The YFZ450R is motocross ready. Jack Miller. And to that I say, it’s my formula-screw off. All told, the Flying Freckle finished top ten in the supercross series eight times in the decade only missing out in 1980 and ’81. Supercross. He was the first rider to be crowned champion in each of the categories (125cc, 250cc and 500cc), and the 1987 and '88 seasons will always been remembered for … The mid-to-late 80s saw British motocross legend Dave Thorpe take to the stage. 2011. The Best Supercross Riders of the 90’s! Motocross first evolved in the United Kingdom from motorcycle trials competitions in the early 1900s. 1st– Jeremy McGrath, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki-81 points. As we ended yesterday’s review of 1979, we explained that three-time AMA Supercross Champion (and three-time AMA Motocross Champion) Bob Hannah was knocked out for … Johnson (5) and O'Mara (3) charge into the first turn in 1986. Ah, the 80s were good to motocross and off-road bikers. In the ’80s Ricky Johnson was a member of four winning Motocross des Nations teams and won seven AMA national championships. That would change—as would the balance of power in world motocross—in 1981. But whether you favor Rutherford, Franck, Hertz, Cockcroft, Meitner, Fermi, Strassmann, Walton, Szilard or Einstein, all of these men changed the world as we know it. Howerton would also win the Trans-USA tour, now all the way down to just four rounds, including two current AMA National tracks in Unadilla and RedBud. The “Rhinestone Cowboy” from Texas won all but one round of the seven-round tour, and the only race he lost—RedBud—went to another Texan in the form of Team Honda's Steve Wise. When Suzuki committed to investigate the European motocross scene in 1967, they sent their top rider, Kasuo Kubo, (who won the inaugural "All Japan Motocross") a pair of RH67 bikes, and team manager Ishikawa off to the races. He had just won the 250 MX and SX title and was looking to be a top dog for a long, long time. ... “Larry Brooks replaced Lance Moorewood as MXA’s chief test rider in the mid-80s … So he definitely could’ve won one title and when you think about his Yamaha’s compared to the mighty Honda’s, well he might’ve cost himself more wins and maybe more titles with his loyalty. I differed in my scoring than Magnus as I went with the 3-point difference between first and second as a championship should be worth more than only one point over a runner-up. Riley Dukes. Speedway (U21) 2011. So the Insport title standings count. 9th-1 point The Little Professor’s best scores were one title (’83), one runner-up and one third place and  in the points. PulpMX exists as an informed, fan-driven Pro Motocross and Supercross site where objective editorial and entertaining racing-centric discourse flourish. See more ’80s Nostalgia. 2nd Place-Rick Johnson-Yamaha, Honda-49 points. To the surprise of absolute no one, Showtime wins the title of... 2nd– Jeff Stanton, Honda-42 points. Remember that was when Wardy rode backwards after a crash and if you listen to our podcast, Broc lays out some pretty good reasons why he got screwed. He went to Europe in ’89 and had wrist problems in ’87 so if he was in the country and not hurt-he was in the top ten in points. One was for the road only, the other was specifically for off-road use. Womens MX. Johnson finished runner-up to O’Mara in ’84 on his Yamaha but when he switched to Honda for 1986, well that was when he really took off. Anyways, back to Bell, he also won a supercross in his last year (’83) and again, a surprise that he’s here with really only two years of finishes. Meghan Rutledge. These bikes were sold to retailers like KMart, Target, Sears, and Walmart. When Bob Hannah broke his leg water-skiing after another dominant season, the door was wide open for someone to step in and take over as the leader in this nation. Chad Reed. He scored a top ten finish six years and two were 2nd’s and two were 3rd’s. Johnny was remarkably consistent just like Wardy as he won one title but finished in the top ten seven years out of ten. He won the most races in ’83 as well. Sit back and enjoy the nostalgia. It wasn’t a surprise to see Wardy top this list, as you have to figure that he would be first or second because of the two titles (’85 & ’87) and was a consistent top five finisher the other years. 2014. He retired when he was 26 and as he told me in our podcast it was because “No one called me for a ride.”, 4th Place-Johnny O’Mara- Honda, Suzuki-43 points. A little bit of a surprise (beating out Hannah?) Before we get started about 80s music. Which is a complete travesty as Ronnie outscores Bell by six career wins and they each have one national title. Also take note that in 1985 there were two championships with one of them, the actual AMA championship, only being two races. So there we go and without any further adieu, here are the top 15 riders of supercross in the 80’s. It was a bike from the future. Trials competition was designed to demonstrate a rider's skill in balance and precision on rough, off-road courses. That's Danny Storbeck (19) on the outside. Personalized MOTOCROSS Poster, Gift for Motocross Riders, Motocross Gift, Motocross Typography, Motocross Art, MX Racing SunflowerStateArt. Monoschock rear suspensions and two-stroke engines that predated environmental crackdowns, and not to mention the 500cc class that pushed riders to their limits. Bell was solid outdoors too, but not as fast as Suzuki's Kent Howerton was. Barnett only won one title but scored two runner-up finishes the next two years. The weldless frame is designed from lightweight aluminum, with a tension-steel bottom frame that lets the engine sit lower for excellent mass centralization. Required fields are marked *. The mid-to-late 80s saw British motocross legend Dave Thorpe take to the stage. He did rebound with the all-new RM250 in ’88 with two more years in the top ten to round out the decade. 3rd Place-Mark Barnett-Suzuki, Kawasaki-43 points, This might be a bit of a surprise to you as The Bomber only raced half the decade before retiring but as my favorite rider growing up (which I wrote all about HERE) I’m not surprised he’s in third. By David Coffin - In 1972 the most popular bike at the time was the Hodaka 100-B trail bike but it was the European CZ's, Maico's, Bultacos, AJS's, Ossa's, and Greeves that took command of the tracks of Southern California as they brutally pounded the hot, dry and dusty motocross tracks as riders fought for CMC or AME points. If nothing else, The Dogger is in my personal Hall of Fame and the all-time best off-track stories Hall of Fame. There was not a single European rider in the top ten that year, as the series was no longer of great importance to the factories. Fight Club: Pastrana, Langston, Brown and a Title, Cianciarulo, Plessinger, Malott, Murdock on Pulpmx Show Tonight, Webb, Pipes, Short, Nicoletti, Weigandt, Thomas Archive. 15th place Keith Bowen 7 points. As it is, he had to settle for just one title but his season ending championship scores of 4th, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 7th and 6th were good for 43 points and third in the “Matthes Awards for Best 80’s Supercrosser.” Also I must mention that Barnett won a supercross (Atlanta ’85) in his last season and not too many riders can claim that. All told he only missed out on being a 3X SX champion by a handful of points Huffy was in... 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