Dome Sweet Dome
Thunder Bay, ON rider Shane Drew was one of the
rounded out the podium again on the second night. The other big name American rider, former 125cc National Champion Micky Dymond, didn’t fare quite as well. A solid 4th on Friday was followed up by a not so solid 24th in the Saturday night main event. The rumour was that Stallybrass had thrown quite an entertaining after-party following Friday’s race and a few of the riders enjoyed it a little more than they probably should have, Dymond perhaps being one of them. By all accounts, the first Supercross in the SkyDome was a rousing success. Attendance was great, around 40,000 for each night, and the racing was fantastic. Even though our Canadian hero didn’t win he put on a great show for the fans, who also seemed to really enjoy the efforts of young Damon Bradshaw. So much so in fact that the crowd seemed to be almost evenly split between Pederson and Bradshaw on Saturday night. No surprise really as Bradshaw was always a fan favourite throughout his career no matter where he went. Supercross in Toronto went on for several more years following the original SkyDome race in ‘89. Long time sponsor Molson dropped out after the ‘89 event, however, and by the mid-‘90s attendance had started to drop off as well. The last race of this kind took place in 1996 and was won by none other than rookie pro rider Blair Morgan, who of course went on to have a very successful career in both motocross and snocross in Canada and the U.S. Following the ‘96 race only Montreal remained as a Canadian Supercross destination. That is of course until the Monster Energy AMA Supercross series made the big international move into Toronto in 2004. Since the AMA series and the true superstars of the sport
Canad ian riders who loved racing Supercross in 1989.
came to town in 2004, Supercross has experienced a real resurgence in Toronto. The crowds, while not huge in the first couple of years, have grown in size and now virtually fill the upper levels of the massive old stadium every year. They come out in droves to see the stars of the sport compete at the highest level. It really is an experience. I guess it’s great for the sport but I for one kind of miss the old days when it wasn’t quite so slick, or quite as professional. Back then there were plenty of Canadians to cheer for and a couple who even had a chance of winning, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Marshall Plumb agrees. “I really miss those old races,” states Plumb, who now works for Dunlop Tires on the weekends and runs his own race shop out of Stillwater, Oklahoma during the week. Marshall hasn’t missed a U.S. Supercross race since 1984, so he knows what he’s talking about. Even though he’s lived in the States for many years now he’s still a Canadian at heart. “When we come to Toronto,” remarks Plumb, “it just breaks my heart that there are no Canadians lined up to race. It’s really sad. I really wish there were a few that would give it a shot.” Such was not the case back in the ‘80s and ‘90s when there were plenty of local pros more than willing to mix it up and give Supercross a try. In fact, they looked forward to it all year. The same guys that you saw, and maybe even hung out with at the local races on the weekends, were out there banging bars and going for it on the biggest stage. For me that’s what made the whole thing so much fun, and really, such a great event. It was 1989. The year the Toronto Supercross moved indoors. Another great memory in the history of Canadian motocross.
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