September 15
1974
In Sweden the home team of Ake Jonsson, Arne Kring, Bengt Aberg, and Hakan Andersson won the FIM Motocross des Nations over a surprising Team USA. Aberg, a two-time FIM 500cc World Champion, was the star of the show, going 1-1 on the best day anyone ever had at the MXoN aboard a Bultaco. The Americans were led by another Bultaco rider, Jim Pomeroy. He went 6-10 in the two motos, while Brad Lackey went 5-14, CZ-rider Tony DiStefano went 14-21, and Kawasaki rider Jim Weinert finished 25th in the first moto.
1980
In Las Vegas the daredevil distance jumper Gary Wells said it was a "lifetime dream come true" to get to attempt jumping the fountains at Caesars Palace, just as his childhood hero Evel Knievel had done. But wells jumped too far—it would have been a world record 186 feet where he landed—and could not stay on the bike. He missed the landing by inches on his modified Honda CR250 and then hit a three-foot high retaining wall at about 85 mph. He ended up with a torn aortic arch, head and chest injuries, compound fractures below both knees, a crushed pelvis and more. It was ugly, and it puts what Travis Pastrana did in August aboard an Indian Motorcycle into a whole new perspective. If you have the stomach for Wells' horrific crash, it happens at the 1:30 mark in the video below:
1991
Team Honda's Jeff Stanton anchors Team USA for the third year in a row, and for the third time Team USA wins the Motocross des Nations (and the eleventh straight year all together). The race was held in the dark sand of Valkenswaard in the Netherlands, and it was between the Americans, Belgium, and the home Dutch team. Stanton had to come from behind in the last moto after a couple of crashes to win the 500cc class, clawing back to make the winning pass with less than two laps to go. Kawasaki's Mike Kiedrowski went 4-2 on the 125 and Yamaha's Damon Bradshaw ran 2-5 in the 250cc class.
