Mini bike Cross Country racing.

Sprocket86

Active Member
#1
I remember reading these small mini bike/go kart/snowmobile/trike picture books in grade school and they were published in the 70's and I can remember seeing in the mini bike book what looked like organized mini bike racing.

I remember seeing banners and all the various vintage minis lined up at the start line. It was an awesome sight as a young kid in grade 4 and no doubt helped light the mini bike craze for me.

This did not appear to take place on a small course or track but rather on a marked long distance, varying type terrain event.

Similar to what full size dirt bikes or motocross bikes run today (hare scrambles, Enduro).

Has anyone put something like this together recently or organized a long distance type mini bike competition?
 
#2
You just described the book "Minibikes" by Ed Radlauer, Copyright 1970. I have it on my computer in PDF. The venue is Saddleback Park in Orange County, CA. I went there with my son and his Suzuki 80 for his first motocross race, and it was the exact day they shut it down due to law suits, 1984.

Saddleback as shown in the book, was a very large track, with several side tracks, and varying routes you could run.

As far as organizing races, minibike racing was designed for kids, as an entry into motocross racing. While OldMiniBikes sports some posts of members organizing off road events, they tend to be shorter, closer to the porta-potty, the beverage cooler, and the tools, than they were by the same people in 1970.

The file size on that book is over 300 Meg, so I cant email it. But it is somewhere on line, and the book is probably obtainable. I love scrolling through it, and realizing that the kids racing in the photos are all in their late fifties and sixties.
 

Sprocket86

Active Member
#3
OMG you actually know of the exact book I'm taking about!! That's way cool:thumbsup:

I can remember seeing pics of the Powell Factory with all those Challenger models lined up on the rack.

That's also super cool that you went to this track before it closed down. I read about this legendary place in my dirt bike publications all the time, especially riders who live out west.

Lol, I guess people were more willing to push the limits of a mini bike type event. I've done a bunch of enduro type racing on my full size CRF 450x and it was a riot! I have a feeling one would be pretty beat after a long race with no suspension!

I'm most defiantly going to see if I can locate this online.
 
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#6
I just finished reading the Minibikes...one...:thumbsup:

Wow....what a trip back in time....!!!

Thank you Sprocket for bringing this up, and Dave for the pointing to the link, and James for posting the books.

Y'all gotta read that one....and if you have..., I like "the" red one, and I agree, every town needs a mini bike park...:laugh:
 
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Sprocket86

Active Member
#8
I just finished reading the Minibikes...one...:thumbsup:

Wow....what a trip back in time....!!!

Thank you Sprocket for bringing this up, and Dave for the pointing to the link, and James for posting the books.

Y'all gotta ready that one....and if you have..., I like "the" red one, and I agree, every town needs a mini bike park...:laugh:
Hey your welcome bud. I'm glad that Havasu Dave was able to identify the exact book I remember reading back in grade 4 (1995) based off my pretty vague description. When I get some free time to sit down this afternoon, I'm going to download it and have a read. I'm sure I'll find and see stuff in there that I had no idea what I was even looking at the time lol.
 
#10
I have an original copy of that book in my night stand.
I bought it at a thrift store a couple of years ago. I will post pics.
I grew up in Orange County but never got a chance to go to Saddleback back in the day.
 
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