , unlicenced uninsured and not wearing a helmet (which i was but they said it wasnt done up properly ) the magistrate said i was a menace to society and should be put away
pissed me off that the younger brother and his mates were always ripping past the police on their xr75's on never got caught , knew all the back tracks in port

that bike i believe lives out western nsw and last time i seen it it was on ebay  you can still faintly see the imprint of the numbers on the side plates and i dont think it has any engines numbers as the cases were replaced

[big mac]

I was 13 & was a big lad for my age started racing at the end of march with the AMCA in the west Midlands of England with the Clee Hill Victors club. Had to get the OK from Don Green the head man of the AMCA.

[Moto]

In 1974 I was 18 in my third year as an electrical apprentice,It was my second year of racing.The first year was on a Suzuki TS/TM 400 cyclone which at the time was great for MX and beach racing.I got my first Qld ACU licence to race this bike and was given No 554 which I still use today.My second bike was my first of many Swedes which were raced all over central and north Qld.
I had two choices for new cars at the time(rich mining kid),A Holden V8 Sandman or a Bedford CF van with a 173 six in it.The choice was obvious and I got the full factory optioned Bedford which was a passenger seat.
 Plenty of room for two bikes, gear,sleeping or enough room for a mobile party of about six in the back.Travelled all over Qld racing,man they were good times.