The List: Satellites Down
Friday, February 24, 2012 | 4:10 PM
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PrintBy: Racer X Staff
Team Arma Suzuki City is out for the 2012 season, but a ton of new support teams just got started last week in Dallas. The continually revolving door of satellite teams kick started some bench racing about great squads that have come and gone. Here's a few for this week--but these stories are so good, we'll have to roll out some more memories next week, too!
10. Team PJ1 Extreme: Started out as a way to get returning-from-Europe Jimmy Button a ride in America, this team expanded from there with some infusion of support from Xtreme gear, Red Baron mini-bike products and a Yamaha shop in Minnesota. Button had the best year out of the whole team and jumped to a stronger satellite team (Chaparral) off his top ten finishes. This was the last team that Shaun Kalos was ever on, and Cory Keeny didn't do much and that was it for him. Although the black Yamaha's looked snazzy, it was a one and done for this team.
9. Team Boyesen/Penske Yamaha: Raced in 1994 with John Dowd, Scotty Sheak and Dag Boyesen on Yamahas. The big news was the promotion of Indy Car legend Roger Penske's works motocross shock, but, like most satellite teams, Boyesen Engineering found it hard to pay all of these bills out of their little company. But one cool thing did happen in this team's one year on the circuit: Dowd rode so well that the factory Yamaha team picked him up (and let him race the factory bike with the Boyesen/Penske graphics). This led Dowd to two race wins, second in the 250 Nationals and one heck of a career.
Team Tamm's Alan King won the '84 Hangtown 250cc National on a Honda.
Photo: Fran Kuhn
8. Team Tamm: This was Bob Tamm's way of taking on the factories in the mid-eighties, just before the AMA's production rule went into effect. They hired some very fast riders, including Brian Myerscough, Jeff Hicks, Tom Carson, Mike Beier, A.J. Whiting and Alan King, who had one glorious moment in the sun when he won the '84 Hangtown 250cc National on a Honda. Check it out right here in Racer X's Vault:
7. Team Subway Honda: Started by a businessman out of Illinois named Chuck Schultz, Team Subway Honda went for a few years with riders like Jason Thomas, Joe Oheloff and Jeff Gibson among others. The team competed in the 450 class on Honda's for its entire existence and lasted about three or four years be fading away.
6. The EdgeSports.com Kawasaki: The Edge was actually made up of the Strategic 3: Jeff Emig, Tony Strangio and Tim Dixon. They were forced together when Fro was clipped from Team Kawasaki following his arrest at Lake Havasu, and in their first race together they won the '99 U.S. Open of Supercross! They might have done some damage in 2000 but Jeff snapped both wrists on New Year's Eve while practicing at Stephane Roncada's place, and then suffered a career-ending crash, shattering his leg and breaking his back, while practicing in May at Glen Helen before the first national. So the team hired Michael Byrne from Australia, who did well, but not enough to keep it all rolling.
Team Boyesen/Penske Yamaha team rider Scott Sheak ripping up the Unadilla soil.
Photo: Thom Veety
5. DeMarini Suzuki: This team actually reached a podium through Tyler Evans, and they had some other strong finishes along the way. But then Mr. DeMarini, who made a fortune making sporting goods like aluminum bats, came down with cancer and died. He was a really good guy and he did what he could for motocross.
4. Team GW Bank Kawasaki: It might not have been the most successful satellite team ever, but it was probably the coolest! This team debuted in 1996 and featured all-time characters Phil Lawrence, Denny Stephenson, Buddy Antunez and Davey Castillo. The team was to fly in the Castillo family's private jet, and get big-money backing from Great Western Bank. But the GW Bank money never really came, and the rockstar existence of this squad didn't last long. But the results were actually pretty good! Factory Phil had a career-best top-five finish in the 250 SX points, and Antunez was hauling to consistent top fives in the 125 Nationals. Unfortunately, this team came around about five years too soon to cash in on the reality TV craze. They would have been stars!
Larry Ward en route to his win at RedBud for Team Moto XXX.
Photo: Simon Cudby
3. Boo-Koo Honda: This team did cash in on the reality craze. Enterprising business man and racer team operator/owner Michael Holigan started this Texas-based squad on Yamahas with a bunch of cool outside-the industry sponsors like Samsung electronics. The team had a camera crew documenting their testing and training during the week, produced into the Reality of Speed TV show. They even ran a reality-style gimmick of pairing the team down week by week, starting with a big supercross effort and then deciding which riders to vote off before the nationals. Eventually the team bumped to the big class with BooKoo Energy Drink money and David Vuillemin as its star. The Vuillemin relationship didn't work out, which was actually okay because it made for good TV. But when the BooKoo money dried up, so did the team.
2. LinkedIn Kawasaki/Team MDK: This one looked strange when it showed up at the Glen Helen AMA National opener with Casey Johnson riding a KX250. What the heck was LinkedIn? Well, you probably know now that LinkedIn grew into a massively successful social network for business. Behind this team (and LinkedIn) was venture capitalist and motocross enthusiast Mark Kvamme. The team later became MDK motorsports and housed KTM's entire U.S. factory racing effort. Then it went poof! Today's JDR KTM runs out of the old MDK shop, and Chad Reed's team even uses one of its old semis!
1. Moto XXX: Started by NOFX's Eric Sandin, Strung Out's Jordan Burns and videographer Kurt Haller and carried in its later years by Alan Brown, this team got it's start with Brian Deegan and Brian Swink in 1997. With current H&H team manager Kenny Watson providing the backbone, this team won a supercross in its debut season. A little anti-establishment to say the least, Moto XXX went from a band of misfits to a real live legitimate race team that had riders like Kyle Lewis, Larry Ward, Nick Wey, Travis Preston, Damon Huffman and others ride for it in its 11-year existence. Moto-XXX scored three wins, by the way: Deegan's notorious 125cc SX main event win in Los Angeles and then Larry Ward's RedBud 125 National win in 2001, the first-ever for a 250F rider and the win that made him the first rider ever to win AMA Nationals in three different decades! Ward then won another national a few weeks later.
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I actually remember about half of these teams. Lets hope things straighten out in the industry and more teams start popping up again.
Would love to see more satellite teams give some riders a shot but with this economy i doubt it
Also here is two more teams they forgot Plano honda Sobe suzuki
Didn't Emig win the US Open on a Yamaha, not a Kawasaki?
the bikes look great
Sobe Suzuki was the factory team graz11,not a satellite.
Primal impulse suzuki was one that didnt get mentioned.I think Ping rode on that team.
How could you forget Lorenzo Offner Products?????? Team LOP was bad ass!
Would Mcgraths Chapparell Yanaha team been considered a satellite team?? Just wondering..
I remember Team Tamm,they were one of the pioneers of satellite teams.A friend of mine wore a Tamm jersey,they made them in all the factory colors.I think he still has it.
MBMOto, LOP is definitely coming, and so is PDQ, Team Stiffie and more. It's a series, so anything you guys can remember, please let us know so we don't forget. Right now I think we have enough for three more installments.
And BD, I would say Chaparral is the most successful satellite team of all, given MC's three titles!
Team Tecate Beer/Kawasaki, anyone? Thanks for reading.
DC
MX Sports
Right on, Tecate/Kawasaki!
They had my favorite bike graphics of all time, along with ECC Suzuki.
What about Yamaha of Troy?
Anyone out there remember "Gary Easton"?
He was a neighbor of mine and he rode for team PDQ. Not sure what ever happened to him but he would clean up at all the local pro races in the state of Ohio back in the late 70's.
I also did some design work for a friend of mine who started a team called "Rad-N-Bad". I think at one time he had Fred Andrews racing the nationals for him.
I really wish some people would actually read the whole article before complaining that they left out teams.
skycooper, I remember Rad N' Bad, Fred Andrews and have autographed posters from them from the 92 Broome National. Jeff Pestana I believe was also on the team.
There should be a ton others coming in the next few instalments, DGY, NCY, TUF, FMF Racing, RRP, Manchester Honda, F&S Suzuki. Peak, Splitfire.. although technically that team is still together.
Hasbeen, Yes Fro's team was on Yamaha's when he won the US Open.
Thanks john430 was not sure if it was ECC or Sobe
What is the standard for competence at Racer X? Wasn't Team Noleen/Sizzler/Yamaha a privateer effort? Larry Ward rode for them I think in 1995. He had multiple podiums and took 2nd in the SX series that year. He kept making McGrath chase him down for the win. If the research team can't do a little better in the future I will be forced to write a scathing letter to the higher-ups... Once again, you can't make all the people happy all the time... ;-)
@motohead…Fast Freddie Andrews use to race our neck of the woods, he also had a brother Joel who at times was just as fast. I use to race with (not against) Broc Sellards when he was in the B class. He had a brother named Marcus that could absolutely kill it.
Yea, I know, not related to the main topic but cant help going back in time to the good old days. Sorry
Fred's wife Amy was on those Rad'n'Bad posters. Very hot!
Marcus Sellards was a bad ass and helped his little bro Brock more than you can imagine. Those guys and their dad Kenneth were some of the best I ever met.
I remember the Rad n Bad poster,had one in my garage.I think I still have it in the attic from when I moved.She was hot.
Thanks Davey for the shout out! Think we need to add the Moto-x-Fox team of old as well..... pat richter, ron turner, etc.... still remember getting my first pair of "dirt paws" in blue and yellow!
I still have a few MotoXXX tshirts that I still wear from time to time
The racerx vault needs some attention for sure. Wanted to check out Alan King a litttle bit, I was hoping to see some stuff on his old Maico's. The cat was smooth on a 500. I see Keith Bowen was 4th the day King won at Hangtown. Michigan MX back in the day was tough...with cats like these, and all 47 Bigelow brothers, Mark Hinkle, Spreeman, Surwall, Bentley, Warren.... LaRocco ( I know he's a hoosier but at red bud, ferget it.) ...yeah it was tough. Hope the Racerx vault gets fixed up.
I nearly cried when they had to cut my LOP jersey off at Delta. True story. Finally did cry at the E.R. when I seen the X-Rays and had to call Dad.
@motohead279 no kidding- D C even says they have enough for three more installments, and asks for help from us readers!!
joemotocross- I didnt have a LOP jersey, but I still remember my Thursday's at Delta park in the summer growing up too (and a couple trips the the ER at Province as well)!
On-The-Line-Racing. The bikes were so trick looking. I think Zip-Tye was the rider.
@ joe motocross-- Yes we have been around the block I was trying to remember the Bigelow guys name. I remamber racing against one of them in the mid 70's. I couild remember the red and white jersys and just could not remember the name.
I think #6 Emig's team is wrong,He started Strategic 3 team and He was on yamaha's
Larry Ward's win at RedBud in 2001 was his last win..He didnt win "another national a few weeks later"...
Refriedscot: Read the intro--it says we'll have more teams next week. Noleen Sizzler for sure, and HoT and YoT....the list goes on. Literally.
@ Jason W- I sometimes dont think people can read or comrehend stuff anymore? I know 16 year old kids that dont know how to read an Anolog clock?
Dont know if it qualifies as a satellite team or not but Jeff Glass and Team Surf Detergent was one of the first outside sponsors for the sport and although Jeff was never a top 10 rider he was one of the best ambassadors this sport had ever had.
The Plano honda team would be a good story. Kenny was the team manager and they got shark energy drink as their big bucks sponsor, but i guess shark never signed a contract and halfway thru the supercross season the owner of plano was still footing the bill himself. Shark says they won't pay and plano starts missing races and can't pay the bills and the whole shop goes bankrupt...Team Tamm was a wierd one in they had no one else paying the bills except Bob and Julie Tamm and no one could figure out what they were doing to pay the bills ( we heard something about exporting stolen car parts) anyone have more on this story?....also The Racers Edge (tremx.com) had a team sponsored by flamboyant arizona attorney Chuck Franklin. Chuck used to park his ferrari right next to Jason's big rig in the pits....and The Stiffee team would be a great story..
@welker—Michigan mafia hosted the Bigelow brothers-Kirk, Kip, Kris and Kreg of team dynamic.
I did the team Rad-N-Bad logo for my friend and founder Jeff Johnson. We use to terrorize the neighborhood as kids on our homemade bmx bikes.
Great times, hope things are well for Jeff.
Dont forget Lisa Akin (not sure if its still wagner) in that michigan mafia era......chased her a few times in the b class.
Team Boyesen/Penske Yamaha was a good year for JYD and the worst for Sheak.
Dowd basically had a factory bike. I can remember Sheak at Gatorback being pushed by his mechanic trying to pop start the bike. This of course was at the first national at Gatorback.....
How could you leave Timmy Ferry's name off the list of riders for Moto XXX? Im sure Matthes has already sent DC an email though.
Teams like this are the reason our sport is as big as it is today!