40 Day Countdown To AMA Motocross Opener: 1987
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 | 5:00 PM
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This is the forty-day countdown to the 40th year of American motocross. The 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship begins on Saturday, May 21, at Hangtown in Rancho Cordova, California. Racer X Online is counting down the days and years to the opener by reviewing each of the previous seasons of AMA Motocross.
(Click here to view previous years)
The year was 1987 and the phenomenon known as Max Headroom had thankfully passed. We as a country were celebrating the New York football Giants victory in the Superbowl and getting ready to deal with Oille North and something called the Iran-Contra affair. The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in a seven-game battle to win the Stanley Cup, the LA Lakers won the NBA title, Platoon won Best Picture at the Oscars (somehow topping motocross cult classic Winners Take All) and something called Prozac was invented.
Bob Hannah's career was winding down but he could still go very, very fast -- he won the second moto at Southwick!
Photo: Paul Buckley (find more old prints at BuckleyPhotos.com)
American Motocross was devastated in early January ’87 when Honda’s David Bailey crashed at a pre-season race in Lake Huron, California and just like that, his career was over. It was a big blow to the sport and also hurt on the competitive side, as Bailey was the only one who was able to keep the new superstar, Rick Johnson, in sight throughout much of 1986. Bailey had ended the year beating actually beating Johnson for the ’86 500 national title, and it seemed like he had more to give in ’87.
The loss of Bailey overshadowed the other off-season moves like Honda’s Johnny O’Mara switching to Suzuki when Honda couldn’t afford to keep the number 3 rider from the ’86 season. Yamaha picked up Aussie speedster Jeff Leisk for the factory team and Suzuki hired Minnesota’s Donny Schmit to spearhead its 125 effort.
In the supercross season, Kawasaki’s Jeff Ward returned to his 1985 form. He managed to beat Johnson in what was a war of attrition in supercross, as RJ knocked himself out at the season opener, then Ward hurt his ankle really badly. Just as RJ was closing in on the points, he damaged some fingers at the Pontiac round. This enabled Ward to recapture the indoor crown that he had to surrender to Johnson the year before.
Ricky Johnson would join Wardy and Hannah on Team USA at the '87 Motocross des Nations at Unadilla, where they took yet another win.
The years ’87 and ’88 featured Johnson and Ward as the two premier riders, with Ward’s teammate Ron Lechien getting in there once in a while to get some wins. When it came to the outdoors, it was Johnson’s time, as he swept both the 250 and 500 nationals with ease. In fact, the only rider to win outdoor races this year in these two classes was Lechien who won one race in the 250s and one in the 500s.
Yamaha’s Keith Bowen moved up to the 250 class and had some solid results in the 250s finishing fifth in the points and Canada’s multi-time champion Ross Pederson ended the series in eighth despite missing two races for Canadian racing commitments. Pederson’s highlight was getting third at the Hangtown National.
Suzuki pinned its hopes on O’Mara but knee injuries and a crash on his mountain bike set the former national champion back. The best he could do was a ninth in the 250 series as he missed some races as well.
Rick Johnson was reaching the peak of his career and popularity in 1987.
In the 500s it was again Johnson as this time, due to injury, Ward was nowhere to be found. Many suspected that Wardy was too short to be a genuine title contender on a 500. He would prove that theory wrong a few years later, but in 1987, he seemed to be fighting injuries every weekend. This, along with Lechien’s up-and-down series, allowed newcomers like Yamaha’s Jeff Stanton and Mike Fisher to step up and ride the big bikes to top finishes.
Stanton, a rising star for the white team (yeah, Yamahas were white back then), bulldogged his antiquated YZ490 to a second overall in the series behind Johnson and in fact, he led Johnson in a few races in this series. Fisher, an R&D rider for Kawasaki, ended up third overall and would jumpstart his career with this result. Privateers Dennis Hawthorne, Tom Carson and Tommy Watts all had great finishes in this series. The 500 class was perfect for the privateers. Suzuki didn’t make a 500, so their factory riders didn’t compete, Yamaha’s YZ490 was aged, Honda didn’t have a second 500 rider due to Bailey’s injury, and, in general, the 500s were inexpensive to maintain.
In the 125 class, it was a great series between defending champion Micky Dymond, Suzuki’s Erik Kehoe and George Holland, and Honda support rider Guy Cooper. The year before, Dymond used consistency to win the title but in 1987, he caught fire in the midway point of the series and started racking up wins.
Having taken over the 125cc spot for Team Honda, Mickey Dymond was able to win the title in both '86 and '87.
Holland actually won the first two rounds before Dymond recovered from an illness, put his Honda into high gear and started kicking butt. The young Schmit managed a couple of wins, and Kehoe and Cooper did as well, but it was Dymond who managed to defend his title. Due to a rule made the previous year, any rider that won two 125 championships were automatically kicked out of the class and Dymond became a hot property for the 1988 season as he now had to move up to the 250s.
When it came to the Motocross des Nations, the American team didn’t have to go too far, as for the first time in history, the race took place on home turf as Unadilla, New York was the venue. The pressure was on the team and despite being passed over in ’86 in favor of O’Mara; 125 National Champion Dymond was once again not selected.
The team that went to New York was no-brainer choices Johnson and Ward along with Suzuki’s Bob Hannah who at this point, was easing himself into retirement. Hannah did mange to win the USGP at this track the year before but his selection for the 125 (?!?) class was definitely a bit controversial—he had not raced a 125 since 1982, and his results weren’t very strong back then. And Hannah wasn’t even racing full-time by 1987.
The AMA countered that at Unadilla, Hannah was still one of the best in the business. It rained horribly at Unadilla for the race, and in the slop, Johnson and Ward did their part, especially RJ, who dominated both of his muddy motos on a 250. Not bad for a California guy! Wardy was consistent in the 500s, and in the pouring rain and mud and it was Hannah’s class win (with 4-1 scores) on a 125 that helped Team USA win its sixth MXDN in a row. The fans, of course, went crazy.
Ricky Ryan's win at the '87 Daytona Supercross as a true privateer was one of the greatest upsets of all time.
Photo: Paul Buckley (find more old prints at BuckleyPhotos.com)
1987 NATIONAL MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
1987 250cc National Motocross
March 1 Gainesville, FL Rick Johnson, El Cajon, CA Honda
March 22 Sacramento, CA Rick Johnson, El Cajon, CA Honda
May 17 Southwick, MA Rick Johnson, El Cajon, CA Honda
May 24 Mt. Morris, PA Ron Lechien, El Cajon, CA Kawasaki
May 31 Anderson, SC Rick Johnson, El Cajon, CA Honda
June 14 Lakewood, CO Rick Johnson, El Cajon, CA Honda
1987 250cc National Point Standings
1.) Rick Johnson, El Cajon, CA Honda 279
2.) Jeff Ward, Mission Viejo, CA Kawasaki 240
3.) Ron Lechien, El Cajon, CA Kawasaki 218
4.) Keith Bowen, Pontiac, MI Yamaha 160
5.) Jeff Stanton, Sherwood, MI Yamaha 155
6.) Mike Fisher, Santee, CA Kawasaki 147
7.) Bob Hannah, Carson City, NV Suzuki 143
8.) Ross Pederson, Alberta, Canada Yamaha 132
9.) Johnny O’Mara, Gardnerville, NV Suzuki 114
10.) Willie Surratt, Lancaster, CA Suzuki 104
Jeff Ward and RJ enjoyed an excellent rivalry through '87 and '88.
1987 500cc National Motocross
June 21 San Antonio, TX Rick Johnson, El Cajon, CA Honda
July 5 Buchanan, MI Rick Johnson, El Cajon, CA Honda
July 12 Axton, VA Rick Johnson, El Cajon, CA Honda
August 2 Binghamton, NY Ron Lechien, El Cajon, CA Kawasaki
August 9 Troy, OH Rick Johnson, El Cajon, CA Honda
August 23 Millville, MN Rick Johnson, El Cajon, CA Honda
1987 500cc National Point Standings
1.) Rick Johnson, El Cajon, CA Honda 289
2.) Jeff Stanton, Sherwood, MI Yamaha 221
3.) Mike Fisher, Santee, CA Kawasaki 173
4.) Ron Lechien, El Cajon, CA Kawasaki 173
5.) Tommy Watts, Shelbyville, KY Kawasaki 160
6.) Jim Holley, Woodland Hills, CA Yamaha 134
7.) Jeff Ward, Mission Viejo, CA Kawasaki 134
8.) Dennis Hawthorne, Lewisville, TX Kawasaki 130
9.) Keith Bowen, Pontiac, MI Yamaha 126
10.) Tom Carson, Hopedale, OH Honda 114
1987 125cc National Motocross
March 1 Gainesville, FL George Holland, Kerman, CA Suzuki
March 22 Sacramento, CA George Holland, Kerman, CA Suzuki
May 17 Southwick, MA Micky Dymond, Yorba Linda, CA Honda
May 24 Mt. Morris, PA Micky Dymond, Yorba Linda, CA Honda
May 31 Anderson, SC Donny Schmit, Bloomington, MN Suzuki
June 14 Lakewood, CO Micky Dymond, Yorba Linda, CA Honda
June 21 San Antonio, TX Micky Dymond, Yorba Linda, CA Honda
July 5 Buchanan, MI Micky Dymond, Yorba Linda, CA Honda
July 12 Axton, VA Erik Kehoe, Granada Hills, CA Suzuki
August 2 Binghamton, NY George Holland, Kerman, CA Suzuki
August 9 Troy, OH Guy Cooper, Stillwater, OK Honda
August 23 Millville, MN Donny Schmit, Bloomington , MN Suzuki
1987 125cc National Point Standings
1.) Micky Dymond, Yorba Linda, CA Honda 454
2.) George Holland, Kerman, CA Suzuki 432
3.) Guy Cooper, Stillwater, OK Honda 386
4.) Erik Kehoe, Granada Hills, CA Suzuki 365
5.) Donny Schmit, Bloomington, MN Suzuki 344
6.) Jeff Leisk, Upland, CA Yamaha 340
7.) Rick Ryan, Felton, CA Honda 335
8.) Larry Brooks, Alhambra, CA Honda 333
9.) Eddie Warren, Midland, MI Kawasaki 284
10.) Fred Andrews, Salem, OH Honda 242
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One of the Kiwis who rode the MXDN that year told me he heard this screaming bike coming up behind him. It was Hannah ringing the crap out of that 125. Passed him in the mud and gone off into the distance.
the MXD at Unadilla was SICK!!! walking around all day in Mud and rain!! Ahhhhhhhhhh what a day that was. Place went NUTS when Bob did it on a 125.
'87 was the magic year for me - bought my first issue ever of DIRTBIKE (sep/oct - remember a riding tip showing Shane Trittler tapping the rear brake on a yz125 to bring the front wheel down over a tabletop), and got my first bike - KD80. Best memories of all time, still going motox stong today!
BillC - couldn't agree more. It was a lot of fun to be there, leaning over the fence and cheering Bob (and Ricky, and Jeff) as he flashed by. Bob was revving that 125 for all it was worth because of the mud. I had the chance to talk to Bob after the race (and to present him with the "Buckwheat Road" street sign I swiped on my way to the race). He seemed very happy AND relieved to have won.
Back then, we had seen huge improvements in bikes, and MX had become incredibly fast and much more dangerous. Tracks started adding supercross-style jumps and people were crashing a lot more than in the past.
I raced in the Houston Astrodome in 76, and the track had one double jump. Over the next 10 years, pretty much every track had several. People were getting hurt - even the pros.
David Bailey's injury sent shock waves through the industry. If someone with so much talent could get hurt, the rest of us were pretty much toast.
Yeah Rick Ryan winning Daytona was an upset, but he was going fast that year, and the bike was good as well. The week prior to Daytona he won the first 125 moto at Gainesville. He also won the first moto in Colorado. Dropped a bit in points the final 3 rounds, rung his bell pretty good at Binghampton trying to hold off George while riding the last couple of laps with a flat front tire. Looking back now I'm sure he had a concussion, he didn't seem the same the last couple of rounds. That was a great year in the 125 class.
i was drooling on the fence at troy everytime rj and the dogger would come into the dirty dozen.sit on the seat and braaap triple the 1st three. i also remember the 125s coming over the tunnel jump and they would stay pinned all the way to the next corner,maybe 4th gear ready to explode.ahhhh pre mix and mullets...nice write up.
I've been follwing the U.S. side of things since 98 but I love reading this stuff.. In 20's year time I'll probably be bench racing about these times and how good RC, MC, Everts and Stewart were. I gotta say thou as cool as them times sound, my generation has deliverd the most dominant riders in history.. Just saying.. lol
Attended Millville that year cheared on RJ on the 500 and Oklahoma's Guy Cooper in the 125 class still have pics of the day with Ward and Liechen wearing really short shorts ..lol
Looper, tough to argue that RC is the GOAT, but Hannah and RJ in their prime are as good IMO. Stewart is amazing, and gotta love MC, but I can't quite put them in the same league as RC, Hannah and Johnson. On that note DeCoster should belong in there as well, but having never seen him ride in person, I'm not qualified to comment. I'll never forget the day he came up to me and shook my hand though, the guy is pure class.
Decoster belongs, watched him in two Trans Ams, and if ya dont believe me just ask Hannah!
RJ losing 2 motos in two years 86 - 87 in the 250 class . Put into perspective Bailey, OMara, Ward, Lechien and Hannah were in that class
All due respect to the GOAT , he is the GOAT after all and no disrespect to the superb riders he crushed along the way but please............................
Hannah - Johsnson - Carmichael ............ your name coulda been here 7
Dirt
I have to admit being at the MXDN in 87 was a memorable time. The thing I remember like it was yesterday was the Factory YZ500M in the pits. It was a piece of art!
I attended Lakewood in '87 as a young teen and that day was sick! Micky Dymond battled mostly with Stacey Cook before running away with the 125'a and Wardy caught RJ at the finish of the second 250 moto after having been behind the entire length of the old huge uphill with about 5 laps left. He was truly railing. In those days Lakewood was referred to as Lakerock, it was a slippery, dusty freeway. Local racer's hated the promoter. I got Wardy's goggles after the second moto as he threw them out of his box van. One of you lucky dudes bought them from me off of ebay several years ago when college made me poor. 86'-'87 was THE gold in the golden era.
BD and Dirt....EXACTLY what I mean!!
two 6 race seasons
OK yes I was a unidilla also , finnally got caught in the infield and got kiked out , I had an orange rainsuit on and was acting like I was being offical lol. I was standing there when Hanna passed , gee I forgot his name, to take the win in the senond moto. The mud was unbealvable, I wached Ward take a second try on the screw u uphill and he kept pushing Johnson was just flying. I still have that VHS also. I still have Winners take all.
Steve Glad you mentioned Dennis Harthorne also hey he was good and deserved everything he worked for. I useed to practice with him at some private tracks he had, one was out at Marshal creek and he made some good tracks. There was a looooong whoop section and he would go through it and know way to explain.
I was making it back from my crushed leg and still doing good on my long rod 85 250YZ . I was doing a lot of traveling for work so I did not get to race the whole year.
Now I gotta find the viv of the 87 MXDN It was one great expierance, I had scheduled 2 weekes from work but TI canceled my vacacion but let me Love Field where I was working on a C130 Airplane that had to be fixed Sat and had to go from DFW monday morning back to Love Field and back to work. As I said before I had access to the unobtaium and a machine shop that was great working for military deveopment systems, If you anint cheating you anit winning,lol
Unadilla MXdN has to be the most amazing experience of any race I've attended. Just being the first one here - and at Unadilla - was awesome. Then with the weather, suddenly we weren't necessarily the favorites. In fact, I'm pretty sure we weren't leading after two motos. The mud people diving in the slop on the track in the back between motos ... the “bush man” roaming around. Just a crazy scene. I was a huge Hannah fan by then. He had big pressure after his controversial selection ... but he pulled through .... on the same bike I watched Kehoe ride to the USGP win at Steel City earlier in the year. RJ was definitely the man by then.
If we would still have 125, 250 and 500 national championships, RC would not have 15 championships but more like 20.
Two strokes, aaaaaahhhhhhhh those were the days............
Hawthorne has been winning the over 30 and over 40 classes here in the Oklahoma State Series for the last few years,Trey Jorski comes out and rides the over 50 class once in awhile
Tommy Watts. Nice guy. He quit racing and went to college. I wonder what he's doing today.
donny schimt drove around in his van in the hot summer with full gear on windows rolled up,and heated on full blast, to get used to the heat .thats what could of killed him it sure didnt help .
The end of the U.S.G.P. @ Carlsbad signaled an end of an era for me.
Bailey's injury was another blow that seemed incomprehensible at the time, how could the most perfect, technical rider in the world, probably in the sports' history, have this happen??? That man left a lot of titles on the table and RJ & Wardy wouldn't have the wins / titles / records they do, unquestionably. Really glad we still have him to kick around though, still an Icon to me.
I still was a big sucker for the CR's, '87 might have been the pinnacle of design for that era.
I also have to say, as ambivalent as I was for anything tuning fork by that time, the YZM500 was a revalation! That bike was flat awesome! Too bad for Welker & my buddy (among others) they never sold them....
Hannah again!?, he has probably more AMA titles than RC, McGrath, Johnson, and Wardy together :) ... seriously, in reality the "Hurricane" didn't won a single championship in the eighties …. at the end of 1986 Bailey beat RJ at the 500 national, at the MXoN and at Bercy, he was the best at the time of his accident IMO. sorry for my bad English
I remember I was going to make a "comeback" at a Monroe Arenacross, I got clobbered by some goon in practice and was bleeding from a footpeg to the knee. This was about a month after David crashed OUT! So I'm sitting there watching- guess who- Eric Eaton crash his brains out... I loaded up my bike and never raced again. I figured if this could happen David, it sure as hell could happen to me.
joe dirt i'll have to say js7 is there, hes the only other rider besides the goat to have a perfect season im know 7 fan but that deserves respect straight up
I was very carful in not using the words best or fastest, I used the word dominant.. and records don't lie. Arguing over who the best ever is another one of those pointless arguments that don't get people anywhere. And yer JS7 will be rememberd as long as this sport exists as one of the most exciting and fastest riders ever. He's the most dominate 125 rider ever, a perfect season, 2 and counting SX championships. Anyone who does not count Jamse up there with the best is a just hating on the dude.
Do you guys remember the AL framed YZ500M stuck in the mud? The corner just before the uphill that leads to the screwU. The guy got it stuck and just left it there and started walking back to the pits!! We were like damn!! There were guys stuck on the screw U for laps that day!! Every time our guys droped in we would just hold our breath they made it back up!!
MXDN was incredible. I was shooting for DB and MXA and everyone was getting great photos on saturday with the grass and loam on the fresh track. Late saturday afternoon the rain started and never stopped till sunday night. The dry saturday photos were useless for actual race coverage and the rain / mud was incredible to work in. I always used manual cameras and bought good lenses. I ended up getting alot of good photos. Alot of the guys with high tech cameras were frying them in all of the water...I actually had mud running out of my cameras, it was bad. I remember taking my cameras to the shop on tuesday after the race to have them cleaned and the technician told me that he had to "chip" dried mud out of the inside....but, possibly the greatest race that I have ever attended.
It was a BAD year for those of you who actually REMEMBER anything and were close to our sport. David Bailey's injury sent shock waves through the ranks of fans and riders. Yeah sure, it gave RJ and Ward a clear shot at victory...which THEY acknowledge isn't what they wanted. But,considering the level of Davids injury,a dark cloud lingered in the hearts of all for a VERY long time. Thank God David is in the state he is in today. But remember, the lose of Magoo and the continuing major and life threatening injuries our best pros suffer with in the 21st century.
Una-effing-Dilla!!! That race was the most stressful event to watch. It was awesome. Anything and everything was happening. absolutely epic!!
Watched my first national at Axton this year... I alternated between picking my jaw off the ground at how fast they were and taking pics of all these guys I had only read about.
In response to the earlier thoughts on Stewart and how he stacks up against RJ, Hannah, MC, RC, etc, I'll go out on a limb: If he can win against the current crop (RV, RD, Reed, Canard) this year and in the coming years, he is solidly there with any of them. Our 2011 'fab five' is as tough a field as we have ever seen in the sport. In RJ, MC, or RC's eras, there weren't as many guys who could win on any given day. Look back at this series of articles and you only see 2-3 winners in each series.
was 87 the year it rained hard for the 2nd 500 moto at red bud ?
if it was there was a local early mafia type who rode great that moto.
if i remember right RJ & "this dude" were the ONLY 2
jumping the pipe jump in the rain.
also, didn't suzuki have some hot shot kid who liked to party
til 4 am [in the room next to us] and then go get his butt handed
to him by dymond ?
\\m//>_
I love reading all of your stories about the good ol days. One time I was riding my GL1000 Gold Wing and a truck passed me with some dirt bikes in the back. I said hey guys good luck at the races! And they said yeah cool! That was the good ol days. Great stories guys, hope you like mine as well. Thumbs up
1987. Yea, I remember my wife not wanting me to ride bikes back then. I divorced her and kept the bikes.
scott Fisher wrote: about 11 hours ago
I remember I was going to make a "comeback" at a Monroe Arenacross, I got clobbered by some goon in practice and was bleeding from a footpeg to the knee. This was about a month after David crashed OUT! So I'm sitting there watching- guess who- Eric Eaton crash his brains out...
Scott.... I remember this day... Eric Eaton actually tore his face right off from the chin up to his eye sockets... nasty wreck... went from a sandy jump to landing in the seats along the west side of the arena... ICK
@Mark Swart - I agree that today's "fab five" makes for a strong field, but "there weren't as many guys who could win on any given day" in the '80s? You must be kidding. That RJ won most of the races in '87 was a testiment to RJ - NOT the strength of the field. The '80s were probably the strongest era ever in AMA MX (though the loss of Bailey was huge).
i had the rj replica helmet.why didnt i keep that? arg. i have respect and love to watch anyone who is pro.lets get real guys,do we forget how freakin fast the guy in 15th is? all the guys mentioned are unreal. im tired of if you didnt win you suck.really? i dont think so.how many titles has k dub won in the big bikes? guessing he doesnt suck. having said that,check the record books.....scoreboard..GOAT MEANS THE GOAT! muhahahaa! rc 4ever!
Another Unadilla MXdN attendee chiming in!! Slept in the back of my buddy's Caddy in a restaurant parking lot both nights, what a race!! I still have my ticket. Wish I could have made the one at Budds Creek 20 years later though....