Terry Good 4/2/24 Terry Good 4/2/24

How I Got Into Big Time Motocross

By Bob Hannah

My professional motocross career started one day in 1975 at Saddleback Park. It was a real pivotal day where I got a big break that helped launch my career. I went to Saddleback for a CMC Sunday with my 250 Husky and it just happened to be the day Suzuki was introducing the new RM’s. They had all these vans and bikes there. My friend Marcel Delay who was also there came up to me and said, “Hey, did you get on the list for trying out the new Suzuki’s? They’re going to let 20 guys try out the new bikes.” I went over to sign up and they said, “No we’re full.” I went back and told Marcel that they were full and Marcel said “Bull Crap, I’ll get you on one of those bikes.” He went over there and told the Suzuki people that this Hannah kid would go pretty good, so they yanked somebody else and gave me a spot me on the new RM125. I rode my Husky in the 250 class that day and got a third in the 125 pro class on the new Suzuki. Jeff Jennings was also on one of the new 125 Suzuki’s and got a forth or fifth. At the end of the day, out of twenty riders, they only asked Jennings and myself to come back and ride them again at Carlsbad the next week. They offered to pay my gas and hotel and since I was broke, I thought “Shoot yeah” this was a great deal. I told them that I needed to ride my Husky in the 250 class because I needed the purse money. They said “No problem, you just ride our bike in the 125 class.”

The next week in the 125 class, I got a big wake up call. I was going down the long Carlsbad downhill and Billy Grossi who was also on a Suzuki passed me so fast…. his right elbow was all the way down with the throttle wide open and the bike was completely sideways, shuddering as it skipped across the bumps. I remember thinking “This is insane… no, this more than insane!” I was going as fast as I could and I thought, “There is no way I can beat this guy!” His wheel finally blew up and I got third behind Marty Smith and Tommy Croft. After the race, the Suzuki head boss Tosh came up to me and gave me his card and said, “Let’s keep in touch.” Over the next couple of Months, I kept calling and hounding him and he kept saying, “We’re not ready yet.” Then finally one day he said “OK we’re ready.”

Suzuki signed me up as a test rider and I got bikes, a van with a gas card and $800.00 a month to race and test the new preproduction RM’s. They gave me a brand new RM250 and 370 and during the week, I was allowed to go to Suzuki’s headquarters in Santa Fe Springs and work on my bikes. In the break room at Suzuki, they used to post the results on one of the walls and I would go in there and read all the names that won the prior week. Tony D, Billy Grossi and Roger DeCoster’s name were always up there and seeing those names every week really motivated me. I wanted to be just like them, I wanted my name on the wall too. I wanted everybody to see “Bob Hannah” on the wall. I didn’t want to take anything away from them, but I wanted my name up there real bad!

Suzuki was really strict about leaving the bikes box stock; they didn’t even want me to cut down the bars that were way too wide at about 35 inches. I complained to one of the bosses Shiganoya (Shiggy) that the forks were too soft and he said, “The World Champion Roger DeCoster says they’re just right, leave them alone.” Later, I went to one of the factory mechanics Brian Lunnis and he fixed me up with stiffer springs and I cut the bars down. Every Thursday, I would load the bikes up and go out to my dad’s house in Lancaster and on Fridays we would trail ride them in the desert. My dad usually rode the 370 and I rode the 250, I did a lot of riding in those days. On Saturdays, I would go down to Saddleback for the Saddleback Saturday races where they ran 40-minute motos and then on Sunday I would go to wherever the big money races were. Those Suzuki’s were great bikes and they really fit me well, much better than my Husky. If the conditions weren’t just right, I might get a fifth or so on the Husky whereas on the Suzuki, I would win. During the entire time I raced the Suzuki’s I only lost two motos. A 125 blew up in one and a black box went out on the 250 in the other. Other than that, I won every moto I entered.

Prior to all this, I worked as a welder for J&R where we made pipes for companies like DG and I got to know one of the owners of DG, Gary Harlow. It was that November that Gary (who had connections at Yamaha) went to Yamaha and suggested that they give me a factory ride. At the time Yamaha really didn’t want me. They had their eye on two other local pro’s, Bob Stem and Davey Williams. Davey was the guy they really wanted but he was a real show off. During a race at Saddleback, he would be going down Banzai Hill wide open and start showing off by taking his hands off the handlebars in mid air. Mel Calloway (one of the bosses at Yamaha) kept warning him to stop showing off and worry about winning races. He didn’t listen, kept showing off and lost his chance at a factory ride. It was because of that; I got the factory Yamaha ride, although I did something similar at Suzuki. I bet a friend that I could let everyone go at the start and still win. I did it and won but afterwards Shiggy came up to me and said, “I don’t want you doing that anymore. I want you to beat them as bad as you can beat them, don’t play games.” I never did anything like that again. Bob Stem crashed at the bottom of Banzai and broke his leg real bad and that ended his career. There were openings at Yamaha.

It was on a Tuesday in November; That Gary Harlow took me over to Yamaha for a meeting with Mel Calloway and Yamaha team manager Pete Schick. During the meeting they said, “This is what we’ll do, we’ll give you $1000.00 a month, bikes, a mechanic and a truck.” I told them I’d let them know in two days because I was already with Suzuki. So the next day, I went to Shiggy at Suzuki and said, “I want to ride factory bikes and I want to do the 125 Nationals next year.” He came back at me and said, “You think you can beat our guys?” I said, “No.” He then told me, he wanted me to ride locally for two more years. I told him, I was bored with the local races and wanted to ride the Nationals and that Yamaha had already offered me a factory ride. He instantly thought I was lying but when I told him what the offer was he said he would think about it. I went back out in the shop and started working on my bikes and a little while later Shiggy came back out and said, “I just called Yamaha and they don’t know anything about you.” He did call but the person that answered the phone didn’t know anything about the meeting or offer I had from the day before. Schick and Calloway were the only ones who knew and with that, Shiggy said no. Thursday morning I went over to Yamaha and signed a contract that would be in effect January 1, 1976 and in the mean time I planned on racing the Suzuki’s in local CMC events for the rest of 1975.

I was out in the shop loading up my bikes for the races that weekend and Hide who at the time was head of testing comes out and was he mad! He looked like he wanted to start a fight. I instantly knew that he knew I signed with Yamaha. He walked up to me and said, “Did you sign with Yamaha?” When I told him yes, he said,” Get off the property!” I told him, “I’m going to the races.” He was so mad he was shaking; I thought he was going to take a swing at me. “You’re not going anywhere in that van” he said and he personally escorted me off the property with no way to get home. I went to a payphone to call someone to give me a ride home and then I called Pete Schick and told him what happened and that I had no bikes and that I wanted to race at Valley Cycle Park that weekend. Schick said, “Don’t worry, we’ll have you a 125, a 250 and a mechanic at Valley Cycle Park this Sunday, all you have to do is show up.” On Sunday, I had a friend drive me there because I didn’t own a car and we met Yamaha mechanic Don Dudek who brought along Bruce McDougal’s old works 125 and Pierre Karsmakers’ 1974 works 250. The bikes didn’t have a lot of travel but they had Profab frames and they were real light and real fast. Talk about bitchin’ bikes, those things hauled ass! They didn’t need much travel because they were so light. I won both classes easy that day and kept thinking how cool those bikes were. That was the first time I rode works bikes. I continued to race those bikes in local races throughout November and December and then it was off to Florida for the Winter-am series where I won all five races and won my first Championship as a factory Yamaha rider.

Yamaha entered me in the 125 Nationals and we got our new OW27’s right before the first race at Hangtown. We didn’t have much time to test but at that time I wasn’t really an experienced development rider, I was new and pretty much rode what you put under me. We tested with Ed Schiedler and Danny Turner who would be my teammate. My mechanic was Bill Buchka and he pretty much set my bike up and that’s the way I rode it. I didn’t have any pre-conceived opinion as to how things should work. We would try different things and I would say, “yeah that works better”, but I didn’t have the experience to develop a bike back then. Marty Smith was probably better than me at that point-as far as testing goes-because he had a lot more experience than me. That might have hurt him in 1976 because he might have thought about it too much. They were always on a different bike that year. As a rider, if you think like, “His bike is better than mine,” it drives you crazy and that’s not good.

Even though I won the Florida series I had no idea that I could win in the 125’s. There was no way I thought I could beat Marty Smith. I even thought Danny Turner would be ahead of me and he should have been. At the time, I thought he was a better rider, but he was a head case. He couldn’t take the factory pressure and in the end he ended up quitting because of it. I had the opposite approach; I wanted to seize the opportunity and make the most of it. Actually, Yamaha never put any pressure on us to win at anytime.

Going to the first 125 National at Hangtown, I drove up there with my friend Steve Gordon in his van and on the way to the race we started talking about boats. Steve kept saying, “I think you are going to win this thing” and I would say there’s no way. I thought maybe I would get in the top five, something like that, but I really didn’t think I had a chance to win. Steve said, “Hey, if you win, let’s buy a boat.” Knowing I wasn’t going to win, I went along with him, “Ok, fine, if I win, I’ll buy a boat.”

Hangtown was my kind of track, it was rough, sandy and it was wide. If you’re in my way, I just move over and go faster. I had 40 lines and if they start to slow down I just turn it up and waap….go right on by em.’

In the first moto, I went down in the first turn and had to work up from last place. The track was to my advantage, and I was going through the pack wide-open passing guys at will. When I caught Marty and saw “Smith” on his jersey I was quite surprised. I was happy but surprised and I remember thinking, “He’s not going that fast.” I knew he was done; I had more in me than this, “If he wants to run, we’ll run.” On a rough track like that, I could go wide-open for the whole 45 minutes. Marty’s type of track was a smoother and faster track. When I came back to the pits after winning the first moto, I remember Buchka saying, “Hey, we can race with anybody!” From that point, I knew the race was on.

After I won the second moto at Hangtown I reneged on my deal with Steve Gordon to buy the boat. I said, “I ain’t buyin’ no boat.” That was too much money at the time and there was no way I was going to buy a boat. I just went along with him and before the race I really didn’t think I had a chance. In fact, back in November when I signed the Yamaha contract, I thought to myself, “Boy, did I just pull the wool over these guys.” I knew I couldn’t race with the factory riders but I thought I would at least get a year in and maybe I would be able to save enough money to buy a house and a car. Then I figured I would get a job operating heavy equipment for my friend’s construction company out in the desert. But after I won the Florida series I thought, “Maybe I can run with these guys” and after I won the 125’s at Hangtown I said, “I’m staying and I’ve really got to buckle down. - Bob Hannah 2024

Guest User 12/13/22 Guest User 12/13/22

26th Edition

Museum News

13 Dec, 2022

Another beautiful day here on the Miller compound, waking up to rainy skies and a very nice 34 degrees F. Now before those of you on the left coast say a synchronized “BURRRR” – remember I live in the Midwest and it is the 13th of December! Life in the Midwest is indeed good – but weather wise – we could be a lot worse this time of year! It is hard to believe that we we just celebrated Thanksgiving and are less than 2 weeks away from Christmas – time keep flying by! I must humbly apologize that you have not seen a newsletter in 3 weeks. Following my wife’s knee surgery, my father in law fell and dislocated his hip, so it has been very busy here taking care of him. He is back home, but fat from 100% If you are a person of faith, I would appreciate your prayers. This is indeed the season to reflect and be thankful for what we have; especially our health – and that we were blessed go grow up with dirt bikes at the center of our lives. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those east of the Great Lakes who are “enjoying” the aftermath of 6+ feet of snow last month. I hope those of you impacted were able to grab a good book movie and ride it out safely, enjoying some forced quality time with loved ones. Speaking of good books, I am finishing up “Monkey Butt” by Rick (Super Hunky” Sieman of Dirt Bike fame – what an outstanding and enjoyable read (I have now read to book 3 times)! And speaking of good movies – I put on “The 1980 USGP” last week – this has become the “On Any Sunday” of this new century for me – I absolutely love this movie. Both “Monkey Butt” and “The 1980 USGP” are time capsules into the motocross generation to which we belong! Another time capsule has just hit the virtual shelves – “Stolen Title” – the story of Jaroslav Falta winning the 1974 250cc world motocross title after having the Russian team do everything in their power on track (including ramming him) to keep him out of the winner circle. They failed and Jaroslav was crowned world champion – however within hours the Russians found another way to steal his title – they protested, claiming Jaroslav jumped the start and the FIM relented, stripping the title from Jarosalv and handing it to Russian Guennady Moisseev. Jaroslav’s daughter – Martina Faltova Cope has been researching this book for a few years, teaming with author Gary Tippings for a spellbinding recreation of that historic season and life behind the iron curtain during the cold war era. Martina was our guest at the Sept fundraiser and hearing her story was captivating, I know the book will be as well. I have it from a very reliable source that Santa may be putting this book under our Christmas tree (this is the same source that has ordered me to not buy anything between now and Christmas). We should all be thankful that Martina has worked tirelessly to preserve this incredible story – when politics interfered with GP motocross.

Preserving the stories, memories and history of motocross is what the International Motocross Museum (IMM)is all about! We all have our favorite memory of “the way it used to be” (I try to capture some of my favorite memories in each edition of this newsletter). When you step foot in the IMM – you will not just see rows of very cool motorcycles and memorabilia – you will take a trip back to “the way it was”. Not that ‘new’ and “modern” is necessarily bad – quiet the contrary, – it is really hard to recall a time when we couldn’t just go online and watch races from anywhere in the world, but that was our reality. The sport of motocross is like none other. The polish and professionalism of today is unlike anything I ever thought I would see – but how did we get here?? As our visionary Terry Good has said – go to any ball park in any small town USA and ask the local little league players who is Micky Mantle, or Babe Ruth – those 12 year old kids will know them and most will know their career stats! Go to your local MX track and ask the riders who Roger DeCoster is – they may know he is the team manager for KTM. Do they know he won 5 world titles and that he has been the best ambassador for motocross EVER? Ask those same kids about Gerrit Wolsink, Heikki Mikkola, Danny Laporte, Marty Moates, Warren Reid, etc – them may not even know who they are! We must find a way to teach our history to new generations – that is the mission of the International Motocross Museum.

Be sure to tune in to Joe Abbate’s VMX Q&A show on Facebook Live every Wednesday, at 6:00 on the left coast, 7:00 in the Mile High city, 8:00 for us Mid-Westerners, and 9:00 for our East Coast friends. This week, the one and only Warren Reid will be Joe’s guest. Few people tell a story like Warren – this promises to be one of Joe’s most entertaining shows. Joe is a strong supporter of the IMM and obviously part of our planning team, we want to support our supporters!!

I want to again thank my friend and IMM supporter Jeff Kokoskie for sending me a short history brief on the MxdN. Over the next few weeks – I will be sharing some if the facts he sent me. So lets discuss week 4…

The MxdN has been going for 76 years – here are a few notables…

In 1980, Roger DeCoster raced his final GP season in the 500cc class. Oddly enough, Suzuki did not renew his contract for 1980, so The Man agreed to race one season for Honda and ended his racing career on a high note by winning the final race of the season at the GP of Luxembourg. After his racing career, DeCoster moved to the US in 1981 and became an advisor to the American Honda motocross team. Although the US had not sent a team to the MXDN or TDN the prior two years, the hope was to send a team representing the best of the US to the events scheduled for the fall of 1981. Unfortunately, since the American economy was in the middle of a recession in the summer of 1981, the factory teams based in the US chose not to send their top riders due to the expense. A private fundraising campaign ensued, spearheaded by Motocross Action magazine and Hi Point race gear, selling T-shirts across the country, and raised enough money to convince Team Manager Roger DeCoster to persuade Honda to send their up-and-coming MX stars. The American team of Honda riders Danny Laporte, Chuck Sun, Johnny O’Mara, and Donnie Hansen arrived in Lommel Belgium in September 1981 and destroyed the opposition at the Trophees Des Nations and the US won the event handily for the first time. A week later in Bielstein West Germany, that same American team won their first Motocross Des Nations by edging out the team from Great Britain. The international motocross community was turned upside down and more was yet to come!
Also in 1981, the FIM decided that they needed to include a 125cc class in international team competition. The Coupe (coop-ee) Des Nations, meaning ‘Cup’, as it was known, was a short-lived series and only lasted until 1984. Team Italy won the first two events, followed by the team from Belgium and the Netherlands. America never fielded a Coupe Des Nations team.
In 1982, DeCoster proved that the wins for Team USA the prior year were no fluke. Again, without AMA backing, he took his Honda team of David Bailey, Danny ‘Magoo’ Chandler, Johnny O’Mara, and Jim Gibson to the Trophees Des Nations in Gaildorf West Germany, and the Motocross Des Nations in Wohlen, Switzerland and the team repeated by destroying the European competition at both venues. Magoo was the standout by winning ALL FOUR motos in both events! The AMA and the other US-based factory teams now took notice and started to support future Des Nations teams by sending teams from other Japanese brands.
After the 1984 season, the FIM dropped the separate Trophy Des Nations and Coupee Des Nations, and combined all three classes, 125, 250, and 500 into a single Motocross Des Nations format for 1985. There would be one rider from each team in each class, and three motos per event, which is pretty much how the format continues today; except that the classes are based on 4-stroke machines. At that time, the motos were combined into 125/500, 125/250, and 250/500 races. Up until then, Team USA had won the last four MXDNs and TDNs in a row. The FIM wondered if the new format would change the results.
Not surprisingly, the new format didn’t change anything. In Gaildorf West Germany in 1985, Team USA, still managed by DeCoster, won again for the 5th years a row with Honda-mounted David Bailey and Ron Lechien, and Kawasaki’s Jeff Ward, who was racing his third MXDN.
And, for Team USA’s next trick the following year in Maggiora Italy, not only did the Honda-mounted “Dream Team” of David Bailey, Ricky Johnson, and Johnny O’Mara win the MXDN for the 6th year in a row, they did it by getting first and second place in all three motos!

There will be more interesting facts in the next edition. We are finalizing plans for our ”donor wall” that will allow the names of every person who donates ($100 or more) to the museum to have their name displayed in the IMM forever. We are thinking plaques that will have the name, city and state of donors memorialized for the world to see as long as the museum doors are open. We do not have all the details worked out yet (so many options) – but the initial vision is a large wood plaque (we expect multiple plaques) with the IMM logo on top and approximately thirty, 1” x 3” is brass name plates with the name, city and state of our donors mounted to it. As donations go up - the size of the nameplate will increase. These are the details we are working out now. Also in discussion is what do we call the donor levels? Gold, silver, bronze? Ruby, emerald, diamond? Privateer, satellite team, full factory rider? Things to ponder! So in addition to a tax deductible donation – your name will forever be known as a supporter of the IMM.

Remember when you attended your first professional race? Mine was a Trans AMA at Road Atlanta in probably 1973. I got out of the car (Atlanta was a 6 hour drive from my hometown of Boone NC) and ran to the track. There they were! Roger DeCoster, Jimmy Weinert, Brad Lackey, Lamppu, Hart and countless other. Remember the simple snow fence that separated spectator from rider? Remember getting an engine reassembled, only to discover a small part you had left out? I had a bad habit of leaving out the o-ring on the inner rotary valve case on the old Kawasaki’s. I got really good at pulling that clutch cover off! Remember the first Christmas you got something to support your motocross career? I remember in 1973 (I think) I wanted a pair of Norstar boots. Now, I grew up lower middle class and fairly poor, so my parents told me there was NO way I could get a pair of near $100 boots for Christmas. So Christmas morning comes, and I open a box and the right boot is there. I then opened a birthday package (yes – my birthday is on Christmas) and it contained the left boot. It was like “A Christmas Story” – the perfect gift and a perfect memory. Remember trying to mimic your favorite rider and favorite brand? Remember when you realized motocross will forever be part of your DNA? We grew up in a magical time of motocross history and that history must be preserved!

If you were a part of the motocross scene at any point since it exploded in the United States in the early 1970s – you want that history preserved so your kids, grand-kids and great-grand-kids can see what we did, what YOU did to make motocross the greatest motorsport in history! This museum simply cannot happen without substantial funds. We need your help!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture!

Thanksgiving is waiting in the wings and Christmas will be upon us before you know it. Be thankful for all you have, and start preparing for the celebration of the birth of our Savior. Make sure those asking you “what would you like for Christmas” have easy access to the IMM gift shop as there are so many great gift ideas there (including the new Joel Robert T-shirt!)! And now is the time to begin shopping for the motocross fan on your Christmas list. Great quality hats, shirts, clocks and posters for the Mancave, and the new poker chip sets are all available now! I highly recommend the documentary video from the first fundraiser event – truly a must see! Please follow us on Instagram @themxmuseum, and follow me @imm_pm_114.

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 11/20/22 Guest User 11/20/22

25th edition!

Museum News

20 November, 2022

Another beautiful day here on the Miller compound, waking up to clear skies and a balmy 22 degrees F. Life in the Midwest is indeed good. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those east of the Great Lakes who are “enjoying” 6+ feet of snow this morning. Grab a good book or put on a good movie and ride it out safely if you can. Speaking of good books, I am finishing up “Monkey Butt” by Rick (Super Hunky” Sieman of Dirt Bike fame – hat an outstanding and enjoyable read! And speaking of good movies – I put on “The 1980 USGP” Friday night – this has become the “On Any Sunday” of this new century for me – I absolutely love this movie. Both “Monkey Butt” and “The 1980 USGP” are time capsules into the motocross generation to which I belong! Like so many, I started motocross on a stripped down enduro – in my case a 1927 Kawasaki G5 100cc. How lucky that for a minimal investment we could actually participate in real motocross races! Off road motorcycles have benefited greatly from the years of works bikes and the blood, sweat, and tears we all put into this great sport. Today’s bikes are simply outstanding performers in every way. But that performance comes with a hefty price tag. A decent quality used dirt bike will set you back $5K easily. A new motocrosser will hit the bank account to the tune of almost $10K. And they are so complex that your 14 year old may be reluctant to just start turning screws to try and repair himself. I can only imagine how hard it is for a kid bussing tables and washing dishes (like I did) to even imagine racing motocross. I wish someone would make a simple, entry level 2 stroke, air cooled bike that kids can actually afford. Will it perform like a CR250F? Of course not, but it allows a new generation to start riding and building a bank account full of memories. Be honest – if you have ever raced motorcycles – those memories are some of the best in your life. And when you get to be “of a certain age” sharing those memories with friends and family (even though some family say they grow tired of them) is one of life’s greatest rewards. Preserving the memories our youth is a wonderful thing; the cars, the TV shows, the TV commercials, the cloths, the hair (yes I had hair then) and yes – everything motocross!

Preserving the memories and history of motocross is what the International Motocross Museum (IMM)is all about! We all take for granted the time we come of age. We take it for granted and wake up one morning and everything has changed – we long for “the way it was”. When you step foot in the IMM – you will not just see rows of very cool motorcycles and memorabilia – you will take a trip back to “the way it was”. Not that new is necessarily bad – quiet the contrary, – it is really hard to imagine a time when you could not just go online and watch races from anywhere in the world, but that was our reality – no way better – just what we knew. While we can never truly share our memories with others (they are after all ours) we can and we MUST preserve those memories from a historical perspective. The sport of motocross is like none other. The polish and professionalism of today is unlike anything I ever thought I would see – but how did we get here?? As our visionary Terry Good has said – go to any ball park in any small town USA and ask the local little league players who is Micky Mantle, or Babe Ruth – those 12 year old kids will know them and most will know their career stats! Go to your local MX track and ask the riders who Roger DeCoster is – they may know he is the team manager for KTM. Do they know he wok 5 world titles and that he has been the best ambassador for motocross EVER? Ask those same kids about Gerrit Wolsink, Heikki Mikkola, Danny Laporte, Marty Moates, Warren Reid, etc – them may not even know who they are! We must find a way to preserve and teach our history – that is the mission of the International Motocross Museum.

Be sure to tune in to Joe Abbate’s VMX Q&A show on Facebook Live every Wednesday, at 6:00 on the left coast, 7:00 in the Mile High city, 8:00 for us Mid-Westerners, and 9:00 for our East Coast friends. No matter the topic, Joe is a very engaging interviewer and always has some top notch VMX issues to discuss. Joe is a strong supporter of the IMM and obviously part of our planning team, we want to support our supporters!!

The MxdN has been going for 76 years – here are a few notables…

Up through the 60’s, Team Great Britain dominated the MXDN having won 15 times but that was about to change. In the 50s and 60s, Jeff Smith had been the stand out British rider competing in 10 MXDN events and three TDN races. Overall, he was on 7 MXDN winning teams and 2 TDN winning teams.
Team Sweden won most of the TDN events in the 60s, mainly due to the lightweight Husqvarnas, and the Swedes, along with the Belgians, would go on to dominate MXDN and TDN throughout the 70s.
By the 70’s, two-strokes had taken over all the MXDN and TDN classes and the Japanese brands, especially Suzuki, began winning events. Team USA finally entered an MXDN in 1971 that took place in France. Unfortunately, relatively unknown American riders Bryan Kenney, Barry Higgins, John Barclay, and Swedish transplant Gunnar Lindstrom finished in 10th place only beating out the team from Denmark. To their credit, the team was privately funded (mostly by the riders) and didn’t have any backing from the manufacturers or the AMA.
The following year in the Netherlands, the first “official,” factory-backed and financed, US team competed at the MXDN. That team consisted of the well-known Gary Jones, Jim Pomeroy, Jimmy Weinert, and Brad Lackey. Team USA finished 7th but was well off the pace set by the winning Belgium team anchored by Roger DeCoster, Joel Robert, Jaak van Velthoven, and Rene van de Vorst. It would be a few more years until the US competed in the Trophees Des Nations.
Over the next few years, Team USA got progressively better and by 1974 in Stockholm Sweden, Jim Pomeroy, Jimmy Weinert, Brad Lackey and Tony DiStefano brought home Team USA’s first des Nations podium by finishing second to the blistering fast Swedish home team of Bengt Aberg, Hakan Andersson, Ake Jonsson, and Arne Kring who bested the Americans by almost 50 points!
In 1975 Pomeroy, Lackey, DiStefano, and Kent Howerton were the first Americans to compete in the Trophees Des Nations in Maggiora Italy and scored a respectable 3rd place behind Czechoslovakia and the winning team from Belgium.
1979 was Roger DeCoster’s last year with Suzuki. Although he only won one moto in the 500cc GPs that year, he was part of Belgium’s winning team at the MXDN in Stockholm Sweden. Although 1979 was The Man’s last year as a racer in MXDN and TDN, it certainly did not end his involvement in chasing the Chamberlain Trophy as we will see later. DeCoster raced in a record 11 Motocross Des Nations and 12 Trophees Des Nations events throughout his career. He was on six winning MXDN teams; only one less than Britain’s Jeff Smith and American’s Jeff Ward, who are tied with seven wins. Decoster also was on ten winning Trophee Des Nations teams and is the all time leader in that event. When you think of Roger DeCoster, we think of his 500cc racing days and don’t necessarily recall his racing prowess on 250cc machines.
Racing in Europe was expensive for Team USA, and embarrassingly, America did not send a team to either the MXDN or TDN in 1979 and 1980. But that was all about to change in 1981 and the international motocross scene was about to be shocked!

There will be more interesting facts next week. We are finalizing plans for our ”donor wall” that will allow the names of every person who donates ($100 or more) to the museum to have their name displayed in the IMM forever. We are thinking plaques that will have the name, city and state of donors memorialized for the world to see as long as the museum doors are open. We do not have all the details worked out yet (so many options) – but the initial vision is a large wood plaque (we expect multiple plaques) with the IMM logo on top and approximately thirty, 1” x 3” is brass name plates with the name, city and state of our donors mounted to it. As donations go up - the size of the nameplate will increase. These are the details we are working out now. Also in discussion is what do we call the donor levels? Gold, silver, bronze? Ruby, emerald, diamond? Privateer, satellite team, full factory rider? Things to ponder! So in addition to a tax deductible donation – your name will forever be known as a supporter of the IMM.

Remember stripping out those stupid butter soft Phillips head case screws? Remember spending hours of your life trying to get those things out? Remember getting your first impact driver and wondering why you waited so long? Remember busting your knuckles and elbows using pliers to try and remove expansion chamber springs? Remember when Suzuki put a nifty little spring removal tool in the tool kit of their RMs? Remember all those individual little ball bearings in your steering stem? Remember clutch and brake perches that only had one bolt and you had to remove the left side grip to replace the clutch perch? Remember the simple genius of Honda’s two screw design? Remember the simple genius when Yamaha started using Allen screws in their engine cases? Honda eventually caught on and those cool 8mm head screws for their engine cases? Remember swingarm bushings? Remember seized swingarm bushings? Remember when you realized motocross will forever be part of your DNA? We grew up in a magical time of motocross history and that history must be preserved!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture!

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 11/13/22 Guest User 11/13/22

24th Edition

Museum News

13 November, 2022

Welcome to ...burrr! 13.3 degrees this morning at the Miller compound! I think it is fair to say fall has fallen upon us with all its changes. You know, it is truly amazing the power our senses have. The smell of a wood fire, the feel of the crisp air upon your face, a certain song comes on the radio! This time of year, most everything reminds me of the (yes – you guessed it) the Trans AMA series. One of my favorite bands from the 1970s is Kansas, and when “Carry on my Wayward son” plays, I am immediately taken back to my dear friend Buddy Hardy’s pickup with the far better than average stereo driving to a race somewhere with “the gang”. In my memory we are going to Rolling Hills Cycle Park in Reidsville, NC – but truth be known it could be one of many tracks across the southeast. But I am there – in that pickup with my friends chasing our dream! Sometimes a smell in a shop, or even the unique smell of a restaurant dishwasher (yes – I washed many a dish in my quest to be a famous MX star) reminds me of my early racing days. The smell of a tire shop (I LOVE the smell of new tires – ok I am weird) takes me into the local Goodyear dealer on King street in Boone NC to buy my first Goodyear Eagle MX tire. Yes they had to order it, yes they thought it was an odd looking tire, but they sold it to me at cost ($26 for a rear tire I think). In fact – you want to know what is really weird – I run 2 stroke MX oil in all of my power equipment. I used to buy Bel Ray MC-1 by the gallon, but it is getting harder and harder to find it so now I stick with Maxima 927 Castor. On a hot day, doing mundane yard work and the smell of high performance exhaust (OK – from a Stihl weed wacker) and I am transformed (at least partially) back to my carefree youth.

If your senses take you back to your golden era of motocross – consider yourself lucky! Those are memories that only time can eventually take from you -no one else can. Your dreams, the bikes, the tracks, the magazine reports on the races across the world. I know – it is really hard to imagine a time when you could not just go online and watch races from anywhere in the world, but that was our reality. While we can never truly share our memories with others (they are after all ours) we can and we MUST preserve those memories from a historical perspective. The sport of motocross is like none other. The polish and professionalism of today is unlike anything I ever thought I would see – but how did we get here?? As our visionary Terry Good has said – go to any ball park in any small town USA and ask the local little league players who is Micky Mantle, or Babe Ruth – those 12 year old kids will know them and most will know their career stats! Go to your local MX track and ask the riders who Roger DeCoster is – they may know he is the team manager for KTM. Do they know he wok 5 world titles and that he has been the best ambassador for motocross EVER? Ask those same kids about Gerrit Wolsink, Heikki Mikkola, Danny Laporte, Marty Moates, Warren Reid, etc – them may not even know who they are! We must find a way to preserve and teach our history – that is the mission of the International Motocross Museum.

If you have not had a chance to listen to our own Mr. Joe Abbate’s interview with Gary Bailey – that is a MUST! Not only is Gary truly one of the founding fathers of American motocross – his schools have created some of the best talent this nation has ever produced. Have you ever heard of the great David Bailey?? He is Gary’s son and without question one of the best ever to throw a leg over a motorcycle. Point is – this is one of the best interviews going from a historical perspective.

And speaking of Joe Abbate – be sure to tune into his show every Wednesday, at 6:00 on the left coast, 7:00 in the Mile High city, 8:00 for us Mid-Westerners, and 9:00 for our East Coast friends. No matter the topic, Joe is a very engaging interviewer and always has some top notch VMX issues to discuss. Joe is a strong supporter of the IMM and obviously part of our planning team, we want to support our supporters!!

The MxdN has been going for 76 years – here are a few notables…

During the first decade of competition, the teams from Great Britain dominated the events; they won 8 events while the Belgians won two of them. It wasn’t until 1955 in Randers, Denmark that a team other than those two won; Team Sweden won that 1955 event with riders Sten Lundin, Bill Nilsson, and Lars Gustafsson.
Peter Chamberlain, who was vice-president of the FIM’s International Sporting Commission and a strong supporter of motocross and the early MXDN competition, passed away in 1954. The trophy for the MXDN was officially named the “Chamberlain Trophy” in honor of him and continues today.
The weather and riding conditions at the 1960 MXDN held in Cassel France in early September were so horrific that only the team from Great Britain was able to qualify for the event and thus were declared the winners by default. The riders that day were Jeff Smith, Don Rickman, and Dave Curtis.
A big change came to the competition in 1961. Up until then only 500cc machines could compete in the MXDN; however, the lighter and more agile 250cc 2-stroke bikes were becoming increasingly popular. So, the FIM added a separate event, called the Trophee des Nations, which lasted through 1984, for 250cc machines. The MXDN and the TDN were held on different weekends, and generally in different countries to allow riders to compete in both the 500cc and 250cc events if they so desired. That first year, the MXDN was held in the Netherlands, while the TDN was in Italy. Team Sweden won the MXDN that year, while Team Great Britain won the TDN.
In fall of 1968, the MXDN was held for the first time behind the Iron Curtain in what is now Chisinau (kish-en-ow) Moldova. However, due to the Warsaw Pact invasion in August of 1968 in nearby Czechoslovakia to quell a potential rebellion against the on-going Soviet rule, many of the Western European countries backed out of the MXDN. Not surprisingly, the USSR won the MXDN against a fairly weak field. Politics had tainted international motocross. The TDN was held in Switzerland that year and was won by the dominating Swedes on their 250 Huskys.

Remember the first time your bike failed to start, and you worked for hours and hours troubleshooting only later to discover it was a very simply and stupid mistake (for me it was 6 wasted hours and zero fuel in the tank)? Remember when the rubber band start released, you were getting a holeshot only to discover you had forgotten to turn your gas on? Remember after that you check your gas every 30 seconds on the starting line? Remember when the penalty for “jumping the gate” was to be turned around backwards on the starting line (I once had that happen with a full gate (30+ riders) and by the 3rd turn I was in 3rd place on a 74 KX125 rotary valve screamer! Remember when every town had a good place for us kids to ride out bikes and practice? Remember when MX tracks were popping up all over the place? Remember smiling inside and saw a dirt bike drive by in the back of a truck? (I still do today – especially if it is a vintage bike). Remember your first pair of Carrera goggles? Remember your first Scott face guard? Remember the feel of a new pair of old fashioned leather MX boots? Remember when you upgraded to Hi-Point boots? Remember when you realized motocross will forever be part of your DNA? We grew up in a magical time of motocross history and that history must be preserved!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture!

Thanksgiving is waiting in the wings and Christmas will be upon us before you know it. Be thankful for all you have, and start preparing for the celebration of the birth of our Savior. Make sure those asking you “what would you like for Christmas” have easy access to the IMM gift shop as there are so many great gift ideas there (including the new poker chip set)! And now is the time to begin shopping for the motocross fan on your Christmas list. Great quality hats, shirts, clocks and posters for the mancave, and the new poker chip sets are all available now! I highly recommend the documentary video from the first fundraiser event – truly a must see! (Video for the Sept fundraiser is in work). Please follow us on Instagram @themxmuseum, and follow me @imm_pm_114.

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 11/6/22 Guest User 11/6/22

23rd edition

Museum News

6 November, 2022

Welcome to November! First – my apologies for not getting a newsletter out last week. I have a series of excuses, my wife had a partial knee replacement and I am the primary caregiver. It is also fall, and as we all know if you live on property with trees – that means lots of leaf raking. I have 13 acres, and lots of hardwoods where the house sits. I do have a large zero turn mower with a bagging attachment that saves me lots of time – but I still have to collect leaves twice a week, at about 4 hours per instance. Then there is that job thing, yes I still must pay the bills :-). I do my best to get the newsletter out weekly, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen – please accept my apology. I know Terry has taken a much needed vacation and the rest of the planning team has gotten to know their families again. I cannot begin to tell you how much time and effort went into the Sept fundraiser – this team we have is simply the best – but they are also human (except Joe Abbate – he is superhuman).

And speaking of Joe Abbate – be sure to tune into his show on Wednesday, 9 Nov on VMX Q&A for his in-depth interview with none other than motocross legend and pioneer Gary Bailey! If you have ever had the pleasure of talking with Gary, you know he is a very humble and down to earth man, who just happens to be one of the founding fathers of American motocross. There are many reasons why he is called “The Professor” of motocross, find out why on Wednesday at 6:00 on the left coast, 7:00 in the Mile High city, 8:00 for us Mid-Westerners, and 9:00 for our East Coast friends. I know this will be and event for the ages, Gary’s history and knowledge coupled with Joe’s cutting edge interview techniques – don’t miss it!

So last night we gained back that hour of sleep we lost back in the spring, Denver has had their first measurable snow, and MX racers around the world are planning for next season, another year of international motocross is in the books. As is always the case with history, changes are exposed to us so gradually that we typically fail to grasp the significance of what we have been witness to. The 2022 season here in America will go down in the history books as one of the best ever. Team USA won the Motocross of Nations for the first time in 11 years – and did so on American soil! If you are my age, you tend to savor the experiences because you have seen many seasons come and go, so we tend to want to preserve the history so we can relive it and share with generations to come. This is why we are working so hard to build the IMM. When I was younger, I simply did not understand the significance of the historic events I was living. After watching Team USA come up short for the first 10 years, only to start dominating in the 1980s and 90s – getting that trophy back IS significant and IS historic! I want to thank my friend and IMM supporter Jeff Kokoskie for sending me a short history brief on the MxdN. Over the next few weeks – I will be sharing some if the facts he sent me. So lets begin...

After World War, II, off road motorcycling exploded in popularity, especially in Europe. During the war, motorcycles were used by practically all countries and generally ridden in rough terrain. When the war ended, those motorcyclists craved off road riding and competition...without being shot at! In mid-summer 1947, the Dutch national motorcycle federation decided to host a competition for international off-road teams and staged a motocross event on an estate near Wassenaar (voss en hour) in the Netherlands. Only three countries entered the competition; Great Britain, Belgium, and the host country Netherlands. Each country fielded multiple, three-man teams mounted on 500cc four stroke machines and raced two, eight-lap heats over a two mile circuit, and team scores were computed using the aggregate times of those three racers on each team. BSA mounted riders Bill Nicholson, Fred Rist, and Ray Scovell from the Great Britain “A” team won that first event, besting the Belgium “B” team by only 9 seconds. And, the Motocross des Nations was born! It’s been 76 years since that first race was held, and this year at Red Bud, MI was the 75th running; in all that time, the event was only canceled once, in 2020 due to COVID.

The IMM are finalizing discussions now with the Legends and Heroes tour – and hopefully starting in the 2023 SX and MX seasons, you will see our presence at every event. We look forward to meeting and chatting with all of you, answering your questions and getting your thoughts on the museum. This partnership will expose the museum to approximately 1.5M visitors per season. That is a lot of eyes on our sponsor banner!! We have also been talking with KTM who wants to continue supporting the IMM. KTM has done an incredible job not only stepping up to help preserve the museum, but in truly understanding the mission of the museum and its importance. There may not be as many true motorcycle enthusiasts working in the industry as there was 45 years ago – but KTM management shares our enthusiasm and wants to ensure the history of motocross is preserved! Thank you KTM – we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with you!

We are finalizing plans for our ”donor wall” that will allow the names of every person who donates ($100 or more) to the museum to have their name displayed in the IMM forever. We are planning plaques that will have the name, city and state of donors memorialized for the world to see as long as the museum doors are open. We do not have all the details worked out yet – but the initial vision is a large wood plaque (we expect multiple plaques) with the IMM logo on top and approximately thirty, 1” x 3” is brass name plates with the name, city and state of our donors mounted to it. As donations go up - the size of the nameplate will increase. These are the details we are working out now. Also in discussion is what do we call the donor levels? Gold, silver, bronze? Ruby, emerald, diamond? Privateer, satellite team, full factory rider? Things to ponder! So in addition to a tax deductible donation – your name will forever be known as a supporter of the IMM.

Remember your first top end rebuild? Remember the first time you split the cases on your bike? Remember using screwdrivers to remove your tire? Remember pinching tubes? Remember bring on the starting line with 40 or 50 bikes that included Montessa, Ossa, Husqvarna, Bultaco, Maico, Hodaka, CZ, Greeves, Suzuki, Can-Am, Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha? Remember when you could often distinguish the brand of bike just by hearing it run? Remember your first real mudder (I remember a race in a rainstorm back in the mountains of NC where it was raining so hard you could not even see the first turn)? Remember trying to forward mount your own shocks? Remember drilling holes in the airbox so it could breath better? Remember your first trophy? Remember when you barely made enough money at your “job” to keep your bike together and had to improvise wherever possible to keep her running? I know personally I raced a few bikes in the early days that, let’s just say would not make it through tech inspection :-) Remember when you realized motocross will forever be part of your DNA? We grew up in a magical time of motocross history and that history must be preserved!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture!

Thanksgiving is waiting in the wings and Christmas will be upon us before you know it. Be thankful for all you have, and start preparing for the celebration of the birth of our Savior. Make sure those asking you “what would you like for Christmas” have easy access to the IMM gift shop as there are so many great gift ideas there (including the new poker chip set)! And now is the time to begin shopping for the motocross fan on your Christmas list. Great quality hats, shirts, clocks and posters for the mancave, and the new poker chip sets are all available now! I highly recommend the documentary video from the first fundraiser event – truly a must see! (Video for the Sept fundraiser is in work). Please follow us on Instagram @themxmuseum, and follow me @imm_pm_114.

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 10/23/22 Guest User 10/23/22

22nd edition

Museum News

23 October, 2022

Poker chip set is now available in the IMM Gift Shop! – A set of top-quality casino grade poker chips with the IMM logo on one side, and the face of a motocross legend on the other. The legends whose faces will appear on the chips are: Torsten Hallman, Bob Hannah, Stefan Everts, Harry Everts, Liam Everts, Roger DeCoster, Warren Reid, Hakan Andersson, Steve Wise, Marty Smith, Ricky Johnson, Joel Robert, Gunnar Lindstrom, Gerrit Wolsink, and Heikki Mikkola! This incredible collectors set covers motocross from the very early days of the 1960s through modern times. I plan to get a challenge coin case to display mine on the wall. The full set will retail for US $60! This is a GREAT idea for the motocross fan on your Christmas list. Shop around – there are some incredible and unique gift ideas in the gift shop.

With racing taking a short break to get ready for the 2023 SX season, the silly season has been in full swing with riders changing bikes, changing classes, funding their own way next year or hanging up their Alpinestars for good. Time passes and history is made every single day. It happens every year, and fall continues to be a special time in the memories of we vintage guys. Close your eyes and dream, you can smell the autumn leaves mixing with Bel-Ray premix as the worlds best line up on the gate for the historic Trans AMA series in the 1970s. I know I have talked about the Trans AMA series recently, but for those of us who got to live that series – it is worth mentioning again (and again and again). The Trans AMA is what started turning the tide from “best American” to “best in the world”. It was a magical time, leaves turning into a beautiful canvas of color as tracks across the country played host to this international spectacle. The Trans AMA series is gone along with twin shock suspension and works bikes – but like all history – the memories and the stories must be preserved! You all know – preserving the history of international motocross is the mission of the International Motocross Museum!

Remember when we put duct tape on our tanks to keep the paint from wearing off? Remember cutting your own numbers out of contact paper to save a few bucks (I assume I am not the only person to do that)? Remember Gold Belt’s? Remember when Gary Bailey used telephone poles to make the treacherous whoops at Daytona? Remember the first time YOU went to a Supercross event in your closest stadium? Remember stripping down your trail bike, putting knobby’s and maybe a pipe on it and trying to race? Remember wearing lineman’s boots (again, I can’t be the only person who did that)? Remember when a snow fence is all that kept you off the track at a National? Remember fork braces? Remember when you realized motocross IS in your blood and will forever be part of your DNA? We grew up in a magical time of motocross history and that history must be preserved!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture!

October 2022 is almost in the history books, Halloween is just around the corner, Thanksgiving is waiting in the wings and Christmas will be upon us before you know it. Make sure those asking you “what would you like for Christmas” have easy access to the IMM gift shop as there are so many great gift ideas there (including the new poker chip set)! And now is the time to begin shopping for the motocross fan on your Christmas list. Great quality hats, shirts, clocks and posters for the mancave, and the new poker chip sets are all available now! I highly recommend the documentary video from the first fundraiser event – truly a must see! (Video for the Sept fundraiser is in work). Please follow us on Instagram @themxmuseum, and follow me @imm_pm_114.

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 10/18/22 Guest User 10/18/22

21st Edition

Museum News

18 October, 2022

NEW ITEM WILL BE APPEARING IN THE GIFT SHOP SOON – A set of top-quality casino grade poker chips with the IMM logo on one side, and the face of a motocross legend on the other. The legends whose faces will appear on the chips are: Torsten Hallman, Bob Hannah, Stefan Everts, Harry Everts, Liam Everts, Roger DeCoster, Warren Reid, Hakan Andersson, Steve Wise, Marty Smith, Ricky Johnson, Joel Robert, Gunnar Lindstrom, Gerrit Wolsink, and Heikki Mikkola! This incredible collectors set covers motocross from the very early days of the 1960s through modern times. I plan to get a challenge coin case to display mine on the wall. The full set will retail for US $60!

With racing taking a short break to get ready for the 2023 SX season, racers must find ways to entertain themselves and the Red Bull Straight Rhythm is one way to keep ones self entertained! Some of the worlds top talent, some really tricked out two strokes, SoCal beaches and the smell of high octane pumpkin spice (sorry – I had to go there again) premix in the air! Close your eyes and dream, you can also smell the autumn leaves falling as the worlds best line up on the gate for the historic Trans AMA series in the 1970s. I know I talked about the Trans AMA series last week, but for those of us who got to live that series – it is worth mentioning again. The Trans AMA is what started turning the tide from “best American” to “best in the world”. It was a magical time, leaves turning into a beautiful canvas of color as tracks across the country played host to this international spectacle. The Trans AMA series is gone along with twin shock suspension and works bikes – but like all history – the memories and the stories must be preserved! You all know – preserving the history of international motocross is the mission of the International Motocross Museum!

We are also investigating a ”donor wall” that will allow the names of every person who donates to the museum to have their name engraved on the wall for ever. Details are still being worked, but the idea is that anyone making a cash donation of over $100 will have their name and state or country engraved on a brass plate that will be affixed to a large wooden plaque mounted to the donor wall. Larger donations get larger brass plates. This donor wall will be one of the first things to get built once we start construction.

Remember when the Trans AMA ran the support class? Remeober whenthe Nationals consisted of three classes; 500cc, 250cc and 125cc? Remember when a National race weekend could be any combination (or so it seemed) of the three classes? Remember when Broc Glover’s factory Yamaha nded up in the seats at a Supercross event? Remember the city? Remember when Bob Hannah lost a 500 National title because his throttle cable slipped out of the slide? Remember “The Motocross Files”? Remember Bel-Ray? Remember Carrera Goggles? Remember when you could identify a bike brand just by the sound of the engine or even a silhouette of the bike? Remember Full Bore boots? Remember when Motocross Action and Dirt Bike were new (ground breaking for us) magazines? Remember rolling your very first new MX bike off the showroom floor and it was YOURS? Remember when you realized motocross IS in your blood and will forever be part of your DNA? We grew up in a magical time of motocross history and that history must be preserved!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture!

And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise (including the new poker chip set)! Now is the time to begin shopping for the motocross fan on your Christmas list. Great quality hats, shirts, clocks and posters for the mancave, and the new poker chip sets will be on sale very soon! I highly recommend the documentary video from the first fundraiser event – truly a must see! (Video for the Sept fundraiser is in work). Make sure the Christmas shopper in your family has a link to our gift shop! Please follow us on Instagram @themxmuseum, and follow me @imm_pm_114.

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 10/9/22 Guest User 10/9/22

20th edition

Museum News

9 October, 2022

NEW ITEM WILL BE APPEARING IN THE GIFT SHOP SOON – A set of top-quality casino grade poker chips with the IMM logo on one side, and the face of a motocross legend on the other. We will be posting more information later – but be aware – they are coming! I plan to get a challenge coin case to display mine on the wall. The full set will retail for US $60!

So the opening round of the World Supercross Championships (WSX) are in the books, our first frost of the season has come and gone, the Nebraska Cornhuskers have won another football game - history is being made daily! The changing leaves reminds us that not that long ago, it was time for the annual America vs. Europe motocross contest – the Trans AMA series that brought the best from Europe to bang bars and bust berms with the best in America. It was a magical time, leaves turning into a beautiful canvas of color as tracks across the country played host to this international spectacle. The Trans AMA series is gone along with twin shock suspension and works bikes – but like all history – the memories and the stories must be preserved! You all know – preserving the history of international motocross is the mission of the International Motocross Museum!

The IMM are in discussions now with the Legends and Heroes tour – and hopefully starting in the 2023 SX and MX seasons, you will see our presence at every event. We look forward to meeting and chatting with all of you, answering your questions and getting your thoughts on the museum. This partnership will expose the museum to approximately 1.5M visitors per season. That is a lot of eyes on our sponsor banner!! We have also been talking with KTM who wants to continue supporting the IMM. KTM has done an incredible job not only stepping up to help preserve the museum, but in truly understanding the mission of the museum and its importance. There may not be as many true motorcycle enthusiasts working in the industry as there was 45 years ago – but KTM management shares our enthusiasm and wants to ensure the history of motocross is preserved! Thank you KTM – we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with you!

So next steps for the planning team will be a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff, completing our investment plan, reaching out to potential sponsors, and updating our fundraiser goals and schedule. A few of the team are taking some well-deserved time off, but our mission fulfillment keeps marching on! 😊

Remember when Broc Glover showed up on the starting line at the LA Coliseum in PINK riding rear? Remember what a huge deal that was (this was the mid-1980s remember)? Remember the 23-inch front wheel craze? What about the 17-inch -rear wheel craze? Remember drilling small holes on the exhaust side of the piston to cool the split exhaust port? Remember making your own air forks? Remember the first time your front brake cable snagged on the top of the fork as the forks extended after a jump (I have to assume I am not the only person that happened to 😊)? Remember the feeling you got driving through the full pits and seeing the factory box vans there? Remember when you realized motocross IS in your blood and will forever be part of your DNA? We grew up in a magical time of motocross history and that history must be preserved!

If you were a part of the motocross scene at any point since it exploded in the United States in the early 1970s – you want that history preserved so your kids, grandkids and great-grandkids can see what we did, what YOU did to make motocross the greatest motorsport in history! This museum simply cannot happen without substantial funds. We need your help!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture!

And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise! Now is the time to begin shopping for the motocross fan on your Christmas list. Great quality hats, shirts, clocks and posters for the mancave, and the new poker chip sets will be on sale very soon! I highly recommend the documentary video from the first fundraiser event – truly a must see! (Video for the Sept fundraiser is in work). So when your significant other asks – “What would you like for Christmas?” – send them to our gift shop! Please follow us on Instagram @themxmuseum, and follow me @imm_pm_114.

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 10/2/22 Guest User 10/2/22

19th Edition

Museum News

2 October, 2022

There is a chill in the air, autumn makes is annual return bringing with it cooler temperatures, magnificent foliage, professional motocross goes on break and pumpkin spice scented racing fuel makes its way back to local tracks (well, it is everywhere else 😊) While the IMM planning team is still enjoying the positive feedback from the fundraiser, we are continuing the business of building a museum. We will be joining local Chambers of Commerce and other corporate outreach programs. Boring from a motocross perspective – but absolutely necessary to get us the needed financial backing. A little more in line with our motocross heritage and roots, I have been having some discussions with the legendary “Professor” of motocross – Gary Bailey!

Gary and I have and some great trips down memory lane (I raced in their AMA district back in the day and remember them at Rolling Hills Cycle Park in Reidsville NC)! As we discussed the early days of racing and the importance of capturing the early stories from people who were there, to get it first-hand. It soon became clear his vision for capturing motocross history is very much in alignment with the IMM’s. We are also negotiating to obtain some of his memorabilia into the museum! I have enjoyed talking to Gary, he is very down to earth, humble, and generous with his time. He even sent me some pictures of his old shop “Gary Bailey’s Cycle Barn”! if you went to Lake Sugar Tree in the late 1970s, a trip to the cycle barn was a must. Today – it looks like a small museum itself! Anyway, Gary will be talking to Joe Abbate soon and scheduling an interview on Joe’s “VMX Q&A”. We hope you are already tuning in to Joe’s show, but this is one you will not want to miss! We will keep you informed as to exactly when that interview will happen – we know it will be fascinating as Gary was one of the original Americans who chose to challenge the Europeans in this new sport of motocross. And don’t forget, Gary designed the Supercross track at Daytona for over 30 years. This man is a true legend in American Motocross.

So next steps for the planning team will be a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff; completing our investment plan, reaching out to potential sponsors, and updating our fundraiser goals and schedule. It is funny how we all worked so hard to get to the fundraiser, it had the feeling of completion, in reality – we are just getting stated 😊

Remember when an unknown kid from Lancaster, California showed up at the opening round of the 125 nationals at Hangtown in Northern California and defeated the unbeatable Marty Smith (RIP)? Remember when Harley Davidson showed up with a very innovative rear suspension that used what appeared to be front forks instead of shocks? Remember when Kawasaki and Honda experimented with external springs on their front forks? Remember the Yamaha YZ’s with canisters on the front forks? Remember your first race? Remember your first trophy? Remember when you realized motocross IS in your blood and will forever be part of your DNA? We grew up in a magical time of motocross history and that history must be preserved!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture! And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise! I highly recommend the documentary video from the first fundraiser event – truly a must see! (Video for the Sept fundraiser is in work). Also, our posters are top quality and frameable. And don’t forget hats, shirts, and clocks – great gift ideas for that moto-fan in your world! Remember – Christmas is just around the corner, remember our gift shop when your significant other asks “What would you like for Christmas this year?”

Please follow us on Instagram @themxmuseum, and follow me @imm_pm_114.

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 9/27/22 Guest User 9/27/22

18th edition

Museum News

27 Sept, 2022

Well – here we are; the Motocross of nations is in the books, and Team has brought the Chamberlain Trophy back to our shores – and the IMM fundraiser is now in the books! I must admit the event exceeded my expectations. I got to meet and shake many of your hands and even had a few of you tell me you enjoy this newsletter 😊. I was glad to hear as I often wonder if anyone is reading. Getting to be in the same room with motocross royalty, then getting to know them and realizing they are just dirt bike lovers like the rest of us (though a wee bit faster than most of us) was truly a memory I will never forget. On Tuesday when I arrived for our final day of preparation – I pulled into the driveway and thought “right there 10 feet in front of my car is Gerrit Wolsink”! And then I waw Heikki and Antti, the Harry and Liam, then Torsten, and on and on. To an individual – they could not have been nicer and more pleasant. Later in the day, Jason Weigandt, Martina Faltova, Ricky and Stephanie Johnson, Warren and Cinda Reid, Steve and Tina Wise arrived. This all took place at Terry and Cindy Good’s home. They were all the most down to earth people ever – from the superstars to the hosts- simply great people. Meeting them face to face, talking to them and hearing their stories solidifies our commitment to build this museum! Their individual contribution to this great sport must be preserved and shared.

Later in the afternoon on Tuesday, we jumped in our cars and drove to the building, and by “the building” I mean the one that will become the International Motocross Museum! The building is over 100,000 square feet! It also has separate rooms to serve as a maintenance shop, the Motocross Historical Society, gift ship and so much more. The building will be perfect for the IMM! It is 20 minutes away from Pinstripes!

Then, there was the big day itself! After months of planning, planning and replanning – here we were. I was at Pinstripes early and what a wonderful place! The food was incredible, and the staff was warm, welcoming, and helpful. Throughout the day I was honored to meet so many of you – but I must apologize that I did not get to talk to many of you as much as I would have liked. There were a million little things coming up that required attention – I ended up being much busier than I had hoped (I don’t think I got my picture taken with many of the legends – can you believe that??). But I would call the event a huge success and thank each of you for being part of IMM history.

So next steps for the planning team will be a lot of behind the scenes stuff; completing our investment plan, reaching out to potential sponsors, and updating our fundraiser goals and schedule. It is funny how we all worked so hard to get to the fundraiser, it had the feeling of completion, in reality – we are just getting stated 😊

Remember when Gerrit Wolsink passed Heikki Mikkola at the finish line to win the 1974 USGP at Carlsbad? Remember that he crashed into the bank as he took the checkered flag? Remember some guy starting a clothing company for racers and called it Hallman Racing? Remember a mud race in Italy in 1974 and many riders ended up in the hospital with mud in their eyes? Remember a gentleman from Ohio who was so disappointed in the quality of dirt bikes in the 1960 that he started his own company? Remember when Penton was one of the best names in dirt bikes? Remember when a1979 factory RC250 was claimed at Hangtown, and within a few weeks was torn down on the pages of Cycle magazine? Remember the joy of seeing the latest issue of Dirt Bike or Motocross Action on your local newsstand? Remember reading it cover to cover and looking for hop up products you could afford? Remember walking into your local dealer and drooling over the new bikes. Remember the excitement you felt (I still feel it) when you see a couple of dirt bikes strapped into the back of a pickup? We witnessed an evolution of technology and a revolution in the sport of motocross! We grew up in a magical time of motocross history and that history must be preserved! Last week’s fundraiser simply proved that point.

We have a lot of momentum after our fundraiser, but we NEED YOUR HELP. Please consider a generous tax-deductible donation! Reach out to anyone of any company you may know that would be interested in being a corporate donor. As I said in my opening remarks at the fundraiser, we have the right team, we have found the right building, we have the right collection and we have the vision. We only lack funding. One great way to help is to visit our gift shop, we have some very unique swag! If you saw the poker chip sets at the fundraiser – you know they are top quality and very cool. They should be on the gift shop page soon along with the other cool stuff!

If you were a part of the motocross scene at any point since it exploded in the United States in the early 1970s – you want that history preserved so your kids, grandkids and great-grandkids can see what we did to make motocross the greatest motorsport in history! This museum simply cannot happen without substantial funds. We need your help!

Be sure to tune in to Joe Abbate’s VMXQ&A show on Facebook on Wednesdays at 6:00PM PST, 9:00PM EST. Always an entertaining way to relax for a few minutes and learn something new! Joe has become a very active team member and sponsor and we appreciate what he does for us.

The mxworksbike site is up and functional! Check it out!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture! And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise! I highly recommend the documentary video from last year’s fundraiser event – truly a must see! Also, our posters are top quality and frameable. Consider getting a poster and bring it to the fundraiser in Sept and get it autographed! And don’t forget hats, shirts, and clocks – great gift ideas for that moto-fan in your world!

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 9/10/22 Guest User 9/10/22

17th Edition

Museum News

10 Sept, 2022

Can you feel it? The excitement, the butterflies, the anxiety – the nervousness? Being this close to the IMM fundraiser – just 11 short days away – is almost like sitting on the starting line so many years ago. We are 11 days away from the most incredible evening in motocross – The IMM “An Evening with the Champions II – 50 years of America in the Motocross World is on Wed 21 Sept 2022! It is raining here in the beautiful Midwest today, so no outdoor chores on the property, so my day will be filled with fundraiser activities – we still have so much to get wrapped up – and in 11 days! The memorial table is coming together very nicely, I think each of you will be pleased with the way we have chosen to honor our brothers who have passed before us. We had a great meeting yesterday with the great Ricky Johnson, no wonder he is so good on camera and in the booth – he really has a lot of great ideas – small details – that make an event great. He is a great ambassador to the sport and is very happy to be part of this museum as he sees it for what it really is – a time capsule capturing the rich history of the greatest motorsport in history! Ricky understands that this museum is different from anything else out there, this is not another motorcycle museum, this is a MOTOCROSS museum!

And speaking of the museum, our fundraiser is (again) 11 days away – If you don’t yet have your ticket – now is the time as they are really starting to go fly off the shelves (so to speak)!! We are also now offering ticket upgrades, from deluxe tickets to VIP tickets! For an additional $250 you can be guaranteed to sit with the rider of your choice (unless that rider has sold out), gain entry to the venue at 10:00 Wed morning (not 2:00) and have more personal time with these riders, as well as enjoy a nice lunch with your rider. These upgrades are also becoming quite popular. Some of our riders are still working through schedule and health issues, but we have confirmed Rick Johnson, Jason Weigandt, Warren Reid, Steve Wise, Gerrit Wolsink, Heikki Mikkola, Jukka Pentilla, Harry, Stephan and Liam Everts, Osca Sasaki, Don Kudalski, Gunnar Lindstrom, Joe Abbate, Torsten Hallman, Jack Penton and more. Corporate sponsorships are growing for the event, recently we have added KTM/Husqvarna/GasGas and Yamaha to those helping sponsor this event, and I am waiting on confirmation from others. Also this year, we will have silent auctions on several very unique items – including an autograph board with the IMM logo laser burned in and the autograph of every rider there!

As I said on a social media post last week – if you are on the fence – now is the time to act, this is an event you do not want to miss! So much motocross royalty gathered in one room, and just prior to the MXdN! And the bikes! Motorcycles that were pure unobtainium for all but a handful of people. Motorcycles that changed the course of history. Motorcycles that cost more to build than the house you grew up in! Motorcycles that we all studied month after month in the pages of our favorite magazine. In 11 days – YOU CAN SEE THEM UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL! I mean, just wow! Here are a few of the bikes you will see; The incredible #39 Yamaha OW27 side by side with the #1 RC125M Type II, Heikki Mikkola’s 1978 world championship Yamaha, many from the Roger Decoster collection, the Mugen ME125, Jim Pomeroy/s #102 RC500M Honda, early 1960s Husqvarna’s including a twin pipe – and the list goes on! Get your picture taken with your favorite bike and rider – what an opportunity! And with the close proximity to the MXdN (both distance and time), who knows what surprises from the international motocross community will show up!

Don’t forget to book your rooms at the Sheraton Chicago Northbrook! Most the riders we are bringing in from Europe will be staying at this hotel. We have negotiated a special rate with the Sheraton Chicago Northbrook of $120 (plus taxes) per night. Call the hotel at 847-480-1900 or use the following link to make your reservations:

Book your group rate for Moto Cross

You will find the information for your online reservation link below. If you have questions or need help with the link, please do not hesitate to ask. We appreciate your business and look forward to a successful event.

Event Summary:

Group name: Moto Cross

If you have trouble with your reservation (and unfortunately some still are) – let me know. Best way to contact me is to PM me on Facebook.

I look forward to meeting many of you there – be sure to look me up – I hope to meet each one of you in Chicago on Sept 21!!

We are still offering our group table discounts if you “buy” a table. Our tables seat 12, but instead of the full price of $500 per seat or $6000 for the table, we are offering tables for $4800, or $400 per seat, a 20% savings. To get the discount, go to the events link on the website, select “Buy Deluxe Tickets Here” where you have an option for a single ticket or entire table. If you buy a table, you can provide us the names in your group, and we will ensure you are seated together. This is a great way to have your company represented and be recognized as a sponsor for this historic event and the International Motocross Museum! This discount is designed for our corporate sponsors, but if you get group of friends together and get a table, you get the same discount (several groups have already taken advantage of this offer). Company sponsorships will have a placard with the company name proudly announcing your support of the museum. Corporate sponsors can fill the table with their top brass, bring a few folks along and allow us to fill some of the seats – or allow us to fill all the seats – remember the whole purpose is to raise funds to support the museum. The more funds we raise, the sooner we open the doors!

If you are a regular reader, you may start seeing some duplication in the “remember when” section…Remember when a gaggle of European motocross stars made their way to the US in the mid1960s and introduced motocross to our shores? Remember when being “first American” was a coveted title? Remember the Motocross Action special issue called “The Europeans” followed by another special issue called “The Americans: Red, White, Black and Blue” (I hope I got that right)? Man, how I wish I still had those issues! Remember the Rokon with the pull start? (I know one of our guests will remember 😊! Remember when some guy tried to jump a bunch of cars with a hang glider attached to his motorcycle at the LA coliseum? Remember when Japanese bikes were a rarity on the starting line? Remember when that same starting line was filled with brands like Husqvarna, Montesa, Bultaco, Maico, CZ, Ossa, Penton, BSA etc? We witnessed an evolution of technology and a revolution in the sport of motocross! We grew up in a magical time of motocross history and that history must be preserved!

Please consider a generous tax-deductible donation ! If you were a part of the motocross scene at any point since it exploded in the United States in the early 1970s – you want that history preserved so your kids, grandkids and great-grandkids can see what we did to make motocross the greatest motorsport in history! This museum simply cannot happen without substantial funds. We need your help!

Be sure to tune in to Joe Abbate’s VMXQ&A show on Facebook on Wednesdays at 6:00PM PST, 9:00PM EST. Always an entertaining way to relax for a few minutes and learn something new!

And speaking of memories – the mxworksbike site is up and functional! Check it out!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture! And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise! I highly recommend the documentary video from last year’s fundraiser event – truly a must see! Also, our posters are top quality and frameable. Consider getting a poster and bring it to the fundraiser in Sept and get it autographed! And don’t forget hats, shirts, and clocks – great gift ideas for that moto-fan in your world!

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 9/4/22 Guest User 9/4/22

Sweet Sixteen!

Museum News

4 Sept, 2022

We are 17 days away from the most incredible evening in motocross – The IMM “An Evening with the Champions II – 50 years of America in the Motocross World is on Wed 21 Sept 2022! Imagine one day spent with some of the greatest names in motocross, not just seeing them onstage – but truly getting to talk with them, shake hands, share stories; it is not very often an evening like this comes along. Get your tickets now and relive 50 years of American motocross. Congratulations to Eli Tomac on a hard fought and well-deserved national championship. In the California desert heat, it was Chase Sexton who blinked first, making 3 small mistakes in moto 2 and handing the championship to Eli who would not be denied a 1 – 1 sweep in the final round. Both riders fought hard and deserve a huge shout out – they raised the bar yet again! The 2022 season was truly worthy of a 50-year anniversary celebration! This is why we are working to preserve the history of our great sport by building a museum! The Nationals are over now, the MXdN is just around the corner, as is the IMM fundraiser!

And speaking of the museum, our fundraiser – it is just over 3 weeks away! 17 days to be exact! If you don’t yet have your ticket – now is the time!! 17 days away from your opportunity to share the day with motocross royalty like Bob Hannah, Rick Johnson, Jason Weigandt, Warren Reid, Steve Wise, Jeff Smith, Gerrit Wolsink, Heikki Mikkola, Jukka Pentilla, Harry, Stephan and Liam Everts, Osca Sasaki, Don Kudalski, Gunnar Lindstrom, Joe Abbate, Torsten Hallman, and more. Jack Penton will be joining us representing the Penton family and their place in motocross history. I had a great conversation this past week with David Bailey who really wants to attend, however his health makes traveling pretty much impossible for him. However, he supports the museum and hopes for its success. We talked about his early years on those Bultaco’s and how the bikes in our collection were what he dreamed of too, like so many of us.

This fundraiser is an event you do not want to miss. So much motocross royalty gathered together in one room, and just prior to the MXdN!. We know these riders have some great stories to tell, many of them never told in public – you can be there to hear them first-hand – this will truly be the best bench racing session in history! And don’t forget – there will be over 50 factory works motocross bikes on display. We are finalizing the list of bikes we will display (honestly not easy to pick 50 from such a massive collection!) but for certain you will see the 1961 Husqvarna twin pipe, The incredible Yamaha OW27, Heikki Mikkola’s 1978 world championship Yamaha, many from the Roger Decoster collection, the Mugen ME125 – and the list goes on! Get your picture taken with your favorite bike and rider – what an opportunity! And with the close proximity to the MXdN (both distance and time), who knows what surprises from the international motocross community will show up!

Book your group rate for Moto Cross

Event Summary:

Group name: Moto Cross

If you have trouble with your reservation (and unfortunately some still are) – let me know. Best way to contact me is to PM me on Facebook.

I look forward to meeting many of you there – be sure to look me up – I hope to meet each one of you in Chicago on Sept 21!!

We are still offering our group table discounts if you “buy” a table. Our tables seat 12, but instead of the full price of $500 per seat or $6000 for the table, we are offering tables for $4800, or $400 per seat, a 20% savings. To get the discount, go to the events link on the website, select “Buy Deluxe Tickets Here” where you have an option for a single ticket or entire table. If you buy a table, you can provide us the names in your group, and we will ensure you are seated together. This is a great way to have your company represented and be recognized as a sponsor for this historic event. This discount is designed for our corporate sponsors, but if you get group of friends together and get a table, you get the same discount. Company sponsorships will have a placard with the company name proudly announcing your support of the museum. Corporate sponsors can fill the table with their top brass, bring a few folks along and allow us to fill some of the seats – or allow us to fill all the seats – remember the whole purpose is to raise funds to support the museum. The more funds we raise, the sooner we open the doors! Additionally, we have a unique sponsorship opportunity with our “Memorial Table”. This table will honor motocross stars from the past who have passed away, either on or off the track. We believe this will be a very moving experience that will respectfully honor those who have passed on. This is a great sponsorship opportunity! Reach out to me via Facebook PM if you are interested in more information.

Remember when someone was complaining about the quality of off-road motorcycles and someone told “if you knows so much about off-road motorcycles why don’t you build one yourself” – and John Penton did! Remember when David Bailey was leading the 1st moto of the 1984 USGP in Carlsbad when his rear wheel failed? Remember when he was leading the 2nd moto and had a nasty get off on the last downhill? Remember the first time you saw a Yamaha Monoshock in person? Remember the first time you saw the Honda RC Type IIs in person? Remember the Preston Petty no-dive suspension? We witnessed an evolution of technology and a revolution in the sport of motocross! We grew up in a magical time of motocross history and that history must be preserved!

Be sure to tune in to Joe Abbate’s VMXQ&A show on Facebook on Wednesdays at 6:00PM PST, 9:00PM EST. Always an entertaining way to relax for a few minutes and learn something new!

And speaking of memories – the mxworksbike site is up and functional! Check it out!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture! And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise! I highly recommend the documentary video from last year’s fundraiser event – truly a must see! Also, our posters are top quality and frameable. Consider getting a poster and bring it to the fundraiser in Sept and get it autographed! And don’t forget hats, shirts, and clocks – great gift ideas for that moto-fan in your world!

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 8/28/22 Guest User 8/28/22

15th Edition

Museum News

28 Aug, 2022

We are 24 days away from the most incredible evening in motocross – The IMM fundraiser, “An Evening with the Champions II – 50 years of America in the Motocross World is on Wed 21 Sept 2022! Imagine one day spent with some of the greatest names in motocross, not just seeing them onstage – but truly getting to talk with them, shake hands, share stories; it is not very often an evening like this comes along. Get your tickets now and relive 50 years of American motocross. And speaking of 50 years in American motocross, two of our American MXdN team members, Eli and Chase have made the 50th anniversary season one for the record books. After 11 events, 22 motos, heat, mud, travel and everything the competition could throw at them, only a single point separates these two riders. Eli goes into the final round at Fox Raceway in Pala CA with a single point lead, and if you remember back in Colorado, Chase was penalized for an on-track infraction – that penalty was a single championship point. Never in the 50-year history of professional motocross have we had a series this close after this many races. A season truly worthy of a 50-year anniversary celebration! This is why we are working to preserve the history of our great sport by building a museum!

And speaking of the museum, our fundraiser – it is just over 3 weeks away! 24 days to be exact! If you don’t yet have your ticket – now is the time!! 31 days away from your opportunity to share the day with motocross royalty like Bob Hannah, Rick Johnson, Jason Weigandt, Warren Reid, Steve Wise, Jeff Smith, Gerrit Wolsink, Heikki Mikkola, Jukka Pentilla, Harry, Stephan and Liam Everts, Osca Sasaki, Don Kudalski, Gunnar Lindstrom, Joe Abbate, Torsten Hallman, and more. Sadly, Tony Distefano – the 3-time AMA 250cc National Champion will not be able to join us. Tony sends his regrets, but he has some family obligations that prevents him from traveling that week. This fundraiser is an event you do not want to miss. So much motocross royalty gathered together in one room, and just prior to the MXdN!. We know these riders have some great stories to tell, many of them never told in public – you can to be there to hear them first-hand – this will truly be the best bench racing session in history! And don’t forget – there will be over 50 factory works motocross bikes on display. We are finalizing the list of bikes we will display (honestly not easy to pick 50 from such a massive collection!) but for certain you will see the 1961 Husqvarna twin pipe, The incredible Yamaha OW27, Heikki Mikkola’s 1978 world championship Yamaha, many from the Roger Decoster collection, the Mugen ME125 – and the list goes on! Get your picture taken with your favorite bike and rider – what an opportunity! And with the close proximity to the MXdN (both distance and time), who knows what surprises from the international motocross community will show up!

Don’t forget to book your rooms at the Sheraton Chicago Northbrook! All the riders we are bringing in from Europe will be staying at this hotel. We have negotiated a special rate with the Sheraton Chicago Northbrook of $120 (plus taxes) per night. Call the hotel at 847-480-1900 or use the following link to make your reservations:

Book your group rate for Moto Cross

Event Summary:

Group name: Moto Cross

If you have trouble with your reservation (and unfortunately some still are) – let me know. Best way to contact me is to PM me on Facebook.

I look forward to meeting many of you there – be sure to look me up – I hope to meet each one of you in Chicago on Sept 21!!

We are still offering our group table discounts if you “buy” a table. Our tables seat 12, but instead of the full price of $500 per seat or $6000 for the table, we are offering tables for $4800, or $400 per seat, a 20% savings. To get the discount, go to the events link on the website, select “Buy Deluxe Tickets Here” where you have an option for a single ticket or entire table. If you buy a table, you can provide us the names in your group, and we will ensure you are seated together. This is a great way to have your company represented and be recognized as a sponsor for this historic event. This discount is designed for our corporate sponsors, but if you get group of friends together and get a table, you get the same discount. Company sponsorships will have a placard with the company name proudly announcing your support of the museum. Corporate sponsors can fill the table with their top brass, bring a few folks along and allow us to fill some of the seats – or allow us to fill all the seats – remember the whole purpose is to raise funds to support the museum. The more funds we raise, the sooner we open the doors! Additionally, we have a unique sponsorship opportunity with our “Memorial Table”. This table will honor motocross stars from the past who have passed away, either on or off the track. We believe this will be a very moving experience that will respectfully honor those who have passed on. This is a great sponsorship opportunity! Reach out to me via Facebook PM if you are interested in more information.

Remember when someone put small canisters on their rear shock body and packed it with ice to keep the shocks cool? Remember the USGP at Carlsbad on the ABC Wide World of Sports – usually 6 months after the actual event? Remember when the Scott face mask replaced the Jofa?? Remember riders putting their names on their chest protectors? Remember when factory teams had factory “uniforms” – and wanted to look just like them (based on which brand we raced). Remember the Moto-X Fox powerhouse privateer team? Remember when the pits contained well-guarded factory secrets? Remember when motocross bikes were truly unique and you could tell the brand simply from hearing the engine run? We grew up in a magical time of motocross history and that history must be preserved!

We have a team of volunteers working very hard to preserve your memories and make this museum a reality. Terry and Cindy Good, Mike Schulz, Gunnar Lindstrom, Sandy Senteman, Jack Martin, Joe Abbate and yours truly Tom Miller (and our spouses are also helping the cause). We are all working daily to ensure the hundreds of details needed to make this event and this museum successful are completed. We have the best collection of motocross bikes in history. We have a team of committed volunteers. We have the perfect building identified and agreements made for possession. We only lack funding. Please consider a generous tax-deductible donation ! If you were a part of the motocross scene at any point since it exploded in the United States in the early 1970s – you want that history preserved so your kids, grandkids and great-grandkids can see what we did to make motocross the greatest motorsport in history! This museum simply cannot happen without substantial funds. We need your help!

Be sure to tune in to Joe Abbate’s VMXQ&A show on Facebook on Wednesdays at 6:00PM PST, 9:00PM EST. Always an entertaining way to relax for a few minutes and learn something new!

And speaking of memories – the mxworksbike site is up and functional! Check it out!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture! And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise! I highly recommend the documentary video from last year’s fundraiser event – truly a must see! Also, our posters are top quality and frameable. Consider getting a poster and bring it to the fundraiser in Sept and get it autographed! And don’t forget hats, shirts, and clocks – great gift ideas for that moto-fan in your world!

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 8/21/22 Guest User 8/21/22

14th Edition

Museum News

21 Aug, 2022

The American Motocross des Nations (MXdN) team has been officially announced! Chase Sexton and his Honda will ride the Open class, Eli Tomac on his Yamaha compete in the MX1 (450) class and Justin Cooper and his Yamaha will carry the flag for America in the MX2 (250) Class! Congratulations guys and job well done. We know you will all do your very best to bring the Chamberlain Trophy back to the United States as each team has done since 1972! What a perfect time to buy your ticket for our Sept 21st IMM “An Evening with the Champions II – 50 Years of America in the Motocross World” fundraiser which will be held in Northbrook, Illinois just a couple of hours drive from the Red Bud track. The timing could not be more perfect.

Welcome to the 14th edition of the IMM newsletter! The Lucas oil Pro Motocross Championships (aka the Nationals) completedround10 this weekend at Budd’s Creek, a short drive from our Nation’s capitol and once again, the racing did not disappoint. Although not one of his dominant rides, Jett Lawrence has a commanding lead in the 250class, and Jo Shimoda slipped into 2nd place as Hunter Lawrence had a really bad day at Budd’s Creek. And the 450classappearsto be going down to the wire. After 10 rounds, 20 motos, Eli left Budd’s Creek with a single point advantage over Chase Sexton, ONE POINT! The day’s racing was very exciting with Chase having a bad moto one, and Eli having a bad moto two. And speaking of our fundraiser – it is is less than 4 weeks away! 31 days to be exact! If you don’t yet have your ticket – now is the time!! 31 days away from your opportunity to share the day with motocross royalty like Bob Hannah, Rick Johnson, Jason Weigandt, Warren Reid, Steve Wise, Jeff Smith, Tony Distefano, Gerrit Wolsink, Heikki Mikkola, Jukka Pentilla, Harry, Stephan and Liam Everts, Osca Sasaki, Don Kudalski, Gunnar Lindstrom, Joe Abbate, Torsten Hallman Keith Geisner and more. This fundraiser will be an event you do not want to miss. So much motocross royalty gathered together in one room, and just prior to the MXdN!. We know these riders have some great stories to tell – you want to be there to hear them first-hand – this will truly be the best bench racing session in history! And don’t forget – there will be over 50 factory works motocross bikes on display. Get your picture taken with your favorite bike and rider – what an opportunity! And with the close proximity to the MXdN (both distance and time), who knows what surprises from the international motocross community will show up!

Book your group rate for Moto Cross

Event Summary:

Group name: Moto Cross

If you have trouble with your reservation (and unfortunately some still are) – let me know. Best way to contact me is to PM me on Facebook.

I look forward to meeting many of you there – be sure to look me up – I hope to meet each one of you in Chicago on Sept 21!!

The planning team has shifted full force towards planning the event in Sept. There are so many details that must be tended to – and we want to make sure this event is first class! We are still offering our group table discounts if you “buy” a table. Our tables seat 12, but instead of the full price of $500 per seat or $6000 for the table, we are offering tables for $4800, or $400 per seat, a 20% savings. To get the discount, go to the events link on the website, select “Buy Deluxe Tickets Here” where you have an option for a single ticket or entire table. If you buy a table, you can provide us the names in your group, and we will ensure you are seated together. This is a great way to have your company represented and be recognized as a sponsor for this historic event. This discount is designed for our corporate sponsors, but if you get group of friends together and get a table, you get the same discount. Company sponsorships will have a placard with the company name proudly announcing your support of the museum. Corporate sponsors can fill the table with their top brass, bring a few folks along and allow us to fill some of the seats – or allow us to fill all the seats – remember the whole purpose is to raise funds to support the museum. The more funds we raise, the sooner we open the doors! Additionally, we have a unique sponsorship opportunity with our “Memorial Table”. This table will honor motocross stars from the past who have passed away, either on or off the track. We believe this will be a very moving experience that will respectfully honor those who have passed on. This is a great sponsorship opportunity! Reach out to me via Facebook PM if you are interested in more information.

Remember when they let quads race on Supercross tracks?? Remember when Micky Thompson (RIP) started a series to compete with the very young AMA Supercross series? Remember “Hex” grips? Remember wearing lineman boots? Remember YOUR first pair of motocross boots? Remember waiting for the Motocross Action and Dirt Bike magazine shootouts to see how your MX weapon of choice did? Remember running pipes with long stingers and no silencer? Remember fork braces? Remember when having a 3-rail trailer was the way to go? Remember the magic of setting up your tent in the pits at a National? Remember the smell of freshly tilled dirt and pre-mix? Remember when all you thought about was getting to the track?

We have a team of volunteers working very hard to preserve your memories and make this museum a reality. Terry and Cindy Good, Mike Schulz, Gunnar Lindstrom, Sandy Senteman, Jack Martin, Joe Abbate and yours truly (and our spouses are also helping the cause). We are all working daily to ensure the hundreds of details needed to make this event and this museum successful are completed. We have the best collection of motocross bikes in history. We have a team of committed volunteers. We have the perfect building identified and agreements made for possession. We only lack funding. Please consider a generous tax-deductible donation ! If you were a part of the motocross scene at any point since it exploded in the United States in the early 1970s – you want that history preserved so your kids, grandkids and great-grandkids can see what we did to make motocross the greatest motorsport in history! This museum simply cannot happen without substantial funds. We need your help!

Be sure to tune in to Joe Abbate’s VMXQ&A show on Facebook on Wednesdays at 6:00PM PST, 9:00PM EST. Always an entertaining way to relax for a few minutes and learn something new!

And speaking of memories – the mxworksbike site is up and functional! Check it out!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture! And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise! I highly recommend the documentary video from last year’s fundraiser event – truly a must see! Also, our posters are top quality and frameable. Consider getting a poster and bring it to the fundraiser in Sept and get it autographed! And don’t forget hats, shirts, and clocks – great gift ideas for that moto-fan in your world!

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 8/15/22 Guest User 8/15/22

13th Edition

Museum News

14 Aug, 2022

Greetings motocross fans! Welcome to the 13th edition of the IMM newsletter! The Lucas oil Pro Motocross Championships (aka the Nationals) are back on track this weekend at the world-renowned Unadilla Motocross Park in upstate New York – and our fundraiser is less than 4 weeks away! (If you don’t yet have your ticket – now is the time!!) It is clear that Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton have elevated the 450 class to a new level. And with three rounds remaining, Chase and his HRC Factory Honda retakes the point lead by a single point! Simply incredible racing this year and I think it is fair to say the 50th anniversary of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross has exceeded all expectations. Summer is quickly slipping away, and autumn is just around the corner – and so is the Motocross Des Nations! As we await official word on who will be on Team USA – our 21 Sept fundraiser is one month away!!! One month away from your opportunity to share the day with motocross royalty like Bob Hannah, Rick Johnson, Jason Weigandt, Warren Reid, Steve Wise, Jeff Smith, Tony Distefano, Gerret Wolsink, Heikki Mikkola, Jukka Pentilla, Harry, Stephan and Liam Everts, Osca Sasaki, Don Kudalski, Gunnar Lindstrom, Joe Abbate, Torsten Hallman and Keith Geisner and more. This fundraiser will be an event you do not want to miss. So much motocross royalty gathered together in one room, and just prior to the MXdN!. We know these riders have some great stories to tell – you want to be there to hear them first-hand – this will truly be the best bench racing session in history! And don’t forget – there will be over 50 factory works motocross bikes on display. Get your picture taken with your favorite bike and rider – what an opportunity! And with the close proximity to the MXdN (both distance and time), who knows what surprises from the international motocross community will show up!

The MXdN is always a great event, and this year will be no different. The worlds very best motocross riders, riding for pride and country coming together at Red Bud – just a couple of hours away from the IMM fundraiser. Centrally located in the Chicago area, and with Chicago being a major airport, flights there are easy and less expensive, and reports are saying that airfare is actually starting to go down. And as you are planning your MXdN weekend, kick it off by attending the IMM fundraising event in Wednesday, 21 Sept. “An Evening with the Champions II – 50 Years of America in the Motocross World” is the perfect way to kickoff the MXdN weekend. I particularly encourage any former or current pro riders who are going to be attending the MXdN to consider buying a ticket and attending our event- we would love to hear your stories and memories! We would love to bring you all on our dime, but it is a fundraiser for the museum. Please feel free to contact me via Facebook and let’s talk! We would love to get a lot of participation from the riders who have made motocross what it is today.

Book your group rate for Moto Cross

Event Summary:

Group name: Moto Cross

If you have trouble with your reservation (and unfortunately some still are) – let me know. Best way to contact me is to PM me on Facebook.

I look forward to meeting many of you there – be sure to look me up – I hope to meet each one of you in Chicago on Sept 21!!

Remember gloves with protective foam sewn onto the fingers? Remember putting duct tape over your boots to keep the mud out? Remember Castrol “R” in the quart can? Remember when a Maico showed up with the rear shocks moved up on the swingarm starting the LTR (Long Travel Rear) suspension revolution? Remember when front number plates were the size of small billboards? Remember the “Boost Bottle”? Remember when you could rebuild your motocross bike for a couple hundred dollars and a couple of hours?? Remember when motocross was a simpler sport and a simpler time-simply priceless memories. And speaking of memories – the mxworksbike site is up and functional! Check it out!

We have a team of volunteers working very hard to make this museum a reality. Terry and Cindy Good, Mike Schulz, Gunnar Lindstrom, Sandy Senteman, Jack Martin, Joe Abbate and yours truly (and our spouses are also helping the cause). We are all working daily to ensure the hundreds of details needed to make this event and this museum successful are completed. We have the best collection of motocross bikes in history. We have a team of committed volunteers. We have the perfect building identified and agreements made for possession. We only lack funding. Please consider a generous tax-deductible donation ! If you were a part of the motocross scene at any point since it exploded in the United States in the early 1970s – you want that history preserved so your kids, grandkids and great-grandkids can see what we did to make motocross the greatest motorsport in history! This museum simply cannot happen without substantial funds. We need your help!

Be sure to tune in to Joe Abbate’s VMXQ&A show on Facebook on Wednesdays at 6:00PM PST, 9:00PM EST. Always an entertaining way to relax for a few minutes and learn something new!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture! And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise! I highly recommend the documentary video from last year’s fundraiser event – truly a must see! Also, our posters are top quality and frameable. Consider getting a poster and bring it to the fundraiser in Sept and get it autographed! And don’t forget hats, shirts, and clocks – great gift ideas for that moto-fan in your world!

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 8/6/22 Guest User 8/6/22

12th Edition

Museum News

6 Aug, 2022

Greetings motocross fans! Welcome to the 12th edition of the IMM newsletter! The Lucas oil Pro Motocross Championships (aka the Nationals) are still on break for another week; but the racing at the Amateur National Championships at Loretta Lynn’s has been outstanding. The future of our sport looks bright indeed! As I watch Loretta’s, I look at the riders – how much more we now know about riding technique, physical conditioning and nutrition; I look at the bikes – every subsystem on the motorcycle has improved in immeasurable ways since I first threw a leg over my 1974 KX 250; I look at the process – riders from every corner of the country compete throughout the year to get a ticket to the big show! Then for a full week, the management and staff at Loretta’s execute almost 10 hours of racing per day – start after start, finish after finish, moto after moto, with precision and flexibility! It is grass roots American motocross at its finest! Some of the riders who competed at Loretta’s this past week, will undoubtedly end up on the starting line at Unadilla next weekend – the history of motocross is being written week after week, year after year.

The International Motocross Museum is dedicated to preserving that history for all future generations - and our fundraiser is less than 7 weeks away! Closing ceremonies at Loretta’s means summer is quickly slipping away, and autumn is just around the corner – and so is the Motocross Des Nations! As we await official word on who will be on Team USA (I think we all have our picks of who should be on the team) – our 21 Sept fundraiser grows ever closer! If you have never been to a MXdN event – it should be a bucket list item or any motocross fan. The atmosphere is unlike any other Professional race you will ever attend. It MUST be experienced to be really understood. The MXdN is always a great event, and this year will be no different. The worlds very best motocross riders, riding for pride and country coming together at Red Bud – just a couple of hours away from the IMM fundraiser. Centrally located in the Chicago area, and with Chicago being a major airport, flights there are easy and less expensive, and reports are saying that airfare is actually starting to go down. And as you are planning your MXdN weekend, kick it off by attending the IMM fundraising event in Wednesday, 21 Sept. “An Evening with the Champions II – 50 Years of America in the Motocross World” is the perfect way to kick-off the MXdN weekend. I particularly encourage any former or current pro riders who are going to be attending the MXdN to consider buying a ticket and attending our event- we would love to hear your stories and memories! Remember, this is OUR museum, it will be a time capsule of a life we all lived and loved for at least a part of our lives. We would love to bring you all on our dime, but it is a fundraiser for YOUR museum. Please feel free to contact me via Facebook and let’s talk! We would love to get a lot of participation from the riders who have made motocross what it is today. We need your support!

The IMM management team is starting to focus our time on the details of the Sept 21 event. If you have ever planned a church picnic, company dinner or other event with lots of people, dinner and entertainment - then you understand the amount of work that go into an event like this. And it is the little things that make an event like this special; it is not just the fact that we will have motocross royalty in attendance, it is not just that we will have a great evening of fellowship with like-minded motocross fans and great food, it is the hundreds of little details that a guest will never know was even an issue. One thing about Terry Good – he goes first class when he does something – our fundraiser will be no different. So, our team meets weekly, and are starting to put things together to ensure YOU have an evening that you will never forget. And in addition to the motocross royalty that have already confirmed their attendance, with the close proximity to the MXdN (both distance and time), who knows what surprises will show up! We know these riders have some great stories to tell – you want to be there to hear them first-hand – this will truly be the best bench racing session in history! And don’t forget – there will be over 50 factory works motocross bikes on display. Get your picture taken with your favorite bike and rider – what an opportunity!

We are still offering our group table discounts if you “buy” a table. Our tables seat 12, but instead of the full price of $500 per seat or $6000 for the table, we are offering tables for $4800, or $400 per seat, a 20% savings. To get the discount, go to the events link on the website, select “Buy Deluxe Tickets Here” where you have an option for a single ticket or entire table. If you buy a table, you can provide us the names in your group, and we will ensure you are seated together. This is a great way to have your company represented and be recognized as a sponsor for this historic event. This discount is designed for our corporate sponsors, but if you get group of friends together and get a table, you get the same discount. Company sponsorships will have a placard with the company name proudly announcing your support of the museum. Corporate sponsors can fill the table with their top brass, bring a few folks along and allow us to fill some of the seats – or allow us to fill all the seats – remember the whole purpose is to raise funds to support the museum. The more funds we raise, the sooner we open the doors! Additionally, we have a unique sponsorship opportunity with our “Memorial Table”. This table will honor motocross stars from the past who have passed away, either on or off the track. We believe this will be a very moving experience that will respectfully honor those who have passed on. This is a great sponsorship opportunity! Reach out to me via Facebook PM if you are interested in more information.

Book your group rate for Moto Cross

Event Summary:

Group name: Moto Cross

If you have trouble with your reservation (and unfortunately some still are) – let me know. Best way to contact me is to PM me on Facebook.

I look forward to meeting many of you there – be sure to look me up – I hope to meet each one of you in Chicago on Sept 21!!

Man, it is getting harder and harder for me to add something new for the “Remember when” section. We all have those things that stick out in our minds for whatever reason, over the past 12 weeks you have read some of mine how about you send me some of yours? If you have a memory from the early days of motocross, something you read about or were part of that maybe we would all like to be reminded – PM it to me on FB. I remember staying at a place called (I think) “The Dutch Inn” whenever we would go to Lake Sugar Tree in Axton, Va. One year we were up there for a Trans AMA event and it happened that Team Honda was staying at the same hotel (As I recall in the late 1970s, there were not a lot of options for lodging in the area). So me and my buddies are hanging out at the pool the Sat before the event, and so are most Team Honda folks. I think I recall Jim Pomeroy, Marty Smith, Tommy Croft and I think others. Anyway, we started joking and talking with these guys, and I ended up getting thrown in the pool by some of them. The memory is fading after 44+ years – but I just remember how awesome it was to have these guys interacting with us no name privateers! Remember the pit passes and those fool plastic holders with the giant baby pins? Remember when a rider’s number this season was based on their finishing position last season? Remember the Preston Petty no-dive front suspension? Remember boot gaiters? Remember the early 80s Honda factory works bikes? The amount of ultra-trick technology is staggering even today. Remember the battles between Bob Hannah and Roger DeCoster in the 1978 Trans AMA series? Remember when the AMA had to rename the Trans AMA series to the Trans USA due to a lawsuit?

I really enjoy writing this “Remember When” section because like you all – I have so many great memories of motocross. I hope reading my memories sparks some of your own! We lived in a great time in MX history – let’s keep that history alive for generations to come. I could use your help – PM me your memories on FB, they may end up in the newsletter! And speaking of memories – the mxworksbike site is up and functional! Check it out!

And as always, please consider a generous tax-deductible donation ! I know there are always lots of groups trying to get a small share of your paycheck each month, and most of these are worthwhile organizations with noble missions. But, if you were a part of the motocross scene at any point since it exploded in the United States in the early 1970s – you want that history preserved so your kids, grandkids and great-grandkids can see what we did to make motocross the greatest motorsport in history! This museum simply cannot happen without substantial funds. We need your help!

Be sure to tune in to Joe Abbate’s VMXQ&A show on Facebook on Wednesdays at 6:00PM PST, 9:00PM EST. Always an entertaining way to relax for a few minutes and learn something new!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture! And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise! I highly recommend the documentary video from last year’s fundraiser event – truly a must see! Also, our posters are top quality and frameable. Consider getting a poster and bring it to the fundraiser in Sept and get it autographed! And don’t forget hats, shirts, and clocks – great gift ideas for that moto-fan in your world!

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 7/30/22 Guest User 7/30/22

11th Edition

Museum News

30 July, 2022

Greetings motocross fans! Welcome to the eleventh edition of the IMM newsletter! The Lucas oil Pro Motocross Championships (aka the Nationals) are taking a well-deserved break for two weeks; returning on August 13th at the world-renowned Unadilla in upstate New York – and our fundraiser is less than 8 weeks away! I must say the racing this year has been phenomenal, makes me wonder what will happen when Dylan Ferrandis returns to the series, quite possibly at Unadilla! Remember last year Dylan pretty much dominated the series on his Yamaha. I think it is fair to say the 50th anniversary of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross has lived up to all expectations. Summer is quickly slipping away, and autumn is just around the corner – and so is the Motocross Des Nations! As we await official word on who will be on Team USA – our 21 Sept fundraiser grows ever closer! The MXdN is always a great event, and this year will be no different. The worlds very best motocross riders, riding for pride and country coming together at Red Bud – just a couple of hours away from the IMM fundraiser. Centrally located in the Chicago area, and with Chicago being a major airport, flights there are easy and less expensive, and reports are saying that airfare is actually starting to go down. And as you are planning your MXdN weekend, kick it off by attending the IMM fundraising event in Wednesday, 21 Sept. “An Evening with the Champions II – 50 Years of America in the Motocross World” is the perfect way to kickoff the MXdN weekend. I particularly encourage any former or current pro riders who are going to be attending the MXdN to consider buying a ticket and attending our event- we would love to hear your stories and memories! We would love to bring you all on our dime, but it is a fundraiser for YOUR museum. Please feel free to contact me via Facebook and let’s talk!. We would love to get a lot of participation from the riders who have made motocross what it is today. We need your support!

Let’s go over who will be at the fundraiser in Sept. Confirmed is Bob Hannah, Rick Johnson, Jason Weigandt, Warren Reid, Steve Wise, Jeff Smith, Tony Distefano, Gerret Wolsink, Heikki Mikkola, Jukka Pentilla, Harry, Stephan and Liam Everts, Osca Sasaki, Don Kudalski, Gunnar Lindstrom, Joe Abbate, Torsten Hallman and Keith Geisner. And with the close proximity to the MXdN (both distance and time), who knows what surprises will show up! We know these riders have some great stories to tell – you want to be there to hear them first-hand – this will truly be the best bench racing session in history! And don’t forget – there will be over 50 factory works motocross bikes on display. Get your picture taken with your favorite bike and rider – what an opportunity!

Book your group rate for Moto Cross

Event Summary:

Group name: Moto Cross

If you have trouble with your reservation (and unfortunately some still are) – let me know. Best way to contact me is to PM me on Facebook.

I look forward to meeting many of you there – be sure to look me up – I hope to meet each one of you in Chicago on Sept 21!!

Man, it is getting harder and harder for me to recall memories for the Remember when” section. We all have those things that stick out in our minds for whatever reason, over the past 11 weeks you have read some of mine how about you send me some of yours? If you have a memory from the early days of motocross, something you read about or were part of that maybe we would all like to be reminded – PM it to me on FB. Remember when Ricky Johnson landed so hard off a jump that he broke a wheel and lost the 250cc title? Remember when Johnny O’Mara launched himself over the finish line at Daytona trying to pass Ricky Johnson for 2nd place only to come up inches short? Remember the Harley-Davidson motocross team? Remember some of the first Harley-Davidson bikes that had modified front forks fitted as rear suspension? Remember how fast those ill handling rotary valve Can-Am’s were? Remember Trelleborg tires? Remember the Gold Belt? I really enjoy writing this “Remember When” section because like you all – I have so many great memories of motocross. I hope reading my memories sparks some of your own! We lived in a great time in MX history – let’s keep that history alive for generations to come. I could use your help – PM me your memories on FB, they may end up in the newsletter! And speaking of memories – the mxworksbike site is up and functional! Check it out!

Be sure to tune in to Joe Abbate’s VMXQ&A show on Facebook on Wednesdays at 6:00PM PST, 9:00PM EST. Always an entertaining way to relax for a few minutes and learn something new!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture! And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise! I highly recommend the documentary video from last year’s fundraiser event – truly a must see! Also, our posters are top quality and frameable. Consider getting a poster and bring it to the fundraiser in Sept and get it autographed! And don’t forget hats, shirts, and clocks – great gift ideas for that moto-fan in your world!

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 7/27/22 Guest User 7/27/22

Tenth Edition

Museum News

26 July, 2022

Greetings motocross fans! Welcome to the tenth edition of our newsletter The Lucas oil Pro Motocross Championships (aka the Nationals) are well underway and blasting into the 2nd half of the season at Washougal this past weekend and WOW – what racing! Tomac and Sexton have elevated things to a new level in the 450 class, history is again being made. Hard to believe these two can go two 30 + 2 minute moto’s, and take the checkers with a separation of less than a second, and yet 3rd place is 30+ seconds back! We are all fairly certain that team USA this year at Red Bud will be Tomac and Sexton + one, and it seems that last spot is between Barcia and Craig. The USA has a great chance to bring home the gold this year, but Team Australia is also going to be a powerhouse. Centrally located in the Chicago area, and with Chicago being a airline hub – flights there are easy and less expensive. The MXdN just has a very unique atmosphere – nothing like it at any other racing event. And as you are planning your MXdN weekend, kick it off by attending the IMM fundraising event in Wednesday, 21 Sept. “An Evening with the Champions II – 50 Years of America in the Motocross World” is the perfect way to kickoff the MXdN weekend. I particularly encourage any former or current pro riders who are going to be attending the MXdN to consider buying a ticket and attending our event. We would love to bring you all on our dime, but it is a fundraiser for YOUR museum. Please feel free to contact me via Facebook and let’s talk!. We would love to get a lot of participation from the riders who have made motocross what it is today. We need your support!

We have confirmed that two time 500 world champion Jeff Smith will be joining us in Sept at our fundraiser! Jeff was world champion before motocross took hold in America, but he has some incredible stories and history to share. Also confirmed this year is Honda world champion factory mechanic Jukka Penttila! Jukka turned the wrenches for Eric Geboers and the two of them brought Honda its first 250ccworld championship against a very powerful Cagiva team! Jukka and the world championship Honda RC250 will be at our Sept 21 fundraiser. Do you remember the Honda CR125 that hit showrooms and starting lines all over this country in 1973? (of course you do!)? The lead design engineer responsible for that bike – Osca Sasaki will also be here again this year! The Honda CR125 Elsinore may be the single most influential motocross bike in history and his stories of just how that magical Elsinore made it to the production line and into motocross history are spellbinding!

We are still offering our group table discounts if you “buy” a table. Our tables seat 12, but instead of the full price of $500 per seat or $6000 for the table, we are offering tables for $4800, or $400 per seat, a 20% savings. To get the discount, go to the events link on the website, select “Buy Deluxe Tickets Here” where you have an option for a single ticket or entire table. If you buy a table, you can provide us the names in your group, and we will ensure you are seated together. This is a great way to have your company represented and be recognized as a sponsor for this historic event. This discount is designed for our corporate sponsors, but if you get group of friends together and get a table, you get the same discount. Company sponsorships will have a placard with the company name proudly announcing your support of the museum. Corporate sponsors can fill the table with their top brass, bring a few folks along and allow us to fill some of the seats – or allow us to fill all the seats – remember the whole purpose is to raise funds to support the museum. The more funds we raise, the sooner we open the doors! Additionally, we have a unique sponsorship opportunity with our “Memorial Table”. This table will honor motocross stars from the past who have passed away, either on or off the track. We believe this will be a very moving experience that will respectfully honor those who have passed on. This is a great sponsorship opportunity! Reach out to me via Facebook PM if you are interested in more information.

Book your group rate for Moto Cross

Event Summary:

Group name: Moto Cross

If you have trouble with your reservation (and unfortunately some still are) – let me know. Best way to contact me is to PM me on Facebook.

I look forward to meeting many of you there – be sure to look me up – I hope to meet each one of you in Chicago on Sept 21!!

Remember when Ake Jonnson lost the world championship because his spark plug ejected from the cylinder head of his Maico during the race? Remember when some dude decided to bring motocross into a football stadium in LA? Remember Brad Lackey and his peace dove? Remember Team Acid Rock? Remember the smell of the freshly prepared track as you did your track walk early in the morning? Remember the sound and smell as the first bikes started firing up on race day? Anyone else pit comprised of a pick-up truck and tent? Anyone else have an old fire extinguisher filled with water and air pressure to help cool off during the race? Remember Whoop-De-Chews? Remember when America finally won a Motocross Des Nations? I really enjoy writing this “Remember When” section because like you all – I have so many great memories of motocross. I hope reading my memories sparks some of your own! We lived in a great time in MX history – let’s keep that history alive for generations to come.

And we want to thank Joe Abbate for his continued support to the IMM. Joe is one of the best vintage restoration experts around, and we are very happy to have him in our corner. Check out Joe’s VMXQ&A show on Facebook on Wednesdays at 6:00PM PST, 9:00PM EST. Always an entertaining way to relax for a few minutes and learn something new!

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture! And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise! I highly recommend the documentary video from last year’s fundraiser event – truly a must see! Also, our posters are top quality and frameable. Consider getting a poster and bring it to the fundraiser in Sept and get it autographed! And don’t forget hats, shirts, and clocks – great gift ideas for that moto-fan in your world!

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 7/16/22 Guest User 7/16/22

Ninth Edition

Museum News

16 July, 2022

Greetings motocross fans! Welcome to the ninth edition of our newsletter! Does not seem possible that I have been doing this for 9 weeks! The Lucas oil Pro Motocross Championships (aka the Nationals) are well underway and blasting into the 2nd half of the season at Spring Creek today! Spring Creek is the one outdoor event I typically go to in person as it is an easy 5 hour drive from the Omaha area, but a death in the family this year is keeping me home. Eli Tomas is absolutely on fire and nipping at the heels of Chase Sexton. And as we all know, when Eli gets on fire – it is bad news for everyone else! And what about “retiree” Ryan Dungey? I don’t think anyone saw him coming back after a5 year hiatus and actually being competitive (I know I expectedtop10 maybe ) but he has proven himself fast and certainly his conditioning is there! This will be another season for the history books. And history is what we are all about at the IMM! The final is at Fox Raceway in Southern California on Sept 3rd when most of the riders and teams will start a much-deserved break for several months. But for those riders offered the honor of riding for their countries flag, the training and testing will continue through the Motocross des Nations (MXdN) the weekend of the 24th and 25th of Sept. this year’s MXdN is once again on American soil at famous Red Bud – known as one of America’s very best tracks. If you have never been to a MXdN, it should be a bucket list item for any motocross fan! The MXdN just has a very unique atmosphere – nothing like it at any other racing event. And as you are planning your MXdN weekend, kick it off by attending the IMM fundraising event in Wednesday, 21 Sept. “An Evening with the Champions II – 50 Years of America in the Motocross World” is the perfect way to kickoff the MXdN weekend. I particularly encourage any former or current pro riders who are going to be attending the MXdN to consider buying a ticket and attending our event. We would love to bring you all on our dime, but it is a fundraiser for YOUR museum. Please feel free to contact me via Facebook and let’s talk!. We would love to get a lot of participation from the riders who have made motocross what it is today. We need your support!

American motocross great Steve Wise will be joining us again this year. As you well know, Steve is one of the most versatile riders America has ever produced, and now runs a successful Christian ministry. We are honored and blessed to have Steve join us again this year. Also, world champion Jeff Smith will be in attendance. Do you remember the Honda CR125 that hit showrooms and starting lines all over this country in 1973? (of course you do!)? The lead design engineer responsible for that bike – Osca Sasaki will also be here again this year! The Honda CR125 Elsinore may be the single most influential motocross bike in history and his stories of just how that magical Elsinore made it to the production line and into motocross history are spellbinding!

We are still offering our group table discounts if you “buy” a table. Our tables seat 12, but instead of the full price of $500 per seat or $6000 for the table, we are offering tables for $4800, or $400 per seat, a 20% savings. To get the discount, go to the events link on the website, select “Buy Deluxe Tickets Here” where you have an option for a single ticket or entire table. If you buy a table, you can provide us the names in your group, and we will ensure you are seated together. This is a great way to have your company represented and be recognized as a sponsor for this historic event. This discount is designed for our corporate sponsors, but if you get group of friends together and get a table, you get the same discount. Company sponsorships will have a placard with the company name proudly announcing your support of the museum. Corporate sponsors can fill the table with their top brass, bring a few folks along and allow us to fill some of the seats – or allow us to fill all the seats – remember the whole purpose is to raise funds to support the museum. The more funds we raise, the sooner we open the doors! Additionally, we have a unique sponsorship opportunity with our “Memorial Table”. This table will honor motocross stars from the past who have passed away, either on or off the track. We believe this will be a very moving experience that will respectfully honor those who have passed on. This is a great sponsorship opportunity! Reach out to me via Facebook PM if you are interested in more information.

Book your group rate for Moto Cross

Event Summary:

Group name: Moto Cross

If you have trouble with your reservation (and unfortunately some still are) – let me know. Best way to contact me is to PM me on Facebook.

I look forward to meeting many of you there – be sure to look me up – I hope to meet each one of you in Chicago on Sept 21!!

Remember the first time you rode a CR125 Elsinore? Remember rubber band starts? Remember the rubber band hanging on your (or someone’s) handlebars and stretching until it snapped, then leaving a welt and pain as you raced to the first turn? Remember getting turned around backwards on the starting line for jumping the start? Remember putting duct tape on the sides of your gas tank to keep your knees from wearing the paint off? Remember when “leathers” were...leather (of course they don’t call them “leathers” anymore)? Remember when a promoter cancelled a Trans-AMA in 1974 due to drenching rains in St. Charles, MO? What a cluster that was, and that promoter pretty much disappeared from the motocross scene at that point. I really enjoy writing this “Remember When” section because like you all – I have so many great memories of motocross. I hope reading my memories sparks some of your own! We lived in a great time in MX history – let’s keep that history alive for generations to come.

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture! And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise! I highly recommend the documentary video from last year’s fundraiser event – truly a must see! Also, our posters are top quality and frameable. Consider getting a poster and bring it to the fundraiser in Sept and get it autographed! And don’t forget hats, shirts, and clocks – great gift ideas for that moto-fan in your world!

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller

Guest User 7/12/22 Guest User 7/12/22

Eighth Edition

Museum News

9 July, 2022

Greetings motocross fans! Welcome to the dog days of summer! The Lucas oil Pro Motocross Championships (aka the Nationals) are well underway and at the halfway point. The racing has been top notch, even if the streaming service has really left a lot to be desired. That said, the powers that be are making a change to the streaming service that should make the rest of the series much easier to watch – the IMM thanks MX Sports Pro Racing for being proactive with this. Following the Nationals, the Motocross des Nations (MXdN) will be taking place at famous Red Bud this year. If you have never been to a MXdN, it should be a bucket list item for any motocross fan! The MXdN just has a very unique atmosphere – nothing like it at any other racing event. And as you are planning your MXdN weekend, kick it off by attending the IMM fundraising event in Wednesday, 21 Sept. “An Evening with the Champions II – 50 Years of America in the Motocross World” is the perfect way to kickoff the MXdN weekend. I particularly encourage any former or current pro riders who are going to be attending the MXdN to consider buying a ticket and attending our event. We would love to bring you all on our dime, but it is a fundraiser for YOUR museum. Please feel free to contact me via Facebook and we can discuss. We would love to get a lot of participation from the riders who have made motocross what it is today. We need your support!

To make it a bit easier on your wallet, we are offering group table discounts if you “buy” a table. Our tables seat 12, but instead of the full price of $500 per seat or $6000 for the table, we are offering tables for $4800, or $400 per seat, a 20% savings. To get the discount, go to the events link on the website, select “Buy Deluxe Tickets Here” where you have an option for a single ticket or entire table. If you buy a table, you can provide us the names in your group, and we will ensure you are seated together. This is a great way to have your company represented at this historic event. This discount is designed for our corporate sponsors, but if you get group of friends together and get a table, you get the same discount. Company sponsorships will have a placard with the company name proudly announcing your support of the museum. Corporate sponsors can fill the table with their top brass, bring a few folks along and allow us to fill some of the seats – or allow us to fill all the seats – remember the whole purpose is to raise funds to support the museum. The more funds we raise, the sooner we open the doors! Additionally, we have a unique sponsorship opportunity with our “Memorial Table”. This table will honor motocross stars from the past who have passed away, either on or off the track. We believe this will be a very moving experience that will respectfully honor those who have passed on. This is a great sponsorship opportunity! Reach out to me via Facebook PM if you are interested in more information.

Book your group rate for Moto Cross

Event Summary:

Group name: Moto Cross

Start Date: Saturday, September 17, 2022

End Date: Wednesday, September 28, 2022

If you have trouble with your reservation (and unfortunately some still are) – let me know. Best way to contact me is to PM me on Facebook.

I look forward to meeting many of you there – be sure to look me up – I hope to meet each one of you in Chicago on Sept 21!!

Remember when Ake Jonnson lost the world championship because his spark plug unexpectedly ejected from his cylinder hear and the most inopportune time??? Remember the smell of Castrol R? Remember the 1975 500Nationals as depicted in the film “One Chance to Win”? Remember “Total Training for Motocross” by Jeff Spencer? Remember MXL goggles and face masks? Remember when you got your first Jofa? What about your first Scott face mask? Remember making your own air forks by adding a Schrader valve in your fork caps? Remember when everyone wore Carrera goggles? Remember when you thought works bikes were magic? Remember when only a simple snow fence separated the top ridersfrom their fans? I really enjoy writing this “Remember When” section because like you all – I have so many great memories of motocross. I hope reading my memories sparks some of your own! We lived in a great time in MX history – let’s keep that history alive for generations to come.

If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship, send us a message via the contact link or send me (Tom Miller) a PM on Facebook. We would love to make you part of our venture! And be sure to visit the gift shop for some very cool merchandise! I highly recommend the documentary video from last year’s fundraiser event – truly a must see! Also, our posters are top quality and frameable. Consider getting a poster and bring it to the fundraiser in Sept and get it autographed! And don’t forget hats, shirts, and clocks – great gift ideas for that moto-fan in your world!

Let’s build a museum…

Tom Miller