Steve Lamson to ride a CR125 at Hangtown National!

deathpunk dan · 03-28-2007, 05:01 AM

Team manager and retired former 125 champ Steve Lamson wants to be the last guy to ride a CR125 in a national event. As some of you know, the 4 stroke 250s dominate this class to such an extent that the class has been renamed Lites and most manufacturers are discontinuing their 125cc 2 strokes (Kawi did it last year, Honda after this year etc) or have ceased development on them.

This will happen in May at the Hangtown AMA Motocross Nationals.

Lamson will be wearing mid 1990s Fox Racing gear from his championship seasons. His CR125 will feature custom graphics to look like his 1996 bike.

My former boss' son was teammates with Lamson in 2002, incidentally, riding Husqavarnas.

As a former champ, Lamson automatically qualifies for the main event. All 2 stroke fans should root for the outgunned CR and Lammy. It would be amazing if he made the top ten.

NICKG · 03-28-2007, 05:22 AM

yea...i don't like the 4 stroke mx bikes...i love the sound of the 2 strokes on full blast

ljp911 · 03-28-2007, 05:34 AM

Just love the smell of Castrol "R" in the morning!

motion · 03-28-2007, 06:16 AM

Bring on the bean oil!

Tim Hancock · 08:14 AM

+1000 to all of the above!

About 50% of the time that I have seen a new fourstroke stall on the track, restart was a no-go. I hate the new fourstrokes although I have only ridden a Yamaha 4xx? for a few laps a few years ago. I have a mid 90's CR125 I picked up for something to ride a few years back, but when I raced in the late 80's and early 90's, my weapon of choice was a CR250. I grew up riding with the throttle basically pinned and using the clutch to feed in power. The smell of Klotz R50 is heaven to me (even though I ended up mainly using Yamalube R).

After typing this thread, I am having an uncontrollable urge to buy another CR250 and head for the nearest Lorretta Lynn qualifier as I can now run the 40+ class..... "back in the day" I finished 8th overall in 250C with one bad moto and 18th I believe in 250B the following year (was injured leading up to Lorretta's that year and was out of shape and rusty).

Edit: I just found out that the Lorretta Lynn Amatuer National Championships is held the last week of July/ first week of August which means I will be at the Oshkosh airshow. Whew! ...my wife will never know how close I was to looking for a new bike!

Eric 951 · 03-28-2007, 07:30 AM

Bah! Now if Rick Johnson or Johnny O'Mara were getting back on a bike--then I would be there.

Tim Hancock · 03-28-2007, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Eric 951
Bah! Now if Rick Johnson or Johnny O'Mara were getting back on a bike--then I would be there.

Bah! Now if Roger Decoster, Brad Lackey or Marty Tripes were getting.........

cbeers · 03-28-2007, 10:32 AM

Quote:

yea...i don't like the 4 stroke mx bikes...i love the sound of the 2 strokes on full blast

Mine sounds pretty good

Nothing like 1/4 of a 2.0L motor sitting beneath you, especially when it's two stroked bliss

The only bike I would consider these days is the CR offereing from AC Honda (maybe it was Service Honda?) that stuffs a CR500 motor into an aluminum 250 frame. THAT would be fun!

-Chris

NICKG · 03-28-2007, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cbeers
Mine sounds pretty good

Nothing like 1/4 of a 2.0L motor sitting beneath you, especially when it's two stroked bliss

The only bike I would consider these days is the CR offereing from AC Honda (maybe it was Service Honda?) that stuffs a CR500 motor into an aluminum 250 frame. THAT would be fun!

-Chris

I had a modern 4 stroke...yea they are fast...but then again I raced open class so i was not too too impressed...
Modern bikes are so much better than even 5 year old bikes it is crazy, i just like 2 stroke power delivery traits better having grown up and raced them for many years. The new ones just don't sound right to me

I do still have my 2 rz350's...

Tim Hancock · 03-28-2007, 10:48 AM

I never "raced" the 500 two strokes, but I played on them a few times. Back in the day, I feel pretty confident that I could put down better lap times on a same year 250 than a 500 though. At local races, I was never beaten by a 500 even though sometimes there were 500s on the gate. I was beat by 125's though when on occasion at some tracks the 125 A class was launched in the same moto.

500's two strokes are indeed a blast to play ride on and I am guessing big overweight guys might fair better on a track with a 500 than a 250.

Along these lines, a few years ago I took my daughters to the local track I used to race at often and let them try racing 80's. I signed myself up in the 30+ class just for fun and not only did I win both motos, I actually holeshotted both motos on my old 125 with broken down knobbies! Granted the competition was not all that talented, but most of the guys were mounted on brand new modded out 450's !
It is all about staying on the pipe just a tad longer going into the first turn (at least at the amatuer level)

deathpunk dan · 03-28-2007, 10:56 AM

Damn right about the 1st turn, tim. When I had a YZ80 and wanted an aftermarket pipe, the owner of the local Yamaha dealership asked me "are you holding it wide open all the time, all the way around the track? If not, you don't need a pipe." Sage advice!

I was a lousy, lousy MX racer whose pointing out of the C class into the B class signaled my quick retirement. Nothing worse than 2 classes being ran together in a moto with the fast guys swearing at you trying to get around you.

Tim Hancock · 03-28-2007, 11:23 AM

Although I rode dirtbikes since I was a toddler, I never raced until I was in my 20's. The first year I raced 250C was a blast as two other friends and I all struggled for the win at our local track, but by the end of the season, I was getting pretty fast and rarely failed to place first. The following year, I started traveling to races and won nearly every race in 250C other than a few nationally attended big races (8th out of 42 at Lorrettas and 2nd out of 80 at the Pontiac Silverdome).

In the B class the following year, I usually won at a couple of the nearby local tracks, but at bigger somewhat local races a bit further away, I sometimes might get a 2nd, 3rd or 4th. I wish I had started as a kid, because I was already too old when I started to be able to realistically get far in MX. Towards the end, I was missing work when injured (3 broken collar bones, ripped ankle, smoked back etc and I just could not continue up the ladder as easily as the 16 year old kids who's parents were buying them all new bikes and gear and hauling them around the country in a big motorhome and enclosed trailer.

NICKG · 03-28-2007, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tim Hancock
I never "raced" the 500 two strokes, but I played on them a few times. Back in the day, I feel pretty confident that I could put down better lap times on a same year 250 than a 500 though. At local races, I was never beaten by a 500 even though sometimes there were 500s on the gate. I was beat by 125's though when on occasion at some tracks the 125 A class was launched in the same moto.

500's two strokes are indeed a blast to play ride on and I am guessing big overweight guys might fair better on a track with a 500 than a 250.

I'm not fat! I'm big boned dammit!

the 125 class and the 80cc class were always the best to watch, they just hold them wide open and go...I am truely gonna miss that. You know the way the 125's poped off the limiter?

lendaddy · 03-28-2007, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tim Hancock
Bah! Now if Roger Decoster, Brad Lackey or Marty Tripes were getting.........

No love for Hannah? Heck he even races planes

I agree that the loss of two strokes is tragic.

911boost · 911boost's Garage

I love my CR250R and wouldn't trade it for anything right now. While I do ride some track, its mostly in the mountains around here for me. My friend bought a 450X Honda last year, and the power delivery is like a tractor. I love the feeling of the throttle pegged and using the clutch...

Damn snow needs to melt!

Bill

Tim Hancock · 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lendaddy
No love for Hannah? Heck he even races planes

I think he retired from that too. I know a few years back he was racing a modified P51 Mustang called "VooDoo Chile". I think I remember hearing about him having some sort of bad problem at Reno and he almost bought the farm. Hurricane Hannah was the man for awhile in MX for sure.

I guess my all-time favorite was Johnny "O". During supercross practice some years ago, he was often the first to try various doubles, triples and rythym sections. Guys would just wait to try the hairy jumps until Johnny O dialed in on them first.

Later, I liked the wild child Damon Bradshaw. He rode balls out!

More recent, I really loved watching Travis Pastrana when he was still on the 125's in supercross. It was mind boggling to see him go down in the first turn, get up dead last, then ride like an absolute effing maniac all the way to the front and a win. I wish he would have stuck to racing for a few more years instead of repeatedly wrecking his brains out doing the whole punk freestyle thing. I bet Evil Knievel was not even injured as many times as Travis has been now.

He is the only other rider I have ever seen that can ride as balls out as Bubba Stewart who is now untouchable. Had Pastrana stuck with racing, I think Carmichael would not have as many championships and Bubba might NOT be the fastest MX racer in the world right now.

cbeers · 03-28-2007, 04:42 PM

Bubba is FAST for sure! Even when he was still in the 125 class, he would win by MUCH larger margins than Ricky was. At first though, I was thinking he might end up like Travis, fast as hell but out of control. He had some growing pains but sure is fun to watch.

For the record, I am not a track racer. I like "freestyle" riding the best. Canyons, hills, single tracks, river beds you name it. Jumps are fun, but I am a big chicken

I will hit a little 25 footer while on a trail or something, but I don't go big on the track.

Oh yeah, I am also not a big fat guy, I am about the same size as Ricky Carmichael. I can't reach the ground on both sides either. still have a good time and push the "bigger" guys some

Thanks for posting this Dan, I am going to go check it out.

-Chris

Tim Hancock · 04:22 AM

I got to watch Ricky race on 60's and 80's as a little guy when I raced at the amatuer nationals. He was wicked fast back then even, but Bubba and Travis both possesed that complete, fearless, hold it wide open irregardless of the consequences attitude. How these guys hammer the whoops is just mind boggling. They both typically just keep it pinned no matter what coming thru the turn leading to the whoop sections. I thought I was good at whoops till I rode my first "real" AMA supercross track. The whoops are just plain nasty when viewed up close and typically hard as concrete! Many guys in the C classes had a hard time just rolling thru them in first gear!

Eric 951 · 03-29-2007, 04:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tim Hancock
I
I guess my all-time favorite was Johnny "O". During supercross practice some years ago, he was often the first to try various doubles, triples and rythym sections. Guys would just wait to try the hairy jumps until Johnny O dialed in on them first.

Johnny O was also a Porsche guy--he had a 930 and I recall him mentioning in an interview in "Dirt Bike" that his dream car was a 959.

Hurricane Hannah was the man. I still remember his first win at his favorite track Unadilla was because a piece of plastic worked itself loose and jammed the fuel delivery on Johnny o's bike--he was leading at the time--He presented Hannah with the gastank while he was on the podium.

For my money though--Rick Johnson was the best--at the time, that guy couldn't lose--