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Ep. #9 The Curious Life of Terry Pratt

April 20, 2020
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In 1972, Terry Pratt put his life in America on pause to spend 6 months following the MXGP season. 35 years later he published “Grand Prix Motocross: The 1972 Championship season”. Pratt died before he could finish selling his masterpiece but he left behind a trail of paperwork and friends and a story that needed to be told. Pratt is one of the unsung heroes of the motorcycle industry, whose contributions still resonate.

This is the audio version of the feature story “The Curious Life of Terry Pratt”. Read by the author, Brett Smith.

Want a copy of “Grand Prix Motocross: The 1972 World Championship Season”? Find it exclusively in the We Went Fast shop.

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Thank you for listening.

https://www.wewentfast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Pratt_WWF.mp3

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Brett Smith

Former racer turned bookworm and story teller. Will work for tacos.

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We Went Fast
Dave Miller of Dave Miller Concepts lost his battl Dave Miller of Dave Miller Concepts lost his battle with cancer on May 22. From his youngest son, Andre: ⁣ ⁣ "Myself, Brothers and my Mom were so greatly loved by this amazing father, husband and man. We said it so often to each other and demonstrated it so often that we're fortunate to know that Dave never questioned in the slightest that he was loved passionately by his family. ⁣ ⁣ “If there is someone you love, even if you think you love them as much as we loved and continue to love this awesome man, please go to them now and tell them how much you love them so that if anything happens you never have any regrets." ⁣ ⁣ Miller’s exotic minibikes are how I will remember him. I didn’t meet him or interview him but his genius reached us all the way in Mid-Michigan. Those blue and orange seats with his signature down each side or that iconic “DMC” block letter logo along the side in green and white screamed “fast”. ⁣ ⁣ We used to sit on the back of Brian Swink’s trailer at Baja Acres and just ogle those KX80s and Big Wheel 100s. To us, they were the trickiest bikes imaginable. ⁣ ⁣ And who can forget 10-year-old Ezra Lusk the telling MXA in 1986: “DMC’s aluminum swingarm is one inch longer. It makes the KX60 more stable at higher speeds. Also, the aluminum tank allows me to slide forward farther, increasing corner potential.” ⁣ ⁣ The first two photos are of a 1989 KX100 Dave built. Not sure who originally rode it. ⁣ ⁣ The third photo is from Ascot Park. That’s Dave on the #8y Suzuki. Check out Miller running black rims in the 1970s! ⁣ ⁣ My dad took the last two photos. That's Brian Swink in 1986 running a DMC KX80, first at the Kenworthy’s LLMX qualifier and then at LLMX. ⁣ ⁣ Godspeed, Dave. ⁣ ⁣ #rideinpeace #davemillerconcepts #Kawasaki #KX80 #wewentfast
While most of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s st While most of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s started on PW50s, it was the Kawasaki KX60 that we all moved on to after outgrowing the P-dub. ⁣ ⁣ I rode my first one in 1986 and I don’t think I got it out of second gear (go see it on my IGTV channel, it’s painful to hear). ⁣ ⁣ I didn’t notice this at the time but looking back 3 decades later, that jump from a Y-Zinger to a KX60 was massive. The 60 was (still is) a tiny missile. It produced 15 hp @ 12,000 rpm and had a 6-speed transmission, where the PW put out 2.7 hp @2700 rpm. The 50 was a great bike But we didn’t have the stepping stone in between kids have today. ⁣ ⁣ My first KX60 was a used (battered) 1985 model, which was (I believe) the last of the air-cooled. My first new one was the model you see here: 1987. The second photo is a 1986 model and dad picked up a used one of these to have for parts swapping and mud races. ⁣ ⁣ There was a point where we had five KX60s in the garage. We just didn’t sell them for some reason. Probably because we raced so much we beat the hell out of them and constantly needed spare parts. And my brother rode one, too. I remember blowing one up at Baja Acres in a moto and running home to get one of the spare bikes (home was only 5 miles away). ⁣ ⁣ Good times. Share your KX60 memories in the comments. ⁣ ⁣ #KX60 #kawasaki #dirtbike #firstbike #wewentfast
Story time with Pete Fox. ⁣ ⁣ You can fight m Story time with Pete Fox. ⁣ ⁣ You can fight me but this is the best photo ever taken of Damon Bradshaw (swipe left). The riding style, the form, the framing, the background, the colors, the grain… A 20-year-old Pete Fox took it in Japan in November 1989. ⁣ ⁣ When British illustrator Tim Glasspool told me how much he loved the legacy of Bradshaw and how he wanted to find the right photo for an artwork collaboration, I didn’t hesitate. I sent him this photo within 30 seconds. ⁣ ⁣ The result: “Art of the Beast”, now available (framed or unframed) at wewentfast.com/shop. Direct link in bio.⁣ ⁣ Pete Fox on the shot: "I went to Japan to meet with our Fox distributor, and also to attend both Osaka and Tokyo Supercross races. I brought my camera to certain races back then. I wish I knew what happened to the rest of the photos...⁣ ⁣ "I remember loving the way that section looked through my lens. Some guys like Damon had such great style over that jump. Old school guys looked stiff. Sometimes you could see the rider behind, too.⁣ ⁣ "I was also at Osaka the year before when Damon beat Rick Johnson. That was mind blowing. RJ was pissed!”⁣ ⁣ 🎨 🖼 @goodtimbo⁣ 📸 @foxpetefox ⁣ ⁣ @damonbradshaw45 #artofthebeast #damonbradshaw #osakasupercross #yamaha #foxracing #wewentfast
Mark Cook, Pontiac Silverdome, circa 1980, riding Mark Cook, Pontiac Silverdome, circa 1980, riding his 1979 Suzuki RM250.⁣ ⁣ Mark is nobody and everybody at the same time. Because there was a time when we had to use some duct tape to hold something in place on our body. Because sometimes our jersey didn’t match the rest of our gear (or even bike). Mark represents all of us. ⁣ ⁣ Cook didn’t race pro. These first two photos are from the amateur races, which dropped gates in that era right after the pro riders finished. "I remember him telling me before how cool he felt during this race because this year he had one of the first races right after the pros got done and the stands were still packed with fans,” said his son, Colin (@colincook177). "He said they didn't knock down any of the jumps or smooth out the track after the pros finished. It was still the exact same track.”⁣ ⁣ Photo 3 is Mark at (possibly) Red Bud and he’s riding a borrowed bike. He made a deal with the friend who loaned it that they would split the winnings. ⁣ ⁣ This explains the final photo. 🤣⁣ ⁣ Mark died on December 8, 2019. His last race was only two months earlier in Milan, MI. He pulled the holeshot in one of his classes. ⁣ ⁣ Got photos and a story to go with it? Send me a DM. I will provide a discount link to save $ at the We Went Fast store. ⁣ ⁣ #pontiacsilverdome #amateurday #amateursupercross #RM250 #Suzuki #canam #wewentfast
What’s that old saying? “Skid = squid!” Nobo What’s that old saying? “Skid = squid!” Nobody uses this baseball field and it turns into a bog when it rains so we made a 🚲 skills course. ⁣ ⁣ This has been our life for the last 9 weeks. Or has it been 9 months? I can’t tell. It’s been a challenging adjustment. Not as much work has been getting done (Surely you’ve noticed that if you’ve been to the We Went Fast homepage 😐). ⁣ ⁣ But the fun, the skills learned and the confidence built riding bikes with the kids has been priceless and memorable. I have a just-turned 3 year old who wants to match everything big sister does (no matter the consequences) and a 6 year old who is, thankfully, willing to listen to my wisdom that fundamentals are important and things like riding with one hand are just parlor tricks. ⁣ ⁣ She can now jump curbs and is learning how to balance on the pedals at a standstill. Hitting that jump behind the school was a big, big deal for her. It’s a steep face and her little 16-in. bike doesn’t have the clearance. The first time she tried it, the pedals were at 6 and 9 and she stabbed the top and went for a tumble. ⁣ ⁣ We came back to today and went for it again. It’s a bit scary because what you can’t see is the ravine to the rider’s right. Get a little wobbly and it turns into one hell of a ride. ⁣ ⁣ #dadlife #bikingkids #ridingbikes #lookma #holdmybeer #wewentfast
SAVED IT! ((winner has been chosen). Another episo SAVED IT! ((winner has been chosen). Another episode of "On the Gas or Crash"... does Wil Hufton III save it? ⁠ ⁠ Give your answer in a comment and tag a friend. I'll randomly draw one username and send you the We Went Fast Vintage Sticker pack. (wewentfast.com/shop to check it out). ⁠ ⁠ More photo info: Spring 1981, 250 B class, Polka Dots M/C, Midland, MI. Wil made the 1982 Crash & Burn Magazine for this one. ⁠ ⁠ 📸Mark Doepel⁠ Rider: @racer33h⁠ ⁠ #crash&burn #crashandburn #MichiganMotocross #Yamaha #flyingW #wewentfast⁠ ⁠
NOW AVAILABLE! Based on the Carlsbad United States NOW AVAILABLE! Based on the Carlsbad United States Grand Prix event advertisement from the early 1980s, the We Went Fast USGP Tee represents then and now, vintage and modern, classic and contemporary. ⁣ ⁣ It’s about a couple of buddies loading up and going riding, or a solo rider with options. ⁣ ⁣ Every shirt comes with a We Went Fast-branded USGP decal. ⁣ ⁣ Direct link in bio or wewentfast.com/shop⁣ ⁣ #USGPTEE #USGP #goneriding #GPMX #motocrossshirt #wewentfast
April 8, 1984. Hangtown Motocross Classic. 250cc c April 8, 1984. Hangtown Motocross Classic. 250cc class. Ron Lechien on his way to 3rd overall behind Alan King and Ricky Johnson. ⁣ ⁣ Today, May 16, 2020, would have been the start of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Instead, we’re still trying to finish the supercross season. Weird times, for sure, but grateful to everyone working behind the scenes to make stuff happen. ⁣ ⁣ I was on the media roundtable with Feld yesterday and it gave me a better appreciation for how hard they and MX Sports are working to go racing again. It’d be so easy to bury heads and say “maybe next year.” ⁣ ⁣ #ronlechien #motocrosshistory #hangtownmx #thisismoto #wewentfast
ART OF THE BEAST is now available! For $28 you can ART OF THE BEAST is now available! For $28 you can hang a gorgeously illustrated version of my favorite Damon Bradshaw photo on your wall. ⁣ ⁣ Direct link in bio to buy!⁣ ⁣ Art of The Beast is a trifecta of talent. This illustration combines the creative artwork of Tim Glasspool (@goodtimbo), the riding style and legend of Damon Bradshaw and the genius of Pete Fox, who not only captured the image this print is based on, but designed the riding gear Bradshaw wears.⁣ ⁣ Designed and printed in England with a Konica Minolta printer on 130-lb. (300 gsm) silk paper. Shipped to you via the We Went Fast office in Maryland, the print is 300x400mm but fits perfectly into most frames with a 12-in. x 16-in. opening.⁣ ⁣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼: In November 1989, 17-year-old Damon Bradshaw went to Japan for the Osaka and Tokyo Supercross races. He won the Osaka event for the second consecutive year, beating Jean-Michel Bayle and defending AMA SX champ Jeff Stanton. One year earlier, he beat defending AMA SX champion Rick Johnson.⁣ ⁣ #damonbradshaw #beastfromtheeast @goodtimbo @foxpetefox @damonbradshaw45 #supercrossart #wewentfast
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