Cool history! Welcome to XN from the foothills of CO!
I've been attending the Washougal Nationals sine 2005! Who did you ride with and what yrs?
Dayam, just saw your question, answer is long & ancient history, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.
Late 60’s while in Hi school & riding a Hodaka 100, lol, I turned wrenches for Lompoc Valley Sportcycles after school & the owner sent me to Yamha’s “ tech” school in LA. He “sponsored” me & let me ride his 250 & 500 Maicos in all the local AMA So-Cal MX, Desert events. I eventually worked my way up to AMA‘s Divion 9 plate #7 early to mid 70’s, then Yamaha International out of Monticello CA offered me rides, but no $$. Cool, time to travel out where they paid $$ instead of a trophy, a hat, & jersey. When doing the Florida swing, Gatorback, Daytona, ect., I Met Mickey Boone & he invited me to his home close to HILLBILLY WORLD Tennessee, that ran Fri, night, all day Sat, & Sunday MX. Yamaha still provided me with new YZ 125, 250, and open bikes every 6 months. Oh, the YZ 360 was “Open” back then. The AWESOMENESS about HW was they paid in cash and raced every month, and sometimes twice. On just about any weekend @ HW I could pick up from $1500.00 to 2500.00 in CASH ! I rode two, and sometimes all three classes back to back.
Early 70’s that $$ would go a long way & I then stayed on the East side of the country as all the tracks paid out in cash instead of “contingency” prizes. (who could eat a hat, new pair of boots or leathers)
Anyway, got married & by the mid 70’s I was offered a Suzuki dealership in Florence SC & settled down in SC, but still competitive in all things off road until the French luxury boat builder, BENETEAU, built a factory in Marion SC & Beneteau USA offered me an incredible job in the world of sailboats. 17 years latter, retired, fat, happy, but miss my old West Coast country dirt stomping grounds something terrible. But, it seems Calli has F’ed itself up very badly. My sister is in Santa Ynez, I visit, get depressed & come home from what was my home.
Damn that was way to long. Sorry.