mich lin

Alan your on the right track, anything is better than what we have now. Which is mass kaos!

Spin, I'm full of Bultaco alright! Hey, what more can I do other than what I've already done? *Sponsored the TDN team until the team manager asked me to stop. *Entered the US nationals with the intent of practicing and riding again! But was banned because the NATC didn't like my training techniques! *Turned the other cheek when my generation of riders was insulted right to my face, by riders who couldn't carry the helmet bag of Vesty, Marland, Bernie, Sweet and other past greats. *Showed you guys how to go to Europe and score world championship points for the first time in 15 years by an American. *Offered to minder and train any of todays top riders, No takers! *Help train the 3 time US champion Califorina Youth trials team and I will continue to do so, when they want my help. *Provided a proposal to the NATC that would turn around our declining riding standards without having any negative impact on the fantastic sportsmen nationals. *Checked, layed out sections. What's you're recent resume and what should be done? Is it crazy to tell the truth, maybe! Hey, I'm simply the messinger, if you feel the need to shoot me, the one who carries the message, Go ahead! It won't solve the sagging US riding level problem. Spinner, lisen and lisen up good! There is only one way in life to keep everyone happy. That is to say nothing, do nothing and be nothing. Then you can keep everyone happy! If that's your style, more power to ya buddy.

I'd like to apologize to everyone for being so harsh for the past years. I was simply trying to prove the point that our riders are not as good as they think they are in the USA. Finally Laia Sanz and the 125cc world riders proved that point once and for all. Seeing is believing, they spanked us! I remember coming back into trials after a 20 year layoff and having to lisen to senior works riders who couldn't ride very well back in the 70s tell me how good they were today. How much better they rode now than back then, it was amazing, they still rode bad, only now they were old! They were only good in their own minds because they were winning national old guy titles year after year. WOW, it was amazing! It was also madding hearing from some old guy Intermediate clubmen riders how the sections they rode were harder than what M. Lampkin, Rathmal, Vesty, Bernie, Marland, Sweet, Comer, Evans and the others rode while riding world rounds in the 70s. They told me how they were better today than the world round riders then. It was an amazing slap in the face to all these great rider of the past. The final insult was the rewrite of US trials history that had taken place. How Bernie was the only US rider that had ever been any good and had an impact. Yet right under these same people's noses riders from the 70's came back like Curt Comer and Debbie Evans and had fantastic results in modern events 20 plus years after their prime. Now finally we have seen the truth in the USA! We suck! We have only two male riders who can beat the ladies champion and we are lightyears off the rest of the planet's best men. Perhaps people think I'm crazy! That's OK. But how crazy is it to think that our old guys are good riders? You know those who win those 40,45,50,55,60,65 and 70 year old national titles? If anything drove me crazy it was that train of thought, hearing people claim that these old guys are great riders! That they deserved sponsorship insted of riders like Patrick Smage who might be a world champion. Now that's what drove me crazy. Who can I sue?

Your right Citytrials, I was thinking of sponsoring Patrick but your astute point about Clive "No Jive" winning all the time makes me think he's deserves a sponsorship more than Patrick Smage! Hey when was the last time Patrick won a national? He's not nearly as good as No Jive!

Terry, can you expand on that thought, I don't get your point.

dman, please, please explain what your talking about!

Nigel, agreed but we'll take any improvement we can get! Glad you brought that up.

Atom, your right you guys are much better than we are! Your ladies champion just proved that by beating everyone in the USA but two of our best men, Cody and Geoff! That sort of puts US riding standards into perspective don't you think? To really answer the question of this tred, somebody should ask Don Sweet! He's well respected, is liked by everyone, still rides today and used to compete with me. Hey, good video by the way dab, thanks!

Glen, I stopped riding for nearly 20 years so I've got a big blank in my trials timeline. I have seen Bernie hop a little back in 79 without stopping! So I give credit to him, I even have it on VHS tape. My guess is when they changed the rules from the Scottish rules or classic rules as I like to call them to stop and hop without penality. Maybe someone else can fill you in on that detail? I don't remember the exact name of the Bernie trials book but it is available at Whitehorse press. I think it's really a better book than mine.

Tim, your the man! SirHC you are no slouch either. To be honest, I was an OK rider who never really lived up to his full potentual. I had some natural talent, some great luck of being in the right place at the right time to get amazing support from Sr. Bulto and Bultaco America. What I lacked was an mentor! Being a big fish in a small pond, I had to figure out how to ride for myself. I had nobody to teach me! So I practiced endlessly and spent long hours in the study of techniques and training. Some good some not so good, so I tended practice my bad habits a lot, which a mentor would have stopped. I was lucky enough to be the first rider to ever travel accross the USA and then into Europe to ride trials. Over there, I saw and learned a ton but hated the lifestyle of being alone living in Europe without my own automobile and by myself. So I got really homesick, which effected my overseas performance. Because I had no mentor, it did allow me to put together the book! Simply Len Weed took my ideas and discoveries and put them into print. If I had a mentor, I believe that I'd never have been forced to think though the process which created the book. So in retrospect having to figure out the techniques by myself did lead to the concepts going into print revealing the principles of championship riding for the first time to the general public. I was also blessed to have some really talented riders around to push me! Look at the list of talent that we rode with on that other tred. Plus most of those top 13 were paid to ride. Bernie and Marland both collected a salery to ride trials while they were still in high school. The depth of the talent we rode against was simply amazing, Comer, Sweet, Egger, Gugalamelli, Darrow, Hopkins, Stites, Delaney, Griffits, Belair and on and on. If you screwed up, you found yourself WAY down the results at a local trial or national. What I'm most proud of was how we gave the Europeans a run for their money when they came over for a world round. Coming to the USA was no cherry pick for the world's best in those days. In retrospcet I never regret riding trials! It tought me what I needed to know to be a success with the rest of my life. I also met my wife riding trials, the best thing that ever happened to me. Where is the sport going? Heck I don't know! Will we see another American world champ? Can't answer that question either but I do know what it takes, because I saw it done once before. How good do I ride today? I suck!

Doc, I would have beaten the 8 year old on time, The fastest rider wins! As for being satified with the ride you have, you miss the point! You simply do your very best, push yourself beyond where you are and set some goals to try to attain, which makes you better. Doc, I did my best, gave it my all and I'm satified with that. What's important is that a rider follows the 3 rules of championship trials, which I did to the Tee. I had fun, scored championshp points and learned a bunch. So in my book, that's a winner. What did I learn? A lot, number one being that our current national Pro sections need to be more techincal to push our riders in that area. They are good at gaps and splaters but they are weak in the technical stuff. I also forgot how much pressure was put on these guys during the event. Doc,lastly, it dosn't matter what anybody else thinks or does, you must satify yourself! I was very satisfied with riding the national and finishing 8th in the points.

Ron, I know you guys are having a tough go! If you guys sold more bikes because the sport was more popular, bet you would be able to do more! At Bultaco back in the 70s our sales numbers were around 1200 sherpa T's per year. How many bikes do you move today per year?

Terry, you have missed the point! Any proposal I've presented to the NATC or here has no effect on the sportsmen nationals. It only deals with the top men and women riders in the USA. The only proposal I've made effecting sportsmen riders is the overhaul of the youth nationals by reducing the number of classes. We could still retain the age winners with a best performance concept like they use at the Scottish Six Days. So your point is mute, I promised the NATC chairman and I promise you that my US national overhaul ONLY provides a path for better performance for our top riders. The sportsmen nationals would remain exactly the same as they are now.

Craig is right! Because the sponsorship pie has been sliced 17 differnt ways at the US championship. Our best riders are not able to perform in center stage anymore, they are reduced to being a sideshow act to keep riding.

Brian, I believe that anyone wanting to be the best they can be should be able to contest the pro class, period! Provided they can do it safely. It's very humbling, yet it opens your eyes to what is being done by our best and will make you a better rider faster than anything else. Riding with the best forces you to accept their high standards, not some lower standard of excellence. You either sink or swim! It also forces you to understand your limitations and punch through what you can't do, where to take a planned one, two, three or five. Here's why that's important, if you don't finish, you can't be in the results! A DNF earns NO POINTS. Also consider that a three is almost 50% lower of a score than a five, so knowing how to plan a three is actually a vital winning skill. Seeing and riding with the very best also makes you aware what you need to work on and practice at. I believe Beta Ron made that obseervation here after riding with Wiggy and was all excited about what they had learned. You simply can't move foreward unless your being pushed by the best. Another example, Smage moving up to Pro and finishing down the leaderboard insted of staying back and winning Expert against Peters, will improve his riding much faster than being Expert #1. Yet the ego and sponsorship is served better by staying down a notch. That's in my opinion why the current NATC program is so destructive to US riding levels, it in realaity rewards cherry picking and penalizes anyone desiring to excel which is a bad principle. Taking it to the next level, I believe that our best Pros need to compete in the A class at the TDN and ride the US and as many other world rounds as possible. Will it be over their heads? Sure, but again nothing will improve thier riding faster than seeing the best ride, then attempting their lines for Themselves. If you remember it was pointed out here that Cody Webb won his first national because he was riding with the Europeans not the Americans. He was riding their lines NOT the the horrible lines that the US Pro riders attempted. Look at how that tactic payed off for him with a big 20 US championship points. The principles of raising your riding standards are not difficult to understand or put into practice. We applyed them in the 1970s to great effect and our riders ended up with amazing results in world championship competition. Picture this! The year of 1976 which I featured above 60% of the top ten finishes that year at the US world round was USA riders! That was 6 out of the 10 best rides were from the USA, we even had two riders on the podium and none of these top ten riders were Bernie. He got better later after having the oppertunity to hang. around the Europeans, which changed his whole life. Otherwise he would have remained a back of the US pack rider. That's why I believe we need to expand the US pro class and push that class into world competition. We must be honest however, in the 70s a rider was required to be a local expert to contest the nationals. Today we see intermediate riders at the NATC events. We must provide a standardized set of classes and standards defining what an advanced rider is, otherwise the standards of the US championship get lower and lower and lower.

Clive, take a look back! I did congradulate Cody! You loser! Can't even beat an old guy " Curt Comer" on an old bike. What kind of a hot shot are you. Pick on somebody your own age.

Doc Aw- Ha, your wrong! First that 8 year old would have to be Advanced rider like smart@ss Alan. Then Doc your right, if you don't enter you can't figure into the results. FIVE US riders in the champ/Pro class today, what a joke compared to over 100 in 1975. Take a look at the climb of riders like Curt Comer from 1975 to 76 or Jack Stites! They really moved up the ranks, With the current NATC class structure riders like those two would never had the rapid rise they did. They would be hindered back in the high school or sportsmen classes never building the confidence to improve. My point has always been getting the pro class bigger again, causing more pressure on the top guys. Plus more oppertunity to move up rapidly like Stites and Comer were able to do. Which can't be done today! Hey, that Comer guy is the same guy that spanked Clive isn't it? Besides Doc, I know for a fact that an 8 year old could not have ridden up as far on the toughest section of the trial as I did. I know, I've helped train the Califorina Youth trials team win 3 consecutive US national championship team titles. You would need to be at least 9 years old to go as far as I did.

That's the sprit Isherwood, You shameless moneybags profiteer. ax, no the book sold out years ago, you can still buy the great Bernie book though. Also take a look at the Ryan Young video, it's really good. I'd like to see Ryan do an expanded version of his video, taking more time with the basics and the advanced stuff. One tip for sure, if you ever get the chance to do the James Lampkin school, DO IT! It's amazing.

Well Clive, you simply don't know what your talking about! Hey and you still got spanked by an old 70s rider, hot shot. Better start practicing bud!

In my 1976 US national program for round 9, the retail price for a pair of Renthal bars was $15.95 in one add.

It's obscene to have old men works riders, while our US champion and the rest of the US Pro class gets beat or almost beat by the ladies champion.

Clive, how many time do I have to tell you I did attempt some sections at the nationals and pulled a full 10 hour work shift the night between the trials. Along with a huge comute! You p*** me off when you call me a liar Clive, you were not riding with me, how dare you claim I didn't attempt any sections. You're the liar! If my entries had not been banned after being accepted for the east coast nationls. I would have attempted a bunch more back east, Only that time I would have been fresh. I didn't attempt more in SoCal because of the tight time scedule to get to work that night. Besides it was hot as he11 and I was really tired the 2nd day from working all night. It's amazing a 40 year old guy gets sponsorship to the US nationals and an old guy from the 70s beats him "Curt Comer" still today. Now let's have peace again Clive! Just quit calling me a liar!

What can be changed? The power stucture refuses to change anything! We can search for the truth and have some fun doing it here on the boards. Hey, Alans search for what is an advanced rider has been birthed by the conversations of this website. In the past everyone was waiting 30 years for the NATC to do something. The realality that the NATC will never move, budge or get involved in the betterment of the sport, that has also been discovered in conversations here. So we have made huge progress. Simply we have discovered we must go around the NATC! Alan, you have stated clearly you simply want to have a good time. I've also challenged you to lead, follow or get out of the way. You refuse to do any of the three. To answer the questions above , which really cannot be answered, because the powers that be refuse to address any changes to the status quo, But my answers ARE- Willing to do the legwork- Yes! But I have no power to make the change. The change first to , 5 classes at the youth nationals! Each line is a class, which combines the ages into one class that ride on each of the lines. This mixes up the competition a lot more and reduces the numbers of classes. Also Bring the ladies national championship to the 3 days of the youth nationals. 5 classes, one ladies winner for each line. This allows the women to rise to their highest level possible at the NATC men's nationals. Then impliment the proposals that where presented to the NATC last year to revise the Pro, ladies and 125cc national titles. Very little would change for the average local or national rider, only open up more oppertunities for those who want more than a family good time like Smart@aa Alan who stands in the way of most progressive ideas. Alan's a spoilsport and is part of the problem and not part of the solution to why we got spanked so badly at the US world round this year. His argument is hey, somebody will demand a 200cc class if we allow a 125cc class. The NATC's argument against the 125cc class is that somebody will cheat! Brilliant arguments against a 125cc national title and coming into standardization, with the rest of the world. Smart@ss Alan and the NATC clearly stand in the way of more Americans competing with the rest of the world again at the world championship.

What's differnt now is the 17+ classes the NATC runs, back in 76 which I just shared the results for, there was 2 classes. When each top two or three riders in all 17 classes get support from the importer, it all adds up. We end up with a socialist type sponsorship system, everyone shares in the poverty. We no longer see full factory sponsorships like we did in the 1970s for the top ten Pro riders! It's amazing that a 40 year old guy like Clive gets any sponsorship at all, what other nation in the world has 40 year old works riders? Let alone dozens and dozens of them!

Another Smart@ss comback Alan? So here's another one back at you! YA READY? I know you do more for the sport than I ever did, I'm not arguing that! I know you ride better than I ever did, I'm not arguing that, so there is no reason for you to have to measure up to anyone. You're already an established advanced rider but not everyone is! I'm simply providing a solid solution to the pitiful class problem caused by the NATC lack of taking care of business. I'm giving you a solid solution Alan by your own riding standards, you have stated over and over again I have no business riding nationals because I'm an intermediate rider. So by your own smart@ss standards anyone who can't outride me has no business at the nationals. I'm simply adopting the Alan standard and agreeing with you. Why are you so HOT now that we agree? Because you're a smart@ss when a discussion dosn't go your way! I've got in my greasy work stained hands a program from round 9 of the 1976 US championship. It has the top 100 for the US Pro class that year, topped by Marland Whaley number ONE, all the way down to number 100 which is Bill Bartley of Kansas. Just for fun, National Number 10 is Bernie Schreiber, number 11 Martin Belair, number 16 is Curt Comer Jr, number 23 Eddie Kessler, number 24 Dale Malesek, number 27 Jerry Young, Number 28 Wiltz Wagner, number 39 Bill Bergner, number, 42 Jeff Fish, Number 45 Tom Batchler number 47 Tim Seeley, number 51 Carl Peters, number 58 Gary LaPlante, number 61 Mike McCabe, number 71 Jack Stites, number 81 Greg Lerech, number 88 Bill Mathewson That's a peek at the top 100 ranked riders of the United States trials championship of 1975! Hey, I would have finished 7th last year 2006 at the US championship at 55 years old, not bad hey, for a guy who couldn't win in 1975 or 76! It clearly states in the program that riders MUST be experts to compete. The top 13 going into that final round was- 1- Marland Whaley Factory Honda 2- Don Sweet Factory Yamaha 3-Lane Leavitt Factory Bultaco 4-Mark Eggar Factory Honda 5-J. Guglielmelli Factory Honda 6-B. Schreiber Factory Bultaco 7-Bob Hopkins Factory Yamaha 8-T. Cheney Importer backed Bultaco 9-Tim Carr 10-Jack Stites 11-Curt Comer 12-Gary LaPlante Factory Kawasaki 13-Steve Darrow Factory Yamaha Why if in 1976 you clearly were required to be an Expert to ride the US championship that today we see Intermediate riders contesting the US national championship? This whole problem has been caused by the NATC, they have allowed lower class clubmen into the nationals championship series yet they refuse to provide ANY clear qualifications or standards for the entry. Part of the reason US riding levels have dropped so badly is because of this NATC decision to allow riders other than experts to compete. Today we have only a handful of riders with a National Pro number. In 1976 we had at least 100 experts contesting the US championship and recieving a national championship ranking! See how badly things have gone wrong?