The Bultaco factory quickly hired him to remain in Europe to compete in the 250cc motocross world championship. His victory signaled that American motocross riders were ready to compete with the best in the world. The news of his unexpected victory created a huge wave of excitement in the American motorcycle community where motocross was undergoing an explosive growth in popularity.
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Pomeroy arrived in Europe as an unknown and then proceeded to shock the motorcycle world by riding his privateer Bultaco to an upset victory in the 1973 250cc Spanish motocross Grand Prix. Pomeroy (26) leading the start of the 1973 250cc Spanish Grand Prix.Īt the time in the early 1970s, European riders still dominated the sport of motocross and Americans weren't considered as talented due to their relative lack of experience in the nascent motorsport. At the end of the 1972 season, Pomeroy along with Brad Lackey, Jimmy Weinert and Gary Jones were selected by the AMA to be the first-ever team to represent the United States at the Motocross des Nations where the team posted a seventh place result. He was offered the opportunity to compete in a few select world championship Grand Prix events in Europe and he readily accepted. His performance earned him Bultaco factory support through a local Bultaco concession. He won the season opening 250cc race at Saddleback Park in California before, switching to the 500cc class where he finished the 1972 season in fifth place overall. In 1972 he competed in the inaugural AMA Motocross National Championship.
#Pomeroy 1976 bultaco pursang jim series
He made his AMA debut in 1970 and posted a sixth-place finish in the support race of the 1970 Trans-AMA motocross series round in Washington. Pomeroy began to race professionally in Canada to circumvent the American Motorcyclist Association's 18-year-old age restriction and ended up winning the Western Canadian Championship. His father owned a motorcycle shop that had employed Evel Knievel before he became a famous daredevil stunt rider. A big thank you to Ty for letting me post this clip from his "Chehalis Classic 2003" video.Born in Sunnyside, Washington, Pomeroy's family relocated to Yakima, Washington shortly after he was born. Then 30+ years later at the 2003 Chehalis Classic AHRMA National Jim Pomeroy was presented his 1973 Spanish GP 1st place trophy in a surprise ceremony held just before Sunday’s motocross riders meeting. From that another Spanish 250 MX GP trophy was assembled. The foundry still had the main component, an original trophy figure left over from 1973. Donations were collected and another Spanish 250 GP Trophy was obtained from the original foundry in Barcelona. Jim Pomeroy, the “First American” to win a World Championship Moto-cross GP, never got his 1st place trophy that day.Ģ8 years later a wrong was turned right by Jim's family, friends and fans.
![pomeroy 1976 bultaco pursang jim pomeroy 1976 bultaco pursang jim](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/b2/2e/26/b22e265e7840c00fdcb4a52f29e5926e.jpg)
![pomeroy 1976 bultaco pursang jim pomeroy 1976 bultaco pursang jim](https://i0.wp.com/www.bike-urious.com/wp-content/uploads/Bultaco-Pursang-Mk10-Right-Side.jpg)
By the time race officials realized their mistake the podium presentation was over and Hans Maisch was long gone with the 1st place trophy, (which he never gave back). But at that 1973 Spanish 250 Moto-cross GP race officials first incorrectly scored Maico’s Hans Maisch as the overall winner.
![pomeroy 1976 bultaco pursang jim pomeroy 1976 bultaco pursang jim](https://rxi.iscdn.net/2016/08/129894_decoster3.jpg)
We all know Jim Pomeroy on his Bultaco won 1st overall at the 1973 Spanish 250cc Moto-cross GP and became the “First American” to win a World Championship Moto-cross GP.