Pivotal moment as Tripes (14) prepares to pass Thorlief Hansen for second in the third and
Word soon spread that the inaugural Superbowl of Motocross was going to be held on the playing field of the Los Angeles Rams, and the 1932 (and future) home of the Olympic Games. But the announcement was greeted by skepticism: A motocross track being configured on the floor of a stadium seemed a physical impossibility. It also seemed unlikely that a non-points-paying race would pull many Europeans from their primary task in the middle of the Grand Prix season. Regardless, the Southern California motocross community circled July 8, 1972, on their calendars and hoped for the best.
In the meantime, Tripes had landed a factory ride with Don Jones' Team Yamaha the weekend after his 16th birthday. His first race as a professional rider in Washington resulted in a mid-pack finish, but in his second race Marty would make history.
The anticipation of seeing the European stars race in a stadium had the SoCal locals excited beyond words. At 17, I took my first trip from San Diego to Los Angeles to view the race, arriving at the venue just before the gate dropped for the first heat. Thousands of yards of dirt had been placed over the manicured turf, and haybales lined the course. One of the first events with a title sponsor, the Yamaha International Cup used a three-moto format for the headlining 250cc and support 500cc classes. We San Diegoans hoped that our local hero Tripes would make a good showing, but none of us were prepared for what was to unfold that night.
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Tripes landed a Yamaha factory ride the weekend after his 16th birthday, teamed with broth
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Tripes' first professional race in Washington didn't go so well, as he finished mid-pack.
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No respect: American teenager Tripes passes Swedish veteran Arne Kring in the mudhole as t
A crowd of 30,000 had made its way to the event, well beyond the numbers at the recent Carlsbad USGP or Saddleback Trans-AMA races. And the Europeans came, too: Thorleif Hansen--one of the stars from the previous year's USGP--was in attendance, along with teammate Arne Kring on their Husqvarnas. Yamaha had Torsten Hallman (in one of his last professional rides) and Hakan Andersson, in addition to the Team Jones Americans: brothers Gary and DeWayne Jones, Tim Hart and Tripes. Kawasaki had John DeSoto alongside Brad Lackey.
Marty Tripes, victorious at age 16 in just his second pro race, and neither he nor legenda
Hansen held off the Yamaha contingent in the first heat, but in the second DeSoto charged into the lead, followed closely by Kring. The "Flyin' Hawaiian" led numerous laps before losing it in the whoops and doing a handstand over the handlebars, ending his evening. Scratch one of the few Americans who had a prayer of beating the Europeans.
Kring went on to a dominant moto win, followed by Hansen and Tripes. Surprisingly, with his 2-2 finishes, Tripes was now tied for the lead with Hansen's 1-3. The almost-unknown 16-year-old was actually in with a solid chance against the Europeans!
Maico-mounted American Tim Hart took the holeshot in moto three, but was quickly dispatched by Hansen. Hope replaced despair as Andersson moved past Hansen and motored into the distance. All eyes turned to the battle for second. Hansen was in trouble as Tripes was closing fast, finally catching and passing him for the result that would lock up the overall win. What had previously been Team Husqvarna domination, with both riders trading wins, had turned to the benefit of title sponsor Yamaha with a 1-2 finish in the finale. Fast and consistent Tripes, with his three second-place finishes, had defeated the Europeans to win the inaugural Superbowl of Motocross!
The Superbowl of Motocross track layout was unique in supercross history because of the Pe
"When the gate dropped, the track was so funky and different, it threw everyone off," Tripes remembers. "The Europeans had such a hard time with it being such a narrow, confined, tight and twisty track. It just fit me, so I ran my own race. I was passing guys without even thinking about it. It didn't really hit me until I got home the next day. When I woke up and the trophy was on my dresser, I thought, 'Did it really happen?'"
In the near-four-decade history of supercross, there have been many phenomenal races with surprise endings. But none can compare to the upset result of that first-ever event. When James Stewart won the 2002 San Diego Supercross at the age of 16 to take his first professional win, many thought the feat was unprecedented. Imagine if Stewart had won the 250cc main event that day instead of the 125cc support class, and you have an idea of what Tripes accomplished. At 16 years and 3 weeks old, Tripes remains, to this day, the youngest winner in supercross history.