Summary
The sport of motocross experienced explosive growth in 1973 and motorcycle manufacturers sought to capitalize on the expanding market with all four Japanese manufacturers fielding factory-backed teams alongside their European counterparts. [1] Pierre Karsmakers from the Netherlands dominated the 1973 500cc national championship, winning seven of 12 AMA Nationals and claimed 17 victories in 36 races overall. [1] [2] Karsmakers is credited with helping raise the level of American motocross by stressing the importance of physical fitness and machine preparation. [2] 1973 marked a turning point in American motocross when Jimmy Weinert became the first American rider to defeat the then-dominant European riders in the Trans-AMA Motocross Series at Rio Bravo MX Park in Houston Texas. [1] [3] His victory showed that the level of American motocross had begun to compare with the level of European motocross. [3]
As in the 1973 season, after the season-ending 500cc race on September 9, American riders competing for the AMA national championship continued to accumulate points counting towards the national championship while they competed in the 1973 Trans-AMA motocross series, which began on September 23 and hosted visiting European riders from the Motocross World Championship. [1] Although Karsmakers was a Dutch citizen, he was competing under an AMA license so, he was listed as the "Top American" finisher in the Trans-AMA series.
After winning the 1972 250cc national championship on a Yamaha, Gary Jones was hired by Honda to help develop their new Honda CR250M motocross bike for the 1973 season. [1] [4] He did so successfully to win his second consecutive 250cc national title. [1]
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Pierre Karsmakers
Mike Hartwig