It was a better sport back then. More accessible to the average guy. It was the golden age of motocross.

I wish motocross was still as it originally was, on natural terrain. My first real race was in 1980, in Calgary Canada and the track looked a whole like this; grass, rough, hills. This is motocross. It’s cool to see David Bailey before he went to Honda and dominated, particularly cool to see him on that Kawasaki👍 And Mike Guerra on a Husky winning at Unadilla= PURE GOLD! And that was just the support class! Every childhood hero of mine is racing against each other in the main race, Lackey, Hannah, Ward, Mike Bell, Breker, Howerton, Sun, Tripes, Reid, Barnett! This is the only video I have ever seen of Hannah riding an open bike! Just spectacular Mr. Bailey! Thanks for sharing!!!

@petertothRC-FPV

4 жыл бұрын

🗽And local 😋boys too Kickass Kessler👍

@mikeandrews1899

4 жыл бұрын

@@petertothRC-FPV Tom Rice was fast too !

I was there every summer ca. 1978-1982 and saw a lot of the greats. I bought Pat Moroney's Husky CR250 after the 1977 race season. Man, that thing was a rocket, piston bored waaay out! As the local hero, Pat always got the biggest audience response on his way through the gravity cavity. I felt real privileged to have his bike, which was the first Husky I ever owned. After that I became a Husky freak riding CR250s, a CR390 and the king of them all, a 1982 CR430. I saw some of the footage on here of how Unadilla looks now and it seems to have been turned into a supercross track, no character. When those guys started practice it was just all grass up to there elbows until they got it well beaten down after an hour or two. It was a very wild, natural track back then I just loved seeing all those US and European pros having it out there. I still have the old posters from the events on my walls today and they were classic, too, with the tag line: "Global powers invade the premeir US track in an all-out battle to be world champion. Be there." Enough said!

@jhheintz450

Ай бұрын

Nailed it. We started going in '78 as well. Still get there today, but there is no comparison. MXSports has guided the Robinson's wrong. No more grass, or over seeding ,filled in and flattened out the iconic start, added 3-4 SX obstacles and it is so smooth (save for the slot car ruts when they over water). Crazy they took the gnarliest natural track ever nd have dumbed it down. This video is how it should have remained

Wish Unidilla was still like this last year the track was smooth as a highway

Wow that uni-trac was really something and so was David. Thanks, always loved your movies, a true pioneer.

I went there in 1979 and stayed the weekend in the car . Had a blast , I was 19 .

Those were all 250's in those motos. Its was the support class Bailey was in. The 500cc class was ended after the 1979 Tran-Am series when Noyce and Malherbe came over. That was the last of the big bore fall races.

Unadilla's glory days, went there many times and it was magical.

@charlesharper6421

Жыл бұрын

Cool. Im from las vegas and we used to go to the spring national @saddleback, usgp-Carlsbad,superbowl of mx,LA coliseum and the fall trans am back at saddleback. Magically mystical…

@jeffjones5063

Жыл бұрын

250 GPs, TransAM, MXDes mudder, honored to have been there four times in the 80s. The track then was epic.

Thank you Michael, so glad I have all them to share and time the transfer and post. Stay safe.....

There's something about the racing during the late 70's and early 80's that really gets me going. We didn't know how good we had it. So cool to see David honing his skills. It wasn't long after this that he became a dominant force.

So much better back then! My dad used to take my brother and I to the Trans-AM events every October. Wild back then.

What a gem of a video....brings back a lot of memories of some of my heroes. Howerton, Hannah, Barnett, Glover, Ward, Sun, Lackey, Reid, etc. I remember seeing David Bailey as a privateer on his Kawi at a Colorado national.....i was thinking, who is this guy? Lol. Thanks for the videos Gary!

Can you imagine how nice that was to ride in that nice grass and topsoil!

As usual Gary, we all owe you a sincere thank you for capturing these great events.

That factory RH was in a league of it's own...

@charlesharper6421

Жыл бұрын

So was kent…nobody could touch him ‘80 & ‘81. Back-to-back ama 250cc national mx champion..kent could ride.. unbeatable in his championship years…

First time there...1972. Lot's of memories at that track!

THE premier natural terrain, 'grass track' from back-in-the-day... that got 'paved' once a year with dirt... Love it. Thank You Professor Bailey!

Oh man,this brings back so many memories. Back to my youth when it didnt hurt just to walk. Thanks so much,I love this stuff!

Awesome, good ole days air cooled 2 strokes. On a proper old MX track(once the grass got chewed up).

8:34 Roger DeCoster watching the race.

Thanks for all of this great Unadilla footage. It's getting me pumped for MX rewind.. just wish the track could still be that epic.

Fantastic racing! What a great time on a super tough all natural track.

Outstanding

Wow. Cool how you can tell the riders are feeling their way around in practice

David was really pushing it 2nd moto 👍🏼 I was a freshman in high school that year 😊79-80

Well sky shot was kind of there. This was before they thought that it was important that MX spend more time in the air.

Loved this track. Nice to see a Swedish Husqvarna up front... Awesome

@charlesharper6421

Жыл бұрын

Carlqvist clinched his 250cc title there in ‘79…

thanks Gary great video.

I can't believe they changed the track and took the tree turn out .

hi gary thanks for posting i still have your book

Awesome!

Dave was so good. Those early Kawasakis were loads

That white barn is still standing!

AMEM Robert

Your videos are top rate..Thank you for all these new races..Being from the Dilla area I can relate.

MINE WAS IN 75,FLORIDA.

By today's standards, this is a GNCC course. Braaaap!

Think that turn around the tree was to tough for the riders today !!!

@charlesharper6421

Жыл бұрын

Doubtful

sweet

OOPS...... Thanks Reese.. I am old so do I get a little break?

Thanks real MX for sure

Super Event

Good morning Jimmy... Good to hear from you. What you been up to? Well also good we are still here. To many guy leaving us. You know I had another thought, What year did you start doing your thing at the races? Man it been a good one, I was there for the best of times and so glad I got to take so many photos and videos. I am really enjoying transferring all this stuff and getting out there for everyone to see. I have so much that I don't think I am going to get it all done before I die. How about you? You must have some good stuff? Anyway good hearing from you.

1980 Silver Sands against Bob Hannah remember that Gary? GREAT RACING HERE TOO RACED MYSELF IN MICHIGAN MAFIA FLYING DENNY BENTLEY IS IN THIS ONE WITH DAVID GREAT RACING THANKS GARY WHEN YOU AND David taught KEITH BOWEN AND MYSELF WE WERE AMA AMATUER BACK THEN AT FREEDOM HILLS STANTON MICHIGAN DENNY BENTLEY 582 USED TO DOMINATE OUT THERE BACK THEN JUST SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU TODAY GARY AND DAVID YOU BOTH THANKS GUYS LOVE YOU MAN 👨 😀 👍 TROY STOLL ☺️ 😀 👍

Who's 711 on a works kawasaki, Lackey in a 250 race? wonder what was up with that.

Bob Bailey created all of motocross just ask him

If you watch at 1.25 play back speed ( its in your settings). It looks like a modern MX race!

@whizwerx

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah. You can go that much faster on a fully groomed and prepped course. If they had the race that track now, they would complain that there is grass on the course and there are too many bumps.

I can almost smell the Pj1 and belray oil ...

@marksommerville5857

3 жыл бұрын

I smelt Castrol R.

Was sky shot even here back then?

Why does Bob Hannah hate Broc Glover?

Bob Hannah didn't like anyone he was racing. Broc, because he had to let him by at a race so Broc could win the Championship. By orders from Yamaha, Bob was not happy..... Bob was a winner and wasn't about giving anyone any thing.

@joelvela4366

3 жыл бұрын

Keith bowen didn't like Bob Hannah, either did rick johnson.

Where's that one no name kid on the white 125 Mugen ?

@JohnBoyDeere

4 жыл бұрын

It was the 250 USGP. Johnny was still asleep in California...

@wandellasbell8843

4 жыл бұрын

@@JohnBoyDeere This is a Trans-Am race, not a USGP.

@JohnBoyDeere

4 жыл бұрын

@@wandellasbell8843 Actually we are all wrong . It was the 1980 Trans-USA race at Unadilla on October 5th won by Kent Howerton. I was blessed to have been there as a team LOP Racing mechanic for Steve Martin #51.

@kurtvonfricken6829

3 жыл бұрын

@@wandellasbell8843 Yes, USGP July Trans-AMA/USA October I can tell by the trees and the fact that people are wearing jackets this is October.

@charlesharper6421

Жыл бұрын

Are you inquiring about ‘83 ama mx 125 cc and ‘84 ama 250cc sx national champion Johnny “o-show” o’mara…

Seems like kawa drivers had a little more luck with theire suspension ,and the Last peak hp was Not deciding the win ..

Check out Bob Hannah between 5:38 - 5:50 . What the heck is he wearing? Is it a prototype of the HRP Flak Jak? Later in the video he appears to be wearing a traditional JT style chest protector.

@pressrolls

3 жыл бұрын

Standard JT front/back protector with the snap on cloth name piece on back.

screw tractors and loaders,let the bikes cut the track in

Gary: Trans-AMA not Trans-Am.

Sorry ,kawa empleyment drivers ,were owners of best suspension. ...for everybody to buy ,suzuki had more advantage

seems soo real. not polished. wonder what kids of today will say about today in 40+ years?

HI Gary! Jimmy "Ther Greek" Gianatsis here.... I see Brad Lackey on his factory #711 Kawasaki KX450 at the 4:40 min mark so this must be the Open Class shown at the beginning of your video, and I see Roger DeCanter in street clothes stsnding in the Mechanics Area and hear announcer Larry Myers saying Roger isn't racing this year and I don't see any other Europeans. Then the video jumps into the 250cc Support Class at the 7:00 min mark, which seems to be the premier race since it has all the top Ameican riders like LaPorte, Hannah, Marty Smith, Marty Tripes, etc. So the Open Class had fadded away as the Trans-AMA's premier class. So sad.