wardy's personal's page Megacross, motocross, dirt bikes, racing, illinois, ama, district 17

Travis does his first ride day on "Bob's Track" which is Sunset Ridge MX's little kids track, he had a blast! Click here!

Here's a little history…….
I started my plight in my two wheeled career around the age of 12. As my dad and I where heading out the back door to get my first motorcycle, Mom says hey, "where are you guys going"? Well she didn't know that I have convinced good ole dad into buying my a 90 cc Bridgestone Scrambler that needs some work. "Over my dead body" was the reply that mama gave so it was a bunch of tears and a quiet week for the bad mama. (She probably enjoyed every minute of it!). Needless to say about the middle of that summer dad and I found a mini bike frame at the junk yard, brought home with little fan fare, and I got my start on working on machines. After years of playing in the shop now I had purpose, I had a reason to get greasy and make sure I assembled things correctly. Couldn't break down racing the kid up the street on his bought mini bike. Well the little 3 hp Briggs lasted all but four weeks and when it came to a screeching halt it was time for more work on the little machine.
Enter in an old 6 hp chain saw that pops was going to throw away, I told dad, "hey if I rebuild it can I use in the mini bike"? He said yup, figuring I would never get it running. HA! By the end of the week I had it rebuilt and running, problem was no one made a centrifugal clutch for a 9/16" shaft , most where 5/8's. Well after paging through tons of catalogs I found one and was in business, only of course to find out that dam thing wouldn't fit in the frame. That's where I really had the trouble, I barely could weld, but the cutting torch was off limits to me at 13. So a little begging and persuasion I succeeded in having dad show me how to cut with the torch, and so goes the learning of welding and cutting steel.
The big day I fired that little thing up and dad shook his head saying " your going to make the ole lady mad as hell". Shut it off and waited for ma to go to work. The next day with mom off and gone, I started it up again to fine out dam it has no power at all! Well with a quick trip down the road I found out why, it only made power like any chainsaw at 10,000 rpm! Needless to say it was worthless of road but just every once in a while I could get dad to let me blast up and down the road , on time finding out from the local man in blue that it would go a whopping 67 mph! 12 inch wheels just isn't made for that with no suspension. So with no where to ride it got sold for a new ten speed and forgot about riding for like 2 years.
Enter in the mid-teen years at 16 and getting a license. The local police guy who I had "ran into" on a few occasions with the mini bike told me on night that he had a bike for sale. It was cheap and dam I could have a road bike! 1967 Suzuki 150 2-stroke. Well that thing didn't cut it and after a few trips around town that summer it was time to find a real bike! Of course now being a Suzuki man I needed a trail bike and it had to be yellow. I settled for red…. It was a 1972 TS 125, you know that 8 speed job with a lever for trail and street. Wish I could have rode it more, but after 11 moving violations in 7 months, (cops didn't appreciate moto practice on city streets) and being grounded most of that summer it was like hell I might as well sell it since I never get to ride. Hence my brainstorm to get a race bike.
I got involved with this motocross racing back in 1975 on a KX 125, which I found a kid that crashed numerous times on it and scared the hell out of himself. So I bought it and ended up taking him with me to the races for a couple years he was still on his 100 cc machine. After two years on the ole KX, three completely different motors, and three frames I went out and bought my first NEW 125, a 125 RM 1977.

I raced the RM for almost a whole season doing fairly well in the B class and in those days that was just barely above dirt to A riders. In fact if you knew an A rider back then and he even talked to you it was totally cool. Well about September I thought I was pretty big for my britches and moved myself to the A class. I still remember the first race and second A race that I went to. Byron was my first time in the fast class, nervous as hell I lined up a proceeded to go half way around the first lap with the choke on, needless to say I got smoked. So the next week I tried my hand at Harding. I was greeted that morning by Mr. Van Hoozer who I have known for many many years. He noticed my number plates were changed, ( in those days if you rode A you had white numbers on red or green for 125 and 250, yellow and black for open.) He asked, when did you move to A? I told him last weekend at Byron. He said " boy you should have waited a week! You would only have to just finish to wrap up the track trophy!" (6 footer!). Well needless to say I lost it to another by a scant 3 points. I wasn't in the top ten when I moved to A but none the less I wouldn't have changed a thing!

That pretty much ended my days on the little bikes. Convinced that I needed to ride a big bore I went and tried to snag one of those red Maico's. 1978 Magnum and at the same time I met Craig Cheeseman and Bob Pistole . Craig owned a motorcycle shop in Milligdeville , IL and became a good friend, LOL or at least tolerated me with all the dum mistakes I made with the european machine. Really a bad deal when Craig passed on in that car wreck in 81. There were many people affected by that, its been 20+ years but is a clear memory to this day. We had some real good races at Byron, Tampico, Sparland, Coal Valley! Back to the bikes, that 78 lasted me until the middle of 1980, when I had to have a new 450 Maico with the tall suspension. In fact it was at that point that the MX in the brain began to click, corners, uphills, whoops etc. Of course three days a week on the bike anyone would begin to improve! Just about the time I was getting a little big for my britches, decided to go to an area qualifier. Got smoked both days, and realized that there was other states and much faster riders, riding national calibur tracks. Not a pretty site, number one plate on the bike running in 20th place! Man did I say I hated sand, not to mention Baja Acres really kicked my butt! The Henkel Bros., King, and a list of other national riders lapped me up there not pretty.

1976 Delta Ohio, day before the Pro National.
That's the day that Mark (the bomber) Barnett had faster lap times then either Marty Smith or Bob Hannah on the pro day! The next year Barnett turned pro.

1977 Byron
Suspension was a luxury that I neither knew about or could afford. Those "B" days were hell but had to pay the dues!

1978 my start in the Open class. Of course I always and still start on the outside! Nice watering system huh

1981 1st corner Byron next to me my rival of that era Dave Bensen.

At Byron the 1992 State Championship race was going good then I ended up second by missing a double in the back. That's the wife in the background after yellin at me to git it in gear.

1984 250 A Mod, Loretta Lynn's first and only time I went to the big show. Not a good week, thinking I was going to set the world on fire, instead came home with my tail between my legs. Must have been them making me wear stinkin gloves!

1989 Byron, take note two laps after this picture was taken I blew out my left knee in this corner.Lesson here is keep your feet on the pegs!! Or at least don't put your leg under the bars on flat dry slick corners.

Its really funny with all the tracks and designs changing, hell at 40+ I jump more obstacles and get more air then I would have ever dreamed of years ago.

Everyone thinks it's a whole lot of fun running events and most of the time it is better than a 8-5 job. On the other hand it can be a bummer watchin with a flag in your hand instead of getting out there and mixing it up. One thing for sure usually it looks like I have been rollin in the dirt all day long but if that stinkin track ain't in good shape then the job isn't done.