It really was a sad little vehicle.
The first true ATV, Honda’s 1969 US90 three-wheeler had zero suspension travel, not even 10 horsepower, and ergos suited more for a doll than an adult. But, it was a unique machine and it made a name for itself in James Bond’s “Diamonds are Forever.” Plus, it was a ton of fun and it led directly to the amazing ATVs we have today.
How are they amazing? As a barometer, use motocross, the most demanding form of off-road racing. Now, with almost a foot of suspension travel and five times the horsepower of the US90, today’s top MX quads are capable of negotiating ridiculously rough terrain and monster jumps. A 1968 TV commercial proclaimed, "You've come a long way, baby!" and that absolutely applies to ATV motocross.
By the mid 1970s, local racing had sprung up and Southern California was the place to be. Racers converged on flat tracks and ovals like Speedway 117, Indian Dunes and Corona; the ATVs still had virtually no suspension travel, so MX was out of the question.
By the early ‘80s, ATV racing had grown in popularity to the extent that a national off-road series emerged, the Honda-sponsored Coyote Racing. But Jimmy White, on a Kawasaki Tecate 3, totally dominated. The fairground tracks were a little more challenging than before and more like a rough TT. By ‘85, national ATV racing moved up to outdoor supercross-style tracks. Included in the national series were MX, TT, ice and cross-country.
ATV Sport
By ‘86, high-performance two-stroke quads were available from Honda (TRX250R) and Suzuki (LT250R) and the national series had separate classes for three-wheelers (Marty Hart ruled) and four-wheelers (Rodney Gentry ruled).
Just a year later, quads dominated and Gary Denton was the king. In a winning streak that will probably stand forever, Denton won the AMA national championship eight consecutive years. Denton was fast, no doubt, but he was fortunate to have bonded with one of the most meticulous and innovative mechanics the sport has ever seen, Wayne Hinson (founder of Hinson Racing). That duo, as much as any other before or since, communicated well and knew what it took to make a quad go fast.
By 1988, bowing indirectly to overwhelming- and horribly-biased pressure from the general media, factory support for ATV racing completely dried up. Thanks entirely to aftermarket support, however, quad racing flourished. Basing their designs on Honda’s ‘88 and ‘89 R (discontinued after that model year), MX quads continued to develop, way beyond what Honda or anyone expected.
What were these exotic, $20K quads like? Frames were built by companies like Laeger’s, Roll and Walsh, but the venerable 250R still provided the geometric basis. Suspension travel was bumped way up. Motors (in the early 2000s) could be from motorcycles and four-stroke favorites were the 450 powerplants from Honda and Yamaha.
But let’s backtrack a little. What had the big factories done to promote performance ATVing? Not much. Yamaha kept alive the screaming Banshee 350 two-stroke duner. But, for rough terrain, handling sucked, and the motor didn’t fit into the Pro-class format.
Finally, Honda stepped up to the plate with its 1999 400EX. It was a relatively pokey, air-cooled four-stroke, but it demonstrated Honda’s faith in the sport quad marketplace. The performance ATV revival had begun.
In ‘03, Suzuki released its LT-Z400 and a Pro Production class was added to the national racing series. A year later, Doug Gust piloted a highly-modified Suzuki Z400 to eight overall wins in the ATVA MX series.
Soon after, Yamaha and then Honda released four-wheel versions of the hot, 450cc two-wheel dirt bikes already in their stables. Yamaha’s YFZ 450 quad and Honda’s TRX450R changed everything and made racing affordable again. True, neither quad had a stance wide enough for MX, but the strong motors and excellent chassis geometry gave the aftermarket a solid platform to build upon. ATV racing returned to the masses!
Soon, major manufactures fielded teams or at least offered motocross racing support. In 2006, Suzuki released its MX-width LT-R450 quad, demonstrating a serious commitment to motocross. Moving ahead, for the 2009 model year, no less than seven big manufacturers offered 450cc performance quads. Today, despite the economy, motocross race entries are up. ATV motocross has indeed come a long way, baby!
The Early Years:
Three-Wheelers
ATV Sport
JIMMY WHITE, 48
National champ: 1982 to ‘84
Currently: Kawasaki ATV Race Team Manager (4 years)
ATV Sport: You’ve been continually involved in this sport, in several capacities, for 28 years. What are some of the most significant moments? White: Early on, when Kawasaki and Yamaha came out with three-wheelers which were competitive with Honda’s ATC250R. Then the switch to four-wheelers. Nowadays, all the factory support is way cool; we have more factories involved now than the two-wheelers have. This year at the MX opener in Alabama we had over 700 entries, and that’s amazing in a down economy.
ATV Sport: Are racers faster now than when you raced? White: No comparison. They’re true athletes; they train harder, and they’re jumping everything the two-wheelers are. It’s serious now.
ATV Sport: How does the money compare to when you raced? White: The top half-dozen quad guys make in the low six digits. Unfortunately that’s no more than some of us made in the ‘80s, and six digits was a lot more money back then. But, it’s also good that the incomes haven’t gotten out of hand like they have with the two-wheelers.
ATV Sport: What racers do you most respect? White: In my era, Marty Hart, Denton and Dean Sundahl. Now, Josh Creamer. He’s got everything and no one works harder than he does. He’s good on the quad and doesn’t ride over his head. Plus, he understands the bike 100 percent. If he didn’t race, I’d hire him to build our race quads from the ground up.
ATV Sport: The single major advancement in ATV design? White: Fuel injection. Some builders have shunned it, but conventional carburetion is archaic. Auto makers have got it down and so has Kawasaki. I’m also impressed with how competitive today’s production quads are. Several are race ready for even a semi-national, and that’s without spending 25 grand. It’s a cool time for the sport.
Four-Wheeler
Winning Streak
GARY DENTON, 51
National champ: 1987-94
Currently: Stealth toyhauler development for Forest River RV
ATV Sport: During your eight-year winning streak, the AMA crowned only an overall MX/TT Grand National Champ, not an official champ in each discipline. Maybe more than any other team, you and Hinson really got the TT quad setup dialed in. How many of those years were you on top of the MX standings? Denton: About three times. In ‘94 I was top in both the MX and TT.
ATV Sport: After the factory pullout in the mid ‘80s, did you think ATV motocross would survive? Denton: That’s a great story. In ‘87, Honda and Kawasaki had pulled out and only Suzuki had a team: Rodney Gentry, Jeff Watts, Jim Putnam and me. At the end of that year, as the champ, I was negotiating a three-year contract and the race director called us all together for a meeting. He announced, “Guys, here’s the bottom line, we’re done.” The other guys were like, “Wow. No more job.” They looked at me and said, “What are you going to do?” I said, “I’m going racing!” I learned how to promote myself, I pulled together at least 30 sponsors, and went on to win seven more titles.
ATV Sport: Do you think another winning streak like yours is possible? Denton: Not to take anything away from the guys today, but I don’t think it’ll happen. Look at how many different champs you’ve had in the past years. Maybe guys today don’t want it that bad.
ATV Sport: Are riders faster today? Denton: Not for ability. Joe Byrd was there for half my title wins and John Natalie was there for three or four. But the quads are faster. The four-strokes are more tractable, and that’s a huge factor in MX.
ATV Sport: What’s the single most significant moment in ATV motocross? Denton: The transition from three to four wheels. There was a magazine shootout back then between me on an LT quad and Jimmy White on his Tecate 3. His motor barked, and his Tecate weighed about 260 pounds compared to 350 for the quad. But I beat him at MX, TT and circle track. He beat me only in the starts. He had the horsepower, but he couldn’t start worth a damn. Print that. He’ll like that.
ATV Sport: Ha! Do you miss the racing? Denton: Sure. The checkered flags, the trophy girls. I feel like I’ve lived three lifetimes already. But still you wonder where all the time has gone.
The Factories Return
ATV Sport
TIM FARR, 36
National champ: 1995, ‘96, ‘98, ‘02
Currently: KTM ATV Race Team Manager
ATV Sport: Behind Denton, you and Gust tie for most national MX and overall titles. Your last full year at the nationals was ‘05 and your last pro national was ‘06. Do you miss racing MX? Farr: Yeah, definitely. I liked MX and TT equally. I can still run a good pace, but to be competitive for more than just a couple of laps I’d need to put in a couple months of prep, and I don’t have that kind of time right now.
ATV Sport: Are racers faster now than in ‘94? Farr: No, some of the same guys I raced against are still out there doing well. But the equipment has come a long way and the racing four-strokes bumped it up a notch compared to the racing Rs 10 — 15 horsepower and a lot more torque.
ATV Sport: You’ve said the biggest change in ATV motocross since your first title is factory involvement. How did that get started? Were you surprised? Farr: Yeah, but I’d been secretly working on four-stroke development, mainly with Honda, and I knew where things would probably go. The ball got rolling in ‘03 with the Pro Production class. Suzuki backed me and Gust on their new Z400s. Guys thought we were crazy for racing a slower, more production-oriented class, but that led directly to the ‘04 changes in the Pro class and the 450s from Yamaha and Honda. Racing is better now with everyone on more equal and affordable equipment.
ATV Sport: In ‘03, how much slower was Pro Production than the Pro class? Farr: Not that much. Pro Production allowed us to bore the 400 to 440. Our lap times were within a couple seconds of the guys winning the Pro class.
ATV Sport: What MX racers, past and present, do you most admire? Farr: Past would be Gust and Shane Hitt. Gust for his natural talent and endurance. Hitt was always there, on good equipment, and working hard on both MX and TT. He was always in the top five at any race, which put him in the championship hunt at the end of the year. Among present racers I’d also say Gust. Even at 40, he’s still there, very fast and capable of winning races.
ATV Sport: What do you think was the single major advancement in ATV design over the years? Farr: Honda’s 400EX and the Z400 were good, but when we went to the MX 450s, that’s when it really picked up. And that led to the KTM, by far the most advanced and race-ready quad ever. It’s the ATV that everyone always wanted.
ATV Sport: Yes it’s amazing, but it’s expensive. How is KTM going to weather the economy? Farr: First, the KTM is really a bargain because it really is race ready. And we’ll work through the economy. KTM has smart people behind the scenes and they’re always strategizing.
ATV Sport: How do you see MX tracks and racing formats changing? Farr: We’ve been using the same tracks for years and they’re pretty dialed. Within the next five years ATV racing should go more toward Pro-only events, like with the motorcycles. A Pro/Pro-Am series and then an amateur series. Maybe the quads racing on the same weekend as the Pro two-wheelers. Quads are now running on some of the same tracks, like Mt. Morris and Red Bud, as the two-wheelers. Depending on the track, lap times on the quads are really close to those on the two-wheelers.
ATV Sport: That’d be a fun weekend, for sure. Future plans for you? Farr: I want to stay in the industry and preferably stick with KTM, continuing to manage and doing R&D. And, racing whenever I can.
Motocross Today
ATV Sport
DUSTIN WIMMER, 22
National champ: ‘08, was leading ‘09 before injury
ATV Sport: Motocross is so demanding, mentally and physically. What are some of the important things you’ve learned since going Pro five years ago? Wimmer: When moving to Pro I learned to be prepared at every race and treat every race like it’s your last. Start off really strong. Pro holeshots are ridiculous. No one lets up at all and everyone is fast. Over the years I’ve learned to be consistent at each race. You’re not going to win the title at any one race and every point you earn counts. And bike setup is crucial. You gotta have a mechanic who understands you and what you need.
ATV Sport: Who do you most respect? Wimmer: Gust. He’s still dedicated to the sport. Maybe not quite as fast, but still one of the top guys.
ATV Sport: From your perspective, what’s the single most important moment in ATV motocross? Wimmer: Probably when the WPSA series began. That generated lots of interest in the form of money, television and sponsors. It was exciting for everyone.
ATV Sport: Five years ago you told ATV Sport you thought that, with lots of practice, in three years you could finish the season in the top five. Just four years later you won the championship. Wimmer: Yes, so far that was the most important moment for me.
ATV Sport: What big advancements have you seen in ATV design? Wimmer: EFI, frame geometry, better points for the suspension and aluminum frames.
ATV Sport: What would the quad of the future look like? Wimmer: I think the general consumer would like cleaner, more user-friendly machines that are simpler to work on. Now all the components are jammed in there.
ATV Sport: What would an MX track of the future look like? Wimmer: The way it’s been going, probably less technical. I prefer more difficult tracks, in terms of jumps, but less technical tracks make it safer for everyone.
