| April 16, 2023
Cycle News Archives
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The Day Lackey Became World Champion
By Zapata Espinoza
On April 1, 2023, at the 78th running of the Trailblazers Motorcycle Club annual banquet, 1982 500cc World Motocross Champion Brad Lackey was awarded the coveted Dick Hammer Award in acknowledgement of the Northern Californian’s decade-long quest to become America’s first World Champion. Just before the show began, we sat down with “Bad Brad” to get some background on the race-day history that cemented his name in the record books.
Brad Looks Back
“Actually, I never really gave much thought about who would be the first [Motocross World Champion]. I knew [Danny LaPorte] was doing well, but at the same time I was never aware of where he was in the points. I was really in tune with getting my job done, and it wasn’t until after I’d won the title that I thought about what he was accomplishing; I can’t emphasize enough how focused I was on my racing and doing it myself. I was 29 years old, and this was my second year of a two-year contract with Suzuki. Basically, I knew this was probably going to be my last chance at it!
“Going into the third-to-last round in Canada I had decent points lead over my teammate Andre Vromans [of Belgium]. I’d won the first moto but broke a shock in the second moto, and he won so I lost 15 points, and he gained 15 points. Going into the final two rounds in Belgium and Luxembourg, my main goal was to ride well, but more importantly, not get killed by the spectators!
“And it wasn’t like that was just some baseless fear. In the first moto in Belgium, Graham Noyce [of Great Britain] was leading, and someone hit him with a stick and broke his hand. Yeah, there’s a lot of stuff that goes on over there that you never hear about! The thing about racing in Europe is that they can cheat and then make up some stupid rule to cover themselves.”
Into the Final
“When we rolled into Luxembourg my points lead had been reduced to about a five-point gap [over Vromans]. All season long, I had maintained a chart of the lap times of the guys I was racing against at each race and when they would fade. After practice I knew I was faster, but again, I just had to figure out a way not to get killed by the locals. Our only shot was to let Vromans lead the race by up to 25 seconds and I would stay back so no one would feel the need to screw with me.
“The key to the strategy was to wait until there were five laps to go, and then I would put the hammer down and charge. I knew I would need to make up five seconds a lap and that’s what my pit board was telling me. About halfway through the last lap he had no clue I was coming, and I passed to get the points I really needed.
“Before the second moto I asked what the plan was and my trainer Dean Miller and mechanic Steve Stasiefski and Stig Petersen [suspension technician] said we didn’t have one. I was like, ‘What?! We don’t have a plan!?’ As it turned out, I didn’t really need one as my first-moto charge seemed to have impressed the crowd so much that I switched 60,000 locals to my side! Vromans got the holeshot, but before it became serious, he slid out and that was pretty much it. I rode in either second or third, and I think it was Hakan Carlquist who won both motos.”
Lackey finished out the season with 228 points, Vromans 217.
A Decade in the Making
As many motocross historians well know, Lackey was standout among his American peers for his insistence on pursuing his career on the Grand Prix circuit in Europe.
“I had a good sponsor at the time who put me on some CZs, and I had the chance to go over to Europe in ’71. But that wasn’t what got me thinking about racing over there. It was actually when I had watched the Europeans racing in America and how they were so different. And really, I just thought if they could do it, so could I. So, my earliest plan was to head to Europe, win a title and have the best party ever!”
Of course, of the many technical advancements that did help change the face of the sport, key among them were the Steve Simon’s -designed upside-down forks that graced the front of Brad’s bike and almost lost him his ride for using.
“Yeah,” Brad recalls, “Suzuki was not happy about my using non-production forks. In fact, they had kicked Steve out of the pits and tried to fire me! Although Vromans and I were teammates, Suzuki wanted him to win riding a factory bike and not a Lackey Suzuki. I actually rode out of my own separate truck. When they threatened me about using the fork, I reminded the team guys that we were on the verge of beating team Honda for the first time in years and if they would rather have me win the title with the Simon’s fork or lose—and they said they would rather lose! But for me, I didn’t have any more time for losing in my career, so they stayed on.”
“Looking back, I really think I squeaked it out during the golden age of the sport before everything changed so much. Just thinking back to all the R&D that was going on trying to make those janky bikes competitive, right now I don’t think it would be half as much fun or exciting.”
“All season long, I had maintained a chart of the lap times of the guys I was racing against at each race and when they would fade.”
When asked if after a decade of racing in Europe he eventually did throw himself a big party, Brad replied in the affirmative. “You bet I did! It was held at the Concorde Pavillion, and I even invited Danny LaPorte. My sponsor at the time was St. Pernod, so they supplied all the booze and I hired the band Poco who had a number-one hit at the time to play for $12,500. Overall, the party cost me $30,000 and yes, it was all worth it!”
The Award
“Receiving the Dick Hammer award from the Trailblazers Motorcycle Club means a lot to me because those guys are really a SoCal club with an emphasis on flat-track racing. I know the Dick Hammer Award is huge for them and the fact that it represents a rider’s effort versus just championship wins makes me especially proud. For them to reach out to me is a big deal and I’m hopeful that my award will bring with it a deeper look into the sport of motocross.”
As the room at the Carson Center erupted into cheers when Brad climbed the stage to accept his award, it was clear that another well-deserved party was about to begin!
Right After
Not long after stepping off the plane in San Francisco, having just won the 500cc MX World Championship, Cycle News Editor Dale Brown chatted with Lackey about winning the title while it was still fresh. Here are a few excerpts from that interview.
How do you feel?
I don’t know. It hasn’t sunk in yet. We left the race and flew home, not getting any sleep. We had a little party when we got here, so we’re a little zombied out. It feels like I did what I set out to do. I just feel satisfied. That’s the best word.
Luxembourg, if we remember correctly, was the site of your first GP moto win? Did that give you any extra confidence going in?
For me, Luxembourg has been a very emotional place. It was where I won my first GP moto in ’75. But then in 1978, I was still in the hunt with Heikki Mikkola when I got knocked off at the start there and had to go to the hospital; the only time in my life that I had to do that.
Then in 1980 I had the championship stolen from me there in a first-turn incident. Now, in ’82, I win it all there. I’ve had the good and the bad there, so it’s a funny place for me. I like the track and I’m very comfortable there, but I never know what to expect.
From what we’ve heard the reaction in Europe was not a particularly pleasant one. It was reported that you had to stay behind Vromans in the race to avoid being hit by flying bottles and rocks from the crowd. Is that true?
It’s a situation where if you look for trouble, you’re definitely going to find it. If I’m leading him throughout the entire race, that’s going to give those spectators a lot more reason to do what they’ve done in the past. With him being in front of me all the way, they’re happy. That’s what they want to see, so they’re going to leave me alone and watch him and the race. Then, on the last lap or last half a lap, you make a surprise move, pass him, and surprise the spectators at the same time. Then they don’t have any time for any reactions or to do anything that could cost me one point. And with the point spread the way it was, we couldn’t afford to give away even one point: We were going to do the smartest, safest thing we could.
It certainly paid off. When did you know you were World Champion? As you took the checkered flag in the second moto?
It wasn’t before that. Like I said, with that place and the length of time, many things can happen that could drop you before you get a victory. I wasn’t going to be totally sure until that bike crossed the checkered flag in the second moto.
In the second moto, I was just riding around, and I knew if everything went good with the bike and nothing breaks, that I was World Champion. But I knew it wasn’t over yet. I was still nervous and waiting and waiting until I crossed the line and that was it. The people went nuts, too. It was great.CN