Everything has a beginning and it began when Grandpa John gave Brian a tricycle for his 2nd Birthday...then it was on to BMX Motocross and Motorcycle Motocross...it continues.
Grandpa John purchased a little mini bike and let Brian run around the back yard with it when he was just 3 and 4. It also didn't help much that our neighbors had two boys, Brad and Gary Newberry, that were a few year older, the had bikes and raced. When he was six we purchased a XZ80 and let him run around the neighbor with Brad and Gary and unfortunately thru Mr. Strachan's corn field (we didn't allow that and found Mr. Strachan at our front door often).
Brian started competitive racing early in 1974 at age 10 turning 11 in 1975. Back in those days AMA and the Sports Riding Association of Colorado required that you be 10 before the first day of the race season to obtain an official license. Most of the tracks did have events for the younger racers who just wanted to get used to racing and have fun but they didn't get points or trophies and didn't quality for the State Championship. We took him to those events for about 4 years. There was constant begging, can I race, can I race, I really need to race! To stop the pain, in the Spring of 1974 we sent away the paperwork and included the required Birth Certificate to join all the racing associations. Next we purchased a new Yamaha XZ 80. But, that's not all you need to purchase before starting to race you have to buy all the equipment, provide all the safety gear, buy a fancy helmet, buy a trailer and oh yes, have custom leathers made in California, special exhaust pipe from FMF, special spark plugs for different elevations, special order Yokahama tires for different tracks. Oh and one more thing...take the bike to LaForte Yamaha and have Larry, the best motorcycle mechanic in the State, bore it out to around a 90cc (it's wasn't cheating, they all did it).
Membership cards came back and he entered his first race a Valley Dirt Riders. You can't just go out and race... you have to start in your age group and the Mini Novice Division level (Green Plates) ages 10-15 until you get your card punched three times. Then you automatically move up to the B's riders (Yellow Plates) age 10-15. When you get that card punched three times, you don't know it yet, but you are in real trouble. When you advance to the A class (expert and White Plate) it's mostly made up of the older kids who either haven't won 3 races in that class yet...OR....they were sandbagging (they always claimed they were still 15 but usually had some sort of facial stubble) because they don't want to move up to the 125 Class. Where were the officials when you need them to check Birth Certificates? Either way it makes you tuff.
Note: The color of your plate is everything in Motocross (at least when you are a little kid)
He began racing in early Spring of 1975.
Lafayette, Colorado April 11, 1975 -- A win
Mouth guard -- hand painted by Mom
By the time the State Championship rolled around in November
he had two wins (two punches) on his card which made him eligible to compete in the Championship.
It was common for the tracks to start two classes togethe. Brian #407 Novice didn't
care if they were more advanced riders...he wanted the hole shot.
Once you get your first black and white checkered you don't care who is in the expert class...it's on ward and upward fast!
A month later he had won three races and was moved to the B Class (and new helmet).
And by the end of 1976 he was in the A Expert Class (White Plate)
No where to go now but a bigger bike
