Team Kawasaki ’79
Bad
Brad, Tomahawk and the Wheelie King – it’s not a movie; it’s Kawasaki’s 1979 factory effort.
In
the late ‘70s, factory MX teams were all stacked with talent, but in 1979, only
Team Kawasaki had guys like “Bad” Brad Lackey, Tommy “Tomahawk” Croft and Doug
“Wheelie King” Domokos on their roster. The late’70s
proved to be a time of revolution in the motocross world – single shocks were
right around the corner if not already in place, disc brakes were on the
horizon and water-cooling was soon to be standard equipment. But for Team Green
in 1979, much of that was in the not too distant future with the exception of
single shocks, which they were experimenting with on the 125s. Here’s a look
back at Team Green for 1979.
“Bad” Brad
at speed on his new-for-’79 Kawasaki
KX-500. Though he would spend the entire season chasing the World title in Europe, teammate Gaylon Mosier
would ride the AMA 500cc Nationals and finish a respectable sixth aboard his
KX-500.
BRAD LACKEY
Lackey,
who won his first 500cc National Championship back in 1972, was ranked the
second best rider in the world (in 500 GP racing) by the end of the 1978
season. After a stint with another brand, Lackey returned home to Kawasaki for 1979 – and
the assault on a World Championship. Ultimately, he did not get the 500cc World
Championship title until 1982. Fellow American Danny Laporte
won the 250 World Championship that same year.
Gone but
never forgotten: Doug “Wheelie King” Domokos died has
passed on, but will always be remembered as the best darn wheelier
of all time. If it has two wheels – he could wheelie it. Period.
DOUG DOMOKOS
The
only non-racer aboard Team Green in ’79 was Doug Domokos.
The “Wheelie King” thrilled spectators around the country at Supercross as well as out motocross events. In fact, the
author saw the King at the Foxboro and Giants Stadium Supercrosses
as well as Unadilla and Southwick outdoor Nationals in the ‘80s. His bikes
often had a gyroscope on the front wheel which kept the wheel spinning at a
steady pace which enabled him to wheelie around entire supercross
and motocross tracks. Though he passed away earlier this year, he will always
live in the hearts of many as the only true “Wheelie King.”
Gaylon Mosier airs his factory Kawasaki out at a Supercross
event in 1978. Check out the open face helmet and no face protection! How about
those Scott boots!
GAYLON
MOSIER
Gaylon Mosier piloted a factory Kawasaki in the 500
Nationals for 1979, after finishing second in the 125 class the prior year and
winning the Anaheim Supercross at the culmination of
1978. Though he won Nationals at both Sonoma, California and Mt.
Morris, Pennsylvania,
Mosier could only muster a sixth in the 1979 outdoor National rankings. He also
managed an eighth place overall finish in the hotly contested Supercross series. Teammate Jimmy Weinert
was second behind Bob Hannah. Unfortunately, Mosier died a few years later in a
bizarre accident while riding his bicycle.
Tommy
“Tomahawk” Croft aboard his factory Kawasaki
250. He joined the likes of Lackey, Weinert
and Jeff Ward on the Team Green squad for ’79.
TOMMY CROFT
Tommy
“Tomahawk” Croft is best known as the other
Honda 125 rider who’s last name wasn’t Smith. While Croft and Marty Smith were
best of friends, for the 1979 season, Tommy would trade in his red rocket for a
spot on Team Green. Incidentally, his Native American heritage, fearlessness,
long black hair flying in the wind and his first name (Tommy) helped spawn the
nickname, “Tomahawk.” Croft didn’t break into the top ten in Supercross for 1979 and always seemed to prefer the Hondas
to the Kawasaki
race bikes as his results showed. Most people don’t know this but Croft rode
for Hodaka in the early ‘70s, helping put their 125 racers on the map.
Mickey Boone
got the break of a lifetime in 1978 when he was asked to ride a 250 Kawasaki in the Trans-AMA
series support class. He made Kawasaki
proud by winning two events before breaking his leg. He was offered a full
factory ride in ’79.
MICKEY BOONE
Late
in the 1978 motocross season, racer Mickey Boone received a phone call from Kawasaki’s motocross team
manager asking if he was interested in riding a KX-250 in the Trans-AMA support
class series. Boone, who had never before fielded such a tremendous offer,
jumped at the chance to make a name for himself on the tracks of the United States – and do it in style on a
factory-prepared Kawasaki.
But Boone’s deal wasn’t without a condition on his end – he wanted to retain
his tuner as part of the deal. As it turns out, Mr. Boone had always tuned for
Mickey and racing was a family affair for them. Kawasaki welcomed Mickey’s dad to the team
with open arms. Boone really gave a great showing before breaking his leg; he
won two events and was never lower than fourth place. That earned him a factory
Kawasaki ride
for ’79.
Jeff
Ward is tenacious, physical and brutally fast. He rode 125s, 250s and 500s in
his lengthy career and won several National championships for Kawasaki along with some MX des Nations
titles as well. He’s still fast today in Supermoto
events – on a Honda…
JEFF WARD
Jeff
Ward wasn’t a household name back in 1979, though it wouldn’t take very long.
The “Flying Freckle,” as he was called in his early days, joined Team Green in
’79 after a seventh place finish in the 125 Nationals in ’78. Upon switching to
Kawasaki from
Suzuki, he improved that by one spot in 1979. Ward was one of the most
determined and physically fit riders ever and proved that by winning several
National championships and staying in the game from the late ‘70s until the
‘90s. Speaking of the ‘90s, his battles with Rick Johnson and Jeff Stanton were
epic. Though small in stature, he could toss a KX-500 around like a 125 and do
it for 30 minutes straight. In fact, he rode a factory KX-500 in the 1987 MX
des Nations at Unadilla along with Bob Hannah and Rick Johnson, in the worst
muddy conditions this author has ever seen and he beat the world’s best riders.
He stayed with Kawasaki
throughout his illustrious motocross career.
Team Kawasaki
for 1979 (left to right): Tommy Croft, Gaylon Mosier,
Jimmy Weinert, Jeff Ward, Doug Domokos,
Mickey Boone, and Brad Lackey.
Text by Greg
Bastek
Photos
courtesy Greg Bastek motocross press kit collection