2 thumbs 👍 for the person who restored this footage. I wish today's fans would show the same excitement that they did back then. I couldn't wait for my dirt bike magazine to be delivered to the mailbox. This was my generation of riders. More restored videos, please.
Was at the first Supercross 1972 . 60,000 fans showed up at the Coliseum to cheer on their heros. Dont think I missed a year untill leaving California in 89. Thank you Mike Goodwin!
Velky should have won it after a bad start he came way up to 2nd until he encountered problems with rear suspension that's why he couldn't control that cz in the final moto cz were a great bike if they were set up right 👍
My first supercross, apparently it had a huge impact l have worked in and stayed in the motorcycle industry for my entire career. One of the perks was meeting so many of the people in the video. Dave Despain, Jimmy Weinert , Tony D, and Marty Smith.
Even with no national TV coverage, the modern version is only a rotting shell of what this sport used to be. The global environ-mental-head-cases and the "progressive" FIM/AMA have all but destroyed our great sport. It is now "out of reach" for any kid who's parents did not ride and are willing to buy their kid a $10,000 bike. In those days, almost a million more bikes were sold per year when the patents said, "Buy it your self.",--and we did. 45 years later, I can't even afford a new one now.
The major difference is, back then, it was much more free market, and today, the sport is run by government(s)/politics, from the bikes we ride, to the tracks the pro's race on.
@@EarthSurferUSA My kids raced for years and I have spend 10K on bike for them. In fact until last year the most expensive they had as about $3500. And when you consider how long the bike last today and how long they are competitive the cost of the bike is the least of the expenses involved in racing.
@@brianjacobsen5762 it was steering stems they tried making from aluminum that broke. Decoster had this happen at the Livermore Trans am on quite possibly the hardest dirt in earth. He was badly hurt. Suzuki was ruthlessly trying to make bikes as light as possible it the time. There was a works bike that held its shocks on with circlips and an open bike under 170 pounds.
I watched Marty Smith and Bob Hannah race only one year after this in 1976 at waggaman louisiana nationals and I also won my first 50cc championship that same weekend. That was the same weekend Bob Hannah raced the first water cooled Yamaha YZ 125 he beat Marty Smith the water cool bike was so fast!! What a weekend that was
@user-mq8qp1ll5l The problem back then was that any racer could claim the winning bike. There was a racer named Boone (if I remember correctly) that put a claim on Hannah's bike. He lost the draw. So because of that the factorys pulled development on water cooled works bike.
Was alslo here with my mom and dad, was 12yrs old. Idolized Marty Smith, got my first bike 75' 125 elsinore, and painted it red. I think they were 1400.00 off the showroom floor. Nothing but a memory. Now its a fashion show.
I was eleven at that time & couldn't get enough of dirt bikes , at 53 I am still hooked , I have a Husqvarna now & don't get to ride near as much as I would like , I had a Can Am once & it was a tank but very reliable !!!
It actually has the stuff here that just made the sport the national craze that it was at that time. So many falls by even the greatest riders illustrates the hype on view at this particular race.
This was Awesome! Those were some great crashes on those old bikes that I grew up riding. Glad no one got hurt. Some great racing also. Loved 1975 Dave Despain too! Sweet mullet before they were cool!
@@EarthSurferUSA Any bad crash that you walk away from is not a bad crash....If you've ever had bones sticking out of your skin you'll know what I mean.
Boy does this bring back memories thanks for dad for showing me how to race early 70's motocross at Indian Dunes and taking me to this race. If I'm not mistaken this was not motocross at the coliseum it was the first of what would be known as Supercross. Thanks A for posting
I remember the Can Am with the Rotax engine and I believe they had an automatic transmission. They always got the hole shot at my local track. The sound was like nothing else. They took a little longer to get going and then wham they pass everything.
@@dangrimes5078 Ithink you are thinking of the Rokon bike that had the automatic.transmission. They also had 2WD. Still being made in Rochester, New Hamshire.But yes, My Can AM 125 felt like a 250 when on the boil.
Yes, thank you for correcting me. I had a feeling I was off on that. The Rockon was a monster off the line. We didn't see too many Can Am's and I don't know much about them. I just miss those days so much. Nothing has touched me like motorcycles did. I wanted to be Mary Smith so bad but alas I barely made it to the intermediate class.
WOW, good times back then. Factory bikes where super trick accept the CZ's were some what stock BUT super fast. The support class was really cool back then! One of the best things back then to see was most of the riders wearing the correct gear! Shoulder pads! That alone saved so many year long energies but the BE COOL monster was just starting and some of the top riders thought is wasn't cool to wear them so that started a very bad trend among OUR CHILDREN and in turn ruined a lot of careers and caused lots of pain and continues until today unfortunately. Heck Tomac and Martin both lost last years(2018) Super Cross Title because of a SMALL tip overs that both could of walked away with the right gear.
I was there with a group of my friends. I remember walking the track after the race since they could not keep everyone off because of those that rushed the track before the race ended.
No offense to the super technology of the bikes today, but those old bikes were by far the best. You raced the course as well as the limitations of the bike at the same time.
@@MX-CO I was racing in the 80's/90's, and the speed was not too much IMO. The tracks got faster after the 4-strokes were forced on us, and the average speed went up from about 35mph to about 45mph on a national track. Even more on a SX track. The FIM also now dictates how our tracks are made, even to private national track owners in the USA.
@@EarthSurferUSA yes I agree with you completely. I'm also working on a website thats about ways to Help the sport of motocross grow. Im also considering starting a business that will be about growing the sport through marketing and Letting people try riding Dirt bikes for free on a small track. Im not sure yet if it will be a non profit or a social enterprise for benefit type business. Mx-collaborations.com
1976 Kawasaki KX 400 in lime green racing colors. Air cooled two stroke low pipe. Bel- Ray MC - 1 racing oil. Kobe Japan “ come out ahead on a Kawasaki “ 🏁
@@steved0603 His reflexes were fast enough and probably still are, to beat you into the ground with his fists, if you had the guts to say that to his face. Maybe you are just a big mouth pussy behind a keyboard?
Man the memories, 3/4 helmets, Jofa face guard, leather boots and the best bikes, 3inch suspension, you had to know how to ride to win on those bikes, I remember the European racers were the ones to beat , I really think the racers back in these days were better riders, had to be the bikes only went wide open and they had no suspension you really needed to know what you were doing
What was that Staten about reflex's? Ha Ha I use to love reading about these guys in Dirtbike etc. when I was a kid. They rarely if ever trained. Them were the days!
In '75 Rex Staten holeshot the first moto of the Carlsbad Grand Prix...on a CZ! They had to re-weld the frame together after the first moto, because the steel couldn't stand the torque of his ported-to-the-max motor. He finished 7th overall for the day. That was the last gasp of fame for CZ in America.
@@bretmuldner - It takes talent to win. But you don't need muscle to ride mx. Fat blobs and skinny twigs win races at all levels, some of them win after having smoked a few pipe loads.
Jimmy Ellis wins... on a Can-Am? Chased by a CZ! At the time, my personal dirt bike was a Steen, which had a Hodaka engine. I remember reading about these early Supercross races, though I don't think I saw one on TV before about 1980 or so, but it was obviously a good way to present motocross to a crowd of spectators.
suspension was the biggest improvement on a dirt bike. go look at 1985, then 1995. the jumps keep getting higher and higher. yeah in 75 dirt bike felt like bricks.
. I was at this,my main memory is of John DeSoto (The Flyin Hawaiian) clearing the triple jump until he ate it. edit: I'm thinking of the 1972 race when Marty Tripes won........lol
Seems like the greatest suspension advances in moto-cross happened in the 1970s. Mono shock, massive travel increases, progressive spring rates stiffer swing arm as well as water cooling. Seems like it's been mostly refinement since, except for the massive retrograde shift to 4 strokes.
I was there, I remember seeing Rex Staten eat shit right in front of us, my dad was good friends with Rex, we were from Fontana. Jim Fishback speedway racer was crazy too! A lot of talent came out of the Inland Empire area!
Those canned ham bikes were really competitive in the old days... I had one. Also a Huskvarna. By todays standards, every motocross bike of the early seventies were pieces of garbage anyway. ;) Of course, we still like them. But we have gone a long way since then.
Northern Californa racing was huge back in the 70's and I hardly ever saw a Can Am. They may have been fast but on most rough tracks CZ's, Maico's, out handled them.
Today's Supercross sucks compared to this. Bikes are too good. Tracks are too smooth with nice dirt. Riders are too good. Doesn't even compare to this era.
2 thumbs 👍 for the person who restored this footage. I wish today's fans would show the same excitement that they did back then. I couldn't wait for my dirt bike magazine to be delivered to the mailbox. This was my generation of riders. More restored videos, please.
Metal tank gladiators
in 80 or 81 in got my magazines at 7-11 or HEB grocery store
Subscribe as a kid. Super Hunky still rules.
Yes dirt bike magazine I was 12 years old remember these names well usually black and white magazines photographs
Was at the first Supercross 1972 . 60,000 fans showed up at the Coliseum to cheer on their heros. Dont think I missed a year untill leaving California in 89. Thank you Mike Goodwin!
Velky should have won it after a bad start he came way up to 2nd until he encountered problems with rear suspension that's why he couldn't control that cz in the final moto cz were a great bike if they were set up right 👍
You are aware that Mike Goodwin was responsible for having Mickey Thompson & his wife murdered aren't you?
Why did you leave CA?
My first supercross, apparently it had a huge impact l have worked in and stayed in the motorcycle industry for my entire career. One of the perks was meeting so many of the people in the video. Dave Despain, Jimmy Weinert , Tony D, and Marty Smith.
actually, more fun to watch then the modern version
Even with no national TV coverage, the modern version is only a rotting shell of what this sport used to be. The global environ-mental-head-cases and the "progressive" FIM/AMA have all but destroyed our great sport. It is now "out of reach" for any kid who's parents did not ride and are willing to buy their kid a $10,000 bike. In those days, almost a million more bikes were sold per year when the patents said, "Buy it your self.",--and we did. 45 years later, I can't even afford a new one now.
The major difference is, back then, it was much more free market, and today, the sport is run by government(s)/politics, from the bikes we ride, to the tracks the pro's race on.
The only thing I see that is more fun is that most of us thought we could actually keep up and watching the guys today we know we cant.
@@EarthSurferUSA My kids raced for years and I have spend 10K on bike for them. In fact until last year the most expensive they had as about $3500. And when you consider how long the bike last today and how long they are competitive the cost of the bike is the least of the expenses involved in racing.
Not even close. I love the old days, but if todays racing looked like this it would have died a long time ago.
I got marty smiths autograph at this race. my hero
He passed away with his wife about the time you wrote this. Dune buggy accident.
I was there as a teen so cool way better than todays supercross
My dad took me to this race. Fun times!
Went to this race with my dad and brothers
I and my dad went.. Our next bike was 76 Can-Am TNT 250
Went with my dad too. Great times
i was 11 yrs old, i think i was there those guys were my idols!!!
Thunderous crowds, thank yous for sharing historic films.
Whos not going to the races? Your kids and their kids, thats who.
Thanks for posting! Loved it! The Jammer, Tony D, and a Can Am won! Just awesome!
Was that the year Suzuki wields on steering head would snap Tony had one Decoster one glen helen
@@brianjacobsen5762 it was steering stems they tried making from aluminum that broke. Decoster had this happen at the Livermore Trans am on quite possibly the hardest dirt in earth. He was badly hurt. Suzuki was ruthlessly trying to make bikes as light as possible it the time. There was a works bike that held its shocks on with circlips and an open bike under 170 pounds.
@@othgmark1 never heard that. wow..
Good stuff.
I watched Marty Smith and Bob Hannah race only one year after this in 1976 at waggaman louisiana nationals and I also won my first 50cc championship that same weekend. That was the same weekend Bob Hannah raced the first water cooled Yamaha YZ 125 he beat Marty Smith the water cool bike was so fast!! What a weekend that was
I was there! Smith broke both his rear shocks
I didnt know they made watercooled motorcycles back then, I thought they came out in 81
@@JamesEmmons-w2g production bikes. There were already water cooled road racers but l think that was the first major factory motocross bike
@user-mq8qp1ll5l
The problem back then was that any racer could claim the winning bike. There was a racer named Boone (if I remember correctly) that put a claim on Hannah's bike. He lost the draw. So because of that the factorys pulled development on water cooled works bike.
Was alslo here with my mom and dad, was 12yrs old. Idolized Marty Smith, got my first bike 75' 125 elsinore, and painted it red. I think they were 1400.00 off the showroom floor. Nothing but a memory. Now its a fashion show.
$1,400 was a lot of money back then. That's why I got into BMX
No, they were $700 out the door. I got my 79 RM125 for $1100 plus tax.
I was eleven at that time & couldn't get enough of dirt bikes , at 53 I am still hooked , I have a Husqvarna now & don't get to ride near as much as I would like , I had a Can Am once & it was a tank but very reliable !!!
Very Cool! Thanx for posting this!!!
Me, & my Dad were at this race in 1975. I was 13 years old, & a huge Marty Smith fan. Drove there from Westlake Village.
I was there😊
Was also at the very first Supercross in 1972.
GREAT MEMORIES!
This is gold- Smith forgetting they changed the first turn. Staten sounds punch-drunk. The Wild West of Supercross.
He was lol. Grandpa was a golden glove boxer. He’s my uncle! Dude is tough as nails
It actually has the stuff here that just made the sport the national craze that it was at that time. So many falls by even the greatest riders illustrates the hype on view at this particular race.
I remember seeing it live,all the crashes made it spectacular
To think this is where it all began what memories 😢 and 47 Years later it is till a great Sport to Watch
Absolutely class these videos
This was 20 years before I was born. Crazy to see how much the sport has changed and adapted
This was Awesome! Those were some great crashes on those old bikes that I grew up riding. Glad no one got hurt. Some great racing also. Loved 1975 Dave Despain too! Sweet mullet before they were cool!
Come on!!! What crash have you had that you would describe as "great"? My crashes? They all sucked. :)
@@EarthSurferUSA Any bad crash that you walk away from is not a bad crash....If you've ever had bones sticking out of your skin you'll know what I mean.
Bad crashes are great... later on. What would bench racing be without them?
Thank you to share this video with us
Great vid! Too bad it cut off before showing the post race.
Boy does this bring back memories thanks for dad for showing me how to race early 70's motocross at Indian Dunes and taking me to this race. If I'm not mistaken this was not motocross at the coliseum it was the first of what would be known as Supercross.
Thanks A for posting
Wow!Dave Despain with hair! Lots of it!
Robbie Hobert - the best, craziest ever. I think he was in this race. God I loved those bikes - CZ, big Suzukis, Ossas, etc.
0:40 "I don't wanna get hurt I'm just gonna take it easy" - proceeds to send it like there's no tomorrow and go straight on the first turn lol
Would love to see this video restored in HD!
Awesome Video!
That first spectator to run out on the track is a born leader who deserved a medal. Little did he know he would soon be followed.
How many times back then did we hear “motocross is the second most physically demanding sport next to soccer.”
,,🙏 RIP Mr and Mrs Marty Smith
Time.... Time is a funny thing. If I am not mistaken, I remember watching this race on TV as a young lad of eleven. I wanted a motorcycle so bad....
this is the best coverage of a pro motocross that exists as far as I have seen. It is really a moment in time.
Jimmy Ellis was my Hero back then….of course I had a Can Am 125 MX1 as my first bike. It was sure troublesome, but so fast.
I remember the Can Am with the Rotax engine and I believe they had an automatic transmission. They always got the hole shot at my local track. The sound was like nothing else. They took a little longer to get going and then wham they pass everything.
@@dangrimes5078 Ithink you are thinking of the Rokon bike that had the automatic.transmission. They also had 2WD. Still being made in Rochester, New Hamshire.But yes, My Can AM 125 felt like a 250 when on the boil.
Yes, thank you for correcting me. I had a feeling I was off on that. The Rockon was a monster off the line. We didn't see too many Can Am's and I don't know much about them. I just miss those days so much. Nothing has touched me like motorcycles did. I wanted to be Mary Smith so bad but alas I barely made it to the intermediate class.
“I can control my bike really fast because I have really fast reflexes” lol. Awesome…
Brutal endo's.
WOW, good times back then. Factory bikes where super trick accept the CZ's were some what stock BUT super fast. The support class was really cool back then!
One of the best things back then to see was most of the riders wearing the correct gear! Shoulder pads! That alone saved so many year long energies but the BE COOL monster was just starting and some of the top riders thought is wasn't cool to wear them so that started a very bad trend among OUR CHILDREN and in turn ruined a lot of careers and caused lots of pain and continues until today unfortunately. Heck Tomac and Martin both lost last years(2018) Super Cross Title because of a SMALL tip overs that both could of walked away with the right gear.
Do you know Jaraslov Falta passed away in March this year. I thought this was the year he won this race but apparently not.
Damn, even in 1975 the crowds were HUGE!
I was 6 years old at this race , my 1st Superbowl of MX
I was there with a group of my friends. I remember walking the track after the race since they could not keep everyone off because of those that rushed the track before the race ended.
Those where great times , in the dirt bike world 😊
No offense to the super technology of the bikes today, but those old bikes were by far the best. You raced the course as well as the limitations of the bike at the same time.
Wow names I havnt heard in years.
Marty Smith did NOT take it easy...
I was there. great memories.
I was there.Near the front rows. Roger de Coster crashed right in front of me. He said he would never race Superbowl again.
Makes my kidneys hurt just watching
its easy to see that suspensions make a HUGE progress from that year to this days
They Could also Crash and usually not have Life changing injuries, sure it was still dangerous, but the speeds were a lot slower.
And it was still every bit as exciting!
@@MX-CO I was racing in the 80's/90's, and the speed was not too much IMO. The tracks got faster after the 4-strokes were forced on us, and the average speed went up from about 35mph to about 45mph on a national track. Even more on a SX track. The FIM also now dictates how our tracks are made, even to private national track owners in the USA.
@@EarthSurferUSA yes I agree with you completely. I'm also working on a website thats about ways to Help the sport of motocross grow. Im also considering starting a business that will be about growing the sport through marketing and Letting people try riding Dirt bikes for free on a small track. Im not sure yet if it will be a non profit or a social enterprise for benefit type business.
Mx-collaborations.com
Please check out Mx-collaborations.com thanks
Zdenek Velky live in Beroun (CZ),
1976 Kawasaki KX 400 in lime green racing colors.
Air cooled two stroke low pipe.
Bel- Ray MC - 1 racing oil.
Kobe Japan “ come out ahead on a Kawasaki “ 🏁
I was there the night before .l participated in the high school championship race.
2:20 "Cause I've got really fast reflexes"
De
Kinda reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite. 🤔😄
😅🤣 I had no idea Rex was a little bit slow... or maybe he was just a big dork.
@@coolmusic1579 🤣
@@steved0603 His reflexes were fast enough and probably still are, to beat you into the ground with his fists, if you had the guts to say that to his face. Maybe you are just a big mouth pussy behind a keyboard?
Man the memories, 3/4 helmets, Jofa face guard, leather boots and the best bikes, 3inch suspension, you had to know how to ride to win on those bikes, I remember the European racers were the ones to beat , I really think the racers back in these days were better riders, had to be the bikes only went wide open and they had no suspension you really needed to know what you were doing
6 to 8 in of travel in the rear
Riding those bikes in those conditions back then looks like the equivalent of high speed endurocross.
The early years of Supercross : The fans rush the track while the race is still going on. What a bunch of maniacs. XD
They were so pumped up couldn't stay in the seat. Also wanted to course marker ribon or a track banner, poster. That stuff was like gold for them
They look half as fast as todays fast guys...I was there 76, 78, 83...
What was that Staten about reflex's? Ha Ha
I use to love reading about these guys in Dirtbike etc. when I was a kid.
They rarely if ever trained. Them were the days!
In '75 Rex Staten holeshot the first moto of the Carlsbad Grand Prix...on a CZ! They had to re-weld the frame together after the first moto, because the steel couldn't stand the torque of his ported-to-the-max motor. He finished 7th overall for the day. That was the last gasp of fame for CZ in America.
Most of the top riders trained all the time and were in great shape! I trained with Howerton and the Grossi's.
Rex was in PERFECT shape too!
@@bretmuldner - It takes talent to win. But you don't need muscle to ride mx. Fat blobs and skinny twigs win races at all levels, some of them win after having smoked a few pipe loads.
Jimmy Ellis wins... on a Can-Am? Chased by a CZ! At the time, my personal dirt bike was a Steen, which had a Hodaka engine. I remember reading about these early Supercross races, though I don't think I saw one on TV before about 1980 or so, but it was obviously a good way to present motocross to a crowd of spectators.
What??? They don't show Jimmy taking the checkered? What's up with that?
Excellent!
suspension was the biggest improvement on a dirt bike. go look at 1985, then 1995. the jumps keep getting higher and higher. yeah in 75 dirt bike felt like bricks.
.
I was at this,my main memory is of John DeSoto (The Flyin Hawaiian) clearing the triple jump until he ate it.
edit: I'm thinking of the 1972 race when Marty Tripes won........lol
I was at the one with John DeSoto too!
I was there.
You gotta be shittin me!!! I waited through all that, and you cut the ending!? seriously man!? Daaaamn!
Those were the days. No stupid jumps
Marty Smith, famous last words.
Seems like the greatest suspension advances in moto-cross happened in the 1970s. Mono shock, massive travel increases, progressive spring rates stiffer swing arm as well as water cooling. Seems like it's been mostly refinement since, except for the massive retrograde shift to 4 strokes.
Liquid cooling didn't come around until the eighties my friend
Shinobi water cooled head 1977?
Awesome!
I was there, I remember seeing Rex Staten eat shit right in front of us, my dad was good friends with Rex, we were from Fontana. Jim Fishback speedway racer was crazy too! A lot of talent came out of the Inland Empire area!
Wow! nice one
I remember the chrome metal and red tanks on the Hunk Of Varnish bikes.
Back when men were men 💪and the bikes were JUNK 🤣👍
Nope. Back when Boys were men, and the bikes were affordable.
@@EarthSurferUSA Any bike before the production rule was junk.
So we'll shot and so well described
I use to have s Honda XL 125,in 1977 in Gainsville, Florida, what a great bike for motorcross.
An exciting, sky-ground, riding style just comes naturally... LOL
I was at LA Super Cross can’t remember what year- John DeSoto was riding a blue Ossa - I think he won that year.
I was there!
The Jammer
IIRC, Marty Smith was on a 125cc bike in the 250cc class.
Hahaha - Jimmy Weinert, a “westerner”. He’s from New York, LOL.
i was there !!!! ...............great memories !!!!!!!!!!!!................................just sayin ..........:)
Could you put your water mark in the middle of the screen so it spoils the video?
Awesome
The starter in full view 😂
Two CanAms in front is history .
Marty Smith......I'm just gonna take it easy ...0:59
That stadium is packed holy fuck
I was there great memories
Jimmy Ellis would be remembered among the best ever if he had ridden something other than the dreaded Canned Hams
Those canned ham bikes were really competitive in the old days... I had one. Also a Huskvarna. By todays standards, every motocross bike of the early seventies were pieces of garbage anyway. ;) Of course, we still like them. But we have gone a long way since then.
Northern Californa racing was huge back in the 70's and I hardly ever saw a Can Am. They may have been fast but on most rough tracks CZ's, Maico's, out handled them.
@Tim Allen - Sounds good.
He did ride for Honda later on
@Pete Mack I saw Jimmy Ellis on a Can Am at Sears Point. Track was on the hillside.
Air cooled two strokes . They should bring those back.
haha...I know marty smith! dude is still super gnarly on a bike...
Supercross today is more like synchronized aerial ballet. Technical, beautiful, and lacking all excitement.
I mean that was tough racing. Those tracks were so rough compared to today's manicured tracks.
Where was the finish? Great to hear Dave Despain again.
I'm glad we've moved on from "Whoop-de-do's"
Today's Supercross sucks compared to this. Bikes are too good. Tracks are too smooth with nice dirt. Riders are too good. Doesn't even compare to this era.
3 years later I was riding. Where the fuck did 40 years go? 🤔😭
I wonder if Marty Smith would've won that race had he not missed the first turn & dnf'd?