Hi there!  Most of you will have seen pictures and read articles about the racing in the 70s and 80s.  But this would have been based on high profile racing, the G.P.s etc.  But did you know that at club level back in 74 when I started, the scene was very different from today.  As a school boy you had to join the SFBC (Scottish Formula Bantam Club).  You had to buy a BSA Bantam 125 or 150 to race.  By the way the BSA Bantam was a road bike not a trail bike like you see today, but a raod bike which you had to drastically modify.  It normally ment fitting 250 BSA forks, A21" front wheel, welding strenthening plates at the headstock, fitting high level alloy mudguards, and a single seat, just to mention a few.  The engine got ported, a high comp head, big carb, crank case stuffers and total loss ignition, which meant it ran on a battery which lasted only one meeting then had to be charged. This trebled the HP to approx 16bhp, which meant the 3 speed box only lasted several races. In 1975 they changed the rules to  up to 200cc British or up to 125cc foreign. This was when you started seeing suzuki,yams,bultacos,huskies,czs, which were like UFO's compaired to any home made British bikes. They had to handicap the Jap bikes, but often if the track was right a tuned BSA 175 or 200 Triumph cub 4 stroke on dope would walk it. I paid £7 for a race winning BSA 150. In my 1st race the front tyre was destroyed and a new one cost £5. I was devistated.
My first adult bike was a 1968 Montessa 250. It was a works bike (worked sometimes). This bike had a mind of its own and after a season of pushing it about I sold it for £60.  I then bought a new Vic Allan special Bultaco 250 for £680.  This bike started ran and stopped and did everything it said on the tin.  At this time the Euro bikes were much better than the Jap stuff believe it or not.  So what did I do in 78?  I bought one of the first CR 250 Hondas in Scotland.  Everyone told me it was a big mistake they said, "you can't get parts, you can't rebore it, the gear boxes are shit, the resale value is crap."  Fortunately for me they were totaly wrong, and as you all know the Jap bikes took over and were there to stay.  At the turn of the 80s the bikes really started to change big time, thats why the Yanks called twinshock racing 'the evolution class.'  In three years we saw monoshocks, water cooling, power valves, and disc brakes appearing on the bikes.  The bikes also got very tall and very long.  A typical mid 70s bike was about the same size as a big wheel 80 today.  By the early 90s the bikes were fully developed and not that much different to todays bikes.  In terms of mx bike evolution the four stroke is the only significant change we have seen in the past 15 years.  We may never see dirtbike evolution on the same scale again.  Another major change in the sport which I have witnessed is the drastically decreasing number of tracks and clubs.  In the 70s - 80s you could race a season on 15 or 20 different tracks and not supply a marshall.  The clubs had enough members to supply their own.  With all of these changes we have seen there is one thing which hasnt changed much and thats the prize money.  In the late 70s my brother did the Perth grass track on a Wednesday night.  The entry fee was £4.  He finished 3rd overall and lifted £18, a gallon of Castrol R, and a pair of goggles.  That would still be ok today.  If anyone out there is interested in Scottish mx history I have 3 full binders of TMX clips and photos of Scottish racing from 77 - 95.  Cheers the now!