In the third and final episode, Marty Smith talks about losing his Honda contract, dangerous motocross tracks, and his wish that two-strokes were still the dominant bikes.
Marty was correct about motocross and television back in the 70's. We would have to wait for Wide World of Sports to air a Carlsbad USGP race just to get a fuzzy glimpse of all those icons of motocross. Only motocross could have my friends and I drop our modified Schwinn Stingray bicycles in pile on the lawn and huddle around the tv on a Saturday afternoon in complete awe. What wonderful times those were.
You know when Carlsbad use to be on the trans-ama schedule, at the time motocross was not mainstream, basically unheard of by the masses. But it had a loyal following and the hills surrounding the track would turn into a mini Woodstock with bon fires, bikers, boozers, brothels and the "in the know" die hard fans camping out on the hill sides for a trans ama race. All by word of mouth. Saddleback would also have droves of adoring fans and similar circumstances for it's trans ama finale after the Carlsbad event. Drag racing was also on the plate for my dad and I when we weren't riding and or racing. That era, mid 60's/ early 70's, also holds a special place in my heart and I have quite the pristine collection if all the mags of that era (dirt bike and motocross mags as well) and earlier. To give you and example how much those two eras coincided I have a early 73 edition of Hot Rod and the centerfold Hot Rod Gallery as every issue had, normally of a fuel dragster, or a night shot of a funny car car or any other drag car at Lions or OCIR ect. has a pic of Roger DeCoster and Ake Jonsson battling at Carlsbad at the 72 trans ama event. It's the only issue of many that I have that has a dirt bike related picture as a centerfold let alone two motocross superstars of the day. If your were part of America's motocross infancy such as I and, I imagine you, consider yourself blessed. As you said " the best of times.....
I think I was somewhere between 10:00 and 12 years old lived in rural California NorCal come home from school and ride on my Honda xr75 till the sun went down. Then come inside and read and look at the black and white photos of Marty Smith time for bed. Great memories
Rest easy, Marty. I’ll never forget meeting you at a few of the Tankslappers Grand Prix at Carlsbad, and the fact that you took the time to chat with a local club racer like me.
OK, this interview was so damned good, I'm buyin' the book. I was a young kid who was lucky enough to ride dirt bikes, starting in 1971, at age seven. It didn't take me long to discover the various magazines, which my dad would buy for me, and I devoured them all. Read them over and over again, knew everything in them by heart. Marty Smith was clearly one of the best riders in the world. It was hard to put _anyone_ above Roger De Coster, but whatever. The thing was, I had no idea what kind of person Marty was, even more so than with the other pros whose personalities seemed to come across more clearly. I felt like the _only_ thing I knew about Smith was that he won race, after race, after race, after race...
David, your book is fantastic. I’m so glad I bought it. It brings back so many great memories of my youth and racing days. And these interviews on RUclips are fantastic as well.
I miss the days in So. Cal. riding in the hills with Marty Tripes, Billy Urban. Marty Smith is right on all counts in my opinion. Gone are golden days of motocross as well as muscle cars. See ya
I liked his comments about the sport now and then. Back in the 1980's all my neighborhood friends rode dirt bikes. We would ride after school if no sports were going on. We would ride most weekends sun up to sun down. Read Dirt Bike magazine all the time. The biggest thing we had was a place to ride. All my local riding spots are long gone. Can remember my neighbor getting a new 84 Honda XR80R for $700 and my dad getting me a used YZ100 for a couple hundred bucks. Great times!
Count a lap on a sx track today and how many jumps. Its just all jumps. We need larger nascar tracks for sx now. Atlanta and Daytona. The ball stadiums are now to small for the bikes. Larger tracks can be safer tracks. More room
I loved the racing no matter what era we’re in. Yes the tracks and bikes are much different but it’s still motocross. I do agree that the TV coverage no days is fantastic. Dad and I used to drive over to local Suzuki or Yamaha dealer or even better make the trip over to Tommy Conners Racing here in Austin to get the latest Cycle News on all the races. I internet back then.
Great ending, but like a thought of the masses, it falls short of the solution. Yes, the 4-strokes are too fast. Injuries are through the roof, and we are even seeing deaths on local tracks now. The cost is now out of reach (blame the 1986 production rule also), for any kid not in a upper middle class family or higher, (And the parents probably had to had ride/raced themselves, or they would be playing with a ball.). The complexity of the bikes is over the heads of anybody with only a HS degree,-------and we don't know what the solution is. Or we won't admit it. Let me say it bluntly. In the case of the 4-stroke it was a dictatorship called the EPA that forced the faster engine into MX in an effort to push out the dirty dirty 2-strokes. Now---do we want to fix problems like these,---or do we think they have a right to do this to our entire society? They don't! Doug in Michigan
I started racing I. 1976 and MARTY SMITH WAS MY FAVORITE RIDER THEN. AND HE IS GONE NOW, WAY TO SOON, ALONG WITH HIS WIFE, AND I HAVE CRIED MY EYES OUT EVERYTIME I THINK AND TALK ABOUT THIS. AS I AM NOW. I CAN'T HELP IT. I'M VERY EMOTIONAL. AND MARTY SMITH ALONG WITH NANCY WERE AND ALWAYS WILL BE THE MOST LAID BACK PROFESSIONAL COUPLE IN THE HISTORY OF MOTOCROSS. IN THE GREATEST ERA OF MOTOCROSS IN THE USA. 4 STROKES HAVE RUINED THE SPORT IN MY MIND. TOOK AWAY SO MANY CLASSES AND REALLY JUST TOOK AWAY THE REASON WHY IT BECAME THE SPORT FOR ALL THE NON BALL SPORT PLAYERS. THE SMELL, THE PEOPLE, LAID BACK AND JUST ENJOYING THE RACING, NOBODY BOOING ANY RIDER. AND KNOW MATTER WHO WON THE CROWD WAS HAPPY AND LOVING JUST BEING THERE.. SORRY FOR THE TOO MUCH. I JUST THINK ITS SO SAD WHAT AMERICA HAS DONE TO EVERY SOORT, PROFESSIONAL SPORTS
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Marty was correct about motocross and television back in the 70's. We would have to wait for Wide World of Sports to air a Carlsbad USGP race just to get a fuzzy glimpse of all those icons of motocross. Only motocross could have my friends and I drop our modified Schwinn Stingray bicycles in pile on the lawn and huddle around the tv on a Saturday afternoon in complete awe. What wonderful times those were.
You know when Carlsbad use to be on the trans-ama schedule, at the time motocross was not mainstream, basically unheard of by the masses. But it had a loyal following and the hills surrounding the track would turn into a mini Woodstock with bon fires, bikers, boozers, brothels and the "in the know" die hard fans camping out on the hill sides for a trans ama race. All by word of mouth. Saddleback would also have droves of adoring fans and similar circumstances for it's trans ama finale after the Carlsbad event. Drag racing was also on the plate for my dad and I when we weren't riding and or racing. That era, mid 60's/ early 70's, also holds a special place in my heart and I have quite the pristine collection if all the mags of that era (dirt bike and motocross mags as well) and earlier. To give you and example how much those two eras coincided I have a early 73 edition of Hot Rod and the centerfold Hot Rod Gallery as every issue had, normally of a fuel dragster, or a night shot of a funny car car or any other drag car at Lions or OCIR ect. has a pic of Roger DeCoster and Ake Jonsson battling at Carlsbad at the 72 trans ama event. It's the only issue of many that I have that has a dirt bike related picture as a centerfold let alone two motocross superstars of the day. If your were part of America's motocross infancy such as I and, I imagine you, consider yourself blessed. As you said " the best of times.....
@@halseyknox Would have loved to be there!!!! Thank you for sharing.
I think I was somewhere between 10:00 and 12 years old lived in rural California NorCal come home from school and ride on my Honda xr75 till the sun went down. Then come inside and read and look at the black and white photos of Marty Smith time for bed. Great memories
Rest easy, Marty. I’ll never forget meeting you at a few of the Tankslappers Grand Prix at Carlsbad, and the fact that you took the time to chat with a local club racer like me.
OK, this interview was so damned good, I'm buyin' the book. I was a young kid who was lucky enough to ride dirt bikes, starting in 1971, at age seven. It didn't take me long to discover the various magazines, which my dad would buy for me, and I devoured them all. Read them over and over again, knew everything in them by heart. Marty Smith was clearly one of the best riders in the world. It was hard to put _anyone_ above Roger De Coster, but whatever. The thing was, I had no idea what kind of person Marty was, even more so than with the other pros whose personalities seemed to come across more clearly. I felt like the _only_ thing I knew about Smith was that he won race, after race, after race, after race...
Excellent stuff thank you for doing this 👍
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David, your book is fantastic. I’m so glad I bought it. It brings back so many great memories of my youth and racing days. And these interviews on RUclips are fantastic as well.
I miss the days in So. Cal. riding in the hills with Marty Tripes, Billy Urban. Marty Smith is right on all counts in my opinion. Gone are golden days of motocross as well as muscle cars. See ya
I thought I was the only old guy that thought the new tracks were dangerous.
Loving your work 👏
I liked his comments about the sport now and then. Back in the 1980's all my neighborhood friends rode dirt bikes. We would ride after school if no sports were going on. We would ride most weekends sun up to sun down. Read Dirt Bike magazine all the time. The biggest thing we had was a place to ride. All my local riding spots are long gone. Can remember my neighbor getting a new 84 Honda XR80R for $700 and my dad getting me a used YZ100 for a couple hundred bucks. Great times!
Count a lap on a sx track today and how many jumps. Its just all jumps. We need larger nascar tracks for sx now.
Atlanta and Daytona.
The ball stadiums are now to small for the bikes.
Larger tracks can be safer tracks.
More room
To hell with SX....motocross is still and always will be outdoor MX....that's where it originated from and still the real deal
I loved the racing no matter what era we’re in. Yes the tracks and bikes are much different but it’s still motocross. I do agree that the TV coverage no days is fantastic. Dad and I used to drive over to local Suzuki or Yamaha dealer or even better make the trip over to Tommy Conners Racing here in Austin to get the latest Cycle News on all the races. I internet back then.
Great video!!!
Marty Smith 76 mid ohio the best race 🏁
What a good looking dude he is.
"Evolution" doesn't end yet some things shouldn't change: No wonder we lament.
Great ending, but like a thought of the masses, it falls short of the solution. Yes, the 4-strokes are too fast. Injuries are through the roof, and we are even seeing deaths on local tracks now. The cost is now out of reach (blame the 1986 production rule also), for any kid not in a upper middle class family or higher, (And the parents probably had to had ride/raced themselves, or they would be playing with a ball.). The complexity of the bikes is over the heads of anybody with only a HS degree,-------and we don't know what the solution is. Or we won't admit it. Let me say it bluntly. In the case of the 4-stroke it was a dictatorship called the EPA that forced the faster engine into MX in an effort to push out the dirty dirty 2-strokes.
Now---do we want to fix problems like these,---or do we think they have a right to do this to our entire society?
They don't! Doug in Michigan
Another anti-government fool LOL! 😅😅
Motocross sucks today. Go back in time. It's more of a circus act.. today
I started racing I. 1976 and MARTY SMITH WAS MY FAVORITE RIDER THEN. AND HE IS GONE NOW, WAY TO SOON, ALONG WITH HIS WIFE, AND I HAVE CRIED MY EYES OUT EVERYTIME I THINK AND TALK ABOUT THIS. AS I AM NOW. I CAN'T HELP IT. I'M VERY EMOTIONAL. AND MARTY SMITH ALONG WITH NANCY WERE AND ALWAYS WILL BE THE MOST LAID BACK PROFESSIONAL COUPLE IN THE HISTORY OF MOTOCROSS. IN THE GREATEST ERA OF MOTOCROSS IN THE USA. 4 STROKES HAVE RUINED THE SPORT IN MY MIND. TOOK AWAY SO MANY CLASSES AND REALLY JUST TOOK AWAY THE REASON WHY IT BECAME THE SPORT FOR ALL THE NON BALL SPORT PLAYERS. THE SMELL, THE PEOPLE, LAID BACK AND JUST ENJOYING THE RACING, NOBODY BOOING ANY RIDER. AND KNOW MATTER WHO WON THE CROWD WAS HAPPY AND LOVING JUST BEING THERE.. SORRY FOR THE TOO MUCH. I JUST THINK ITS SO SAD WHAT AMERICA HAS DONE TO EVERY SOORT, PROFESSIONAL SPORTS
You’re absolutely right. Marty said it. The tracks today are dangerous.
Todays tracks are rhythm tracks in sx that's why i perfer to watch outdoor mx .