Larry Ward

[Music] I see you've been chasing your monsters and they've been driving you bonkers just blaming the bucket launches of lights up low what they conscious if you really want to chuck suppose and take a darker color with the blusher rose and then you put it in you can watch you go your mind is always open when your eyes are closed because you're trying to color but your mana then you nourish it a little bit agree [Music] I live in the clouds never it is June 10th 2020 the year that just will not go away but despite the shenanigans that are going on we are here at the Stone Wood Ranch in Winnie wood Oklahoma we did a remote show to find Big Bird Larry Ward he's here with us today one of the most underrated guys in our sport with one of the most successful careers we're gonna get into that stoked to have and welcome to the show bud thank you very much thanks thanks for having us out here yeah no problem there's no way I was going to California with the world is the way it is right now so I was actually pretty honored and humbled that y'all were willing and wanted to come here so thank you oh yeah man like we we you've been on our list you know from the very beginning and pink pink was talked about this for about a year I think I think early on last year like we got to get Big Bird we're gonna find him we got to figure it out we're gonna find him there's a few guys that just disappeared into the woods poof like you Barnett that guy won't do anything yogi so you know what track what one of them came from the woods yeah yeah I think that to the woods well anyway thanks for being on the show stoked to have you with us as always our my co-host grant langston multi time national champion and a better shot than you are drinker of clear vodkas clear alcohols you are a better shot than me and it's pissing me off a little bit well the best part is I went from the worst of the three and I think I was okay in the end you're better with less know you're better with the pistol we'll get into it pink you got like you had a early on you had a few like good successes there too soon you peaked you soon I did you like a podium the first three rounds and just got a little rough there I was just an innocent bystander but don't quit you're a hopeful bystander at times you're like oh you got it so Larry took us out shooting we're so the Stonewood ranch well I mean it's it's a hunting lodge well how do you describe is that what it is well there's definitely hunting here the thing I focus on the most what works the best for us that we accommodate I think the best is corporate retreats okay you know 14 15 guys can come in here you get to do a whole bunch of great outdoor activities shooting of of all sorts you guys today experienced shotguns pistols and rifles really really good food exceptional accommodations places yeah food dude so that's the thing it's no [ __ ] like I know don't don't think he's selling you because I looked online oh my god this place looks pretty dope like this will be fun when you pull up into this place you're like oh [ __ ] he was walking the front door it's like what is it it's like four stories I mean it's amazing this place I had to have GL hoist me up into my bed it's this massive king-sized I mean it's as tall as I am dude I got up in the middle of night for a piss and I was rolling my echo because I thought the ground was a lock put down was a [ __ ] and to me that's really weird because I gave them separate rooms but they're in the same anyway the food we're saving money the chef here has been just every meal we've had I mean steak and twice baked potatoes and dessert and oh man the food's insane it's been great so this place is incredible and we did learn today and none of us are well Tony's actually pretty good he shoots quite a bit but if you want to kill me or GL you got a real good chance I sucked when I hit you I sucked on the shotgun you did suck in the shock yeah I was I sucked on the shotgun yeah after Big Bird gave me some tips I started getting a guy I went miss miss miss miss miss then how about the four in a row from dizzy I think I think State of Mind you go oh good shot hey at least opened one eye that helped you all that helps a lot he's lined up with his right eye looking through the scope with his left he was cross that for a while I left he and I got a bad left eye so I was I was I was butchering it big time and I like would be shot if he missed he would like [ __ ] and it looked like he want to throw the gun down for a second I get angry yeah you do she always did you were the cross eyed assassin that you got good I was thoroughly enjoyed that was cool I was a little better on the pistol than then that yeah so so we went to a pistol Bay they got a bunch of targets we did not do well and then we went over to a rifle range where they got up to 500 yards right and there's cutouts of animals and things and we both we all hit we all hit the bear from 500 yards out yeah that's that was cool yeah it's just all the different Tigers that was a lot of fun yeah you guys it you guys did great no one that was [ __ ] you know after the first 15 minutes I wasn't even scared anymore I'm the tree now you guys did good so it was fun for me because obviously you know you're both really good at what you did and what you do and you're both very proud and competitive and watching you miss and then being able to help you a little bit it it's fun and it's I'm not gonna sit here and preach guns guns guns but you saw today that they can be safe and fun and what we weren't mass killing people we were having fun a little competition from the competition made us all closer I think that'll make the show better because we got to know each other a little bit better yeah totally and the thing that's neat is you know like I don't know a whole lot about handguns I want to get one I want to get a shotgun so I've shot some skeet before but I was asking you like hey man help me help me you know it's like if I was gonna learn to ride I need someone to show me how to do it right you know and and that's why you were great today like just helping me know how to hold the damn thing out of stand you know well I would have lost my thumb if you hadn't if we changed my grip yeah when it kicks back I don't need that did that and the bullet getting the bullet the right action that helped to yeah mate but at least a house we came a long ways so but they were great they came here not knowing what to expect we spent most of the day having fun I thanked everybody laughed and had a blast the whole day so it was fun we didn't want to get to the show we want to stay out there where we're starting two hours later yeah and we stayed until 2:00 in the morning bullshitting last night so I didn't help us either late start but it was a lot of worth it totally well we'll talk more about this place here later on I want you to kind of walk us through pricing and just and how people would would go about it and and all that but I want to get to your show first let's get cracking on that first of all got to Thank You Alma ha they are the title sponsor this show and they have been the best partner these guys make amazing products their support for us has been awesome and so man if you're looking at a new bike or a generator or a street bike or a quad go check out my stuff out there they're unrivaled quality and they're doing a lot to support this sport and certainly this show so check those guys out power dot get over there check them out whiskey throttle that code at checkout gets you 20% off method race wheels they bring you our front end chatter segment today again 20% off using their code and Troy Lee designs they're bringing you our time out today and I want to make a big thanks to Ajax motorsports right here in Oklahoma City that is a big TLD dealer so if you guys are in the area looking for some new TLD stuff get over there to Ajax motorsports and check those guys out they've got a full line of all the new TLD stuff so an awesome dealer in the area here if you're in this Oklahoma City area skd a bringing you our get Atma Q&A today our whiskey throttle show graphics 20% off using our code get over and check those out adidas don't be a dick to your feet I was in adidas all day my feet are nice I'm letting breathe right now I don't worry about the humidity got to us a little bit yeah yeah that thing intensity of the guns how's that it's not too hot I shot one round I was just pouring sweat I'm like I'm overdoing this I don't think we should be working that hard just going I know we were all yea pretty sweaty pro-circuit Thank You those guys get over there and check them out 10% off anything using our code and they also have smoking deals man I'm telling you following me on Instagram because they blow out some of their old inventory and if you have one of those units men you steal this stuff well they also dialed in that yz250 if that I managed to snake over you through Yamaha thanks for a second Yamaha got a badass bike right now oh and thanks pink yeah you're welcome we worked hard on that I got to write it twice thanks I've written it more than you have I lost two weeks suck it I did Dunlop tires just bringing you the best tires in the sport get over and pick up some Dunlop's MX 53 front 33 rear if you're looking for the combo that's it the Hilo concepts you get a free gift using our code over there if you buy anything so check those guys out fire department coffee that's coffee in the world man 20% off using our code and ten percent of their net proceeds go to firefighter charities so I really appreciate their support I love that company so get in there help them out you're gonna drink coffee anyway man support somebody that supports us seat concepts amazing saddles we just did another KTM 65 project with the seat on there it looks so good amazing stuff from those guys specialized best bicycles in the game period get over and check out their new line of bikes from from e-bikes to downhill the enduro to cross country they got the best stuff in the biz and ojio sport's if you need a bag a hydration pack backpack helmet bag boot bag they got it all and the stuff is blow check those guys out let's jump into our method race was front end chatter they're bringing you the longest lightest strongest fastest wheels for your truck van Sprinter SUV a couple of topics bird throw your two cents in here this guy's from South Africa I'm from Montana neither one of us hunt or fish what the hell happened I don't know I guess are we disgracing our home countries now first of all you moved away when you were right you keep claiming Montana and I keep thinking you're super cool cuz you from Montana but you moved there when you're like 7 or 8 or 10 yeah well and my mom still lives there I can still claim it all right well I don't know what happened because I probably I would end up going back to Montana if I was you but but if you're happy you have a family in California you know we can't help it where we end up I've been in Oklahoma I never dreamed I didn't Oklahoma but I love it here I'm as happy as I can be you're in a place where the best slogan they could come up for their license plate is Oklahoma is ok that's it the best you guys could do I guess that was way before I get out ok yeah well anyway that's the cool thing I like about this place if you want to come hunt and kill something you can but what gli just aren't into it we just like that I'm just not big on killing stuff I don't know it's not in me I enjoyed seeing the Dinos awesome like driving around and just sex button game and all that was cool you got a lot of variety out they didn't realize yeah we've done a bunch of different kinds of events we just corporate retreats oilfield service companies pharmaceutical companies the guys like to come in and be guys shoot stuff blow stuff up and you know hogs are the most popular things shooting the Hogs which even if you don't like to shoot Steph hogs are a major nuisance and a problem in a lot of agricultural areas and they they have to be taken care of and this is just a way for guys to have fun and take care of them also so it's not all about just killing people that harvest deer you know all the meat gets eaten and processed and we do something with it so it's like it's like all conservation you know you have to take care of the animals take care of what I was kind of pleasantly surprised about was to see like how you invest in basically your stock which is which is your deer your animals and all that I mean you know from your MySpace you have a and your own Hospital for them and ways to take care of theirs any diseases or and I thought wow that's pretty cool least they have a great life as we joke until that point but they have a great life here I mean they really do they're not fazed by even the gunshot so I was driving by they're just chilling they got food water shade I mean yeah and and I thought it was cool too so I didn't know this but you were talking about because you kind of keep the better genetic specimens in a certain place you feed them the best food you can you actually have some with you know that you could never find in the wild there's you know it's we didn't invent the wheel we're just and and we're just doing that to offer what people I asked for it like I said this place is only five and a half years old we went through a huge remodel two years ago and we were just looking you know we tried the big game hunting we've tried weddings corporate retreats are that our best fit there's a good way to put it cuz I could totally see it just just you and the boys just because there's so much a dam I mean you got the biggest bar I've ever seen the biggest dining-room table the biggest TV and then that movie theater room like there's just so much even just other stuff to enjoy so yeah what we talked about on the way into what about bachelor parties this is the perfect place man yeah because you're not gonna get in trouble there's no women anywhere around here not that have a full mouth full and but I don't think you should see my wife yeah I did but she says she's not coming around here with a bunch of guys hey you know the toothbrushes that have ended here mmm-hmm anywhere else it's like everyone's the teeth brush yeah yeah that's it this is like a guys paradise man shoot guns I bike three dirt bike tracks over there yeah you got a bunch of pit bags I don't know if you offer those out yeah I mean we can work with anybody yeah I try to make this another thing that I really like is I don't I try not to ever mix groups so if you and Tim buddies come here we locked the front gate and it's your place for the weekend or and you can do whatever you want it's kind of like Vegas no one else needs to know nothing anything crazy goes on but you know guns right now are a confrontational issue and if at your work you know maybe they don't like guns but you want to try it experience it for yourself you can come here and shoot and have fun and get a little bit of education so you can make your own decisions that's how comfortable it is here to in this Lodge is like another level yeah it's super ass and I think moto fans if there's moto fans that want to come the memorabilia you've got like the jersey collection he's got you got every helmet you ever had pretty much right I mean missing a couple pins some stolen in Europe I think there's one at Oakley you know I gave one to a good friend Fred right in Washington State last year so there's some that aren't missing but I am proud of them and having a Troy Lee rep here is kind of cool that they got to see it because I think there's 20 or 30 Troy Lee helmets down there there's a lot of history even I look yeah there's a lot of concussions is what there's not scratched those helmets weren't great back for a lot of those years off there was a period they looked a lot better than they actually were yeah what you ask is I forgot that carbon one was ridiculously light it was not even like a helmet that was like one of the first carbon shell that was when that was just coming out right yeah I remember and I probably shouldn't say this but I remember watching reps take stickers out of legit helmets and put a sticker in that thing because it totally wasn't this was your Honda of Troy days yeah I need 696 in accident what Bramlett was he in believe you or sent us a solid yeah what was the helmet and that's a good question we'll post a bunch of those if you've following our whiskey throwing show Instagram page we we got a bunch of pictures so there's also pictures of the shop and all the helmets on the at the stone wood or at the word ranch on our extra gram as well yeah well we'll send people over there at the end to and we're gonna post a bunch of stuff on our Instagram they'll tag them so that's basically Larry's account so if you want to follow Larry Ward it's at Stone Wood Ranch and you'll get what like a three to one ranch photos - Larry Ward photos that were there's a lot more ranch only honestly I mean I'll be totally honest I've been gone from racing for 17 years I think and I am so thankful for racing it's I still benefit in my life today from racing I mean look at this right here is because of racing however I mean there's only a handful of guys that made enough money to live the rest of life comfortably without having another career yeah and I searched like a lot of guys I searched for what was next for me I wish there would have been some sort of plan so that I knew exactly what was next after racing but it took me a while and luckily and a lot because my motorcycle career is how I ended up here I wasn't qualified for this position and I've put this all together just because from racing you know I have I'm very dedicated I never give up I want to be successful I want this place to be perfect I'm pretty anal if you look around like even you leave a chair out I scoot it back in that's my my wife says I have a problem with that there's medication for that but I'm proud of it and I'm very comfortable here I'm happy have a beautiful wife beautiful daughter I can go fish in an afternoon I really enjoy as much as I love to hunt I love raising and taking care of the animals just as much so it's I just motorcycle racing is made me happy and I've never I mean we all have stress money relationships this or that but because of racing I think I've had a very blessed life and I'm very thankful if I always say if I could go back and do my life over and try to do it better would you take a chance and try to pass another yeah or are you comfortable where you're at and I'm I'm really I'm really comfortable where I'm at yeah knowing that if you made that difference early on it would kill change I might have been I might have won a championship or I might have won more races but it could go the other way to an injury as you know you you were riddled with injuries anything can happen so to be able to say I have I think I was told at one time the second most main events and history counting everything motocross and Nationals um and and just to have the people I went to Dallas Supercross this year just to say hi and actually try to promote what I tried to do is go to all the factory teams and try to create a picture of what can happen here with the food and the shooting and that and the camaraderie so that mechanics truck drivers team managers riders could all come here at the end of the year and I actually got a lot of positive feedback however the coronavirus probably set that back because everybody schedules are so messed up but you know I'd see plan of the CIC I could not walk 50 yards without running into somebody that I knew or that knew me and it did make me feel really really good that I was remembered because I'm very humble guy yeah I'm thankful I want some races but there's guys who did a lot more than me but it's pretty cool that uh I got to be around for that long and the older I get the more I realized that my longevity was was kind of special on Mike LaRocco is probably the only other one chad reed's amazing right now how long he's going but it's you guys know it's the stress my firt Villopoto talked about when you're that next level above me the elite then the pressure of if you don't win you're embarrassed and people are down on you and I think Ricky I think Ricky kind of went through that to where he saw James coming and he's like oh no what if I get second the pressure to not never got second before you go the pressure to not lose was mold is it way worse than the pressure to to go out and win you know right so so I was I thought I had success early when I was 19 years old and then I struggled for 3 or 4 years until I finally got a little bit matured and got a little bit better equipment and no lean my no lean years Clark Jones helped me a lot get back on the right track and then you know what I put together seven or so more real consistent decent years that I'm happy with you know like I said you always look back on kid done this I wish it than that everyone does I'm having it's human nature but I'm fine I'm happy and it's led to a lot of other stuff in this place is great it's you you seem happy even just when we hang around like we've gotten to know each other a little bit more I think when you're away from the racetrack like your personality and the way it's been pretty funny just sitting back and watching the whole damn dynamic and and with other riders I've seen that where it's different you must feel like you talking them you can tell it they're lost like you you said to Larry you loved being yet like this is you're not just just knowing how much you loved hunting throughout your whole race yeah I remember you tell me whether was the Boone and Crockett scale or I remember was that what it's called yeah yeah is that my wrong yeah that is you talk about that during the racing it right when we were both racing and I'd laugh like this guy man he's so into hunting so funny you know you love it and then so did he to see you now and like you said you you wandered a little bit to find this but like I'm just so stoked this is like dream job I can think of a guy like have this long career really no injuries couple collar bones or some [ __ ] [ __ ] that's all you ever had like you know what I mean like that's awesome dude you made good money you did awesome you're this great career no injuries you know you maybe you wander a little bit to figure it out and then you land here like yeah well I'm lucky I live in the dream man and motocross helped me with this because the owners the folks out of Michigan that did own this place and funded the whole whole thing their son and John himself both really enjoy racing motorcycles and so it definitely helped that sure as I could I could still ride a little bit yeah so it opens doors and we tell this the guys all time we're talking about life after racing in man if you just apply the same principles that got you the success in motocross to whatever else your new passion is find whatever else you're passionate about and apply the same [ __ ] and you'll you'll you'll find success there too you know and yes I loved it well thank you and I was lucky enough to you know I didn't make I wasn't super rich when I retired but I was comfortable so I could find something like this that I wanted to do as a job not I had to do their job which for me there's a big difference there's a big difference because I spend way more time here and way more hours and and way more methodical and think harder and work harder here than I would at a job that I had to be at I do it here because it's it's like even the owner the other day gave me a compliment and called this my baby which made me feel good because you know I think you kind of appreciate those you're vested inos my life is invested in it just like just like our lives are invested in racing the same way okay so next question for the method race close friend and chatter I wanted to set my want to talk about as underrated riders and I think when you have that conversation you've got to be top of the list I mean people people obviously know you your name but like I think if they were to look at your stats like we talked about at breakfast this morning 17 pro years how many years did I say he raced 8087 203 right yeah I think and in all those years you only had three championship runs indoors or out that we're outside the top ten your overall finished that's that's that's wild yeah so and some of those like you said those might have been when you came into the 125 class halfway through the series you know back when motocross was put into 250 and 500 and the one that rode for Suzuki who didn't have a 500 so I'd read 250 nationals and then drop down and run 125 in the last couple now paid not just just to mention that but how many different guys he's ridden with throughout those basically three decades because you started in you started in the eighties and finished in the 2000s yeah so on the first part of the question I had a problem and I wish I could have fixed it I would have been a lot better but I could be one shock spring away from being great or being horrible so I might start a year fourteen twelve thirteen and then make one change and go to two three the next three weekends in a row and be back in you know the top ten so I was there were certain tracks in certain soil that I was really good at and there was other ones that I was really bad at and I always tried to improve on my worst so that I think that has explained some of the you can call it I was very consistent but it was also inconsistent cuz but I mean I had some runs I finished second third fourth and fifth and Supercross Championship which you know you missing one which at the time Jeremy was pretty damn good and was pretty much I mean he was amazing so and based talking about them being underrated I don't feel that way I think you know Racer X and some different avenues and motocross they they I still get to see my name a lot even 20 years later thirty years later I still get to see my name a lot and it makes me feel believe me the older I get the better I feel when I see my name yeah but any time you don't win a championship you're kind of like excluded from this conversation of great racers right and I don't think that's I don't like that's fair there's very few champions you know there's a lot of other racers that are great we were talking about some other underrated guys like maybe I'll be even though he won one championship here he was way better I think then what he showed here he might injured a lot you mentioned Tortelli well Tony had the World titles but when he came over he had the speed but same thing I think he never and then when he was doing pretty good he battled with Ricky I mean he's yeah I mean he went very few he had days when he was with actually and that's that's hard for me to say because Ricky is I mean not especially on a motocross track is I've written with everybody from in the world and he was James maybe had the speed but Ricky and the whole race is unbelievably the whole pack I mean it's unbelievable yeah yeah his numbers ought to but yeah you asked about guys that I got to race with and that's something else I'm very proud of and thankful for is I race with Johnny O'Meara Rick Johnson Jeff Ward chicken Bale won her yet guy Cooper some time to think of some of the older guys but then all through the Jeremy McGrath and the Damon Bradshaw my rookie year was in the top class 1990 was Bradshaw caderousse Kela Rocco Matassa [ __ ] and myself all came in to the big bike class and all I think everybody but I think everybody won races that year which is unheard of five rookies when it went in races that's that's is that right that's a strong class I may be wrong I know Bradshaw of course I think caderousse key maybe day two I think I think most of us won races or if not did shortly thereafter so that was a strong group to race with all those years yeah and then Washougal Oh to want that one the first moto the little smartypants trophy girl reminded me at the podium that James Stewart was 16 and I was 32 I was twice his age but I got to battle with James I've told this story before people heard it but for those that haven't on the on the podium after the first moto they asked they were talking to it about with James Stewart and he said the old man got me I never I mean that's James Stewart now you think he's top five one of the one of the best guys ever in the sport and for him to even mention me it makes me feel good and then another thing on the underrated Jeremy McGrath I don't know if it was on your show or a different show here recently I had a couple people call me and he was asked who he thought the most underwriter racer that he'd ever been around or raced with was and he actually said me and it blew me away it's hard for me to believe that Jeremy grass the best ever and I'm just a humble guy that comes to work every day and made me feel good I actually sent him a text and thanked him and we've kind of kept kept a little bit communication ever since so it's been it's been great it's been really good well I don't think there's any argue in that man just looking at your stats you've got some other records that we'll get into but yeah in the US as far as that goes like even just certain rides you know getting you know multi-year deals of the big money like you you were there but I feel like just kind of flew under the radar just a little bit as far as that goes and what he's seen there with a couple people were talking a little bit earlier they were even like in Europe I think like Yves du Maurier was someone that we said you know won races was always there they're about but you know and now that it's retired people don't bring that up a whole lot or even pit bara you know everyone talks about him as what he's done a KTM but as a racer he was third or second the world championship many many time but he was behind Everts or something like that I would throw Kurt Nicoll in that under underrated guys cuz he never won a title dammit he was second and third you know six times of this sport and this is an cut on the sport it's reality it's really there's a lot of what have you done lately and you can win one weekend and you're eating dinner and getting free stuff and you can get literally a fourth or a fifth the next weekend and it's what's wrong you suck you don't train you don't do this you're not committed and I'm like I got fourth I was still the fourth best guy in the world tonight so I sometimes when you know everybody has little roller coasters when they think it headed really good in other times I suck so I always tell myself and you guys you you're you want to be a good example but if we were professional golfers for 16 years and I was in the top 10 in the world for 16 years being a professional golfer I probably wouldn't be a you know a ranch [ __ ] I call myself the ranch [ __ ] here but I probably wouldn't be Stewart and that support is far less dangerous than this sport well that's true and it back to you golf with far more popular but far more cob that's and therein lies the problem yeah and the on the injury part of it I was always a little smarter and I was always like I said if I was comfortable I would hang it out and go for it and I could be pretty good but you know every year you got changed bikes and changed front forks and change this and change that and I struggle with that at time so the years when I'd stayed one team for more than one year I seemed to have a lot more success you build momentum oh that's awesome that's our method Rachel's friend chatter I want to remind people to get over to whiskey throttle show calm check out our website we've got a bunch of photos of all our guests including Larry that'll go under his podcast you can scroll through those some really cool stuff from his team Green Day's back in the late 70s early 80s the first team Green rider rider right first in green group I don't I don't think that's true but um that was an early team green right but I don't believe I definitely wasn't the fault it was a pretty damn early in that program yeah well cuz when I rode I think I believe my dad brought home a K X 80 and I don't know for 78 but it was it was the first year Kawasaki made the 80 so I remember having the Kawasaki 80 when I was very very young they had one in 1979 I know for a fact that's when I got it yes steal tonight because I had a Y Z 80 before that is still tank yeah yeah yeah it was the first year they there's some great photos he again on our Instagram of you on the ad that had the number plates into the rear fender what do we say that was 81 or 82 I think somewhere 81 82 oh yeah yeah yeah I was like around the Eddy one model you've got one in your shop yeah yeah yeah anyone the one we have is 81 okay I even gave you some pictures with my mom and me on a little 73 mr 50 yeah and the haunt me on my 50 and then at Rio Bravo before Ponca City in 77 I raced in Rio Bravo Houston Texas and there's a picture man an Italia jet so so my mom died got some pretty cool old stuff so you're 50 right and you say just er yeah I just turned 50 and I it's hard for me to believe I don't know where where time goes especially the last 20 years but but I have a five year old little girl that's about turned six and that's it makes me still feel young and yeah my wife's quite a bit younger than me and so I don't feel 50 I hope I don't look 50 but do you look like you just stay in the gym all day the first thing when I saw him like holy [ __ ] you came to the door like he's b-dubs big Big Bird doubled up yeah I was a bit anorexic and a little a little narrow when I raced oh yeah you were saying you're 170 when you were racing yeah I remember towards the end like 178 to 182 but when probably probably out 170 168 was lighter than that on 125 yeah and I was I mean I was six two and I was scanning in and I didn't know anything about nutrition so I'd I weighed when I raced and I was five nine yeah but I didn't know anything about nutrition training everything I did I wondered and it's probably backwards in hindsight of course it's backwards but I wanted to do it myself I wanted to race and win myself I didn't want to win because this trainer told me to eat this or this guy told me to do that I like to ride a motorcycle and I want to try to to myself now later on when I got a little bit smarter and older and and the sporty evolved then I learned some of the stuff you have to do but still I've never had much of an I'm never that hungry I don't have that much left I so is as much as calories as we burn more and training it was hard for me to keep weight on oh yeah and you always you were living in South Carolina for a lot of your career and when I find when it's hot sticky I don't want to eat well that was my that was like choice early early on and in 125 days like one of my first nationals I went to was in Texas and it was super super hot and I was like top five fast enough 20 minutes I was done he overheated and I learned real quick I needed to learn I need to live somewhere that was hot and miserable yeah and South Carolina's hot and miserable and I did get better you know was I the best yet guy in hot condition by far no but I got I did improve through the years and I got better on really really hot days I watched a awesome video I bleed 97 Ken were these him again the second moto and afterwards you can see we both are down about 140 pounds and we were skinny and everybody vapor that day but but but I learned I learned to deal with it yeah living in it makes it way better way easier to deal with a so also on our website I want to just tell you to get over and pick up some merchandise brand new Mike Metzger t-shirt that's out these are our factory tees got a bunch of different colors so whatever bike you ride you can match it up also mad skills motocross 3 coming out soon their beta testing that it's gonna be really cool so check that out should be available here in the next month so and let's get into it man let's go back to the beginning with you Larry like Snohomish Washington I always thought that was a weirdest name when I was a kid but I always remembered it I remember hearing that from when you first started racing it's in a home wishing ttan what was the like up there ha I mean we lived out in the country my dad and mom had 10 acres I just put it around them little em are 50 and a little y'see 80 and did address or something or how yeah my uncle my uncle raced more but my dad dabbled in it he raced a little bit and they thought it was cute because at three years old they could hold me up and I'd take off no training wheels you know just hold me up and when it was time to stop I hey you know I go by him and yell at him and then they'd catch me and it was so cute that a little 3 boy now you'd probably go to jail for letting your three-year-old ride a bike but back then it was cute and when I was six years old my mom and dad took me to a little just a little like gravel pit track in Everett Washington and I I did pretty pretty good I had showed you guys the trophy I got a very first trophy from 1976 and it just you guys know how it goes then 30 years goes by and you've gone through racing but we just started racing once a month and then there was a little flat track ten miles from the house we do on Friday night and then start racing motocross on Saturday and it just just kept getting bigger and bigger and then you know coming from the northwest it is a little bit smaller racing community it's it's a tight it's they have a unbelievable strong but but it's smaller than nationwide but I was lucky enough to be one of the better kids the you know six-year-old seven-year-old kids so we went to Rio Bravo and I think I finished fifth my first ever amateur national what was that amateur national was it it was the in MA it was the in him it was Ponca City but before Ponca City okay that was that Rio Bravo in Houston Texas okay anim Grand National Championship and then of course and you so the first time you it was when you were six that would said yeah it's 19 it was 1976 I don't know what time of year but I was probably six it was probably later in the year yeah so six years and you're pretty young for so you guys were doing amateur nationals pretty early yeah yeah so and then my mom and dad got real involved you know then they became the they ran some of the NMA qualifiers in the northwest and we just started racing more and more they got really involved yeah did you have any brothers sisters yeah I have one sister she's a year younger than I am okay she's still in Washington State she's a vet tech and has three kids ones graduated from college super smart beautiful girl the other ones still in college and the youngest ones in high school great great big tall strong healthy beautiful kids and but they're still Washington State yeah you get up to see that very much not very often no no so I love my sister but I was the golden child and everything was for me and in that so and she loves me I think but I'm not sure I'm just kidding she loves me I think as long as you think that that's all it is well we've had this conversation for the other guy you have a younger sister I've got a little bit the same and I've got an older sister but like man they definitely got it was shafted I mean yeah yeah I agree hey but I got an event this weekend yeah but we got a national yeah my sister wants a horse my dad's like no we're going racing you know like well for me my mom and dad divorced in the fourth grade when I was in the fourth grade they they divorced and my dad was really good about so I went racing with my mom and stepfather after that and my dad was really good about taking care of my sister and supporting her softball and and snow skiing and volleyball and everything that she did so she she had a lot she had a lot of opportunities to she she went to university Washington and she's a smart girl she said she had a good life hmm so your real dad didn't he wasn't really involved with racing too much not not uh he got me started about my first bike but after that that's after fourth grade it was all my mom and then my mom remarried Harry Harry Baals at like Ricky and Ernesto knowing whom Laura Colin and he's been around the sport some he drove a motor home for Kevin Windham a straight truck for larocco and he's been around the industry okay yeah cool it sounds like you're pretty close to your mom she's moving out here and all that yeah yeah my mom is great my mom's never even my stepdad at all Oh Larry's the best Oh Larry can do no wrong she's always been my biggest fan she even you know drugged me to all the Nationals all the amateur races would wash the bikes and all the longer before I'd get home from school on Monday and then it was cool tear the plastic off and Harry would you know change a piston or clutch whatever needed done that week but my eight my mom is the one that was always got me there and always made sure I kept going and then even after I was a pro and you know the first year I went to Japan my mom went with me so she was and she still she worked for Sam gam and victory sports all the like Muddy Creek Tennessee all the big amateur Nationals in the southeast and I think she worked there for 20 years just because she was still waiting for somebody say hey you're Larry woods mom and says she could go on and twist they're here for an hour yeah yeah you want to hear all about him look at these pictures I have a Larry just say exactly exactly so and now it's my daughter because my daughter's a little Larry jr. so now it's all now and she can't stay away from my daughter so yeah they're coming here doesn't and I'm settled here now you know I've been here five and a half years and we've gone through some ups and downs and not not with the owners now but we had a partner in the beginning and there was some stressful times but everything's settled now this place is going really good it's it's got momentum it's almost finished I mean it's turned out fabulous oh yeah my mom's coming will it ever be finished though I feel like sort of projects it never ends yeah that's true but but thankfully Jonathan wonderful Kurt they support it they love it and we definitely the goal is to make money and but for me the more money the ranch makes more money the better I can take care of the staff and everybody in which it's all local people and they're good people and I want you know do the best we can to take care of the people that take care of us yeah so we're so so we talked earlier about some of the guys up in the northwest because from Montana I was popping over and doing these races the Yamaha Gold Cup at Washougal and I raced like told you at a place called mochi Park now in McMinnville Oregon yep that wasn't Brad and there was a place in Idaho called Sand Point no I raced there too but there was a place called the fossil Bowl do you know what I'm talking about it was rad I don't know the fossil Bowl but I remember that sounds like a race coming up for us a bunch of it right do you have a race ed Clark eeeh it was all Clark Clark yeah you know had that big downhill like markers it was one actually in Boise at the Owyhee Club we gotta help this big OMC lee sandy downhill that was suicide downhill or something yeah yeah you know there was great tracks and I just remember butch Smith Rick's Emmitt so butch Smith was a little younger than me yeah he's more my age yep but Ricky cimmyt Lowell Thompson yeah well Thompson was probably the most talented the best III don't know what happened to Lowell I've you know you hear rumors but there was a kid named Stevie oh it's true that was pretty good you know that there was there was quite a few young kids I remember pretty competitive classes on 80s but you know luckily I don't office my mom and Harry having me a little bit of equipment or if I just had talent or what because I was a skinny kid I couldn't make a junior high football team or basketball team I was just a skinny little kid but I could have for some reason I could ride a dirt bike yeah yeah it seems like it came naturally to you a little bit because or maybe you just started riding so young at 3 it was just sort of a natural feeling for you guys but but I had a good time growing up there wash in Washington race and I really missed it I've actually been in contact with Ted Duvall the Duvall engineering lately and I'm gonna do everything in my power to get they have a big race at Washougal every year and I'm gonna do all I can to get up there this year which one is that I should be more educate on that he's gonna kill me but but it's at Washougal and I think it's something a cup something cup okay it's not the dream race the 125 no after the national they had a think lost year was after the Nationals okay around this time so I'd love to get up there you know they want to do a thing a bonfire a thing people can talk and and just hang out and yeah which would be fun be fun that's right but I remember not so much on 80s but when I when I was 15 16 in that turn was riding 125 and turned pro and I remember racing against childhood heroes like Phil Larson and Mikey Larson there was a guy named Jimmy Anderson who I think still has a training facility somewhere down south now but I thought he was the the best and I always rooted for him he was so fast and you talked about McMinnville and mochi Park and when I was 15 years old I want my first Pro and there was there was a Gold Cup Series in Washington State and there'd be 30 pros in both classes like it was stacked and I remember 15 years old I actually beat Jimmy Anderson that he was right on my butt but I beat him and Mikey Larson was third and like I thought I've activated that was almost like when a supercross because that was a little kid and then that and I beat Jimmy a nurse and I thought I was really good now they both both of those guys I got third second mile they both smoked me second moto but but that I remember that part of that track was it was so those the local guys you looked up to was their pro guys at the time that you well idolized I mean who yeah the guys at that time Hannah well I remember mark Barnett yeah one year at Seattle Supercross that he had a Kawasaki with the orange seat that was super cool but but but for me Jeff Ward because of my name you know I was Larry Ward Jeff Ward he was warty I even when I was first truck I ever had had warty on the license plate because was it a mini truck yeah yeah yeah I mean I idolized the guy cuz he was Jeff Ward not you know I want to be like him and then actually I talked to him at Dallas about this is good you look like him I mean you have the same structure riding style yeah we're twins yeah I think he's Danny DeVito he probably went like that but I talked to him about this year that man I said I grew up idolizing you and loving you and you were the best and I want a even had helmet I showed you a helmet painted like yesterday and then in 1990 my first year in the big class he was teammates with chicken who I'm sure people realize chicken and I had some run-ins like almost everybody else did with chicken and but Jeff Ward was his buddy and his teammate and and they were he was teasing huh yeah we ganged up on you and I'm like yeah I didn't like you very much them after I idolized you my whole life but but you know time passes and he's still Jeff Ford he's still one of my biggest heroes so but Ricky Johnson I wasn't like some of the guys that Ricky Johnson was God but Ricky Johnson was unbelievable I got to see us head to race with him as well and I think great me if I'm wrong but doesn't it also seem different when you then line up with someone I feel like that pedestal gets brought down a little bit well I for me it made my first win for me that much better because Ricky Johnson and Jeff Ward and Johnnie O'Mara and in the drama shield bailed Jeff Stanton I mean there was a lot of good guys and my first win so it makes it that much more special that's knowledge but but Ricky Johnson are in his defense that was after he got hurt in 89 so still so it was after his injury so just mentioned a lot of thing was he on the track are you hole shot it that's all I'm asking it so you passed him well yeah but he wasn't the Ricky Johnson he was a one-handed Ricky Johnson but still beat no one had ever Johnson is pretty good so Mike Bell I got to see Mike Bell winning Seattle when I was a little kid you had sure you show me a picture you and Magoo did you like McGillis Oh Magoo no I mean of course everybody smack ooh but he was a northern California guy and he came up to a race in Washington and so I got to see him there and I was a little kid and of course any pro you want to you know I I was a little 6 to 10 year old kid sneaking in the Kingdome to get in the pit area to see these guys like I was a die-hard fan when I was a little kid that's my mom said when I'd fall asleep on the way home from Supercross my hand kept moving you know like like doing the throttle never so much so I mean there was that's me that Jeff Ward was the big one for me wrong machine I always liked his style and his gear was always perfect but and this isn't a crack on him but my parents did use him as an example to you know stay on the straight and narrow don't don't drink and don't do this to brainwash me use using some examples like that too that you can you can't shorten your career but yeah if you get go down the wrong path that's not brainwashing it's pointing out you know what I love Ronnie and I still text him a lot so I don't want to be like I'm picking on him but it's just reality that's that's what my parents did I mean he knows it as well I mean he knows there was that part but you know the cool thing is you see dogger now and you're like well that's the great things things yeah back together like you look at someone you're like oh we're not looking at a hot mess it's like yeah he's got a [ __ ] together like he really does what we've asked we talked to Ronnie about coming on the show and he's like and I know right now you know he's always kind of you can just tell he doesn't want to go through it right you know rehash it it's like man you're first of all don't be embarrassed to your past it is what it is we all made mistakes some of them maybe didn't get out as much as his did but like the bottom line is his story and as well like it's that is he wouldn't have been as good he was his store might not have been as loud either there's other guys have had the same problems he did and he was Keith Bowen but he wasn't quite as good you know so there's other guys I think that that problem so but but hey he's a super cool guy he'd do anything for you and I mean I think he's most people's one of most people's favorite yeah I showed you guys all my jerseys today and I have Bob Hanna jerseys and Pastrana and Carmichael and the wrong machine one is my favorite for sure well so why did you move out of Snohomish and win so I actually graduated from public high school I had like 50 some absences my senior year I was racing I mean I got third at South Lake my senior year and I was racing full-blown nationals my mom I'm not gonna lie I probably should have gotten her second diploma because she did a lot of so but today I graduated I went I remember going to I had signed a deal to ride for factory Honda your senior year yeah I call it factory Honda but it was the big bikes was like Ricky Johnson Jeff Stanton I think Bale came over that year and then caderousse key and I and Cooper was on the team because he was a really good 125 guy and caderousse key and I were considered factory Honda riders but we were mainly to ride one turns out in our Nationals and East and West Supercross hey do you remember how much you made your senior year in high school well I remember my mom having to talk with the principal and she kept pointing out that I make like three times more money than any teacher in school so so y'all are either gonna help us with this or he's just gonna quit that probably went down like a lead balloon yeah but but I graduated a public high school and I went to the 20 the overnight thing at some Fitness Club with my senior class and I loaded up my truck and drove to California the very next day I stopped and had lunch with my dad and drove to California and I've never lived in Washington sounds so that right I got my little mini little truck and I drove sir mix-a-lot tape and just like pumped it all the way yeah I I don't even think that was current yet but yeah this is 87 88 1988 80 88 so when I drove to Southern California I've never I've never lived again so I lived in Southern California pretty much through my whole career oh where we live October through April May I lived in sometimes I stayed with my buddy Louis Whelan who has torch sunglasses now he it was my Oakley rep for years and years and years in Laguna Niguel and then it was quite quite a drive out to the test tracks but it was really comfortable when I got home a couple years I had an apartment in Corona when I was at no lean I'd stay at Clarke and lost his house they had a house up in Victorville ya Victorville Apple Valley yeah I stayed there a couple of years at no lean so you know just for testing and getting ready in the first couple races fans I don't know if you know this or not but if you right the first time you if you've been in South Carolina riding a little bit softer dirt the first time you get to California and you ride a lap you I mean your hands blister more your lungs burn the first time you yeah your lungs burn the hard clay square so it just feels like you've never ridden before but you ride on that every day for three or four weeks and then it's normal and it feels good so I always try you had a place in South Carolina then right away for the winter summer time yes and you got and so I was lucky enough am hammering Hank Morey his dad had some money in property and he split it was his property but he him and I both paid for half of the supercross track and john Savitsky Stadium dirt designs which used to build Supercross tracks came and built me a really really nice track and then they had camp Coker which is still a GNCC facility now so we had that for an outdoor track and Hank was aspiring you know he was really good really good amateur didn't his dad did his bars competition or his bikes were done by them or something remember bars competition was a big East Coast yeah well bars did my Yamaha 125s Damon Bradshaw and my Yamaha 125 in 87 and 88 and I remember other than a bog when you land off big chunks which was inevitable and I was a five-way common my bikes were fast I remember getting a fifth at Lake sugar tree and like 86 or 87 I mean so I was I was okay but you know I always had I had enough speed what happened to Hank why didn't he what any of our I I don't know I mean I know I know he's that and you know his his daddy and had real successful businesses and Hank still around he as far as racing though just didn't make them in my opinion and this isn't a put-down on him or any other kid but it's just just what my opinion sometimes the kids who have the big motor home and the fancy trailers and the full-time mechanic and the best of the best stuff that when they're amateurs especially back in those days a little bit better equipment made them a little bit better they look better on paper base and then when you get to 125 Supercross and everybody's got same equipment and stuff it has to be frustrating always being a little faster your bikes always been a little better now everybody's just as fast and you're likewise to smoke that guy why is he keeping up with me and I just think you know and any injuries the poor kid got hurt a lot so I don't I don't and this is a long time ago too so I don't remember everything but I still keep in touch with him you know do you texting twice a year maybe so so very slim but Paul Dennis passed away this year and we were Hank Paul and I were three of the original amateur Team USA team Green Team another kid named icky blue and we went to England in 82 so Hank and I reached out to each other when Paul passed away those that's pretty cool that's cool you guys keep in touch so is he working for dad's business then I think yeah he has something to do with with with his dad's I think he does a different angle a security side of something or something but but he's got he's married and has a beautiful wife and a couple kids and I think he's doing fine what about Lowell Thompson a Rick's in it you ever I don't I don't I've never heard from any of those guys Scott Brown we were talking about him earlier Scott Brown with a Southern California kid like with him and Kyle Lewis grew up together he was in your era right absolutely and he was a super fast guy you know there was the group of that some of the boys passed away got got killed in a train wreck it Bruce bunch for Kim and Kyle Fleming that were really good and just a little older than us and then Scott Brown Kyle Lewis count Lewis was super fast amateur racer and a good one 25 lights rider too he's another underrated guy yeah and he put in some decent outdoor national when him and I were at moto xxx and in the 2000s I mean we were there or at least at least you knew there we both had some top-five finishes with some respectable Japanese national champ ultra cross champ one I think one of the youngest guys to ever won a 125 Supercross yeah huh so that's interesting did you know Jeff Crafton remember him it so that name sounds familiar but I don't nonstop man well he would have been you know he was a little bit younger than her older than me so he would've been kind of your era he was a Southern California kid but he passed away he got thrown out of a truck and I'd remember all all the racers that I looked up to you the jeremy's and the and the ward ease and all those guys doggers they ran a little sticker was a jg little cross on it I know anyway it was after him I didn't know if you knew him anyway all right so moving on then to your first your first pro race was 86 and what'd you do I have that right watch Yuval yeah sounds right yeah mone first overall yeah it's pretty good hey most guys don't qualify well so you were you honda support then or realized I was Yamaha support okay yeah yeah that's right Bradshaw LaRocco and myself just see ya Loretta Lynn guys basically he sponsored Yamaha amateur kids to race Loretta Lynn's and it was towards the end of the year and I went to I didn't even I don't remember that race bad I thought I was more competitive than that but obviously just so you know you you unlucky that they unlucky that they were 20 guys quicker than you otherwise you would have had it all right so what about 87 you did a handful of super crosses and Nationals do you remember anything about that year yeah 87 I was still on the Alma ha I think that I think I got a fifth a taxed in that year so showed that I actually had a chance I mean fit 125 Outdoor Nationals what guy Cooper Mickey diamond there was some super fast guys he would have been Kehoe yeah Kehoe Holland Geoff least maybe did he read 125 us a couple years outdoors yeah we did go back and look man did you did you do any Golden State's here any of those I remember going to some but I don't think I ever had a lot of success at those I never raced the whole city I remember really CMC Stu Stu Peters uh I used to have a nickname for what was his son's name Marky Mark yeah I can't I had a nickname for it with this hairdo I'm sure it wasn't insulting at all or no it was it was a compliment like all of your Nick goldilocks I think was the name no and it's his and then his sister Sandra even later on when I when I was at noeleen in 95 and 96 94 95 they had they had the track up at Victorville sunrise yeah yes sunrise and they had little was one of the first places I think they have their own little section off supercross Suki's test track yeah and so and I she let me ride out there a lot so and I remember I learned how to adjust for the wind like I could I could go for that's how the track I can land over on the other side cuz and I hated the wind I rode in it every day and then when I get to it was that track was horrible saying the silty drive written on for Supercross it's it's not only wind it never was not windy this was after Suzuki so I was there I don't you're talking about suzuki supercross track was a nice driving was on the right side no right when you pullin it was on the left okay well okay well originally back in 90 I remember test in there was Suzuki and the track was on the right but the one on the left is what I'm talking about that I rode out a lot and and and so it was so miserable then I'd hammer my laps and Clark be out there with a stopwatch and when I get to a stadium and know when I felt like so good because it was miserable out there rather than that one oh yeah it was terrible so I don't remember a lot about those years I was still going with my mom and Harry and in a van and an Econoline van have 125 on one wall 250 under the wheel wall and my little miniature dachshund I was sleep in the middle and mom and Harry would drive and I'd wake up when we got there so that's better all I remember from those days so you must have gotten your Honda ride for 88 then 89 Oh 18 I know yeah so 88 you actually had a pretty good season third at Seattle second at Dallas those are your first podiums that that I can see anyway right and that was on a Yamaha still was that like a and I had Bobby bar motors like you talked about Bobby bar so so yeah I had was that a try point for you I mean that yeah it seems like that sure I matured I won the Gold Cup Series in Washington I I don't think I want any amateur Nationals like Loras and Ponca but I was you know I was legit I was mixed yeah I was I was decent punku-- is always the start was always kind of sketchy like concrete and wide o wide-open left right left huh yeah and I was kind of a little wussy when I was younger did you ever jump you know so you at the start left right left and then it was swept down and then there was a it wasn't meant to be a double but you'd make a tight right and there was a roller and another jump between trees yeah ever double that I don't remember all right all right esra lust did it on a minibike and blew my mind like I've never seen thing like it Azra lusted a couple things he did something with the world mini to jump in this double there and I was like on a 60 Wow Pastrana did that to me when he came to South Africa in 95 there was a jump and 125 just a couple guys were doing it and everyone was convinced Khan do down to 80 not enough power out of that corner so yeah like Oh Pastrana can't do it middle of the race he jumps over my head I'm like you [ __ ] he's a knucklehead I remember before Daytona you always try to find a local track just to try to get used to the dirt and ride and we were he was just a little kid I think he's on 25 but still not Supercross still amateur and we were testing that this track was Suzuki and all day long all he's doing is shovel this big hill and he was shovel and shovel and shovel and he because he wanted to jump over this pond frettin right on the track and practice he wanted to jump upon so but I'm not real tight with him I don't know him very well we were teammates in I believe 98 99 that Suzuki but there was separate set for separate semis so I'd much to do with him he was very respectful kid I mean I don't know if you know but he went on to do okay yeah and that's what I was gonna say he's financially stable he's a great example of you know everybody else's right way isn't exactly the right way yeah meet to your own drum and do what you want to do because it really worked out good for him he the day that you passed me in that last corner at red but he was respectful even in his interviews afterwards like Larry was flying in practice and he's riding really good so that day he was always super nice yeah yeah I went fun too many people saying anything negative about him alright so mmm 88 you had some good rides on that Yamaha so 89 is when you got your factory Honda right you know that season was even better for you you got your first win at Southwick outdoor national we talked about you've won there a few times what was it about Southwick well Danny Stevenson yeah I'm sure he's gonna listen to this and he's probably starting to smile and laugh right now but I went there so Rick Zeile Felder who owns Ziggy has fatrick connection now what was your my mechanic and I didn't know he was even a pro mechanic yeah I didn't know his first job in the industry was was working for me in 89 and we have we have a lot of inside jokes but about the bike like one time they welded skid plates on your bike back in those days and I kept complaining of this noise I said it's like to type in and they're like taking my Forks apart well that the skid plate was bending to teak and it was vibrating it sounds like really loud and they finally figured it out and the forks always Clank because they were they were crap Forks back in 89 on a 250 Honda but anyway we he teases me about that but I went to Southwick so Southwick used to always have a race the weekend before that race and we went there because he was from New Hampshire and that was his hometown area and I went there and raced and Denny Stephenson won the race before the weekend before he won he won the race and this isn't an insult to him but at the time you know I was winning Moto's and doing decent outdoors and he was a little bit younger than me and I'm like didn't you know I was pissed at the time that I let Denny Stephenson beat me and I trained and rode all week and I crashed on Wednesday bad and I and I thought like I you know when you hurt like something but it's not broke but it's hurt yeah and I took like three days off and then this is you're gonna laugh I'm just telling you what I remember but I listened to heart the group heart the band heart Barracuda all week and for some reason that song took me over and it was fun race so the late Donna Schmidt who was unbelievable super good rider super nice guy I thought he had me the first moto Bradshaw passed us both if I remember correctly don't call him don't let the facts get in the way of so I think Brad shot past us both but then I think he hurt his tailbone or something and he slowed down and and then Schmidt had me pretty good but he he believe it or not because he was always super strong but he something he vapor a little bit towards in and I won the first moto and I'm like and and I have had success there the year before I think I got started I think yeah I think I got third overall the year before against like George haulin and guys that were childhood heroes no interest every year at Southwick you you did well even if you didn't win yeah kind of kind of sounds like Seattle on a small bike I sucked there on a big boat really I don't know why but I bet on the 125 I was good there but on 250 and for 15 that's okay that's funny yeah but but I remember all week I was bummed that Danny beat me and I used that like his motivation and I want the first moto and then I think I got second or third the second moto I want my first overall and I remember guy Cooper was my teammate and that was mentor and trying to learn cuz he was really good on 125 and I remember Ron would say hey do you know who won the first mode cuz his box now I was right next mile and they're like Larry won the first mode and I remember him coming over and tell me good job so that was cool this time I remember Coupland always cool and Ziggy it was so cool for him because his dad and his brother were there and his it was his first national win - and he actually I believe is restoring an 89 cr125 right now so he so he still remembers it - cuz he's had a lot of success with Patrick connections to remember that he you know not that I got him a start but that we started yeah the first one both yeah it's pretty cool and so how did the Barracuda song I have no idea that sticks in your show I'm in Washington come over him I'm from Washington State Hearts from Washington State you know so I just remember I listened to her that week that song and oppression let's do a little more so I was competitive that you're opening round I remember Bradshaw won the first moto at Gainesville I was second right on him second moto crashed one thing leads to another and you blow you know you could just slow down and got a 2/4 for a second overall but you're set 18 years old and you hold a lot open everywhere yeah there's no there's no thinking logically you know no I didn't know and you know I mentally politically had problems that year kotarou screws win the championship and they gave him hanta gave him upside-down Shoah forks and I still was was with the old conventional forks and they didn't want to give me em and so you know that plays games with you and you're when you're 18 19 I was a little kid and and so that that bummed me out and stuff but but but I want my first national and that's that was awesome yeah so that's a pretty good year then was hot - stoked well honda at that year had Rick Johnson Jeff Stanton John Michelle Bell caderousse key who won the championship his rookie year Cooper Cooper who was won in races at me so what are you gonna do is so that you know they kept Kotowski because he want a championship they want the number one plate the next year kept Rick Johnson and Jeff Stanton and bail I believe and so that they went down to four people in next year and so everybody else was looking and then also we didn't milk the 125 Supercross class for ten years like like me you said yeah he said I just thought it Larry Ward's an [ __ ] I just want to clarify that's back when the rule was like you were kicked out yeah did you get pointed out I don't remember I think so but I don't remember but I think so but probably did everyone did I only wrote it two years I mean I wrote some but I were to 88 and 89 all right for sure third in the championship both 87 he did some and I was less I'm saying I wrote something but my and then but but in the day you didn't make I don't know I don't remember exactly but you don't make $50,000 to write a Lites class back then so you wanted to get to class so and then and so not being the cream of the crop of the pic and Suzuki definitely was the fourth best team at the time in the early 90s but do I go to a privateer Honda team or do I go to a factory Suzuki team and make $100,000 guaranteed so that's a no-brainer so there wasn't be level teams that's the other thing about that era not as well don't really get as many right now you could go to there's a few there's a few Butler brothers that's a great team yeah no that's that's damn-near factory equipment have factory equipment is that baguette yeah yeah yeah you could go to help me out I mean there's good be level rides now right absolutely there wasn't really that like there was moto XXX no not there was no lean now not even then you're right no who was there back then I mean I'm still insane there was no I'm picturing in my mind Jeff glass but I think that was I don't deal though I think one local grocery store gave him a thing is surf and he made it look a little bigger than it was so who is the Great Western Bank team who's Jeff laughs the glass agrees with me that you're a dick I'm sure Western Bank was waylaid you know 90s I was 96 right yeah yeah was that his sponsor or someone else's chef who the bank you just talked about no it was buddy antennas forints Danny and Castillo you know and they're basically Dave's dad they used his jet buddy knew somebody a great wasting bank I think they didn't get paid well sizzler no they were they weren't charged any you know of a do fees or did you get free sizzler that's what I was gonna say there's a lot of fraudulent advertising to make your team look a little more legit than it is sizzler no lien sizzler sizzler was everywhere and you'd think it was one friend that owned to sizzler steak houses in Southern California what had nothing to do with with a corporate is that wrestler yeah and I think that guy gave like 5 grand just to help out the team because we were so low budget it I cannot believe the success that we had with the budget that we had that was a little bit like lorac ooh and he had jack-in-the-box because we had the same agent afraid Bramblett and he's like yeah honestly it was a bit of smoke and mirrors but people like wow they got jack-in-the-box even with Mitch piqué piqué antifreeze didn't do much they even probably Dungey was faking with target huh probably not probably different time that was a joke I think he's still getting target money he just doesn't have to wait outside free diapers yeah first pick of his eluding you know if he wants to loot he gets in early I do too because I'm 50 now years go in with it first freshly cleaned with a baguette disinfectant wipes in your hand Geritol and depends mortar line political we're not going to talk about it all right so let's see 90 then how did this uzuki deal come about you see kind of had that choice of like all right privateer or make a hundred grand and be on a factory team yeah kind of a no-brain I don't remember did you have an agent no III think like the first one in 90 I think was just Harry my stepdad okay honestly Harry Baals hairy balls and I don't remember how exactly it came about but I do remember a couple things about that your so I think my contract was Honda ended fairly early or I got released so that I could because I got to go to Japan at the end of 89 but I rode factory Suzuki and I was pretty tall and had long blonde hair all yellow gear yellow bike and that's her big very camp that and Mike LaRocco was walking behind me and people don't know LaRocco like he seems all gruff and tough and doesn't talk and but he's kind of shy but he has a super dry Superfund he did anyway I haven't seen him in 20 years but has super fine really funny guy actually sees Nicky's money yeah super funny that he says damn dude you look like big bird and unfortunately it's stuck because I don't know if Big Bird is Metro home oh boy girl I'm not sure and even snuffleupagus were a little tight but anyway it's stuck and ironically that year had quite a few run-ins or fused with with chicken jeff matasso that she was chicken so Big Bird versus chicken it was kind of kind of kind of worked out for me it kind of did and your guys's rivalry we went back to 125 Drive you guys just kind of yeah but we liked each other I 125s but the big bike class and the money it just a little more pressure and a little more attitude and was there one eye I thought it was Seattle but you said it was like maybe back East somewhere where you guys he smashed into you and afterwards he punched you in the helmet and you dropped your bike what happened so of course the 1990 Supercross is the biggest block pass joke that anyone's ever seen like it takes block pass into a whole new level it's not merely stopping looking hitting the brakes and ramen like it's unbelievable but yeah but later on but then at that obviously created friction and then there was I don't know I guess we just didn't like each other right times gone by now I I'm a relationship win a foul yeah as a dad joke I started in there so but at all for whatever reason we're just he was we were just different so but it's all just about testosterone and yeah there's analogies that just you could just tell from the outside if you put those guys in the track they're probably not coming it along and they're not gonna be long and the race that he punched me in the helmet and I dropped my bike and ran after that you're talking about in his defense not not that I would probably have never helped him until now that I'm 50 and mature but he thought the last turn he thought that I just like rammed him well I was out of control and I've I fold whiskey-throttled yeah and lost control and I cleaned him out cuz I was out of control and crashed and my bike hit him and he thought that he did whether he thought I did on purpose or he was just pissed that I cleaned him out of a private transfer position that's when that happens okay but you know it's a great highlight reel but you can understand all of our attitudes and stuff we have good years bad years and we were both had been at the top one super crosses and that we're both on Suzuki privateer kind of like a little bit of support we were both a little miserable and so we were both a little salty too so well night he was factory Cowie right 90 yeah but but the year he punched me in the helmet year talking about was like 93 or 94 oh it was 92 or 93 yeah okay oh I am I years rolling then I believe it was that and II know the Seattle one I mean we just raced each other hard I did it to him in the heat race you know not as bad but but hey he wanted to win yeah he want to win so I don't blame him and I want to win too and when every time I watch it I still don't understand how he parked as hard as he did and I still pass him in the next corner I still don't get it but it was it was cool and I still really don't understand this isn't Tooting my own horn or anything but I don't know how we were that much better than everybody else that night because we literally stopped and blocked past and waited and we were still a whole straightaway ahead of everybody else and so it was third at that time doing well Tichenor ended up third but he cleaned out bail bail was coming to be third but there was a tunnel jump thing and bear when he come back hit tissue yeah it was surprising that you as much as you guys screwed with each other because almost always when that happens it catches you and that's looting then it's it's on that's crazy well sometimes in those events like if there's a to rider breakaway a lot of times guy in thirds just like alright just don't blow it they're gone meanwhile if he was charging could have maybe had a chance you know but it was more like I'll never catch them well Tichenor was a good rider but he was never he was kind of lucky to be in that position yeah that was one of his better races you know to get and I heard he's gotten hurt recently so I heard anything but I hope he's yeah I hope he's doing alright I think he's definitely on the on the mend he's not a hundred percent but there's another kid that I've known since first time I remember him was at Saddleback park at the oh gosh what was what was that amateur national in California I was called the world I raced at the world Mini at racing world when Jeff Ward was on a 80 that's how old I'm I am or things I remember from how young I started riding and racing but I remember meeting Ryan Tichenor and at a saddle bag their world made grandpa green tissues always been cool like yeah I don't think there's anyone that dislikes him he's just easygoing how was that bike in 90 well this is when I get into problems with being picky and this and that so well let's start there because you know like if you ask any mechanic you worked with or anyone that knew you that's what they say oh this guy but levers up oh yeah I heard a story you know this is true is that your mechanic would mark your lever positioning you know like secretly like tap in a little thing on the bar like okay there where he raced with him last weekend and you'd show up on the weekend and any time was funny because I'd come in having heard these stories when I'd get to the track on a Friday or whatever and I'd be walking through the pits and I'd see you he inevitably you were always on your bike busting with your levers I'm not gonna it was a nervous half or what but although everyone has I think that's a nervous habit all those mechanics that based about having to do that all got to be on the podium at one time or the other when they worked with me so they can suck no nobody said it just that was a thing of yours yeah it's like a trait that you had it's true because they'd say you you'd come up on other sons gotta go down not the best then you'd end up setting them right exactly right I wasn't the best like running and cardio and trainer but I rode my motorcycle all the time like I went through so many practice bikes it's funny I always say like I could go through five Suzuki's to two Honda's now he's like was promoting how much better Honda's durability and stronger by say well but I rode all the time so I'd ride all week I mean your grips get molded to your hand and you get on this brand new and it feels weird perfect bike in it you're sketchy and a slicks like can we bend the balls a little to the left and then like grind down this grip and then during the week and you don't realize it be riding with bent bars all week and then straight ones feel like crap so it was it's just trying to trying to do the best I couldn't be is the most comfortable I could and I also being so tall I always struggle with arm pump a little bit like the seats the guys all have now at no lean we sprayed literally 3m rubber sticky rubber I remember Clark got some pure rubber from that they made grocery cart wheels from and glued that to my seat trying to do what they do now because the more traction I could have on my butt you know you could hang on with your butt and you're in your lower back you didn't have to use your forearm so much and in back in the day I mean before clutch adjustments your clutch would get a bunch of free play I mean there's a lot of things that added to my picking this but what I didn't realize when I was 19 years old in 98 factory Suzuki was that there is some political nacelle and marketing and Suzuki came with stock KYB Forks in 1990 they had already retooled and we're moving to Showa in 91 and so our race stuff was show his stuff race the first race at Anaheim I crashed and got like 14th place and could not even be on the same track with the the Showa stuff that they wanted us to run so I go to Houston press day the next week crash bike into the bleachers like made crash still still I'm struggling with this bike so I asked I talked him into because all we come right now we didn't have the same bikes at home in these days we had stock box stock bikes at home for practice by maybe a silencer and I talked him into letting me use this is true box stock KYB triple clamps for shock box stock stuff and I said just let me race one weekend and if I do better we'll see what happens if I don't then I'll go back to your stuff and I won't say another word well I got second place that weekend after bone stock suspension bones you did you have like like you know you wanted the clickers you put them yeah pretty much like all the way in out out three or four so no valving you did no valving nothing no spring and Bradshaw on the first race at Anaheim and then he won Houston to but I that wasn't on him but I was legit Johnny O'Meara got third place but I got a second place and you know no other Suzuki guys were doing real good there was was that your first two video super cross podium I believe so must have been with Brad Sean Johnny a has to be that that's a good look I think I think a fourth or a fifth was the best I did the year before an 89 on except rode some East Coast rounds on a CR 250 okay I think for think that yeah so so yeah it must be my first podium with Bradshaw and Johnny oh that's pretty cool for the boat yeah and I got second - so then the next weekend was San Diego and hard-packed track so also in the day so what did they say after that we're like all right well well nothing I could say they get you Stockman up they had they had to let me they let me run it because I was and and Suzuki was a huge transition change they ron heben was our team manager but he was only there for a short amount just that one year I was come on Hanah was an advisor but he was more there just for his name for advertising Mike Mike LaRocco and his dad they just totally did the rest of the program Tichenor Tichenor actually decent that year but you know I watched videos and he had the same his force wouldn't go in either until they did and then they bought him out so you he told us he asked him to flip now that was your best buddy bones that I asked so bones just talking a little he was the one that told me about that stock folk story yeah so so we'll get that sure but the next so in the 90s there was three different promoters so each promoter had a different track builder Mickey Thompson when we'd raced the California races had this guy named is that Ryan kitchens that would build the track and I couldn't I hated those tracks they were curbed and horrible jumps and no landings and then there was I can't I can't remember the other two one was the West brothers Jerry West that had gator back all the years yeah they were another promoter and they always used John savitsky Stadium dirt designs and I loved his tracks I love them that's and his tracks are part of my we'll talk about my European Supercross successes he built a lot of those tracks and I just I loved his tracks so different tracks one weekend you'd need super stiff suspension next week II need softer but this stuff I was just comfortable well San Diego was the next weekend after I got second at Houston and it was the race where Bradshaw was win in and I laugh you'll remember he cut in Stan went outside and he cut inside and slid in case that taped that plateau jump and hurt his ankle pretty bad I think Stanton won but I got fourth place in that race so now I've gone from a 14th being miserable to a second and a fourth two weekends in a row which isn't too bad for my third and fourth or second and third super crosses in my first rookie year and I'm up to like fifth in the series and so then we go to Seattle and my hometown it's cold it's it's kind of soft softer rocky or dirt like what I grew up on and then that was the night the chicken and me had the slugfest and I want and I get within one point of the championship lead and I'm a rookie 19 year old rookie and things are going pretty good and I'd have to be a tripping yeah it was it was I bought a new Toyota truck that week I you will really feel were you Championships right there boys how did that feel I mean I know I've heard you say you'd rather keep those Seattle wins than even win a championship yeah that was really a big deal to you yeah was that harder though with all the family and friends there like pressure to perform for them I mean happen to buy all the passes I'm sure all that crap well I guess it some people Jeff Jeff Stanton I don't think ever had very good success in Pontiac so I guess it plays different on everybody for me Villopoto yeah he never won Washougal forever and he just said I just want to win this but his first Supercross was Seattle his first Supercross win was Seattle and I'll tell you how I know and you're about to laugh you're both about to laugh so being sure maybe I'm positive being from Washington State winning my first Supercross in Seattle here comes a young kid 20 years later wins his first Supercross at Seattle I'm gonna be a cool humble nice guy and call this young kid and congratulate him and so anthony period-- oakley gets me his number and I leave him a message and he calls me back and I say hey but I just I just want to congratulate you you know I know you want an outdoor championship but your first Supercross in Seattle there's only two people in the world that know what that could feel like that's me and you and he's a man think thanks man is this Jeff Ward early reward he's fine laughing to you or he thinks I'm a dick - like you - good stuff are he a good stuff I probably did that on purpose he's got the same kind of sense of humor as you exactly I thought your name was layer so I did the same thing - I gotta get the hills right Josh and Justin Josh Josh Hill won Minneapolis when he was pretty young yep yeah and I called him and he did back those kids are both so respectful I'm so so nice to me because we're all from Washington State or I think they might Morrigan but still know the northwest it's it's a tight group and they were so thankful and so I was all excited to call Villopoto and he wanted to know if I was Jeff so I was a Dungy fan for a while after that you're like I just want to see Orion beat that Ryan so so then the next weekend after that Seattle win with matatus which was the best race of all time maybe Atlanta that was a Landy when Jeff Ward one and I don't know if he was that excited or making fun of me because I did the biggest victory dance you ever saw it Seattle win and but he was pretty happy and and he won and and Bale and I came from back and John Michell Bale was fourth and I was fifth in that race so I was still legit and I was still in the championship I think I was close until like Oklahoma City Supercross that year was like a hundred degrees and I don't think I did very good that day and then the track looked middle level and it was but it was big it was big this is my way Danny had a big gash he's free yet straight into right on his face that did not look that track I watched that I'm like thank God I wasn't around that time tracks went trucking and technical back then yeah it just kept building bigger and that wasn't even looked like enjoyable though John savitsky it was fun because but it when I got a hundred degrees and hard pack it was a little sketchy but I vapor that day and then I had some mechanical issues I had a main seal fallout one a finger on a clutch basket break so just little silly stuff that so did you run the stock suspension all year all year yeah you know and you said you only got two races out of them and then they would get start to get sloppy and you have thrown new stuff on right and they if they changed the valves and stuff it just they didn't feel the same but sprint but they had 20 pairs because everybody else ran says he'll take off but what I didn't know now and I appreciate and understand now was why are you not helping me and give me better KYB stuff to help me when I'm have a chance to be you know I was kind of into Campion content to just you on stock and off like they were pissed that I was even using that actually but I didn't know at the time they were going to show her the next year and Bob had already convinced him to go to a show and it was already in the works and I was making it really hard on them a tip that they were doing that was make him look silly so who's your mechanic failure a guy named Jeff Clark he was Mark Barnett's mechanic at Suzuki and Jeff glad and I've lost contact with him for a long time too I don't know what happened to him you know what else you did that was like a big bird special was you cut the don't the inside ring off the bottoms I guess your thumbs would yeah yeah he ran your thumbs like this is because my hands are so big so the true story the true story on that so when you ride for Suzuki you always have to go to English town to the Suzuki Race of Champions after the year I thought it was council well it is now but it used to be a Suzuki Isuzu yeah so I had to go there and which was fine but when I was at that race I can't remember the name of the kid but I was past him and I was in a rut and he and his rear wheel slid off into my front wheel that was in the rut and it's called the gamekeepers thumb and it snapped my thumb out and so it's actually that it was this one I've done them both but it was this one and so my thumb is fused straight so this one see I can make it round and that one is like totally surgically they had to do that or just from the calcite just I think it never was surgically I've had different like fluoroscope they injected what's the cortisone and there's a to try to get her the pain but it just grew straight like that and so it hurts with the grips in there so I just cut a little notch so my finger my thumb actually lays down the side of the handlebar yeah so but that wasn't being picky that was because of it no it was a Larry Ward ISM like I was like what the hell is these little grooves on the side of his grips yeah there was actually grips from the past like olden days it had a little spot for your thumb like that from somebody with the Oakley ones weren't they I don't remember I don't remember what Brown Oh Cleo wings or something they had there's low inside little wings on the end yeah something like that remember being Oakley ones but anyway that's funny those little wait I would see your palm or something remember you could rest your yeah yeah outside so if you did like a yaks up as they called it like it was like a stopper almost no webco weight getting old go so so you may fun of my levers and stuff but my favorite thing for them to do was just take the handlebar mounts leave leave the bars and in levers all mounted to the butt move up Jones yeah I just take the mounts off and that way they don't have to change nothing and that way the next week it felt the same but it was just you know that it's funny now but it wasn't me trying to be an a-hole it was me just trying to get it because I wanted to feel comfortable and do better and also in the day you got understanding Brent tall guys are probably gonna write in and say I'm full of crap but whatever the tolerances are now on handlebars in the day he's to get some the same number the same thing and they weren't even close so different oh my gosh totally different well I thought I think this is funny because I we take for granted now you you can go to any website of any grip company and order half waffle no waffle falafel soft back then you just came full waffle even in 95 I would and this is fine because I'm second place in the in the Supercross Championship the biggest you know I was between second and fourth through the whole the whole series ended up finishing second I personally would go to the local in Adelanto or Victorville wherever to the Honda shop and buy stock Honda grips because I like stock Honda grips and I'd take a razor blade and cut the whole top half off I was doing the same I'm in second the Supercross Championship and that's but that's just the way it wasn't a day you didn't have all the luxury of I'd love to see good tell a kid now that just sounds like pro cyclist lingo hey you need to do this this and this well gloves I remember every pair of gloves I got when I rode for Mitch and it could cut the static me too me too so I'd get a new pair guys I'm like aha okay I've even had other brand gloves and stitched the different brands around the top just to just because in the day some of the gloves were a joke hey yeah yeah I've seen I've seen some stuff done well you're like huh I even I'm sure I offended a lot of people but I've been warned I was I had a lot of angle in ankle injuries when I was younger and so when the teams went to where he had to wear their gear and their stuff I always fought really for two things we're have truly paint my helmets I just it wasn't a relationship thing it was just I love truly paint I just loved having a cool helmet yeah so I fought real hard to let him always do my helmets but Alpine star boots I always wanted to wear our plans to our boots and there was years that I even had to have Alpine star boots with a different face plate on and that's so that's it's taboo but it's the truth well there was two years I had to go into something different and the year I had to wear acts of boots I twisted both ankles like does boost more terrible dude terrible though were terrible so I had to wear actually boots in 89 when I was on my factory hunter deal and ankles ruined all the time they would break this shrank the shank in the middle of the boot member they had a metal shank and I mean they were terrible boots yeah I would have been better off in a pair of you know Chuck Taylors I think that was about the protection level I had so you guys are basically being dicks to your feet right then thank you not because we wanted to do not by choice alright so 91 you're still factory Suzuki so i don't know that i don't know that i was foot full-blown so did you ever want one 90 was this the one-year deal 90 was one one-year deal 91 i think scott style for was my mechanic and i think i had some help because got a camera member's name now but oh Sh oh [ __ ] oh [ __ ] was the big the big japanese guy it was little but it was the bigwig at sea and and he liked me but you know there was he day yeah all the he they got against me and run he been and stuff because of the the suspension thing because i because i was doing well with the wrong suspension hmm so they all got down and and i don't think i was a factory guy even in 91 I think I got bikes and a little bit of help but I don't think I was a factory guy is that right yeah 91 92 93 or vague to me I don't I don't remember because I struggled all three of those yeah I mean I still have some podiums and stuff which sounds funny I struggle but I still get a supercross podium but well 92 you want south look again yeah but but on the 125 125 125 it's any good at races that start with S Seattle south way and Stampa I want stamp Tampa Florida what maybe that we had st. Petersburg's st maybe I needed an R and I raised somewhere so nothing really from those seasons that stands out no something else though that we skipped over that it was always a big deal and once again eighteen year old little kid trying to get the best money trying to get the best deal but I get a lot of a lot of certain people like to remind me that I wore like four different gears yeah clothing in 1990 and it's true but I didn't have a clothings I couldn't get a spot I couldn't get a sponsor at all a clothing sponsor 0-2 and I had to wear something at the first Supercross I'm a factory Suzuki rider so so during the year you were you over the course of the season you were four years right where they started three or four so so at the time Suzuki had their own apparel line which was answer yeah and so I bought it out of the cat out of the Suzuki catalog I bought answer gear and Seattle Supercross I win my first Supercross in bought answered gear that's just a Suzuki line in fact Jersey you have a Jersey I got that yes yes how is no company giving you a factory Suzuki guy at least some four year well I probably could have got free just free gear but I didn't want to sign contract for free gear yeah I said I was buying my own and and so my stepdad Harry was helping trying to get me a deal and Scott link who did Alpine star in the US for maybe still does I'm not very current now but I know he didn't Alpine star here in the US for a long time he had a company out of that talent Voland where yoko yep and my stepdad was trying to get me pretty good money from Yoko and so they were close to having a deal put together I'm an 18 19 year old kid I don't want to wear yoga it's ugly I mean all I think about is that the blotchy brothers and that's just what we call them the Volans that's the only people I knew that ever wore I didn't want it I didn't want to wear Yoko and so I was fighting it but it was in money to where I would have had to yeah so they start since I have no clothing deal whatsoever I'm wearing bought gear I start wearing yoko well the deal falls through and didn't happen so then I think I got a I can't remember either either fox or JT but I wear I think I wear fox and JT but it was just them giving me giving me some gear because I didn't have a deal so how do I sell there's there's people like to give you crap for stuff but they don't they're not in your shoes they don't know your situation and and I was a 19 year old kid I was I've won some races I wanted look you look at anybody that's really really fast a really good they still either usually have Fox or Thor you know the best guys get the best stuff and it's the coolest stuff and I wanted to be one of those guys so in my defense it wasn't then I was not not honoring my contract since I never I never had anything I had to wear something yeah so when so when did you wear Tai Chi yeah so I think that was like 1992 - and and Tai Chi was you know it was a Japanese company they were so so nice to us like when we go to Japan every year they give us all really cool customs on their jackets and I have some really I wanted one of those so bad and by the time I got to the pro level they kind of had it disappeared exactly and I can show you a couple old ones I have that are pretty funky but they came out with some clothing but it was another thing where it was just you just clothing you know and it was a very short last bale and I wore it for a little while there their logo was like dayglo yellow right just little arrows each way yeah yeah plucking and then John Gregory and his daughter from JT they were they were really cool that they gave me some stuff for awhile but I wasn't uh just cuz I get a podium every once in a while I still wasn't a legit guy so I was struggling trying to find any money or any any help so so and then and then I was at the end of my ropes well I mean I was lucky to still be racing in 293 because I was struggling hard Suzuki those a couple years and I think Mike Craig actually had signed to ride for Clark Jones at noeleen but something happened and fell through and they primarily were more of a what was the old Mickey Thompson ultra cross ultra cross team is a at Kyle and Larry Kyle Lewis and Larry Brooks who were really good and competitive and both won championships at that and then they were gonna add Mike Craig who was very talented rider and he'd have been good in that same atmosphere Southern California kid but for whatever reason it fell through and somehow I snuck in there and got a chance and I took advantage it was a fresh start different I finally got off the zookie being there for a long time being good there but then slowly going downhill and got on that knowing Yamaha and also I think the Yamaha as a stock bike around that time that the early nineties though that they were pretty it was decent it was easy I started the year a lot of arm pump a lot of fading you know maybe lead some laps at Houston I think was the second course you would say you vape it no well arm pump trade is different than just exhausted oh I gotta go back we got to ask you this story so I told you about bones telling me this and I thought it was Seattle but it might not be but there was some race and he said you were they had done a shock for you a suspension setting so no this is 91 to 93 9 91 92 93 when I'm on a stock Suzuki which wasn't very good at the time out of up my own funded box van and struggling but I'd still manage a podium every year here and there at Supercross even though I was out to launch him my whole program and equipment and everything well so so he said but Pro Circuit was cool enough to just keep trying to help me with motors and suspension and stuff although I wasn't like a premier guy for the team like you were I was just a guy in my own box van I don't remember if I had to pay for if I did it was at a discounted rate but I wasn't it was just I was just a guy I was yeah nobody well so he said they're watching you in practice you're the fastest guy in the track had the fastest time in practice and so they're walking back from the from the and he said you were pitted kind of like a cross from where they were you know they were it would've been Honda you know peak peak was already they had people would have been 91 92 or 93 maybe they were they with her Cowie in 93 but 91 and 92 they run hot definitely anyway they were I think even 93 they were 93 was County oh it was huh yeah 93 94 car so anyway they were parked across from you you're in a box net and they're walking back to their truck and they said you were screaming at him I can't wear who they were with maybe it was okay you were screaming across the face just chakra what are you gotta get over you got to do something with this shock like yelling across the pits well maybe I wanted to be the fastest fast and so Moses Meister oh my gosh let us get back to the truck like you know come on talk to us so he goes over there and you're like this shock spring just the wrong spring I need a different spring it's this setting down and bones is like I mean I know the SAG numbers they're right like you know I watched it it didn't look bad like so he goes alright take the shock off let me see it so he takes it off didn't do nothing the try probably cleaned it off rubbed off the you know whatever the spring rate was and wrote on just please tell me I didn't get a podium he put it on got for the next practice fastest again and you come back you're like see I told you man if you just give me what I want like I can do it man I know I got this video I just need to go get on the bike and I think he said you went out in one but that would have only been that wouldn't emit met lined up with the time so maybe did you podium in Seattle at 92 93 I don't remember I don't remember but I was miserable on that bike this couple years I was struggling they was slow I just I just did not care for show a mention in early 90s so I was private ass bone said that was the only time he ever lied to a guy and then never called because he said you went out and like did well so he's like oh I'm not gonna say lied to a guy no he Bo he told me that he lied to me way off to the done races like women but imitating defense he was pretty green back in the early nineties to suspension and you can polish a turret all you want it's still a turd those Forks were still terrible no matter what so and and the end the whole that whole thing so I just thought it was a funny story and also you got understand I'm at the end of my I don't know what I'm gonna do with the rest of my life if motorcycle racing doesn't work out so I'm trying everything I can to be better so yeah oh he hood yeah here to hurt shock I just I'm just gonna tell you I know my personality and it might have when she was in there I might have got excited because they weren't saying what I wanted to hear but that's not that's not really me calling [ __ ] on just saying what you don't believe it but I think years probably have exaggerated but also when you come off the track Hey I've watched being able to see some footage of me talking right after I come off the track I'm like you know I'm just in case you're intense I'm like I'm debriefing but if you if you don't hear the whole conversation you would think I was having a go at the team and then it's like everything good ya know sweet oh I thought you're gonna punch me okay let's take a quick break says our TLD timeout when you'll be right back with more Larry word [Applause] at mckeil Oh concepts we have a passion for innovation and for motocross our mission is to develop parts that will improve the durability functionality and the appearance of your motorcycle we're proud to say that everything from the helo is made in the USA in our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Stuart Florida whether you race every weekend or you just ride for fun if you go offers high quality innovative parts that you just won't find anywhere else Mahela offers custom engraved engine covers one-piece titanium foot pegs brake tips internal engine components specialty tools frame grip a carbon fiber components and so much more check out our website the Hilo concepts comm and see for yourself why teams like Red Bull KTM Rockstar Husqvarna Troy Lee designs and some of the fastest riders in the world choose the Hilo concepts nihilo concepts dot-com [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] we write the rest of our no estimate the recklessness if you's a [ __ ] you might get snatched up like some ankle assist is when the rest of us live you you you say you say we feel like a whack [Music] [Music] all right everybody welcome back to the whiskey throttle show a couple of things that was your TLD timeout so be sure to get over to totally denies calm check out everything they got going on right now the Liberty helmets out which is badass the new GP air helmets out which is really a cool affordable way to get into a TLD helmet all the same safety features just built with a more affordable material and really awesome stuff so check those guys out Larry before we get going here I want to give you each of our guests get a little fire department coffee gift a little mug and a bag of their kind of medium roast blend so from them to us you thank you awesome thank you I'm from Seattle I think it's a law we have to drink oh it's a lot thank you no you uh I had to call the police if you didn't take that anyway thanks to those guys for doing that we that something's really cool in fact the last thing I heard from Marty Smith before he passed away he sent me a text saying thank you for that drinking a cup of it that's all that was it was really cool and then also really a bummer yeah obviously all right so let's dive back into your your life here 94 so you're kind of at the any ropes at the end of 93 it sounds like you were done with this as hickeys no no idea what I was going to do no idea how because I had already funded my own team for you know paid for my own box van and I just I wasn't willing I didn't really want to do that again yeah so did you consider maybe getting out or were you like now I got to make something work well I mean I didn't know what was gonna happen and it was getting pretty late in the year so yeah I don't remember exactly it's quite a while ago but I remember I thought yeah it might be it might be the end hmm and so how did you get hooked up with Clark he said Mike Craig didn't remember it for to be honest I don't remember exactly how it all went but I don't remember if I was talking to him and I was in the running or if Craig already had a deal but then if I remember correctly I think Craig had the deal but he bailed to go to Honda Troy okay and left an open spot and so they Clark gave me a chance okay so and and you said they were doing ultra cross but he wanted to go full Supercross Nationals and right right who are you there with Kyle Lewis tell Lewis and Larry Brooks and Larry Brooks right he'll be was there and now some funny stuff about that year so I started off not too good I remember way too stiff of a rear shock spring and I was getting a lot of arm pump and I think Houston I led like eight or nine laps but then faded way way back but I knew I had some speed and then Anaheim one I believe we've changed the shock spring and I was like oh my gosh I was pretty good night and I believe I got third behind Jeremy Stanton and I got third and I knew that I was going the right way and it just kept getting better and better and better and then 95 of course what went real well yeah you ended up second overall in the championship which to this day is the best privateer finish they'll say Jeremy was a privateer at chaparral Yamaha but that was a factory bike so so nobody with any kind of we were pretty private to you right yeah so my bike literally had the bottoming cones were rubber from shopping cart wheels that Clarke put in there that years later those those it all deteriorate I mean that's what all that's all the factory team yeah right it we were pretty 95 I remember the last Supercross I'm in second in the championship and we didn't even have a new chain didn't even have a fresh chain for my motorcycle I'm literally sitting in the period at the last Supercross second in the championship and they don't have a new chain to put on my bike I got this whole chain on my bike and it was it was kind of sad but this is me wait how do you how are you getting those results your second and the points and Yamaha is not going hey here's a couple extra parts here's a here's a cylinder to try it was a I mean like that's crazy to me so once again what worked for me wasn't politically correct Yamaha went to in 95 they came out with a new style power valve a different cylinder and I didn't care for it all and I ran a 94 cylinder all year I had good results and I think I was the same way as you I'm like why am they not talking to me about next year why are they not happy for me why are they you know they smile as I walk by but they talk talk behind my bad about me behind I remember I wasn't gonna bring this up because I don't ever would never disrespect keith mccarty I mean he's a legend in the sport but clarke-jones actually went to Keith to ask for a chain for that last race and I remember Keith just flipping out on him yeah hey man afford it Jay get a chain or something like that and like it was a big deal to get a chain and I don't remember if we got it from them or if Clark Wayne got somewhere else but I didn't understand I'm like what the hell I'm doing really good yeah but now wow it didn't take me this long I'm not that slow but well I mean I realized that we're on a shoestring budget with some contingency money and a parts allowance and a couple bikes and you're beaten and I'm beating an eight million dollar budget factory Yamaha team that that that Monday morning conversation every week was probably a little rough you know and it reminded me of Mike Gosselaar has been a pretty good friend I've kept in touch with him through the years and Steve Lance and I used to love going to all the European races and they would bring like literally $20,000 worth of luggage full bond motors different races for head angles suspension a full Honda bad ass bike and I'd have like a set of handlebars and a really short silencer and and it took me like four minutes to get my bike ready and it took him all day and Monday morning I was lucky enough to win a lot and then goose told me Monday or Tuesday morning back ohand every how the heck is Larry Ward beating you on a stock bike when you have all this stuff and so it makes you feel good and it's motivation and maybe that's why I was a little bit better privateer because I I probably a little chip on my shoulder and I wanted to prove that I really just want a factory ride and wanted to be accepted but it kind of after a while it gets you hurt your feelings pisses you off you forget that feeling like you know these guys I don't even need them anymore just get me what I need and the money and I'd rather not deal with that be it well of course but that's not really an option because back in those days there was no money unless you were a factory guy yeah and then it's any idea what Nolan's budget was do you know they're like what they were operating on three chains so that's the new rat hottest rapper is their buddy so I'm gonna be honest with you guys and tell you I kind of said I didn't want to talk about this so let's bring it up because I have various oh I know you brought it up to get me there and that's that's it really okay but but we were on such a shoestring budget that my contingency money that went was supposed to come directly to me went to no lien and I still have never received that because that was what was getting no lien to the last last couple races and of course at the end of the year they I believe went back went bankrupt and we're no longer but you're angry because I rode so good my best year ever and I didn't get all my money but the company was struggling I mean his family was probably struggling because he was spending all his money on his racing habit and if it wasn't for that 95 and the 6x that I had I would have never got a good contract from Honda Troy which got me good results which got me back to a factory Suzuki ride which got me two more Supercross wins and quite a bit more money on to a factory Kawasaki ride which was a career-ender motorcycle for me but I made over a million bucks before I got on the bike which is pretty good for a third year old has-been you know yeah so so so hard to be too angry so it's hard to be too angry and I'm very thankful and I did get to see Louis Jones at Dallas here a couple months ago and it was so good to see her and what was she doing so Clark and Lois from what I understand are helping out with that is it helped Suzuki team okay yeah and they're kind of it looked to me like they were doing their suspension it looked to me like it was Larry and Clark and Lois at know Lane but with new kids and new faces and those guys were really nice what's the 7 deuce deuce guy's name at Cigna and he was so cool when he saw me like I've been gone for a long time and it still freaks me out when people Airy War you know cuz I don't get it but he was very respectful and cool to me and it was great to see Clark and Lois and Clark Clark's a super nice guy super talented just it just blows me away that's how they couldn't get more help how you're stuck in the championship me I mean you're yeah and then something else happened that you're so Damon Bradshaw had had retired and was a Yamaha was Wonder kid and I mean Yamaha put all their eggs in that in that Bradshaw basket and then he he left and quit well I finished second in the championship he decides to come out of retirement and come back to racing in 96 well what are you gonna do Larry Ward who's just a privateer guy that you know they got second championship but he's running a 94 cylinder when we want to be purporting to 95 cylinders so once again I'm I'm a problem because what you've been a dick like since day one you know just always probably misunderstood so so but but luckily I signed it I got on with Honda Troy which was kind of by choice in in the long run in the end because I remember practicing one day and Mike Craig was there and I rode his bike and it was like US stock Honda practice bike and it was where you blown away unbelievable for me that the torque and the power compares to my Yamaha and I'm like oh my gosh if I just got second in the championship and like seven or eight podiums on that what if I had this but then of course then the aluminum frame comes around and everything changes 97 I think but but so how did you did you know flipper before that so of course Phil knew me because his team was on the rise and I was a privateer rider on another team that was really good so he had the biggest strongest best sponsored most budget privateer team and I would happen to be the fastest best got to fit that spot owe money and it worked out and in every Kia was there and I had I had two good years there there was some more political crap like I went at the end of 96 started getting I got some different linkage and got a set up and I loved my bike I loved it went to Paris won every European race that you're in a Honda because the stock Honda is like perfect power at in those days one Paris king of Paris king of Bercy or whatever and came back and tested before going to Japan the next week and last lap the testing slid out off a jump landed on my leg broke dislocated my ankle and broke my leg and I had a non-weight-bearing six week injury and it's only five weeks until Anaheim 1 and I'm like oh no what do I do so I went home South Carolina I got a pin through my ankle pulled everything back together tried to I couldn't it was not a weight-bearing so I could kind of ride a bicycle I could swim a little bit but I couldn't do much I went home to Washington for Christmas and I remember my mom and I went to the doctor and they kept me and pulled the screw out on a Monday it was Monday morning it was on a Monday like 10 o'clock and I called Eric you in Anaheim era it was Coliseum LA Coliseum was around 1:00 that weekend the coming week in five days from or six days away from them pulling the screw out of my leg and I haven't written and I talked him into doing it a week early so I've been five weeks and they said okay you're good to go it's just on pain you can you're not gonna it's healed up enough to where you're not going to be break it you can it's just pain so you're probably gonna be able to handle it so like what you can really break it we're just saying it's healing right now you could go out of it so I went and rode that afternoon never changed my bike same same suspension I like same setup I like I ride and I felt I felt great I felt good and I called keel I said hey I'm coming you know book me a flight I'm coming no no no you don't need to come well they sign caderousse key that year and so I am Bentley they had hired damn Bentley on and he made a big push for caderousse key because Carrasco was really really really good in the past so he came back and they were you know all caderousse keys our man and so he kind of filled in for you so he was no he was just gonna be my teammate oh but they were telling me to stay home and not race because I mean it's quite common sense I have not ridden in five weeks and I've been on crutches for five weeks so when I said hey I'm coming they probably thought I'd lost my marbles but they key he'll let me go and I got there and it rained that day so they knocked a lot of the jumps down cuz you know they get ready when they're steep so they knocked him down LA Coliseum and I'll never forget getting to call my mom after that race and I'm like mom guess guess what guess what I made and she was like you made the mane and I'm like yeah I got third I made the pony hood and so it was awesome that was 97 x7 97 I'm pretty sure yeah 97 I know it was cuz I kill was come off the broken ankle 97 94 95 at no lean though no I'm talkin Honda Troy yeah so you 697 yeah so this was 96 97 okay well had 96 go oh I think it went okay I'd have to tell me what that well because it keep bringing it up why did you drop no it was a story that's that was my point was they were pushed for good Rousey and carouse he didn't make the main that night it make them a no well that was a year that taught anyone right was it totally or Albee won the following year okay lb 198 okay yeah no it was work this is around the time I was I know the day so till he won then L b1 and then the following year P Sean was leading in burkas FEMA or something or was leading briefly about my point that's say once again you know one guy on a team can have want to support another guy no matter what it got his results are doing that the teams have had and the time kind of other favorites and and then because of my success and 97 was the first year at the aluminum frame and so Honda I started getting good super cars started giving us more and more support and then they said when it came time to before the first outdoor national they were gonna give us good bikes and they wanted to give all the get that we got one set of good stuff and they give it all the corral ski and I'm like whatever you know I mean I get it I get their side of it because Kujawski was nice much stronger than me and a national champion a really good outdoor but damn yeah but as a racer you don't have you don't get that it like i I've I've had it I've been on both sides of the fence where I got something that other people didn't get and previously and I'm like it chaps your ass big time I mean now be employed you've had something Albie won that night I'll be Henry and Ward you know in 97 in 97 so witness told Timmy when was a 98 listen to Jill oh no I know these dates I remember this is the tower it was a it was a my mom was changing my diapers when I watch that I wasn't around at the same time no cuz it wait I thought it was totally albertine meaning it was everything I'll be Doug Henry me I'm told about that not yours because then don't tell anyone the open of the one night and then night too because it was a double-header you got v Coliseum was a double-header yeah I don't remember that but I don't know if that's true next week yeah that because I remember I hit my knee I got kind of tall for a rip motorcycle and I hit my knee on the handlebars and had a great big old swollen knee and I had to get it drained that week but I started you know being consistent I think the next weekend I got fourth at Phoenix I thought Phoenix was next weekend but anyway I was consistent riding good and I remember damn Bentley coming and saying saying hey you remind me a lot of Stanton this year which was a compliment that's you know and trying to pump me up saying you know you're being really consistent you're staying right on the podium that's how you win championships so so there's it's life it's just like a life race it's a lot like life it's you know it's up and down all over the place you just got to do the best you can with what you got well you did pretty damn good I wonder if do you ever kick like lay in bed at night are sorted back then and go man what if Jeremy McGrath didn't exist I mean you can't you can't you can't no you can't I do it all the time playing with guns all days got rid of some people today Jeremy I don't want to scare you but Pingree ladies but hit but alternate reality you can't be thinking of AMC if you stay in the RC showroom but see maybe what if there's no RC Pig thinking how could I get rid of Shae Bentley while I was in the brownie room there's no brown he would have another championship Yesi or brownies a bad for you or if you tighten your spokes oh actually you know what ever since then I became a more paranoid about spoke tension yep who is in charge of that GL it actually had nothing to do with the spokes being loose or anything KTM screwed up they ended up buying nipples from like a third party company and they started just mushroomy hold them apart I hate mushrooms and nipple mushroom nipples dotnet Tortelli won in 98 so as LB then totally that's corrected I was get your [ __ ] together Langston I thought it was an idea he got seven that LA Coliseum okay so between your sizzler bike and the h.o.t not even close that bike was way better well they were told they were different and I felt like I wrote them both both pretty good but I don't know if you ever sell like my bar setup and like I had really far forward bars on the no Lane bike where the the Honda was a little more balanced ball hitting the but yeah so and and I remember it was towards the end I don't think I was that great on it the first year 96 but towards the end I remember it was something as little as like longer dog bones on the linkage or something like that and all of a sudden yeah it can be huge unbelievable how good I could and that's the first year I won this a pretty fast cross which is one of my favorite all-time favorite European super crosses and that was the first year I want it and I had never gotten in the top five before and all said and I win it pretty easy and I'm like I love this but you were a third of your way to a really cool trophy so so take take us through what what happened to you in Europe like what would happen you obviously had some kind of mindset change they did love you over there too you want our everything you would go over there and beat Jeremy straight up you beat everybody yeah III don't know but that would that was a little bit like rhino he would go to some of those races and just clean the house look James yeah but not as consistent as like I'm just saying I don't think Jeremy put a lot of effort into those I was gonna say I think he he did on some and he'd went and he would win some but there was others where he he would go because it was like I don't want to talk his business but rumored like a hundred grand for one weekend over there and he'd take it's true yeah he'd take a new friend and and in he'd race but he was smart and he knew what he was doing I remember him saying after Paris one night Stanton won one night at Paris and I know we were walking to dinner and he goes yeah Stanton can beat me all he wants it at these races over here ain't never gonna beat me in the US and I'm like damn he was pretty self-confident you know yeah he was mentally yeah when he was when he had to turn it on and win like he just well there were times if you go look and you saw like pictures of him from Bercy and then fast-forward what is it eight weeks to Anaheim one different you could even see like he was Gerald you could see like he was peaking at that point at that point but I think like Jeremy was smart he'd get those events and know I'm here cuz I'm Jeremy he would spend time with the fans he would do the autographs do all the speeches do everything that they want for their fans he didn't hardly ever win but he got way more money than the guy that kicked his ass that we did I mean you know that first dance one of more impressive things that I saw him was one of the years I was at Honda Troy he had a knee surgery in the offseason and I remember watching him the first day back come to the Honda track and you know just literally putting around doing just played jumps and having fun and and slowly worked his way up to enter to the first race and he wins the first race you know so you just watched him just tick away it was like it was but once again it goes back to the same bike same motors same frame just like me Jeremy did he's admitted he loved this thing and that's how I was - if it ain't broke don't fix it that's like I said when I came off that broken leg and I still got on the podium so I didn't have to test they didn't make us which nothing I had the same exact setup that I really liked and I was I got on probably would of a thinking thing any that and it felt it just felt good so and I was competitive the rest that year I think I had up third third or fourth fourth maybe in the championship that year ja 97 yeah I think so I don't I don't know I was just saying that he did you were always right at the podium or on it so it was like third fourth fifth always right there a couple of six and believe it or not in that time that was oh yeah you're okay and then I'm thinking I'm top five or weak in its nowadays if a guy gets tough by their golden yeah well if if you're if you're finishing fifth you're a high-paid factory rider yeah these days I mean if you're finishing eighth you're probably a high-paid factory rider these days you got you got at least twelve them in the premier class if you're in the top ten you're you're making good money well that's what I watch now is I don't know if you ever look at this but these times I'm I look at the results and I look at well the factory riders not on the top ten and at times factory riders that haven't made the main it's happened a few in the in recent times of the depth but you got a look at that and you're like holy crap yeah like that a the sport has changed in that aspect but don't you feel like though also it's there was a broader spectrum of guys that were like better back then it seems like it's like you have now a writers and B riders well I I also think in in any sport and maybe you guys can add to this but there's definitely years like I'm sure you looked west coast East Coast which one's stronger which one you know and some years you could tell that the West Coast had ten good guys the East Coast had four or five but I also think there's been Evan flows and in the 80s there was definitely like a lot of big names and champions and then there wasn't you know and then the 90s again and then you saw another law because you know even when I was racing there were times I look back I'm like outside five there was a pretty good gap now it's no way like that it's just boom boom boom boom boom yeah I don't know but it doesn't seem like Kenny and Eli are able to distance themselves from the pack but even still when you look at those looper they're not half a lap they're half a straightaway or maybe a straightaway you know what I mean it's still in relative it's all done this but I think between the bikes getting closer people learning if you learn if you come in as a pro now you almost learn how to have that longevity like what you did in your era no one did that meaning riding that many years as a pro I almost felt like they kept thinking I was gonna go away what did you like a bad rash I came around for a long time I was gonna go away and then Austin I get a podium I get some momentum and I I get I get another I buy another year and it was an intentional that I did it like that it's just it was just the way it was I we were like herpes no you know really good in certain situations and that's not so good in another situation so there were times there was a big spark and there other times you were like not even there Wow so you made you told me you made over a million bucks just from your European racing was that accurate so I was fortunate enough to save yeah around that amount of money I don't like to talk about money I know I know you don't I will make you talk but yeah so so from your racing them dude you want everything I was able to save a lot and and you were doing four five six European races every year mmm yeah Geneva I try to do separation to do 100 grand a year and I was so will 18,000 for one night and 24 thousand for a two-night event and when you get that kind of start money there was no purse yes something there was something wasn't yeah that that would come before I'd even go and then I go in some places with and if I got $4,000 cash from personal money yeah that's that's long gone that was gone at the ball that night well no I wasn't that wasn't a real bar guy but TV or so yeah it's good yeah you know guys could guys could probably a lot of guys price standing let's you're more the way you did it you know and maybe because you weren't making these huge salaries it made you go okay I need to say this but you seem like you were good about putting money away you didn't buy the stupid car you didn't you know so so I thought to me though I thought I understand the more I raised tomorrow I rode it was like I kept getting better and better so that's I chased a lot of Europe races for the money but also just to keep practicing that training where a guy like RC wanted nothing to do with anything because you want the time off but I was always a slow starter like Anaheim one I was arm palm and slow but then by the fourth round fifth round I was you know on the podium I was getting better and better yeah 95 when I started first five races a year on the podium it started in Florida softer you know softer dirt a little easier tracks on that on the East Coast so that that worked to my advantage so 98 you went back to Suzuki how did that happen did you have a falling out with hunt of Troy or no I don't remember having that falling out it's just that I think they were capped it at whatever $60,000 a salary or something something that I was making and that just was just their budget I don't really remember having a falling-out I don't remember what went wrong or I think they I mean this is no disrespect because he took good care of me and I loved him but Phil Alderton everybody knows his had some problems and I think they were seeing the in and that's when the transition the other owner was taken over and they were switched in a Yamaha you know so I don't know there's a lot going on remember what happened I do remember I think I remember correctly kidnap my ears makes you sit like me no I remember I have crashed more than my share but I showed these guys that all my helmets which you can see a picture of on our Instagram but they're all scratched my head a lot but as we said they look better than they functioned yeah and now I just forgot where I was going with that one oh sorry oh you helmets head I believe if it's the correct you remember I did have I did ride pretty good I had I think I finished fourth and outdoor super motocross and fourth in Supercross in 98 97 oh and I said okay on Honda Troy and I remember I'm pretty sure I remember flying to California and testing the yamaha four-stroke with Yamaha which I don't I what I recall is Henry had been riding it but he was hurt or something and then they were looking for the next guy to ride that bike that was a job button got and I and I believe it's the job that button got yeah you're right forth and forth okay and so I remember going there and they took me to Carlsbad and I wrote it at Carl's horse and and hard pack makes it look good and then we went to the Yamaha test supercross track and I wrote it there and I really liked the bike but I think they were like it $50,000 salary or something like that but at the time I'm 20 it's 98 yeah so I'm 27 years old and I'm nice to make some you know I want this money and we've paid your dues at this and Roger that invited me to come by the Suzuki as well and it was right after Jeremy had left okay and in 97 of course Jeremy struggled with the Suzuki in it it wasn't very good they had a lot of problems clutch problems motor wasn't very fast but I didn't know at the time that the whole future was four-stroke and that bike was gonna be a wonder bike and make everybody really really good I didn't know that and and I was just more comfortable staying with the two-stroke so and it was a lot a lot more money I mean not ridiculous money but a lot a lot more money to go to Suzuki and and I I don't remember why or all my decision but I that I remember what deciding to go with Suzuki and it was horrible the first it was so slow and it was horrible it was but this this has a happy ending this - it was so slow and it is okay suspension but Roger promised that he was going to continue to try to make it better and I knew he had his feelings hurt from Jeremy making it look so bad and and he had that opportunity to have Jeremy there and then when ran away as fast he could so Roger doesn't lose a lot you know what I mean he and if he gets embarrassed you better watch out because he's gonna fix it and and he did and and Mitch I remember going in there at that time and they were that Pike was on the dyno all day longer Pro so it's a joke but but there's some truth to it Roger would go to Pro Circuit everyday after work and drink wine and that's true dremel and port on our power valves cuz the problem was and they thought was in the power valve and I don't know if he lucked out or I don't know if it was a Cabernet I don't know but I'd like that Cabernet power valve with the cylinder so yeah so hints of bottom end with just good notes of yeah so the bike slowly got better but I remember the week the weekend of the Tampa Supercross 98 tamp Supercross from complete mud bog I was on the start all week I had had a weird feeling I was practicing it was wet and I was having fun I just had a weird feeling all week but in the heat race when I shifted so you start in second gear hit third gear and all the rest of you every time I hit third gear everybody would I mean I remember have to superglue my goggles cuz my goggles would blow off when they go behind himself so that at Tampa in the heroes I shift to third and they all hit will spin and I stay even I stayed even with everybody I'm like holy crap my bikes fast my bikes pretty fast and it rained and I was I always I wouldn't say I was great mud rider but I had some success in the mud I did I did well in the mud are you from Washington Northwest in South Carolina and I have webbed feet so yeah and then I ended up being able to win the main event that night and I'll be crashing the first term and came back to fifth so his but you know obviously the obviously the bikes were getting better that year 98 the first outdoor national second moto Pishon won I was second now he was third Suzuki Swift odium second moto which is pretty pretty strong so it was going and that one have any huge for them oh he didn't have a lot to really yeah really happy that day tonight we have two bottles like every day so and then I don't I don't really remember how did the rest year but I was I was competitive I had podiums and I was pretty pretty decent 98 and 99 I was able to win Seattle and I think I got a second at Dallas had I have some some good races I was I was second Minneapolis I was strong yeah consistent but Jeremy was just way better than us all of us was that did the bike improve from 98 to 99 yeah I thought so yeah I think so okay and and then 2000 to 2004 in 99 I kind of wanted to stay at zukie because I got along with Alby I got along with Roger Ian Lee Lee McCollum was my mechanic we got along good everything was comfortable but as a little kid being a Jeff Ward fan and Team Green rider you got sucked into the camera well it is a little bit in your heart right RC stopped it and RC and I were buddies he you know he couldn't rent a car cuz he was like 12 when he started racing and so and we both lived on the East Coast so he'd ride with me to every event and he can you take me to this place I've heard of it that's called Dairy Queen I have it I have a store like that but I'm probably not good no it's good we've heard something similar remember going with the Kawasaki I'll finish that first um so Ricky want maybe his teammate at Cowie and calori was having problems and Megan Huffman both I found out just like six months ago there was a change accidentally made to the Cowie frame after I think maybe 98 and then so 99 ma couldn't ride it John Dowd and I couldn't ride a tricky struggled into in 2000 with us on it and then they figured out the problem and then that's when Ricky and no one went on like a 14 race win streak so so I was so bummed because I made a ton of money I was on factory Kawasaki I thought my gear everything looked good the first race I ever raced on it was that what's the the rose there in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena the world Super Bowl I get Azra wins I'm all over him in second I get second Jeremy's third I mean not I'm never gonna say a distant third but we beat Jeremy yeah yeah and first race on it I couldn't go through the lifter views on it back and it was back to the whole frame change problem but I was I thought I was gonna be pretty good and then second race a year I broke my shoulder and and I just I called a career ender I just I really think at the time in the 2000 Cal saw everybody knew four strokes were coming and so they weren't putting very much effort into two strokes but that's just that's just an afterthought theory so say some truth that because if you look at the way the Japanese work they're usually about four on average now about four years ahead of the game right so in every one win to four strokes so it so by 2000 you're probably right they'd focused will shift their focus to four stroke Davila I can remember practice bikes you know rods going out the front of the of the motor like thank you it was and you would be think that we got to fix that but I said it was just like yeah and then the rod said like machine on the side it was that all no whiners they were all Harry Jones so tell the Rickey story so Ricky Carmichael and Ernesto Fonseca oh yeah it was the learning around when I was like you know I think it was at no lean I think it was 95 and I could be off of my years I'm sorry it's been a long time but so Ricky and Jeanie came to my house because I was a pretty good pro and he was on the 125 but not a pro yet still a loretta's kid and we I remember going on a mountain bike ride with him at my house and they stayed at my house and we went to my outdoor track and like we did a 30 minute moto and I think I passed him on the last lap I gave me no a little head start but he's a 15 year old little kid and he's and I can't catch him and I remember like probably one of the hardest I've ever tried I don't want to be embarrassed getting beat by this little kid and I finally got him with some bonds I move on the last lap of this motor and I'm like what that you know this isn't on the 125 and so I knew that he was pretty special back then already and the next day we went to my supercross track so not not so good there he wanted to go around all the whoops and and of course Jeannie's not not taking them it's very funny at all and and we ride and I get where he's coming from the same thing we did our Moto's together and my confidence went back up from the day before well yeah I am fast and and because it was a different guy so he jumps and my supercross track was about 30 minute I lived in a little town called Florence but my supercross track was out 30 minutes away and all two-lane back roads out there and he jumps up and I'm not picking on you because you know I love you Richie but this is kind of funny and and I've heard this story it's got this kind of seems to be a path he jumps up in my truck he's like go go go and I'm like go go where were you tell me goes go ditch my mom and I go why because because she won't let me go to Dairy Queen and I really want a blizzard so here's this chubby little kid once a blizzard ends up like never losing a championship being the Bell Lina I lived with Chad watts which had worked for him you know I think I told this story I had muscles yeah mostly Chad well Ricky and I would go ride about you know teammates at the time whatever so we'd come back and wash our car our bikes at this carwash it was right next to McDonald's and so I'd be Power on my bike and I'd look over his is just always be just leaned up against the thing I'm like and he'd always come back to cheeseburgers as a slur it was always cheeseburgers I'm like dude maybe we should call him hamburger yeah we'll be banned from his I heard he's good at banning people from his social media if you make this aneil of Ricky you guys are missing the point everybody should go on these diets because look how fast this little kid got he hey he does so funny about Ricky is that's what made him happy he trained so hard he had all them Baker he he gets to be eating cheeseburgers and probably won three quarters of the championships he did so I don't think any disrespect to hold him but I think Ricky probably would have had almost the identical record if you'd done it with him genie the way they were doing it I don't know Rick Ricky and it may be a show I think it's a show because I've seen him especially in 2000 when we were teammates and sat right next to each other got dressed upstairs in the semi come in after practice literally tears in his eyes why what's wrong with us why can't we go through the woops we're gonna get smoked and they went then he'd win the main you know so I'd be like wait a minute what was he joking earlier or psyching me out why is he psyching me out I'm like an eighth-place guy now so he was probably genuinely upset but haven't I think you know of course it it changes but it made him mentally so so strong having having the real trainer and it's one thing to be guessing at something then think you're doing the right thing and actually have someone tell you this is the right thing and just be a robot and follow it yeah but but the talent and the speed ridicu he didn't even help see I've had this debate with people because some I've had some people you know even people close to me debating saying that well Ricky didn't really have natural talent was all heart I'm like that's [ __ ] you telling me he had no telly up no tell him it was all hard I think so there's like I gave it all heart so I got told I had some talent I didn't do [ __ ] compared to him so there may be a little teeny squeak of truth in that in his Supercross skills but outdoor like like I literally most guys I could keep up with for a lap or two no matter what I couldn't keep up for that sucker for us straightaway I mean he was so fast everywhere is stupid yeah he embarrassed some people including me he I'm serious like there were times you came back and like a half a second a second maybe but he left the entire field at Millville he left an entire field twice at Daytona yeah I mean so yeah I said he should have gotten first second and third in those races no nobody else should get any trophies easy to get all three of them all right so two miles are on the other two away didn't get the Ricky show [Laughter] stop just stop I'm trying to get through this doesn't go six hours if I let Donny and GL just keep talking this will never end we'll run out of you know storm thing you have to get a new hard drive yours was a great show I don't know what that I'm complaining about yeah yeah my show I didn't get to talk these two just talk we did we told pink story for him we should have him back on so you can tell us about his story yeah how'd it go anywhoo moving on so mm was no good that bike sucked for you for me yeah I mean it John Dowd too and so at the end of the year were you like well okay I'm done with this team did they talk to you about staying well I'm 30 years old to that that doesn't help no that's that number when you go from 29 to 30 I think at that time now I'm gonna be 30 I've ridden for I've ridden almost every all for bikes you know should look to KTM yeah so that was and I was 30 and I was like well I'm not gonna write I'm not gonna write for free just why I had some money saved up by then I wasn't gonna ride for free I wasn't gonna spend my own money and take a chance and waste a bunch of money ya know so I didn't do anything I went to I made made good luck money local races the victory sport Sam gambling's races he made some money there what oh what's that it's just it's just the south central area like Sam gammon has Muddy Creek okay he has like mega series and ultra series shootout he's a shootout race or something I don't know it wasn't necessary that but they they just have good good perfectly and then the contingency money was good I wrote a Yamaha 250 F and see her 250 in road both won 5 and 250 Pro classic local races and made decent money I went and raised two GNCC which was a lot of fun I raised a lot of enduro Sitra southeastern trail rider Association enduros in South Carolina had a lot of fun with that so if you had a lot of fun you didn't think like maybe try pursue this as a sort of winding down party the offeror stuff yeah yeah I considered it and that's why I went to those races to show I could win tell us tell us about the GNCC race so I went to Muddy Creek and raced at Muddy Creek and I think game and Bradshaw was even there and I think he won like the anyway we he won one class I want another class and Mike Brown I mean there's it's it's legit you go to a local race and you're a factory guy you better tighten up your shorts because yeah you're supposed to win but these local guys have their full-blown race bikes you're on your practice bike and I know the track inside and they get the whole shot and at the end of the first lap you're going oh no that's their chance to be the reward egg trouble what was Kevin Walker that was so fast for two laps at any local southeastern tracks was [ __ ] Jim nice was a good one his son Luke's racing now so then I did this GNCC race and I get down there and Mike could rouse keys a factory Suzuki guy but they told me Shane watts KTM was the man and he was yeah and I said ok and they said if you can get anywhere close to him just follow him and did the best you can do you know so I called but from like 7th or 8th you got to do a dead engine start which was odd but anyway I get up and I get all the way up to second by the end of the first lap and I'm right what I'm doing what I'm supposed to do is Shane's not that far in front of me I'm using his lines because by the second lap there's mud ruts and stuff everywhere and I'm doing good but I didn't know anything about racing off-road and I blew by all these guys threw sand berms and stuff and clogged up my air filter and when I pulled the skin you have the filter slippery right and what bike a cr250 thank goodness because in my opinion Honda Motors are are very very strong and any other bike to me the the crank would have went out with as much sand setting set because I found cat turds in there literally there was so much sand in there that there was cats pooping and my mother it was like a litter box that's up kid so some people like while at the end of the second lap I'm like all the way back to like 35th because my butt might when I pulled my filter skin the the wire the wire pulled through the skin so it stayed on and I limp it all back Bulba Bulba won't go limp it all back get into the pit area and the guys that were helping me pat me on the back and they're like oh you did get him like I did good it's not over you know there's still two hours left and I'm like change the filter like well we don't have an air filter and I'm like well why don't you just pull the skin off well because when we opened up the hole it hit pulled the hole I think the whole air filter fell off and it was just all here sand in there so I remember taking off my gloves and a kid a local kid Ashley Brewer from South Carolina he grabbed the filter and he washed the filter in gas and he's like give me some oil give me some well and I'm changing gloves and goggles you know I'm trying to get ready to go and they didn't have no filter oil so he I can't find some motor oil and dumps motor oil all over it and it won't start because it's so saturated in oil and they pushed me I think it was Steve maybe Steve hatch his wife or what's the other guy rod Rodney Smith and maybe his wife at the time I remember like she was one of them helping and they're all pushing me and after about like 80 yards it BoBoiBoy it takes off and I'm like two minutes behind the last place and then I take off wide open like like it's a heat race it is Supercross I mean wide open and I'm not realizing there's two more hours left to go and I cut all the way back up to second place on the last lap but Watts was gone he was he was really good at that stuff and filter clubs up again and I limped it in I remember it's like Jimmy Jarrod or somebody fourth I pass him for fourth and then we get to a straightaway and and but I ended up getting fifth I did get fifth and you talked about bones you know never tell me the truth that is one day I don't think he was ever a huge Larry Ward fan I'm sure I was a pain in the ass when when they helped me I was I was struggling and then when I got to where I was successful III wasn't with Pro Circuit anymore so but I remember like I came from so far back even bones was out there rooting for me and cheering me on because I was I was really doing good and that's the thing where you maybe don't get along with your family but you stick form in bones is a super cross but good things about you he's a supercross motocross guy and here's a motocross guy just came from like last to do pretty good and end up getting fifth and hands were completely destroyed and dude three hours is a long time on a bike so going that fast yeah so then right after that so that's what I was doing was I was trying to see if you know even if I could make a 100 grand or 200 grand racing offroad that would have been better than not doing it so that's what I was planting the seed for but Kyle Lewis called me and asked me if I was interested in racing for Team moto xxx and I said I'd love to and I said and I really like this 250f I like the 250f which it was great at times there was a lot of growing pains you know the carburetor falling out of the back of the airbox and there was some different problems with it I had a frame they had the oil in the frame original ones and they'd be blasted my frame and filled it all full of sand and then get it all out yeah that happened stuff like that so there was growing pains but I had success with that bike you know grant grant and I had great that Red Bud and no one Pastrana the first moto I had a great great thing and this is you know I sit at home racing local races and stuff during Supercross when Pastrana was winning every East Coast round and then to battle with him and battle with Grant it kind of got me going again and and I was successful so and you were good there again and that weekend and they were and moto xxx was really cool I don't I see on Instagram that there's still somebody that has something to do with it I don't know if it's Kurt Jordan burns okay that's what I figured in they were so cool because they just were so stoked to have a race team they had absolutely nothing to do with it they didn't care Kyle Lewis really was the brains behind it and kept it going and Alan Alan Brown also but there you guys they gave me decent stuff I probably have great stuff but I was I was good and even oh three when we both wrote 450 all year I had a lot of fourth places in Supercross at 33 years old on a motorbike stock for 50 Hyundai was I'd always almost get Ernie I remember always almost getting Ernie but Ernie was on a factory 250 still and he'd always always squeaked it out but I got a lot of fourth places that year so well at Budds Red Bud you made history in two ways first guy only guys still to ever win a race Pro race in three different decades yeah and that's that's cool but that's just luck did I start but it speaks to your longevity which is crazy that's cool 89 was it 89 89 99 198 as well well 89 90 99 98 well yeah but I want Nationals in between I won like 92 and I know one yeah but from yeah so that long of a gap between first win and last win 89201 and you were the first winner on TPDF right yeah you know yep forefoot leave at least outdoor 450 as well like first an hour stroke winner I don't know about I don't I don't think so cuz Henry Henry probably had that no cuz well I know it oh one Ernie won the whiskers on the 250f but outdoors yeah pretty cool Pastrana that had one up until then didn't Henry win in 98 on the four-stroke but on a big bike I went a 125 national on it Forster yeah yeah I mean that's I've sold stuff I'm proud of and something some of the numbers are just coincidence that I started an 89 and ended in oh three but but it's still fun yeah yeah numbers don't lie that's what we would say I know you tried downplay it but that is not only to think that you won in three different decades did you ever have any funny stories with the Moto xxx guys they were ever go to any of their concerts or anything way like that no not really I know worst thing that ever happened when I was on that team was I was that we were testing up in a Castillo ranch and it was a day off you've ever seen it on I think one of the crusty demons a dirt or one of the this type movie Dave Castillo is doing a big huge Pastrana jump over the hill and when he lands his front wheel blows out and like you can see on the day I'm the first one I go up then I lay my bike over and III I don't even wanna go I thought it was I thought it was dead actually and he was pretty messed up and I actually reached out to him on Instagram saying something about this or that about the morphine and he said I sure missed that morphine it was hilarious yeah when you in that much pain you too miss it he's lucky cuz that was a high-speed job and he liked that he also had that momentum of the continuum and he'll never stop they just kept going and going and going yeah I normally would run up the flat and you come to a stop but real quick back to the xxx guys cuz they gave us good equipment and I had fun that was that was I was at in my 30s racing and being competitive that was a lot of fun and they you know I don't know what happens when you leave teams that you never really get to say your thanks or goodbye but yeah those guys you're always doing this and then one day you sit back and go kind of like you do now you reflect see like [ __ ] maybe should reach out to him or forgot about that but I think that was pretty cool for both he you know cuz Jordan and who's the arocs and a hurt hauler and Curt all those Eric's Anand was the no effects drummer Jordan's a strung-out drummer and then Kurt was how was he involved with him yeah I don't really know anyway they were they were just huge fans of racing right and so to have a guy one of their guys go out and be yeah they were international and be top five and forty super guys I'm always excited when I win or do good to call my mom but I was really excited to call Kurt Haller and let the team know that yeah you guys I know you think this is just kind of a joke to you and you just want to have somebody out there but we actually won a national today was perfect big deal yeah pretty wild man you think about what those guys did they want a supercross Deegan they want a national with you you know they had guys consistently in the top top ten you know even the next year I don't think I told the story on the on the show yet but about Bubba about James Stewart in OH - at Washougal oh yeah on the same xxx motor Triple X Y Z f250 I won the first moto at Washougal and James Stewart in his interview says the old man got me here and I love that story yeah 32 and he was 60 outside yeah that could be twice as they yeah that's awesome all right so at the end of that year did you did you decide okay I'm done or was there just no more opportunities like I mean you were what 33 at that point 32 yeah I think what happened if I remember the right right years and stuff is for some reason even though I was really good on a 450 outdoors and motocross supercross and motocross in Oh three for some reason I decided to ride I was gonna ride like East Coast Lites on the 250 f2 next year Oh four and I don't know I don't really know what I was thinking because just being a top five or six guy at 450 is way better than you know a top three or four guy on a life so I especially at 34 years old so I don't know what I was thinking but you probably thought I can win huh I don't I don't know maybe that might have been when I see him but didn't James end up on the East Coast you know full well Oh for it was a Hansen was pretty good I think Oh James yeah it was James yeah yeah he did he dominate that yeah he dominated us and I trained in I rode and I had I had a 250f on and I don't think it would have been competitive but it just didn't it didn't have enough power but I crashed and broke my collarbone the week before the first race and I think I went to Pontiac and didn't even make the main and that I was over it that was the end of it yeah we're just like I'm done yeah I mean I was riding pretty good and people are just blown by me because the thing was it's pretty much just a stock 250f and at that time like the Yamaha rode bikes were like really fast there was a lot of progression quickly yeah where strokes and and my bike it didn't have so much so and I just broke the collarbone and went through that and there was there was no snow money and he left over anymore so I just was yeah it was it was about time was a point was that tough for you is that a tough call to make or no kind of been building to it I'd been building because at the end of 2000 I was pretty much over it and then to get another you know so to win a national win it's like okay it pulls you along couple years yeah yeah it's okay now yeah I would have thought when you said you okay walking away cuz just listening to you've talked about a few times that it's crossed your mind that maybe this is it or maybe it's not worth it so I think when you have those conversations it at least helps ya prepare you for a little bit you're never really prepared I think we're we were all thought we were prepared maybe or some aren't I wasn't but that was 30 learn 30 33 years old you and you had your [ __ ] together and then and then I did race one more time the last time I think I saw you I went to door Germany and I've been riding four strokes for several years and I got a last-minute call like literally on a Thursday or Wednesday and you got to fly out Thursday and I get to Germany and I have gear I'd like one set of gear and there's a kx250 two strokes hitting their number oh so she got on the plane literally the first two nights I did not even make the main event embarrassed just III can't ride this thing I was arm pump and struggling and the third night I asked him if I could have a bigger rear sprocket you know to give it more long it was really ready and a new purse Nicky Holloway I went to over there and Mike Alesi was there I mean there was something khalessi was winning yeah there was some okay guys there and went that bigger rear sprocket and I don't know what happened but I hole shot and led every lap of every race and won the main that night that's last time I ever raced I literally remember standing on the podium with my trophy going this you better enjoy it yeah is the last time and that was it that was it last time I ever raced when you hope we did you literally think we held that trophy like this is the last time yeah I knew the last time I'd be on the podium for sure so used to day for a while I get a couple inches literally the last thought know that the the file Kawasaki team yeah I mean they were so happy because they thought they had Larry Ward King a Europe that they were gonna do good and after the first two nights are like he's not even making the me yeah Larry's Ward sucks and then and then I won and they were happy and they think what is it was Wiener schnitzels or something we went innate or something on elite in Germany but yeah but they're happy [ __ ] CIL's yeah like portion of so yeah they like they SHINee tunes yeah now I remember that weekend I didn't make the main event any night that was the last I raced in Czech Republic the next week that was you were newlywed though I know what you were doing well I've now solidified a relaxing just not on this dirt bike I need a Supercross the following weekend in Czech Republic and I was done as last one I ever did and Chad Peterson came I talked him into coming he broke his he cross reddit jumped off the track landed flat-footed on the concrete broke both his ankles so I had to send him to the airport in a walker all the best but yeah was like good luck he beat up well wouldn't you thanks for the invite next time I call you have as much fun as I did so then what what what happened in the years following then like how did you how did you deal with how would you do I remember right after Supercross I had I had a wakeboard boat I know be honest I for about eight nine months I drank drank a little bit visited some nudie bars come hunting season I'd get my motor home and I'd go South Dakota Nebraska New Mexico I'd go all over you know like three months hunting the drinking thing really wasn't for me I didn't like I knew I was you know when you're doing something wrong and you know it at eventually you're like okay yeah I can i I'm wasting my time I did a couples I taught a couple schools local local kids to stay ride and I stayed ride and I started shooting sporting clays competition shotgun stuff and I got enough [ __ ] I got into that we noticed that today and you notice when he'd hit a pigeon it would go and a dust like a loon would but I would claim it even if I saw a little piece just like nailed it we needed some salsa for his little chips that was the wad you were that was she that you saw not the very well soul shake as well so clay pigeons in case anybody animal lovers he said pigeons but we were she was a target so we weren't shooting pigeons anyway today anyway so so you got is that when you get into RC car racing yeah so so I chased I learned I learned how to fly I was proud of that I got my private pilot's license I learned how to fly and then I met my wife and I didn't know she was gonna be my wife but I was out on my boat on the river one day drinking and you know just to see livings to come from living a life that most 23 year olds do but I was racing and serious and now I'm 34 and I'm kind of a perv because I'm the old guy I was like twelve years older than me and I looked over then I said damn I said I believe I just give that girl ring and take my chances and saw you know talk to her she was dating somebody I was dating a lot of somebodies and and we never you know we said hi instead of couple times but then I went to I was in Old Mexico deer hunting whitetail hunting I'm successful we didn't find what I was looking for but when I got home to Texas I had a voicemail I don't know but Texas you were yes and my phone I was in Mexico Old Mexico oh okay and so I got across the border I know Texas I had a voicemail and it was from a mutual friend we had and Jennifer who is my wife saying hey haven't seen you around in a couple months you know wondering if you're still around and I'm like okay that's really weird why's why this why it's just super hot chick calling this old man and I called her and when I got home my we went and had Mexican food dinner and she ordered appetizer and like my wife is beautiful and the waiter was so mesmerized by her he never brought our food he forgot to bring the food because he was just that's what I tell her anyway and the next day were like you'll miss the next day I met her for a coffee and and I've been with her for almost 15 14 years now I've been married for eight years and have a beautiful butt before but then after I met her that's when I got into our see car thing okay Adam Drake was the team manager for Team Losey at the time and he he helped me out a little bit just because I was Larry Ward but then through the years we became friends and he helped me more and more more and I got fairly competitive I never was a top Pro guy but I was a decent pro guy in the southeast and when I turned 40 I was a real legit +40 card yeah and I got proficient and I got smarter and was there money in that no no money just but it's so much fun some of those guys oh there's me in for the real guy yeah yeah there was a guy that lived near us and went to his place and that and he was a Losey sponsored guy and turns out he's like no no we could I get like a good base and bonuses and I'm like yeah but there's a hand you think it's exam that's crazy and he said yeah it's about it there's like people Brian may feel Adam Drake still goes pretty good I've been out of it for about five years since I moved to Oklahoma but but it's it's a thing where it's a whole nother level the pros versus the local pros that right yeah it's just like moto right like it's just like local products go to Anaheim until a local program looks like Willy lump lump hey that's so good so yeah it was faster than Dungey at milestone yeah well so so I got an RC car racing and that that was a great feeling did you feel like you were though you were missing something I mean you're doing all these things to fill time but well I like the shotgun thing but it got really expensive to travel the shotgun shells to sign up it was pretty expensive I tried to get my wife involved in that she liked to shoot a little bit but wasn't into going and sitting all day in the Sun at a tournament she wanted nothing to do with our see car thing but luckily it was called the badlands in Myrtle Beach I had some friends that we had a unbelievable facility ten minutes from the house so my wife was great with me going I work on the track one night we practice one night we race on the weekends and then we'd usually have one race at Myrtle Beach a month and then travel a couple weekends as a month and that was a great FULFILLER for the motocross missing motocross because it was almost it was on dirt it was gas powered vehicle it was motocross except for her you didn't have to train and he didn't get hurt he wants the caulk case the double not yourself right so so that I really really enjoyed that but you still spending money traveling and though it just seemed like there was still like I still have even though I was had a successful motocross career just felt like there was something something else that I was gonna do with my life I didn't know what it was at the time but now I now I know it's the stone what is this place it's running this place building this place entertaining the people on the weekends I'm really comfortable here and we've been here for five and a half years and it's head like everything in life ups and downs but we're at a really good place right now and this so was it turned out was it not too long after that that you found this place and came out here yeah so I got a call just asked if so originally this was a partnership there was a partner next door who I shot the sporting clays with and and we were hunting buddies for a long time and he asked me to come out here and just help guide some hunts and try to just bring back a little bit of revenue for how much they were spinning in feed and fuel and stuff like that and so my wife and I am my little six-month-old baby got the motor home and drove out here and we were only gonna be here a couple months well something happened with the general manager that was here and they moved on and they asked me to take over and do everything and I'm like holy cow I guess and I didn't we we enjoyed it we weren't settled though we were in a double-wide or into my motorhome and it was it was just it was awkward it was hard a little hard on my relationship in BO he's and there was a lot of because there was a partnership I was always in the middle of the two owners and whoever was right or wrong I was always in the middle and that was stressful and so finally the partner split and you all saw the fence down the middle and it split and I chose to come to this side even though him and I were originally friends old partner it just just wasn't the environment I wanted to work in and I'm comfortable over here and we've grown this place the first year just totally transformation built it into what it is right now in the last couple years been last year has been really fun work all week in year clothes dress up to your play clothes or your dress clothes for the weekend entertain the guests and take care of people it's fun yeah it's been a lot of fun is that what they're mostly booking on the weekends yeah yeah a lot of corporate retreats like to do Thursday to Friday into their home on Saturday but private people are more weekends and then since then since I redid my contract last Christmas my wife and I have were completely sold out in South Carolina house at Myrtle Murrells Inlet is gone the farm I had there's gone and we just about 140 acres a nice new house nice shop and it's been a game changer for me emotionally mentally when I I loved working here but when I get home it's like I Drive in the driveway and literally say I still cannot believe this is my place it's that nice yeah I really really like it my wife and daughter out in the front yard there's chickens and horses and stuff running all around and I'm just I'm I'm really happy and thankful right now and but it all comes from motocross out I wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for motocross and in the life I had with motorcycles I think we could all say that and you guys needed to the timing was right right because lakelyn your daughter's gonna start school right soon now next year no she'll be in first grade this come here so so my wife told me you better oh pretty tough you better figure out what you're gonna do big boy cuz I'm not moving like that around in school and so it was a transition for my wife - because she's born and raised in Myrtle Beach South Carolina and never left and her mom and dad and her friends are all still there and I move her to I mean we're eight miles from the tiger King Park so we're we're out in the middle of nowhere and but thankfully the school that she paid for my daughter the local rec center the gym and then the horse industry around here and and not with our new place she my wife's really I think she's really comfortable we're really happy here that's awesome man so I love it but life is is tough I mean you can retire with you know four or five million dollars from a great racing career and think you're golden and one bad injury or a sickness in your family or stock market crash you know seven or or anything can happen and even Ricky Johnson I heard in some interview has to work for money now he and he was the greatest when I when I was a young kid with twenty six wins so you still have to well even if you retired like you said with a few million it runs out it runs actually because if you've made that money you don't live on a shoestring budget you've gotten used to yeah yeah I have the car that even if you try to cut back to a shoestring budget you have car insurance house and sure there's just those monthly bills that never stop so so and I was smart I knew I saw that I was starting to cut into my yeah my equit my I was burning up more it's more than just my interest and I was eating into some principle so I had to make a change and that's when I started looking for something else and then this all you get you gotta be real careful what you pray for or wish for because stuff comes true because I needed something else and now I feel like this is for sure where I'm supposed to be doing yeah yeah I like said you before I feel like you're living your dream and like part 2 yeah so this is perfect for you I did you know there was 10 years in there that I may be wasted or did what I had to did what I did but from junior high we're trained and we never get to go to our high school prom we don't get to do anything for fun so I finally let loose and had fun in my late 30s but it didn't take me long to figure out that I need to get back back being serious in there getting married and and having the relationship and the family it makes you a lot more humble than yeah they want to work for something more - I want to make her proud on something besides oh you're Larry Ward the motorcycle racer I wanna go hey that place is nice you got a great job there yeah well I think she can fly it and you know like we talked about this all the time but Ricky Carmichael probably doesn't need to work anymore but Ricky doesn't need to work guaranteed no so but look at all these things he's doing it's like nobody nobody wants to just sit home and do nothing no like that doesn't good for a man you know I mean you you won't you got to have goals you got to have things that get you out of bed in the morning so for sure and that's just I hope that younger riders if they happen to listen this will just keep that in the back of their head and go okay what are some other interests I have and what could I maybe do just pay my free time to kind of prep for that if I had any if anyone cares or would listen there's no one that's gonna take care of you if you think gonna have this big motorcycle career or any career at all you need to have I'm not going to call the back-up plan but you need to think about what's next because your exit strategy there's no there's no manual the promoters don't help you your sponsors don't help you when you're done you're done and I way I wish you know I often think about I got my private pilot's license was one of the first things I did and if I would have been real serious and had a plan I could maybe not been a commercial pilot like an airline but a private private browser carrier like a cargo carrier or something like that which would be a good living or you I think you picked an awesome career but you had to know what you wanted to be before you could be a fireman and that's worked out pretty good for you so I almost wish you know especially with all the concussions and now the kids dropping out of school early this sport it does kind of need in my opinion well there are making a change to 18 B in the new limit I think I think there needs to I would like it if someday there could be some sort of a committee with maybe some yeah some old retired racers that could sit down with these young kids and you know I'm not saying that shelled has to have an employment strategy for X motocross racers but at least some at least give them some guidance you know because they're all adults that are working providing this this racing circuit for us and we're little kids that we they don't especially now they don't let you get out of your shell you have to eat this ride this do this and then I'll sudden you're 28 years old and they say oh here good luck bye and you're like a little 15 year old kid home what do I do yeah so it'd be nice but that's getting a little little deep I'm serious but no it's just anything at all with with at least in the NFL these other sticking balls they at least have will have a lot if unions they have people that help them and hey here's what it should be doing for investments doesn't mean they'll listen cuz a lot of those guys go broke but we've tried so many times to do a union and the contractual agreements with your the factory versus their contract with the promoters it doesn't work so maybe just a guidance you know just a counseling form you know there's guys like Jeff Stanton who have done it right and saved money that I think just a cool guy I think he would definitely be willing to help so you know maybe something we think about if we don't start thinking about it'll never happen it's something that's lacking in our sport how to invest your money that you're making now and what are you gonna do when you're done racing because it it will come to an end well these will have to have another career you can't just retire at 30 and live out the next 70 years of your life Rikki's another we use Ricky a lot tonight I know you like that show so but I think he always claims that his best investment ever was from what's the Earl may and the in the some advice that Earl may gave him so that was just advice from a friend what to do with your money you know what I mean that was not just about the car washes or well I from what I understand it's some like quick lube truck stops for the big tractor trailers okay but I don't I don't know exactly I'm talking about but I think the car wash is something new okay so well but we don't all have this there's nobody helping you're amazed that you don't want to help us and don't take advantage of us yeah the agents get you as much money as they can get you because it's self-serving they want a higher percentage right a higher amount of their percentage and once they get it for you they like alright kick some ass see you next year when I'm gonna go you know there's no help well there's another option on some of these like like say Yamaha Honda or places where you know you'll always get paid instead of cramming that massive amount of money in a two-year deal what if it was X amount for two years and then deferred payments so that way you're not paying highest tax amount each year and you've got residual income and when it's not sitting in your bank account I don't know about you guys but I know I'll be the first to admit it my money burns a hole in my pocket the best thing I can do is shift to someone that's going to vist it because if it sits there I'm like what's the problem there's another problem though will they listen see my wife tells me problem I could live in a cardboard box with a rock and never buy a single thing so I'd have a whole buttload of money in savings and live meagerly if I could I was someone that was different I didn't really come from money so when I got out I was like sick you know like I did I enjoyed it but I had to try and reel that in and I remember people saying you're wasting money I'm like no I'm not they're like you don't need three cars a year like yeah but I want them that one got dirty justify everything how you do in your head what was it James Stewart said my ass don't have to touch the same leather in one week because he had like seven different colors that's gonna run out you think that's running out I have no idea I hope it has to there's no way I I know they don't sell enough seven gear to sustain not sitting your ass in the same leather like how much do you ride anymore so I have periods where I don't ride at all lately for some reason I've been a bit I've been riding a little bit do you miss it when you don't fit the 50 mark was like wait a minute what I'm 50 that don't sound right so I've been I've been trying to stay in better shape take better care myself and there's no better workout for us with arthritis and the injuries than riding you feel like a million dollars days when when we work out in the gym if I ride that morning I'm a monster in the gym versus if I come in there all system tough and stiff so how fast do you pump up with all those new muscles you know I'm not mad so I'm a little smarter now I primarily just ride a 250f doesn't doesn't kill me it's I feel sorry for the bike because I you know I'm a little heavier than I once was but they've built to handle it though yeah the 250f now I've got both have kind of given up on the forehead he's just yeah it's too much damn biking right he had a really nice 250 so I took it off his hands yeah I'm a nice guy we've heard three times it's really good so what 250 do you have pig he's like I got out of what I got a yz125 I just need some time to go write it yeah competition I saw will hans making a awesome new one a 250 two-stroke you see that oh it's a 250 ok we're gonna test it in a couple weeks that's insane what's gonna be so special about it it's all like race team parts carbon working on this thing for life is beautiful so basically anything that could go no wisey - yeah gonna be on it ok I'll show you couple photos of it it's insane alright so when you don't ride do you miss it like there's some guys like johnnyo already kind of quit riding RG he rides a little bit as wrist hurts and but like there's guys who just go I'm done and they never ride again and I yeah yeah how do you do that like I miss it if I don't ride for a long time yeah I'm not I'm not I'm good really yeah so when I do ride it's when the owners family comes and John the owner and his son Parker they both really like to ride a lot and I feel like it's I feel like they take really good care of me and they do a lot for me and riding is something that I still am proficient at and have skills that that I can help them with yeah and so I ride more just just to help them and make and make otherwise you just take it to care less Wow if yeah I I don't I just don't miss it that much for me it's too much it's too much risk and not no reward at all I'll ride two days in a row and I by the second day I'm like dang I feel pretty good I just look on it why what am I gonna do with that absolute when you grease a corner jump something just right like don't you go man that is such a cool feeling and I can still do it and yeah even though I also I also over here the other day that was a quiet little jam but you didn't missed it yeah it's okay I thought I was in first gear so I full-blown hit it wide open this big double that we have out here and over jumped it because I was in second and I over jumped it by like 30 feet my wrist is hurt ever since so there's also that side to it too yeah yeah I still feel good and when I write a couple days in there I think like dang I'm still pretty good start put some phone calls out there know gonna do it 50 years old sitting on your resume there's not PG a senior to another supercrime out a triple XL and this is no disrespect because I think it's cool that they did it but the Fight Club thing you know I don't think people really want to watch fit to your home guys go out there and and ride I thought the coolest thing was the sitting around the campfire just talking absolutely that's fun and that's what I talked about doing that while shoo go in the future the riding is like yeah I mean I don't know we would be better off doing something here and just just dozing a little flat track oh yeah TTR 125 smallest guy can touch the ground no he can put both the feet down flat just barely show so PW our pit bikes we can lower the pit bikes to to a PHP dub so Larry if you sat on a PW if you gone yeah I go up your ass it'd be gone oh let's try hey alright favorite race bike you had and all your user is a mmm that's that's I said that's a tough one um I did like that 97 Honda 250 CR 250 sure the only human on the planet yeah I know I did like actually that 96 97 both Honda's were for different reasons I liked them I did like that the YZF to 5000 won I did like that bike especially when you know you get it you started gelling with him just right it I liked that bike I like my I think it was 80 88 or 87 yz125 yeah really those are the red and white days that looked pretty trick I've been riding a Yamaha 250f not at 220 but like a 17 model that and I heard they've gotten even better and oh it's out of the out of the boxes so it's good the 2020 the stock ones they're just stupid they're so fast you should have spotted one like the yeah especially when I build one into like a really titties race bike and then grandpa ice it from me before I have a chance to really enjoy it should ride that Maui I did it's amazing dude I'm telling you you would love it okay we're spiky ever raced worst race bike from your pro days yeah so I hate to say it and I did go it I did at a Dallas Supercross couple week so I actually went and talked to Bruce turns from and and and talked about it and he I asked him about that I heard about that frame change and he fully told me the whole story and it was legit the story and everything but I was building so much momentum 96 95 through 99 and I had so much hopes of factory Kawasaki and and and it was just it was a career ender I thought I kept calling it so but 2000 kx250 is what's it the same which I remember was it it was at the same bike fro got heard on with no Yamaha no but it was a risk also Yamaha was it wasn't he on the couch still all I know is 97 fro was unbelievable outdoors and 99 he was horrible so yeah 98 he was good too and then the difference was that frame 99 he was on that Yamaha and I thought oh maybe I'm wrong I don't know I thought he I thought he was there well I think I think it was 97 frame that was good but 98 99 2000 and what was bad but I don't know why it took him so long to figure it out it's crazy alright so tell us about and there's no I mean there's there's good stuff not all most bikes or early 90s like my 92 zukie 250 I liked it 91 92 I didn't think they were so good mm-hmm and that's also just rider preference you know I've heard people that like I mean I'm not trying to bash the by completely you didn't gel with it or you couldn't find this sitting that made you happy so that's different is saying it sucked but it just didn't work the funniest thing ever and a perfect example that is in 2000 you know Ricky's starting to do pretty good I'm like well let me ride his and they're like okay go ride it I'm like well you're kidding right I said you're gonna at least raise the handlebar nope just go ride it get on this little little thing and I go like two corners and I'm like this is a joke right there's no way there's no way I could read it yeah yeah he had lowered subframe cuts see higher foot pegs bars were Conda they were touching the front fender Cowie they were back on the on the vice versa maybe vice versa but they were back they always came back so so tell us about how how can people get a hold of you here at Stone Wood Ranch at Stone Wood Ranch on the Instagram on Instagram website is stone the stone wood ranch calm okay and those are the best ways they can't can-can I give it to you and have you put it on the screen so they can see it because yeah it'd be really silly if made it I'll put it in the link below it'll be it so I'll be there all the time thank you and work we're in Wynnewood Oklahoma the stone wood ranch how do you say it win would win any would say it's famous right now for the tiger king at the GW Park Zoo alaya is literally like eight or nine mile we're going tomorrow morning now Carol Baskin owns that her that's that's what I hear I don't know yeah so but now she can kill the new husband over there Mitch Carroll Baskin number two is gonna be it so you can check out the website check out the Instagram get a feel for it the website the pictures are awesome but it doesn't do it justice I'm glad to hear you guys say that cuz I just don't it's just this place is bigger it's yeah cooler there's more stuff in Texas with the size of this place like seriously that's the biggest kitchen counter table the height of the roof is insane you guys need to get somebody with a drone to kind of get you a better aerial footage of it but I could have drone racing this stuff on the website doesn't do it just do the properties unreal what thank you and what kind of animals can people hunt so we have a Hall W hogs are really popular bass fishing is really popular all the shooting sports shotguns pistols rifles the motorcycle thing is is kind of up in the air you can call maybe we can work it out I don't know on the motorcycle thing yet but what I can and can't do I'm working on it I'd love to have some younger kids schools like like 60 and 80 80 80s are smaller some couple of schools and I'm not it's more of a camp I like to call it like a camp kids I wanted to come here and will focus on riding the most but teach them how to catch a fish how to tie a fishing hook how to shoot a rifle safely how to shoot a bow and arrow you know even some of these kids don't even know how to start a fire and and just stuffed it maybe never use it again but at least you can be a little more well-rounded I always I always want to be real well-rounded in and learn a lot a little bit of like Spicoli a little bit about everything so and there's also an inquiry you can fill out a thing ask any questions that I'll be honest I hope I don't open myself up to get a bunch of it I just want to say hi to Larry but all the contact information the website everything goes to me and I'd be happy to call you back and answer any questions and I'm really proud of the place Jonel Melinda supported it it's 100 by them it's unbelievable but I am proud of the placement of everything the the way we've taken care of it the service with Brian and Kelsey my cooks is awesome you stick it to your game a bunch of one caught my maid amber she comes in here every week and keeps it really really nice so it's not that easy steady so why even need a maid soon so what can people hunt though so so we have whitetail pretty pretty much any exotic if you call I can get them it's hard to keep stuff here year-round cuz stuff dies stuff gets old but we can get any exotic but primarily whitetail deer of all sizes I have access fallow odd add lots of lots of hogs corporate Treece is what we specialize in the guys come in boy those sheep we saw - yeah I have four horned Jacobs and mouflon Rams and there's different kinds of sheep there that's there's like whitetail which i think is a legit animal and then there's the exotics like the access and stuff and then sheep is something some guys like it but I have more different price points so if a guy kills a nice $8,000 buck and wants his ten-year-old kids to shoot something making Shiva shooing them goes or something you know so that's kind of what I have them in here and I just got a little bit like over there so it'll be fine so some people that don't hunt don't understand it's not that we just want to murder goats it's that you know you teach that boy had to have patience and and and finally find the animal if he wants make a clean really good shot - to harvest the animal without it suffering or wounding it and then teach him how to add a I know some people really actually think that their meat is made at the grocery store but it's not it you know and and think we're getting weird you might we might have to I don't know if you all have tried to buy meat lately but it's not easy to buy meat right now it's actually sad because of the whole since I mean they're killing off livestock in animals because there's no one package it y'all have you ever watched um the zombie the what's the Walking Dead Walking Dead like this would be the ultimate place - Saul the way around animals everywhere lots of ammunition lots of wine and liquor so we live we live a long time I was gonna say you'd be quite happy can I can I shoot the easy if that happens can I come here and man yeah so we have a you're not shooting the pistol we have a little I don't put the pistol Manuel all that nine-millimeter easy that has a red dot scope on it and things he was electric with it see that like I like the electronic ping yeah he loved that savage with that thing he was good it reminded me of you it's this little short stubby tight little thing that'll look cool it was loud - man back it reminds me of you yeah that was a good guy was fun it was a fun time do you know we really appreciate you know and I got to tell you guys I you know when time goes by and you don't think about raising for a long time it's it's been you know pretty humbling too that you guys would even want to let alone actually come out here and spend some time with me and grants been you know he's a multi time national champion and been very humble and very very respectful to me in my career and I was like known and like paying ever since he was a little kid so it's been a thing I'm very thankful for you guys coming out here yeah man we're like I said I was excited for the show for a long time and like this has been more days now I warned ya I mean you know I don't know yeah come back can watch you do some more you knew more than I did like you'd been sort of working on this I was a little more not even blind so we're not game what I must say that it was kind of a trip and I think I mentioned it last night but you know in South Africa safari lodging and places like that where people go to safari or even hunting places well they have places and this reminds me a little bit of being in South Africa like the architect the banisters you know it's very outdoorsy a lot of wood a lot of you know animal print stuff but coming in here it was a bit of a trip I'm like I'm into some cool places and Stanford like really cool places but this place takes a cake at least this main home everything's here is huge and don't let because this place is over the top super luxurious but our price point it's not that it would you explaining I'm like is she afraid to you know get eight or ten guys together and the more people you bring the cheaper I can I was shocked it like a Michael this is super reasonable yeah why you're getting and I'm I'm talking any big city if you go to any big city and state a five-star it's more than this you're gonna spend more than working-class here yeah for food and lodging and everything absolutely if you stayed it a nice hundred fifty dollar a night hotel and ate it out back and drank a bunch of drinks and be what just went to and the intimate Park or something like that you're gonna spend more money and this is this is private this place is yeah it's legit and I don't know I'm really proud of it and you know I hear a lot I read stuff now recently that ghosted this board or I just went away it's it's not like that I was moved on to the next thing ever that's everyone's that's their perception of how was and yeah and to me I didn't have any you didn't have any reason to stay behind like who used to say you had to do these things I've had people say certain things to me in like well well it also sounds like and you've explained it it's like you didn't get to do a lot of these things when you're young because you're concentrating on racing so you get to go out and explore other things why do I have to just sit in one spot and I'll be honest I'm not arrogant enough or even I don't it's hard for me to believe that the fans still want to know what I'm doing or where I'm at like I don't want I don't I won't be like hey look at me I'm doing this I thought you all would know fans are so damn fickle if you were hanging around they'd be like here and you don't come round they're like why is he why is he hey however come around you know like you're not going but now I'm really proud of this place it's it's can be very beneficial to any business any team the team building and the camaraderie that you gain your plane whether you're playing cornhole or shooting shotguns today if you would have placed you and me on the same team and we didn't even like each other but we helped each other alright I helped you get better it would have built camaraderie you know it's the same thing playing cornhole at night having a having a drink on the back porch and we also have the amenities that we have the guns the night vision it's it's all it's all first-class you need to help them in the pistol range a little bit more and I'm very proud of it Jonel Melinda Folker like I said it's their facility but it's amazing and we can we treat everybody really well and and now that I'm finally proud of something I'm thankful that I do have some fans that remember me so I can use my brand to help promote this ranch and hopefully get to you know if there's people that want to hang out with X motocross racer on a family reunion this is the place you know so I'm just doing I'm in honest I'm doing whatever I can I'm so proud of it that I'm trying to use any anything I had to promote it and that's why I really appreciate you guys coming here and and helping me get the word out our Instagram just it keeps going up and we all are still the same motocross family I want to help you to that and I like that because I haven't seen that a lot since I retired people in the sport trying to help me and now all of a sudden you know a lot of people are trying to help in it and I really appreciate that yeah listen Manny it is a small weird little family dysfunctional as it may be at times and just yes don't touch my drums we got one more question oh boy we end every show with it how do you want to be remembered in this sport how do you want fans to remember you well you know my mom's already thinks I'm the best ever so that that's important and loves proud of me and thinks I can do no wrong so that's important um just you know exactly how I was the truth I was never the best but I wasn't the worst and for a skinny little kid from Snohomish Washington to actually win some super crosses and race as many laps as almost anybody it's just the longevity and never give up and you know obviously I had talent but not quite enough but you know that's all perspective man so that's I don't know that's that's better I just I'm just very thankful the humble that people still remember me and I get to hear my name once in a while I'm I'm cool with I don't think by no stretch the imagination I'm a Hall of Fame guy but I was very honored and I'm and I love it that I'm in the Washington State Hall of Fame because that's where it all started so so I did the best I could with what I had I don't think I ever had the best of the best stuff but I always just did the best I could with what I had and I think a lot of people recognize that I mean people know they know the name Jeff Ward so you've really left it on the sport oh it's Larry what are you you're ready in the Hall of Fame bro calm down I never did like David Villopoto do you mean David woman hey dude thank you so much thank you guys I've had absolutely thank you guys hey we'll be right back to wrap up the show be sure be sure to check out Stone Wood Ranch at Stone Wood Ranch and the stone wood ranch calm you don't want to come out here and check this place out it's a dope we'll be back - rapa [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] maybe that's something I'm Billy [Music] [Music] I'm starting to back I understand understand the bad guy women at the sky [Music] hey guys welcome back to the whiskey throttle show thank you so much to Larry Ward for having us out the Stone Wood Ranch is epic because it's not just a smoke job like this place is really really badass if you come here and say it's not what we made it out to be call me please because I want I want to hear you what your complaint is yeah I mean it's I don't know how he has one complaint the bids are too tall you know those little run in place trampolines you need one of those just to get into the bed the hardware League is is get out of bed in the middle the night you're like hanging on slide your feet I've gone oh [ __ ] where's the floor we're giving you half asleep so I wasn't even thinking so I went I was ready to hit the ground and I didn't and then I almost literally hit the ground that's funny slow wake-up call in the middle of night I mean I feel like I already want to book another trip back here some some time well we haven't used that movie theater room I haven't used the bar enough yeah the case is talking nonsense now all right I'll stop rambling yeah I will tell you this we are headed up to guy Cooper's place in Stillwater Oklahoma tomorrow so you can look for that show the following week it's going to be a lot of fun we're trying to get the most bang for our buck out here in Oklahoma we also also are going to go over to the Wild Animal Park here and see if we can meet Carol in Basking so look for those selfies tomorrow out front we can stop by the the state jail and see you know he's otic he's done is he in Florida or is he you know he's here oh yeah I'm over him yeah all right we got the SK da get at me QA if you guys are not familiar with SK DA's graphics man go check them out not only to make a really cool whiskey throttle show graphic which is 20% off at the moment they just make rad stuff they've got a new retro line have you seen some of the stuff they've been doing old Yamahas old cow he's even the see our stuff yeah the stuff is rad they just man they're killing it they just keep coming out with designs that are rad absolutely the next level so check those guys out Tony what I got for questions today well now that we've run or start supercross back up again what'd you guys think of the day race and what do you think of no fans I thought no fans sucked I felt like I was while chinga time to practice that's what it felt like to me watching it on TV up right up until they cut off before hit the main event and went to riding and I flipped my TV off and walked out I think we all do that it's definitely to me feels a little strange but a couple weeks prior obviously NASCAR come back and they do the same thing at Darlington no fans Day Race and I remember watching and there was nothing else on TV so I was kind of amped to see that NASCAR and I'm like just didn't feel the same so I was hoping okay maybe that was NASCAR because he can be a little boring going left Supercross maybe will be different and I watch it the same thing I was like it just feels a little strange I don't know what it's like for the races on the track I'm sure once you're in that zone they probably don't notice any different I thought the day race made it even more weird with no fans yeah knotti could you see everything but racing Supercross the day that's so pumped there's so it was real contrast at night and you can't see like what each guy is doing on the track it's difficult to follow the race at least at least it looks a little better as far as the aesthetic side goes but yeah yeah when was that first day race and then my other thought was I think this has gotten Eli Tomac it's a name written on this kind of dirt and if it's gonna be the day you know those day races dry dusty high desert or you know high outside I thought Kenny he's so good with throttle control and he's just so kind of smooth and flowy I thought it would be good for him but yep he got like a seventh eighth place start and I guarantee if he would have gotten a first second place start where to see I think and I think this was the one part about that first race back that sucked was the racing just sucked it did there was no really no good battles up front Pierce brown blew me away that kid from what I am obviously watching him because he's a TLD guy and he was way back off the start with that crash you know he clipped somebody and went sideways and I thought I he's done yeah he just kept coming know like that pace yeah that was really fun to watch but man it was there really anybody else I was just kind of lackluster and then the daylight and the no fans kind of made it everything looks because there's no contrast so it flattens the entire track which when you when they shoot Supercross now I don't to beat him up too bad but well you have the high angles you don't see and a lot of the obstacles on the track and so now you you couple that with no contrast and it's just all white there's not even the fireworks opening you don't come in it there's a positive to that we don't have to hear Ralph say light the candles he'll still say it no he didn't say it because they didn't light the candles so think I was thinking God for that he'll still say it oh yeah all right video watch the night race what else we got well Riley wants to know what do you guys think of the current state of racing is I mean I'm not sure I don't know I think that uh I think it's in a precarious spot I think like everything right now maybe we can answer this question a little better in a month or twos time but well I think this there's a couple of things I don't think that mean the Nationals have one round confirmed it's just very I don't know I think there's a couple ways to look at it you what you were you coming from temporarily I think there's there's this this there's a lot of mud in the water you know we can't see clearly at the moment I do believe that'll change and kind of fizzle out essentially but I think the silver linings got to be who would have thought Cova 19 would have basically injected a bunch of cash into our industry people went out and started buying stuff I mean whether it's distributors bike shops tracks that are reopened everyone's telling you our industry has gone to another level as crazy as this sounds is this a blessing in disguise for us I mean think about it for the past I feel like 10 years we've just slowly talked about it's too expensive we losing entries here this is down payments right I mean however you want to look at it I people just had some money maybe they were born and they like me it burns a whole new pocket they were like oh I like bikes and crap like that and people just came or either fixed up they're all dirtbike or got a bike for their kids or something bikes to get out and do stuff it makes are flying off the shelves but there's none left on the showroom floor so I mean there's some good problems out there so there's definitely some some immediate issues some some things that I go hey this this this could sort of reface our industry for a little while but in racing terms it's got to be better in the sense that if companies are making more money that there's a trickle-down effect that's gonna end up in the racing hands maybe not 2020 maybe not even 2021 per se but I think it's gonna help a little bit longer term or they're just gonna put the money in their pockets the only thing I don't want to see is I've heard of teams and people getting there we can't pay you because of covered so I think some people are using it to pull the piss out of the system meaning as an excuse not to pay even though they're making the money but there's more money in our industry now than there was last year the year before the year before so to me it's crazy as it seemed I know there's a lot of people I truly feel for a lot of people have lost a lot and lost their businesses lost a lot of things or very uncertain but just talking purely selfishly for us from our motorsport industry I think it's it's been a blessing you don't want to see in 12 to 24 months a lot of used bikes for sale I'm sure there will be some yeah I mean right now used bikes are getting top dollar and they're hard to find I mean so there's a good trend at least there's a good trend I'll leave it that and I'd love to hear that it surprises the hell out of me yeah does it not you like it shock in my mind at a time like this do you think people are going I'm not spending I'm gonna say well like me but for the first time in my life I cut back on spending and everybody else is buying bikes yeah well yeah I bought a highly nice used yz250 and we had a great price I will tell you this I just think we're it's gonna be touch and go for a little while I don't answer that question no right way but really like everybody's talking about next year for a lot of different things school and other sporting events and how's that concerts all our life's gonna be a little bit different how is January whatever fourth Supercross gonna be right because we're completely uncertain as to what that's gonna be well apparently you can go out and protest and write without a mask so by the by the thousands yeah why can't we go to a super cross and not wear a helmet all right that's all I got all right well thank you again to Larry Ward for having us out thank you guys for watching you know we've got some pretty fun shows coming up we got another trip to Utah with a couple cool guests in two weeks we're kind of taking it on the road because things are weird and why the hell not we're just gonna go make it weird oh yeah we're gonna get right up in your living room sit on this couch and make it weird dude I like the new sofa set up this is what I'm into this feels way too casual I was almost falling asleep back here a couple times Donny's asleep at the wheel they're drooling okay well you want to read our oh that's right one more thing that's my time to shine mmm GL's gonna go this show would not be possible without people like Yamaha I know Larry talked about how good the Honda's were now it's Yamahas town I'm telling you yeah miles the bike to have trust me on that one powered up 20% off I know a lot of you are aching and hurting probably aching from listening to me but trust me the power dog will sort that out 20% off using the code whiskey throttle method race wheels you can also get 20% off I just got some new wheels for my new truck when I put those on when we can put them on there will you post my truck on what yes hello you heard him put my bike in the back of it my yellow with a big aid on it yeah anyway method race wheels 20% off the lightest strongest fastest wheels around Troy Lee designs big mentioned it earlier they've got a variety of helmets well knew how much se5 is amazing and then they've got the more entry levels that have the cool look graphics well they're spots not out yet it's slow - slow down they see 5 is it yeah it is no it's not out yet still in development Rd yeah what's out of my head at times but but anyway when you get up telling you're gonna freaking love it amazing you're gonna love it yeah we have to say it was kovetz for so that it's not out yet not mine it's kDa making the best graphics around actually I just ordered a new set for my new y'see 250f all of this so sweet but they make some great ones check out their whiskey throttle graphics out there I guess he must be super glue they were hard to get off now they're really good graphics great quality as I've mentioned before you won't get bubbles the material they use is fantastic they're not so stiff they really I love the new plastic so I've got a lot of edges and these graphics just end up really mold around not the old stiff ones that would peel so trust me on this one great quality great stuff Dunlop tires do I have to really say anything except put some Dunlop's don't be a dick to your bike adidas get some trust me Pro Circuit they race they win a lot by some trust me get the pipe to trust me just trust me on my amateur gynecologist Pro Circuit if they cook mine if they're good enough to build my motor on my yz250 if they're good enough to do yours I'm not a gynecologist but I'll have a look yeah the Gila concepts into whiskey throttle get a free gift who knows what it could be it's they are pretty cool I shot the clerk trust me I shot the clerk wait yeah seat concepts don't be a dick to your ass fire department coffee 20% off the best coffee it's really good if you drink enough you'll poop at least twice guaranteed use the code whiskey throttle what to poop twice hey look you're drinking coffee anyway just order it from this place that's what I do bang it's really cool free shipping over 50 bucks the end of the code you get your cake ups you get you blight roast you get your doughnut blend you get your what's the other one all the flames on I just know it strong as [ __ ] there's all what's spiritual it is nice couple the caffeine one the extra strength specialized bicycles you know how good they are if you win to the website last month you couldn't get one because everyone bought one because they were smart but now if you go to their website they are available specialized seriously they got a bike for everyone from entry-level to kids bikes the most luxurious they got bikes that cost more than dirt bikes and they got bike set you go oh wow that's a specialized with all that great I can afford the especially for yours right me trust me oh gee oh come on if you gonna get a bag get an OG Oh paleo Ranch really good food trust me I've tried it they're jerky and stuff is sensational I'm not joking it's true paleo ranch they don't have a discount code because Donnie and ping are involved and they're cheap just like Langston Motorsports they don't have a discount code but go there you will get a discount trust me trust me tell em G L sent you it usually works and that's our show trust me just trust him he knows what he's talking about I think they take you guys for watching GL Donnie thank you thanks Larry Ward see you guys on the next show you know I love it trust me trust us [Music] [Music]

Channel: The Whiskey Throttle Show

Views: 17,172

Rating: 4.839416 out of 5

Keywords: Larry Ward YouTube

Id: di9BwYB2j-c

Length: 229min 43sec (13783 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 10 2020