The Day the Earth Changed
Thirty years ago on April 6, 1973 in Spain a lone American from the Wild West changed the motorcycle racing world. Just barely twenty years old came this lanky American from a small arid town in the Northwest called Yakima, which was best known for growing apples and dust. Jim Pomeroy was one of the fastest NW racers at the time and beginning to make a name for him self on the U.S. national circuit. There could be an argument if he was the best NW racer, never mind the best U.S. racer. Jim had finished in 2nd place at the first Superbowl of Motocross behind sixteen year old Marty Tripes, and had been part of the U.S. Motocross Des Nations Team with Brad Lackey in 1972 where they finished sixth overall. University Honda and Terry Saxlund sponsored Jim on his Bultaco throughout the local and national scene. Through Terry and a Bultaco support program Jim was able to travel to Europe for his second time and race in his first 250cc World Championship MX Grand Prix in Spain. Underneath Jim’s #26 bib he was wearing his traditional Torsten Hallman chest protector with the University Honda logo on the front. It was to be only a one off ride for experience as Jim was signed to race for the U.S. National MXchampionships starting the following weekend on April 13th. In the first moto Jim used an American style of riding to upset the Europeans by using the high line and basically flat tracking it wide open around the corners. The European riding style was to stay close in on the apex of corners. Jim just flew around the outside of them. Jim won the first moto that he entered, the first moto of the year and the first American ever to win a moto. In the second moto Jim kept it up and finished fourth. The first place trophy was given to West German Hans Maisch (Maisch of the Maico Motorcycle Company) based upon his overall results of a 3rd in the first moto and a 2nd in the second moto. The trophy was handed to Maisch based on the 1972 rules giving the GP win on overall results. The rules had changed for 1973 giving points for each moto to determine the overall GP win. By the time they had figured out who actually won the 1st place trophy was gone with Maisch back to Germany, but Jim Pomeroy was the first American to win a World Championship Motocross Grand Prix. Instead of returning home after the race the Bultaco factory ripped up his contract and signed him to race the entire World 250cc Championship. The next weekend he finished third and was leading the points. The Europeans such as Joel Robert, Hakkan Anderson, Hans Maisch and many others now were coming up to Jim and talking to him and treating him as an equal instead of some strange oddity from across the seas. America at this time was not considered a second rate country in MX power. They were regarded as more a fifth rate power at best. In one swift race Jim Pomeroy overturned the idea that the Americans were not equal to the mighty Europeans. Not only had he beat them in a World Championship event, he had beat them in their backyard. When the news hit the American shores most racers were without words to describe how or what they felt. To some it must have been a fluke that one of them could do that to the vaunted European MX Gods. To others it was the first sign that we could do something, and that it restored America’s pride in itself. We were no longer the little orphans begging for some scraps at the master’s table. We now sat with the masters of MX. This win gave a new hope to Brad Lackey who had been campaigning the 500cc World Championship who would some nine years later become the first American to win a World MX Championship. It gave hope to a brand new type of American MX’er in that their goal was just not to be the top American racer, but the top racer in the world. From now on we would no longer settle for 2nd best. Jim Pomeroy had toppled the European motocross wall. When Jim and Brad came home to race the Trans-Am Series people and future racers could see that these Yankees were as good as it gets. The ripple reached tidal wave proportions in 1981 when the U.S. won the MX and Trophee Des Nations and in 1982 when Brad Lackey and Danny LaPorte won the 500cc and the 250cc World MX Championship.
Thirty years ago on April 6, 1973 in Spain a lone American from the Wild West changed the motorcycle racing world. Just barely twenty years old came this lanky American from a small arid town in the Northwest called Yakima, which was best known for growing apples and dust. Jim Pomeroy was one of the fastest NW racers at the time and beginning to make a name for him self on the U.S. national circuit. There could be an argument if he was the best NW racer, never mind the best U.S. racer. Jim had finished in 2nd place at the first Superbowl of Motocross behind sixteen year old Marty Tripes, and had been part of the U.S. Motocross Des Nations Team with Brad Lackey in 1972 where they finished sixth overall. University Honda and Terry Saxlund sponsored Jim on his Bultaco throughout the local and national scene. Through Terry and a Bultaco support program Jim was able to travel to Europe for his second time and race in his first 250cc World Championship MX Grand Prix in Spain. Underneath Jim’s #26 bib he was wearing his traditional Torsten Hallman chest protector with the University Honda logo on the front. It was to be only a one off ride for experience as Jim was signed to race for the U.S. National MXchampionships starting the following weekend on April 13th. In the first moto Jim used an American style of riding to upset the Europeans by using the high line and basically flat tracking it wide open around the corners. The European riding style was to stay close in on the apex of corners. Jim just flew around the outside of them. Jim won the first moto that he entered, the first moto of the year and the first American ever to win a moto. In the second moto Jim kept it up and finished fourth. The first place trophy was given to West German Hans Maisch (Maisch of the Maico Motorcycle Company) based upon his overall results of a 3rd in the first moto and a 2nd in the second moto. The trophy was handed to Maisch based on the 1972 rules giving the GP win on overall results. The rules had changed for 1973 giving points for each moto to determine the overall GP win. By the time they had figured out who actually won the 1st place trophy was gone with Maisch back to Germany, but Jim Pomeroy was the first American to win a World Championship Motocross Grand Prix. Instead of returning home after the race the Bultaco factory ripped up his contract and signed him to race the entire World 250cc Championship. The next weekend he finished third and was leading the points. The Europeans such as Joel Robert, Hakkan Anderson, Hans Maisch and many others now were coming up to Jim and talking to him and treating him as an equal instead of some strange oddity from across the seas. America at this time was not considered a second rate country in MX power. They were regarded as more a fifth rate power at best. In one swift race Jim Pomeroy overturned the idea that the Americans were not equal to the mighty Europeans. Not only had he beat them in a World Championship event, he had beat them in their backyard. When the news hit the American shores most racers were without words to describe how or what they felt. To some it must have been a fluke that one of them could do that to the vaunted European MX Gods. To others it was the first sign that we could do something, and that it restored America’s pride in itself. We were no longer the little orphans begging for some scraps at the master’s table. We now sat with the masters of MX. This win gave a new hope to Brad Lackey who had been campaigning the 500cc World Championship who would some nine years later become the first American to win a World MX Championship. It gave hope to a brand new type of American MX’er in that their goal was just not to be the top American racer, but the top racer in the world. From now on we would no longer settle for 2nd best. Jim Pomeroy had toppled the European motocross wall. When Jim and Brad came home to race the Trans-Am Series people and future racers could see that these Yankees were as good as it gets. The ripple reached tidal wave proportions in 1981 when the U.S. won the MX and Trophee Des Nations and in 1982 when Brad Lackey and Danny LaPorte won the 500cc and the 250cc World MX Championship.
