by Davey Coombs
The List: 10 Great Budds Creek Moments
Thursday, June 16, 2011 | 1:15 PM
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1.) CAPTAIN AMERICA: Motocross fans all over the world still talk about what Ryan Villopoto did at the 2007 Red Bull Motocross of Nations when he absolutely dominated the field—including all of the 450s—in his two motos for Team USA. In the history of the Nations, it was the single most impressive effort ever for a small-bore rider, and that includes Johnny O'Mara's historic win at the 1986 Motocross des Nations in Italy. If you were there (and a lot of people were), you know this was one of the best moments ever in American motocross.
2.) JEFF EMIG '92: When the 1992 AMA 125cc National Championship went down to the final motos, then-Yamaha factory rider Jeff Emig knew he had to pull out all the stops if he was going to beat Mike LaRocco for the title. With rain pouring down, Emig absolutely blitzed the track in the first moto, opening a remarkable 32-second lead in the first four laps (yes, eight seconds PER LAP). Meanwhile, Kawasaki's LaRocco got hung up on a tire marking a corner (remember when the tracks looked like that?) and snapped off his shifter, basically ruining his title hopes.
Villopoto dominated the field at the 2007 Red Bull Motocross of Nations.
Photo: Simon Cudby
4.) BUBBA SCRUB: Has any single move changed motocross so much since, oh, maybe Kent Howerton using the clutch on every shift? James Stewart's radical approach to jumping was so cool to see on Saturday afternoon in practice when he started showing it that every photographer, team manager, and spectator at Budds Creek was left in slack-jawed disbelief. Now every kid on an 80 uses the scrub to save time and look cool—just like James Stewart. Also, Stewart passed every rider in the 125 class in the second moto after crashing off the start, leading promoter Johnathan Beasley to remark, "I can't believe what I just saw!"
5.) WINDHAM'S WIN: In 1999 they held the last U.S. 250cc GP at Budds Creek. Attendance was sparse for both fans and riders, which led one European publication to quote Stefan Everts as saying "Americans are cowards" for not entering the GP. (He swears to this day that he didn't say that, and given some of the other questionable rhetoric we've seen in the years since, we believe him.) But it was enough to inspire Kevin Windham to show up and earn the one and only GP win of his career—and we're pretty sure it was the one and only GP he ever entered!
Carmichael celebrating his 100th AMA Motocross win at Budds Creek in 2007.
Photo: Carl Stone
6.) STEFAN'S TROPHY: This one was more funny than remarkable. When Stefan Everts won the 1993 U.S. 250cc Grand Prix, a mix-up at Budds Creek meant there was only a local-event trophy to hand him. Used to giant champagne bottles, flowered wreaths, and all kinds of gold and silver cups, Stefan took it in stride, but promoter Johnathan Beasley felt so bad that he eventually replaced the trophy with something much nicer.
7.) RICKY'S RAGE: When Ricky Carmichael lost the first moto of the 450 Class at the '07 Budds Creek National to James Stewart, he was incensed. Stewart held RC off the whole time, and when RC had a problem with his goggles, he made a point of riding close by the mechanics' area on the last lap, pulling his goggles off, and dumping them in a garbage can as he rode by. He then went out in the last moto and laid down the law, running Stewart down, forcing him into a mistake, and taking what turned out to be his one-hundredth AMA Motocross win. This time around he was greeted in the mechanics' area by Mike Gosselaar's pit board, which read simply "G.O.A.T."
8.) TWO STARTS: One of the strangest races of recent vintage was the 2009 Budds Creek National. After Chad Reed clinched the title in the 450 Class, the second 250 moto saw a bizarre moment when the 30-second girl made an executive decision and just turned the card sideways and walked off after seven seconds. A panicked pack slammed their bikes into gear and hit the rev limiter while a panicked AMA official tried to pull the girl out of the first turn. This all resulted in a restart, which did not make a certain Frenchman happy. But even as they lined back up, the rain kept falling, and the race was restarted in typhoon-like conditions. When it became obvious that one of two infield ponds was about to breech its levee, the red flag came out after 30 minutes, handing the overall win to Jake Weimer over Brett Metcalfe. It might have been Brett's first win too.
Let's just say that things were a bit muddy in 2009.
Photo: Simon Cudby
9.) RV GETS EVEN: Ryan Villopoto grew up in the shadow of Mike Alessi, watching the #800 win amateur title after amateur title from the front-row view of second place. But after winning his first national at High Point a couple weeks earlier, RV went into the '06 Budds Creek National feeling like it was time to turn the tables. And he did, in a big way, passing and slamming Alessi in a move that signaled a turn of the tables for these longtime rivals. RV has since won three AMA Motocross titles, a Lites SX title, and the 2011 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
10.) JMB's LAST HA-HA: The curtain fell on Jean-Michel Bayle's odd motocross journey at Budds Creek '92 when the enigmatic Frenchman rode his last AMA National. You could tell he simply wasn't into it, even though Team Honda needed his help—they needed him to help Jeff Stanton by getting between Stanton and Kawasaki's Mike Kiedrowski. Instead, Bayle slow-rode his CR500 through the last couple of laps, actually dropping something like 40 seconds while waiting for Kiedrowski to catch him! He let Mike by, and though it didn’t affect the final rankings (Kiedrowski had Stanton covered), it was JMB's parting shot to a teammate who had become his fiercest rival.
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Two other Doug Henry Budds Creek moments:
The year after he returned there after breaking his bakc, he crashed on the uphill (I was right on the other side of the fence) and borke both his arms (or wrists?). He crawled overt o the side of the track where a spectator took his helmet off because he could not use his hands. It was sick.
The folliwng year, he came back and WON THE BUDDS CREEK NATIONAL! It was Just awesome! I was there at the fence and high fived him along with the jubilent crowd at the bottom of the hill he brock his arms on as he did his vicotry lap. It was epic! I think he won the title that year also marking his complete comback from the back and arm injuries.
Henry is Legend!
Pretty sure Henry coming back and winning in '98 should be #1.
When I read the title of this article, I was sure #1 would have to be Henry breaking the "Budds Creek Curse" and winning the race. Honestly I think I put that in my top 10 greatest moments of motocross.
I was at the 2007 Red Bull Motocross of Nations and RV's ride was unreal!! Could this weekend be the same???
Bailey's response to Stewart's scrub during the '03 Budds Creek race is classic! He's speechless.
It's at 2:58 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96jQZPHSjVU
Love Henry, but what RV did to the world during the des nations is global!!
I think he could have won the 450F title on a 250F that year...even with RC in the series.
Great read DC!! Didn't know about RC throwing his goggles in the trash - I remember he was using roll-offs his last couple of years because of a goggle issue.
Not a huge Bubba fan but that was unbelievable when he went from last to first - & he was into first way before the end of the race!
Yes, Henry's return after two bad visits was definitely a cool moment and probably should be on the list somewhere! My bad for only mentioning one of his moments, and not a very good one!
We will make sure to include Doug's return to Budds Creek in the future when we do all-time great comebacks.
Thanks for reading and bench-racing.
DC
MX Sports
DC - Next time, just make a separate Top Ten List for Doug Henry please! Thanks!
I'm not a JS lover or hater, but I'm sick to death of him constantly getting credit for the "Bubba Scrub". Jo Jo Keller was doing this same thing back in the late '70's, and there are plenty of photos around to confirm it. Paul Buckley even has a print available on his website that shows it. Doug Henry definitely owns the #1 spot in this one!
B.K., no disrespect but there is a classic photo of Jo Jo doing what we now call a scrub, but Jo Jo wasn't doing it often or employing it like Stewart started doing, and everyone does now. The bikes have changed, the tracks have changed and the strategy has changed. Even Jo Jo said that when we talked to him about it for a feature a few years back. We even made a shirt with Paul's amazing photo of him scrubbing, but like the first guy to do an ollie on a skateboard, or a kicker to try field goals soccer-style rather than straight on, it didn't stick until later on...
DC
MX Sports
JoJo was not scrubbing, he was simply doing a cross up. Buckley's pic clearly shows this. Bubba changed the way MX is ridden forever. JoJo was a bad dude, but he did not revolutionize the sport or riding technique.
I know i'll probably get slammed for this but Davey your facts are off. Ricky did not run down Stewart and force him into a mistake in the second moto. They started 1-2 and ricky eventually set-up a sweet pass. There were no mistakes out of any rider. Villopoto's domination was ridiculous!
Who's the skinny guy in the yellow hat in RC's picture? Ha Ha
Guess RC is back to eating cheese burgers!
@Ryan, you are right. RC set up Stewie and passed him and left him, classic moment.
JOJO did NOT scrub!! His front wheel is pointed UP, You can't do what JOJO was doing Tapped in 4th gear of a drop off like you can with a "scrub".
That was one of the Few time RC got pissy at a race.
@Eric238, Just watched the vid, LOL crazy how fast JS was on a 125.
I really miss RC the other riders are so ordinary. RC was the man in motocross
of all time, no one even close to him.
I used to watch Mark Murphy "scrub" back into the pit at "Chicken Farm"back in 1979 it was truely unbelievable to watch.
Henry jumped higher than telephone polls? Which ones? Gallup? Rasmussen? Zogby? ABC News? USA Today? I...I...I don't understand. Were the pollsters positioned near his trajectory? Was this a figurative comparison to the numbers of people called during such polls?
What's up with the French? Jean Michel Bayle, Stephan Roncada, Cristophe Pourcell, all talented racers, all head cases. Jean Michel Bayle really took the cake when he retired at the pinnacle of his career, one year after winning the supercross and 250 outdoor national championship to go road racing. [ I'm pretty sure he never even broke into the top ten in what was then the 500 G.P. class, now known as the moto G.P. class.]
I was there at Henry's return too and it still gives me goose bumps. It was like the entire crowd stuck around and high fived him all the way around the track. Talk about good vibes -- every seemed to know that what a special moment it was.
12 Pack, I was there for all three moments. Whata guy, what a man. DOUG HENRY...MotoX LEGEND!!
Best track EVER!
Budds Creek Needs to Bring back "The Big Gulp"! It was awesome back in the day watching Ward as RJ take that leap on their 500's.
I flew over from England to watch the 07 Nations. I really wanted to witness RC's last moto-x ride.
But what RV did that day was amazing.
I think RC was having some health issue's around that time, not sure about that. But I dont think he would have got close to RV that day.
Thanks RV, Made the trip worth while.
Scrub or not, Jo Jo was the man! Respect the dudes who got us where we are. FYI-JS is super talented, but he can't scrub a stock 1981 CR250 as good as Keller can.
Promoting a take out for 9?
MXDN RV dominance was awesome. Crazy Brits playing silly drinking games, chain saws.
Mudder in 09 was epic as well. Lost a flip flop in the tidal wave.
Ahh memories
motocynic... I am sorry to disappoint you... Bayle did finish twice in the 250 class in the top 10 and in the 500 class as well. Best finish was a 4th, when yamaha tea, was run by Roberts snr.
He did not set the world on fire though.. Even if he did get a couple of pole positions... And he did make a shit load of $$, thanks to the tobacco sponsoring at aprila & yamaha...
As for the antics JMB did in 92'... As he mentioned in his podcast... In JMB's mind, he never signed with Honda to help out his team mates.. As this was never stipulated in his contract.. In a way I can understand...
Anyway.. Stanton and co will not agree... DeCoster & Bayle help develop the chassis of the 92' bike which paved the way for the famous '93 chassis, where a young fellow would win so many races and titles...
Big difference between JMB and the others.. He did get the results.. And like it or not.. He did win all three class's in 91'.. A record which will never be broken, but what's more impressive is his stint in the outdoors in 89' as a privateer...
Good call on the RC pass on Stewart, I do remember now him setting now in that new little uphill sweeper/switchback. James hesitated and went outside, RC cut inside out and that was win #100.
DC
MX Sports
Honorable Mention: RC PARKING Sebastien Tortelli in the middle of a stretched out 180 turn, at the bottom of one of the hills. Last lap with half a track to go. Summer of '00 I think.
Was there for the 07 MXDN, in my opinion RC coming back from last place after the first turn crash to finish 3rd was the most impressive thing I saw that weekend, and yes he was sick with Epstein-bar virus! RV is cool but ...
I got passed by Doug Henry today at the 'wick. He is a true inspiration. Dowdy passed me too. Two amazing guys.
Carmichael jumping over and past cairoli at mxon was awesome.
All this about the scrub it has been around for alot of years. talking to jeremy whatley a few years back said i was doing it in the eightys but the jumps were different so it didnt look so dramatic. i was also watching supercross from 92 and you see bayle do it a fair few times through out the season yet again not so dramtic but what ever he did on a bike there seemed to be no effort at all
For any of you who may feel that Stefan Everts did NOT say that "Americans are cowards" before the 1999 Grand Prix at Budd's Creek should read this interview.
This is in response to the racerxonline opinion on Everts "not" saying "Americans are cowards"
granted this interview with everts might all have been staged but I doubt it. Enjoy.
The original article was posted at:
http://www.mxlarge.com/interview/3593-stefan-everts-interview-my-usgp-experiences
Interview Thursday 08th April 2010 By Geoff Meyer
Ten times World Motocross Champion Stefan Everts was one of the riders who was always capable of beating the best American riders, and while his record against Ricky Carmichael was 2-2 they never really raced on enough occasions to give a clear cut decision on who was the best.
Everts took the first win at the 1998 MXoN when RC was making his MXdN debut on a 125cc machine. Everts totally dominated at the muddy Foxhills event, while RC struggled. Then again in 1999 they met, again it was the MXoN and RC was again on the smaller bike, and Everts scored the better results. A year later in 2000 Everts didn't race the MXoN due to injury and RC dominated the European riders.
The two wouldn't face each other again until 2003 at the MXoN in Zolder, this time RC on a two-stroke 250cc machine beat Everts on the 450cc 4-stroke after a short battle for the lead when Everts had led early. They met again in 2005 at the Ernee MXoN and RC was again brilliant, while Everts had his worst MXoN ever finishing well down the field. A year later Everts signed out with his stunning victory over James Stewart at the Matterly Basin MXoN, although this time RC didn't ride because of injury.
That America versus Europe fight has always been fought in the combat of the Motocross of Nations, and a true fight between the best from each side of the Atlantic hasn't really been decided since the 1994 USGP in Budds Creek when Yves Demaria beat all the leading AMA and FIM riders.
So it's nearly 20 years that the best of the best have come head to head, and now word is leaking out that many of the leading AMA riders might be racing at Glen Helen on May 30 for the 2010 USGP.
We decided to talk to Stefan Everts and ask him about his experience in what is looking like the greatest GP of the decade.
MXlarge: Stefan, can you tell me about your experiences in the USGP?
Everts: Actually in 1993 I won in Budds Creek and it was 10 years after Kees Van Der Ven won in Unadilla in 1982. An American had won every year prior to 1993, so it was nice to be the first Grand Prix rider to win it again. 1994 I got second to Yves Demaria and rode with a broken collarbone. we had a false start and I was so tired from the operation and the hurt shoulder that I nearly didn't finish the second race, I got passed by Demaria with a couple of laps before the end and until that moment I was still leading the GP.
MXlarge: We had a break from the USGP for a while didn't we?
Everts: After that we did Budds Creek in 1999 and I also raced an AMA National at Unadilla in 1997. First race I got third and then second race I crashed doing down the steep section, I crashed with John Dowd. Of course Budds Creek in 1999 I finished second to Kevin Windham, it was a good race, but little interest from the public. Windham was also not happy because I had said something about American's being cowards before the race, just to get them excited about coming. It works as he came, but he won. I don't think any of our riders need to talk like that this time around.
MXlarge: What does the USGP mean for you? Do you think the American public look at the Grand Prix riders differently now?
Everts: It was always nice to go there, unfortunately we didn't go there anymore when I was really at my best, but it was always great to go there back in the 1990's. For sure to see guys like Cairoli, Musquin and Roczen at Glen Helen will be a highlight. A lot has changed since 1999 and the Motocross of Nations at Budds Creek was a huge success and for sure people are starting to look different at the Grand Prix scene. I think it's going to be really good to see the Grand Prix in Glen Helen.
MXlarge: Glen Helen is like a practice circuit for many of the leading AMA riders and the temperature will be much warmer than in Europe. They will have an advantage for sure.
Everts: Of course, they have an advantage, but I wouldn't be bothered by that if I was still riding. You need to be fit be it hot, cold or whatever, you need to be at your best and it doesn't mean that when a rider has an advantage that you can't beat him. There is always a way to win.