PERSPECTIVES THE ELSINORE EFFECT

BY MITCH BOEHM

Iwas 10-going-on-11 and riding a red Honda SL70 when the Elsinore 250 hit the garages and racetracks of America in early 1973, so it wasn’t an in-the-flesh part of my early two-wheeled life.

But when my dad and I visited a local motocross in late 1973 to see what the fuss I’d been reading about in Dirt Bike and Popular Cycling magazines was all about, I came face to face with sights and sounds I will literally never forget.

We were standing a ways behind the starting area watching the bikes ripping around the track…the sounds of all those 2-strokes, the dirt flying, the colorful jerseys and leathers, the whole scene all so On Any Sunday-like. I could barely speak.

Then it happened. A shiny 250 Elsinore rolled up 30 or 40 feet away and got into position to do a practice start. He got settled on the freshly watered Ohio dirt, got the revs up, shoved his elbows out to each side, and launched toward the first turn — “Brrrraaaaaaaa!” — where he joined the other riders during the practice session.

The sounds that thing made and the massive chunks of dirt that were catapulted 20 feet into the air were way more than mesmerizing, and I remember thinking it was the baddest-ass thing I’d ever seen. Looking back, it’s absolutely the experience that turned me from rider into racer the following year. (Thanks for that, Soichiro!)

Elsinores didn’t figure into my moto experiences again until 2007, when moto-cinematographer Todd Huffman and AHRMA’s Alex Moroz hosted a handful of motocross legends at our AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days event at Mid-Ohio. I was roadracing a GPz550 with the Team MOMBA folks that weekend, but Huffman and Moroz had arranged for me to be part of that Legends race, and since my good buddy Billy Orazio had offered to let me ride his 250 Elsinore, I grabbed my moto gear and golf-carted over to the motocross track 15 minutes before the first moto to have a look-see.

I hadn’t been over there all weekend and didn’t have the slightest idea where the track went, but I jumped on that Elsinore and lined up next to all the guys I’d been reading about since those days sneaking copies of Motocross Action and Modern Cycle into class: Brad Lackey, Marty Smith, Jimmy Weinert, Gary Jones, Gary Semics, Ricky Johnson, Tommy Croft and more. Talk about surreal!

I ended up between HOFers David Aldana and Donnie Hansen, got a crappy start (probably because I was so freaked out by the whole thing), and had to figure out where the track went by following others. But it was a blast, even if I did end up toward the back of the pack dicing with then-73year-old Jeff Smith, who was moving along at a very brisk clip, thank you.

The old General Patton/Vince Lombardi quote “Fatigue makes cowards of us all” was never more apropos than at VMD 2007, where Bill Orazio’s Elsie (that’s Bill holding the bike) reminded me how tough motocross is — especially with just five inches of suspension travel.

He wasn’t a two-time 500cc World Champ and ISDT gold medalist for nothing.

In fact, chasing legendary Mr. Smith wore me out. Totally. I handed the bike to Orazio at the end of the moto and could barely walk. I don’t think I have ever been more exhausted after riding a motorcycle in my life, but I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything.

AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this year (July 21-23) is going to rock, as it always does. And we’ve got a lot planned, not least of which are anniversary celebrations of Honda’s Elsinore (50 years) and Interceptor (40 years) in the AMA’s infield HOF area.

I don’t think I’ll be racing a CR250 at VMD this year, but my son Alex just might. And since he’s 26 he might not get pummeled to near-death by the thing, as I did back in 2007. The torch is passed, and it’ll be interesting to watch.