My God, this was motocross! I was there, 11 years old at the time. What a Memory and what a good video-quality!! Thanx a lot Sir for uploading this piece of Grand history of motocross. Picco was my Idol!! Thanx again
Anyone that raced MX back then, even at club level, knows how brutal MX GP was!!! 2 x 45 min + 2 lap motos, with I think just a 1 hour break in between, must have been a body wrecker!! I raced AMCA here in the UK for 5 seasons from 1979 on just 250's, that was as much as I could manage!!! My job at the time meant I couldn't do any physical training due to time constraint, so I just practice rode as much as possible between meets, so I really felt the effort!! Bloody great times though, went to lots of UK national meets and the big GP meets at Hawkstone park etc. Seeing all the big names of the time here is fantastic, we didn't see any live or recorded coverage of the US scene, the only stuff we saw of that was in Dirt Bike and MX action mags, so it's a real treat to see those guys in action here. Air cooled twin shock is the the thing I like the most, nothing like it!
This is amazing! Thanks for posting ! Love the guy jumping the pit fence around 11:45 trying to blend in with mechanics. We tried it all back in the day to get in the paddock!
Fantastic! So few videos of this years GP’s exist, a very important year for American fans with the championship going to Lackey. This was a crucial race for Lackey and he discussed his strategy in several interviews. So terrific to see this after all these years!
My childhood idol Håkan "Carla" Carlqvist 🇸🇪. My childhood room was wallpapered with posters of him. Unfortunately he passed away way too early in 2017. Thanks for sharing the video. So fun to watch and memories are brought back to life.
That's the difference between European and American motocross. Like anything else that gets Americanized, it gets commercialized and diluted from its origins, and re-constructed to cater to the masses instead of the purists of the sport.
Thank you ! definitely my era..i ate slept dreamed breathed riding. I was a sophomore in H.S. in 75. I am now 63 I competed my whole life...racing bikes has been my whole life.! And I would never trade it.!
I was lucky enough for my Dad to take me to see Bob "Hurricane" Hannah win a title in the Astrodome in 1975. My first YZ was a '77 80cc. I always felt free on my dirtbike, '82 YZ490 (it was cheaper in '84 than the 125 next to it), '86 YZ250, '99 YZ250, '04 YZ250. Dirtbikes are the key to a happy life! NOT POLITICS!! I do have several broken ribs I still feel from 20 years ago. 😂
To see these guys RACE the 500’s at all-out top form, pushing the bikes (highly modified WORKS bikes) to their limits…both wheels sliding thru the turns, and skimming the front tire around the track mostly. Well, the racers of today are really good…YES. BUT, these bikes made huge HP and they pushed these WORKS bikes to their limits, for longer heats & motos! These old bikes & racers were simply cutting edge phenomenal💪🔥⚡️⚡️and I’ve ridden KX500’s since I was 21yrs old…I’m almost 53 now & still ride my 1988 KX500 regularly💚👌⚡️😎
This video was a great picture of what a GP event of that era was like, at least in Europe. The fans standing in harms way all over the track and many of them disregarding the banner outlining the track and coming right up to the edge of the track itself. The British commentator could hardly believe it. The camera coverage was great for its time with the close ups of the riders gassing it thru the corners in particular. Only real criticism is that the races coverage itself was too short. Congrats to Brad Lackey for clinching the World Championship!
I actually cant believe the video quality ~ well done ! I remember this race like yesterday ,and to watch it again this many yrs later ,it never gets old ~ thanks for the video!!
When real men raced dirt bikes. I'm 64 and have been on both sides of the fences since the first motocross race I attended back in 1972. I believe that racing Europe on the 500 two strokes of the '70s & '80s was the most difficult and brutal racing there was. The only other era/venue I consider to be most dangerous would be the '80s & 90's US supercross & motocross.
I went to the Spences house when he was on Kawasaki and they had gearbox spares in boxes as the could stop DNF's as the main shaft would fail or the gears would. Like Farleigh Castle GP when he lifted the bike across the line.
At this particular moment in time, all the 500 bikes seem to be fairly evenly matched. These 500s have nough power on tap that they can power slide seemingly at wil.
It was a different game back then .I raced at a town called Startup in Washington state in 1978 and it was raining so hard and the mud was so deep only about 10 guys even finished one lap , But it was fun as hell between me and my YZ 125 it felt like we weighed about 600 lbs !I think I got sixth ahhh memories it was a fun era for sure😁
Doug Henry,he was my favorite rider back then. I had a RM 370 back then. 5 gallons of gas a Quart of Castrol R and ya had a great weekend . I was fortunate to have two tracks close to me. Unidilla and Broome Tioga. Broome Tioga sold out later to Texas for millions .Still a track there but not the pro riders. Awesome old video thanks for the memories. Can almost smell the exhaust. 🙂
Killer! Nice to be able to watch these legends riding the monsters! Before my time but I had a 77 YZ 400, 81 KX 420, 82 CR 480, the 1 year only 85 CR 500 air cooled. Wish we kept them all!
The '85 CR500 was the first watercooled Open class CR. It was a freaking ROCKETSHIP. I recall days when I came in after a 20 minute moto, the rear tire would be missing 3 or 4 knobs. Chains and sprockets needed replacing 2x as often as my 250s.. but man.. that bike was a BLAST to ride. It was a b!+ch to start.. I used to stand on a milk crate, just to get some extra leverage on the kickstarter.. and it's not like I'm short, at 6' 2".. lol That year CR500 had so much compression, even David Bailey, and Danny Chandler, both used TWO base gaskets.. so you know the stock motor had more than enough power. Honda engineers took note; as each following years five hunnys were detuned.. up to the 89 model if memory serves..
It makes me laugh to see how close the riders are to the track. Absolutely NUTS but I love it. I also love the all natural tracks back then. The braking and acceleration bumps were what motocross SHOULD be NOT the groomed, tilled, graded man-made tracks of today with the jumps and ruts from the machinery and dirt prep.
the front wheel inspector gets the riders to move their front wheels up to the gate, then seconds after walking away, the riders move their wheel backward. lol
His name is spelled Semics and he was a holeshot specialist during his racing days. Not as fast as Smith, Hannah, Distefano and others, but a consistent top 5 rider. I was surprised to see him in this race.
Crazy to see how far the sport has come. From the riding style, bikes, tracks, and technology. Everything progresses but it’s cool to see the history of MX.
Brad was sooo bad... But an incredible pilot, I say pilot, not rider!! Kawa and Suz must remember the man! great of all !! the biggest era of motocross, for sure.
2 STROKE 500CC Lackey the year he won the title the reason why factory riders fall down in simple turns nowadays is because 4 strokes are too easy to ride and they lose focus
I always favored the European outdoor tracks that started as green grass, and became all dug up as use went on! Hay bales to catch a crash? PFFFTT! We'll just hit these wooden posts and people standing there!
Is this the same video that Duke Video was selling in the late 80's/early 90's? I tried to order that video back around 1994 but it was no longer available.
Dave Thorpe from Great Britain needs a Can of Monster Energy. I remember back when Johnny O'Mara' chased Dave Thorpe down on a 125 , Dave was on a 500. MXDSN
Excellent film for the period,good commentary! Could be considered to be the beginning of the real dominance of the Jap manufacturers. Shame for the European manufacturers and lack of development when you consider that Lawrence Spence was probably on an almost standard production bike!?
Amen. The European manufacturers let the Japanese take over the sport and the industry, but I'm glad to see a comeback with the likes of Aprila, Ducati, KTM, and even Triumph manufacturing competitive motocrossers. The tide has finally started to turn.
I miss the days of natural terrain courses. Thank you for posting this video.
Agree 💯
@@randersson3672agree 100% also! Better days…
My God, this was motocross! I was there, 11 years old at the time. What a Memory and what a good video-quality!! Thanx a lot Sir for uploading this piece of Grand history of motocross.
Picco was my Idol!! Thanx again
The golden days of Motocross, so many legends.
@@dianedownie5951 do you travel to Belgium to ride…
@@dianedownie5951 golden era…
Anyone that raced MX back then, even at club level, knows how brutal MX GP was!!! 2 x 45 min + 2 lap motos, with I think just a 1 hour break in between, must have been a body wrecker!! I raced AMCA here in the UK for 5 seasons from 1979 on just 250's, that was as much as I could manage!!! My job at the time meant I couldn't do any physical training due to time constraint, so I just practice rode as much as possible between meets, so I really felt the effort!! Bloody great times though, went to lots of UK national meets and the big GP meets at Hawkstone park etc. Seeing all the big names of the time here is fantastic, we didn't see any live or recorded coverage of the US scene, the only stuff we saw of that was in Dirt Bike and MX action mags, so it's a real treat to see those guys in action here. Air cooled twin shock is the the thing I like the most, nothing like it!
This is amazing! Thanks for posting ! Love the guy jumping the pit fence around 11:45 trying to blend in with mechanics. We tried it all back in the day to get in the paddock!
Excellent. L'âge d'or du motocross!
Fantastic! So few videos of this years GP’s exist, a very important year for American fans with the championship going to Lackey. This was a crucial race for Lackey and he discussed his strategy in several interviews. So terrific to see this after all these years!
My childhood idol Håkan "Carla" Carlqvist 🇸🇪. My childhood room was wallpapered with posters of him. Unfortunately he passed away way too early in 2017. Thanks for sharing the video. So fun to watch and memories are brought back to life.
That SOUND!.....450's will never replace these beasts!
What if they made a 900 four stroke? 🫤
Maico makes a 700 2 stroke
Tranquillo i450 4 tempi di oggi vanno più forte delle vecchie 500@@OldScratch81
@@stefanogalloni8219 no compranday 😵💫??
Need more tracks like this,verses the manufactured whoops and jumps,run natural like cross country
That's the difference between European and American motocross. Like anything else that gets Americanized, it gets commercialized and diluted from its origins, and re-constructed to cater to the masses instead of the purists of the sport.
Thank you ! definitely my era..i ate slept dreamed breathed riding. I was a sophomore in H.S. in 75. I am now 63 I competed my whole life...racing bikes has been my whole life.! And I would never trade it.!
Nice to be able to see this again, also nice memory..... i was there as a 16 year old boy with Brad's Belgian fan club. Thanks for this upload...
Excellent footage and the birth of the single-track rear-end monoshock and all that type of stuff The Links and full floaters....
I was lucky enough for my Dad to take me to see Bob "Hurricane" Hannah win a title in the Astrodome in 1975. My first YZ was a '77 80cc. I always felt free on my dirtbike, '82 YZ490 (it was cheaper in '84 than the 125 next to it), '86 YZ250, '99 YZ250, '04 YZ250. Dirtbikes are the key to a happy life! NOT POLITICS!! I do have several broken ribs I still feel from 20 years ago. 😂
To see these guys RACE the 500’s at all-out top form, pushing the bikes (highly modified WORKS bikes) to their limits…both wheels sliding thru the turns, and skimming the front tire around the track mostly. Well, the racers of today are really good…YES. BUT, these bikes made huge HP and they pushed these WORKS bikes to their limits, for longer heats & motos! These old bikes & racers were simply cutting edge phenomenal💪🔥⚡️⚡️and I’ve ridden KX500’s since I was 21yrs old…I’m almost 53 now & still ride my 1988 KX500 regularly💚👌⚡️😎
Wonderfull!! Impresive quality!! Thank you very much. The golden era of motocross
Love the '80s motocross 500 GP's.
@@gerrysalaets6761 I like the 70’s better…
The best years to be a fan of this great sport, tough men every last one of them, 💪💪
This video was a great picture of what a GP event of that era was like, at least in Europe. The fans standing in harms way all over the track and many of them disregarding the banner outlining the track and coming right up to the edge of the track itself. The British commentator could hardly believe it. The camera coverage was great for its time with the close ups of the riders gassing it thru the corners in particular. Only real criticism is that the races coverage itself was too short. Congrats to Brad Lackey for clinching the World Championship!
Fantastic footage, thank you! Stunning speed and skill especially considering the technology of the day. These guys were a special breed; respect!
Great to see this historic race captured on film. Thanks for posting it.
I actually cant believe the video quality ~ well done ! I remember this race like yesterday ,and to watch it again this many yrs later ,it never gets old ~ thanks for the video!!
'82 was the year for the Americans. 250 and 500 GP champions and MXdN champions which I was so fortunate to attend.
the early 1980's 500MXGP was the greatest time of motocross
Epic moment in motocross!
Been to that GP. We were on holiday in Bollendorf.
Back when motocross wasn't so much about the money but the thrill of the ride.
When real men raced dirt bikes. I'm 64 and have been on both sides of the fences since the first motocross race I attended back in 1972. I believe that racing Europe on the 500 two strokes of the '70s & '80s was the most difficult and brutal racing there was. The only other era/venue I consider to be most dangerous would be the '80s & 90's US supercross & motocross.
you Sir are on point there.
Couldn't have summed it up any better. True gladiator Era of motocross.
Completely agree💪😎
I race 500 2 strokes, and even on today's shorter tracks it still bloody exhausting.
Absolutely and they look so much better on the bikes the uniforms and they were just real men not the snowflakes we have racing today
Le vrai motocross et la meilleure époque et des 500 cc 2 tps surpuissantes👍
When ya think ur fast…and then watch these guys racing GP’s…holy shit they’re F-A-S-T🔥
Thanks for sharing!
Great racing from N/Ireland Spence on the Macio
I got to see the ulsterman Lawrence Spence race at the FIM 500cc USGP…Carlsbad…
I went to the Spences house when he was on Kawasaki and they had gearbox spares in boxes as the could stop DNF's as the main shaft would fail or the gears would. Like Farleigh Castle GP when he lifted the bike across the line.
@ sounds like you too are also an ulsterman…
@@charlesharper6421 Yes raced for so many years my body has seen better days. Going mountain biking now in a hour.
@@Evo836nice. You still live in ulster..
they should have a special 500cc classs at each us national racing -the sound of 2 strokes are music to my ears
At this particular moment in time, all the 500 bikes seem to be fairly evenly matched. These 500s have nough power on tap that they can power slide seemingly at wil.
Best sounds ever
Thanks for this upload...great to see this
It was a different game back then .I raced at a town called Startup in Washington state in 1978 and it was raining so hard and the mud was so deep only about 10 guys even finished one lap , But it was fun as hell between me and my YZ 125 it felt like we weighed about 600 lbs !I think I got sixth ahhh memories it was a fun era for sure😁
Always hilarious seeing Dave Thorpe/Mr personality 😅 🤟🤠 immense skills
The interviewers not exactly Mr Sparkle !
Das ist ja blanker Wahnsinn. Thanks for posting. Five stars🤩
Doug Henry,he was my favorite rider back then. I had a RM 370 back then. 5 gallons of gas a Quart of Castrol R and ya had a great weekend . I was fortunate to have two tracks close to me. Unidilla and Broome Tioga. Broome Tioga sold out later to Texas for millions .Still a track there but not the pro riders. Awesome old video thanks for the memories. Can almost smell the exhaust. 🙂
Killer! Nice to be able to watch these legends riding the monsters! Before my time but I had a 77 YZ 400, 81 KX 420, 82 CR 480, the 1 year only 85 CR 500 air cooled.
Wish we kept them all!
The '85 CR500 was the first watercooled Open class CR. It was a freaking ROCKETSHIP.
I recall days when I came in after a 20 minute moto, the rear tire would be missing 3 or 4 knobs. Chains and sprockets needed replacing 2x as often as my 250s.. but man.. that bike was a BLAST to ride.
It was a b!+ch to start.. I used to stand on a milk crate, just to get some extra leverage on the kickstarter.. and it's not like I'm short, at 6' 2".. lol
That year CR500 had so much compression, even David Bailey, and Danny Chandler, both used TWO base gaskets.. so you know the stock motor had more than enough power. Honda engineers took note; as each following years five hunnys were detuned.. up to the 89 model if memory serves..
Excellent video. Thank You. 🏁🏁🏁
Big Noyce the steamtrain 🤟⚡🇬🇧
I love outdoor motocross it’s
That intro instantly made me sad and wonder what I’m doing with my life
I had a 82 RM500 in high school it was a super fun bike to ride only bummer was the drum brakes trying to slow down the beast!😂
These guys would woop my arse on these dinousor bikes haha FC 450 huski .
Great video. 👍
Buenisimooo🎉🎉🎉
It makes me laugh to see how close the riders are to the track. Absolutely NUTS but I love it. I also love the all natural tracks back then. The braking and acceleration bumps were what motocross SHOULD be NOT the groomed, tilled, graded man-made tracks of today with the jumps and ruts from the machinery and dirt prep.
Sweet beans. Natsukashii zo.
thank you sir
Carlqvist and Malherbe were the best/fastest, but they were both out with injuries,.
the front wheel inspector gets the riders to move their front wheels up to the gate, then seconds after walking away, the riders move their wheel backward. lol
Gary semex, remember learning to Ride via his videos.
His name is spelled Semics and he was a holeshot specialist during his racing days. Not as fast as Smith, Hannah, Distefano and others, but a consistent top 5 rider. I was surprised to see him in this race.
great machines great man"s
Hakan Dave Brad those guys were all Champs Heinz every rider were established seasoned GP riders
Maico 👍
Crazy to see how far the sport has come. From the riding style, bikes, tracks, and technology. Everything progresses but it’s cool to see the history of MX.
Yup, its all watered down crap now riding $200K bikes with cheated up everything LOL...zzzz
@@markholroyde9412 TRUTH be told ..
Bad Brad 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
"sporting a very fine looking beard"
Brad was sooo bad... But an incredible pilot, I say pilot, not rider!! Kawa and Suz must remember the man! great of all !! the biggest era of motocross, for sure.
ขอบคุณครับ
MORE !
2 STROKE 500CC Lackey the year he won the title the reason why factory riders fall down in simple turns nowadays is because 4 strokes are too easy to ride and they lose focus
Too bad the coverage here didn't explain what happened to Vromans in the second moto as it spoiled his chance of a championship.
I always favored the European outdoor tracks that started as green grass, and became all dug up as use went on!
Hay bales to catch a crash? PFFFTT! We'll just hit these wooden posts and people standing there!
Прощай двухтактники!Здравствуй диски и четырехтактники.
Lawrence Spence the man from Ireland lit
No jumps . Can you imagine fast forward these riders to now? . They would be like , uuuhhhhh
what do you mean?
@@LBrawnStupid ass question.
Is this the same video that Duke Video was selling in the late 80's/early 90's? I tried to order that video back around 1994 but it was no longer available.
the area of the track they filmed did not look that rough
❤❤👍
Hello! Does Keith own this footage? Do you have his contact? Looking to possibly license!
Dave Thorpe from Great Britain needs a Can of Monster Energy. I remember back when Johnny O'Mara' chased Dave Thorpe down on a 125 , Dave was on a 500. MXDSN
You really like Dave Thorpe don't ya mate. I can tell.
nobody mentions that dave had no front brake.
Dave smoked all the americans the year before
😎👌💪💪
pity the commentater doesnt have a clue😂
It’s more like a supermoto race compare to nowdays GP’s!😂
That horrible music ruined it 😢
Excellent film for the period,good commentary! Could be considered to be the beginning of the real dominance of the Jap manufacturers. Shame for the European manufacturers and lack of development when you consider that Lawrence Spence was probably on an almost standard production bike!?
Amen. The European manufacturers let the Japanese take over the sport and the industry, but I'm glad to see a comeback with the likes of Aprila, Ducati, KTM, and even Triumph manufacturing competitive motocrossers. The tide has finally started to turn.