Posts
1106
Joined
10/21/2012
Location
Cypress, TX
US
Edited Date/Time
2/19/2020 10:18pm
Thought I would share this story from a couple of years ago.
Little background. We have been married for 35 years. We were dating when I was a pro back in the mid 80's. More recently she helped train two of our kids when they went to Lorettta's a few years ago. She know what's up at the track.
I was riding in the Over 50 class at the Texas Winter Series at Freestone on my 450 KTM. The announcers where having a bunch of fun hyping up the class as the "rematch from the 84 Houston SX" as I was lined up with my buddy Mike Clement.
Clem and I had many good battles back in the day. I won some, but Clem won most of them. I always gave him a hard time for beating him in the semi in the 84 Houston SX and getting the last transfer spot to the LCQ. 84 was the last year of just one class in SX and they allowed 72 riders to the night show. So making to the LCQ was a goal for some of us "local pro's."
We had about 12 riders at Freestone that day and Clem pulled the holeshot with me in second. We finished the first lap about a bike length apart. About mid way around the second lap I was able to pull next to Clem and had the inside for the next turn. With the pass made I hit the brakes going to the inside and stalled the bike. I had a Rekluse clutch which is almost impossible to stall, but I some how managed to stall it. I immediately start pushing the e start button and eventually run down the battery. You can't push start a bike with a Rekluse clutch!
With the help of a friend I pushed the bike back to the pits. As I start peeling off my gear, this is what my wife says, "That was the worse I have ever seen you ride. I was embarrassed. After the first lap I quit watching." I agreed that I was fighting the bike in the long and deep Freestone ruts and felt like a goon.
Fast forward a few weeks later. We were at the track and my 450 had some problems. I ended up riding our sons 250F. When I came in my wife says, "You look a lot better on Ethan's bike, why don't you get a smaller bike?" I told her that I like to get good starts and didn't feel like I would on a 250F against the 450's. She replied with, "You are a good starter on anything. It's the Over 50 class. All you have to do is get the jump on those guys."
She got me to thinking, and I decided it would be a good idea to jump down a size or two. I ended up getting a 125 and loved it. Pulled many holeshots on it and even qualified for Loretta's on it in 2017.
I was working for Alta as Regional Sales Manager I was still riding and racing my 125. I loved the Alta but it would heat up after a few laps on tracks that put a heavy load on the battery and the suspension was really soft. Then the 2018 Alta came out which lasted longer and the suspension was much better. I really became more and more used to the Alta and was starting to race it with good results and was having a lot of fun riding it.
I told my wife I was going to sell my 125. She told me NOT to sell it, because she knew how much I loved it too. I told her it didn't look good when the Alta rep was riding a non Alta, plus I was going to be Alta for life. Not taking her advice, I sold the 125. About 8 months later Alta ran out of money and shut down.
It's amazing that when I met her she didn't even know what motocross was.
Little background. We have been married for 35 years. We were dating when I was a pro back in the mid 80's. More recently she helped train two of our kids when they went to Lorettta's a few years ago. She know what's up at the track.
I was riding in the Over 50 class at the Texas Winter Series at Freestone on my 450 KTM. The announcers where having a bunch of fun hyping up the class as the "rematch from the 84 Houston SX" as I was lined up with my buddy Mike Clement.
Clem and I had many good battles back in the day. I won some, but Clem won most of them. I always gave him a hard time for beating him in the semi in the 84 Houston SX and getting the last transfer spot to the LCQ. 84 was the last year of just one class in SX and they allowed 72 riders to the night show. So making to the LCQ was a goal for some of us "local pro's."
We had about 12 riders at Freestone that day and Clem pulled the holeshot with me in second. We finished the first lap about a bike length apart. About mid way around the second lap I was able to pull next to Clem and had the inside for the next turn. With the pass made I hit the brakes going to the inside and stalled the bike. I had a Rekluse clutch which is almost impossible to stall, but I some how managed to stall it. I immediately start pushing the e start button and eventually run down the battery. You can't push start a bike with a Rekluse clutch!
With the help of a friend I pushed the bike back to the pits. As I start peeling off my gear, this is what my wife says, "That was the worse I have ever seen you ride. I was embarrassed. After the first lap I quit watching." I agreed that I was fighting the bike in the long and deep Freestone ruts and felt like a goon.
Fast forward a few weeks later. We were at the track and my 450 had some problems. I ended up riding our sons 250F. When I came in my wife says, "You look a lot better on Ethan's bike, why don't you get a smaller bike?" I told her that I like to get good starts and didn't feel like I would on a 250F against the 450's. She replied with, "You are a good starter on anything. It's the Over 50 class. All you have to do is get the jump on those guys."
She got me to thinking, and I decided it would be a good idea to jump down a size or two. I ended up getting a 125 and loved it. Pulled many holeshots on it and even qualified for Loretta's on it in 2017.
I was working for Alta as Regional Sales Manager I was still riding and racing my 125. I loved the Alta but it would heat up after a few laps on tracks that put a heavy load on the battery and the suspension was really soft. Then the 2018 Alta came out which lasted longer and the suspension was much better. I really became more and more used to the Alta and was starting to race it with good results and was having a lot of fun riding it.
I told my wife I was going to sell my 125. She told me NOT to sell it, because she knew how much I loved it too. I told her it didn't look good when the Alta rep was riding a non Alta, plus I was going to be Alta for life. Not taking her advice, I sold the 125. About 8 months later Alta ran out of money and shut down.
It's amazing that when I met her she didn't even know what motocross was.
Larry Hughes
The Shop
Lucky dog.
Tell Jen hello! Hope to cross paths again soon.
Hope we get to cross paths also. Let us know if your travels ever come out this way! Your wife sounds pretty badass also. Cheers.
Mine had been around moto a very little bit until we got together, but since then it’s been almost a daily topic at some point. She shed some tears when I sold my 14 yz450 a few years ago and full on cried when I sold my yz250 last year. Like yours, mine calls me out when I’m riding like crap, even when I haven’t ridden in months 😂. She gets on me about not riding enough when we go practice. I get the, “I didn’t come out here to watch you sit around and do 4 laps at a time. Get your ass back out there.”
We’ve got some special women!
Awesome story!
As I told a good friend last weekend, Age is just a number...Until you hit the ground LoL.
Pit Row
See ya soon!!
My gf at the time said "Get back on that bike you pussy, I'm not riding all the way home with a guy who hates himself because he gave up."
It worked! I raced.
Here's a story for you, My 1st and only attempt at SX, Houston '80. After 5 years of Montesa's the new models weren't released and I snapped up a KX 250 Uni Trak. 1st practice day transmission problems, get lucky and the factory team is at Kawasaki of Pasadena and they fix it for free. 1 hour on the bike and I show up to practice at the Astrodome. Fish out of water syndrome, nothing at all like the Rio Bravo night track where I was competent. After practice the Kawasaki guys find me again and give me a new uni-trak wishbone (hardened) and say you better swap this out right away. Damn. Almost kill a few people with my toolbox on a 4 wheel dolly going down the ramp into the "domeskeller" pits and can't stop with Scott boots on, hollering to everyone to clear out! Finish the qualifier 16th 1 spot out of the transfer to the night show. Sitting in the stands nearby totally unprepared I hear them calling my number, not realizing I was the 1st alternate, the 2nd alternate was there and got on the gate. Big bummer but almost in the show!
Jason
P.S.
I beat Clement once at Badlands in Beaumont on the back track on a dog of a bike 2011 KTM 350.
Of course he doesn't remember it...….lol.
This thread rocks.
My wife's really not that into it anymore either. Which, as time has gone by, is perfectly fine. Marriage, kids, life, etc. Yes, we take the kids riding, she watched me race quite a bit the first 10 years of our relationship/marriage, attended motorsport racing events to spectate, etc., but she likes doing her own thing too.
When we go do our own thing, there's a renewed energy and a certain amount of fulfillment that we bring back into the relationship. It's a win/win. She's very good at reminding me "hey, you haven't ridden your bike in a while." Translation: "You're bouncing off the walls, go out and twist the throttle!" We're 21 years into our marriage now, which I can't believe sometimes. Doesn't feel that long.
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