Story Behind RedBud & Larocco's Leap!

[@rayr8136]

My name is Ray Ritchie, I'm Gene Ritchie's oldest son. I left my dad's business in 1981, I ran the dirt bike shop at the track. Your story is very accurate, and I was there when my brother Tim built the Loroccos leap. Mike was jumping it when Tim was building it.. making sure he was able to clear it... Thanks for the story of the leap. I was with my dad Gene when we first came to the track first on snowmobiles.. and rode the track when it was grass.. dad laid it out as we rode it. It's been close to the same since the very first day he laid it out.. I could go on and on, but thank you for your video, it's good.

[@motofevermedia1]

Thank you so much for your comment! It's awesome to have even more context. Big thanks to your whole family for starting and continuing the motocross legacy that is RedBud!

[@joeschmidt6597]

no no, _please_ do go on and on!!

[@rayr8136]

@@joeschmidt6597 to much to say.. I sure remember the work us kids did to just get the first national going. Dad had 3 partners, and two had boys my age, I just finished high school in 1974. We dug the corner posts by hand then.. hung the fences.. Dad's other partners did things like getting the irrigation system through the track.. it was quite the undertaking.

[@motofevermedia1]

​@rayr8136 thanks for sharing, it's awesome to hear things first hand!

[@rayr8136]

@@motofevermedia1 your welcome 😁

[@brianchristenson6055]

Can’t wait for gate drops!)

[@motofevermedia1]

@@brianchristenson6055 same!

[@troyharper7546]

Great History about RedBudd 🇺🇲💯

[@motofevermedia1]

🫡🇺🇸

[@1976ondy]

I started watching motocross with Larocco and Jeremy, true “Fuse Channel” i believe , the good old days of Black Boxes

[@motofevermedia1]

@@1976ondy good old days

[@EarthSurferUSA]

4:02 That was a great battle between Damon and Jeff, (Damon crashed a bit later). I was standing at the apex of the next corner, and the track had huge, deep, clay, hard ruts. Those guys, right after that jump, (may be that lap), hit those ruts so hard, and on the gas,---I am still blown away.

[@motofevermedia1]

@EarthSurferUSA awesome to hear your first hand experience with the race

[@jimmyharris135]

i still miss the old ski jump then going straight with that nice floater to the orchard and the old triple, then a 180° to the double double. what i don’t miss is the rock hard clay.

[@motofevermedia1]

@@jimmyharris135 that's fair

[@thefridaynetwork]

REDDD BUDDD!!! 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

[@motofevermedia1]

@@thefridaynetwork 🇺🇸🇺🇲

[@slikkwell]

REDD BUUDD!

[@Kyle-k4w]

The rollers before the finish line works out well. I like it how it is now.

[@motofevermedia1]

@@Kyle-k4w yeah I would agree with that

[@jasonharden2732]

Easily my favorite track

[@motofevermedia1]

It's a good one for sure

[@randomjackson574]

the craziest part of this story is you could still ride a snowmobile in southern michigan in 1973.

[@motofevermedia1]

Yep 😅

[@randomjackson574]

@@motofevermedia1 great story, thank you. the leap is legend in mx

[@MotoMikkola]

Great content! Love the history lesson’

[@motofevermedia1]

@@MotoMikkola glad you enjoyed it!

[@Ltr-s8f]

Rumor has it that Tim Farr cleared Laroccos Leap on a KTM 450sx atv in 2008 during the press release. Would be the only atv that I know of that tried and was successful

[@motofevermedia1]

Dude, jumping that on an adventure would be absolutely insane 🥴 If he did then that's awesome!

[@BlueNoseParaCanoe]

I think doug gust did it in the 90s om a 250r once

[@ericb8030]

​@@BlueNoseParaCanoe Doug Gust did with a stretched straightaway.

[@EarthSurferUSA]

I understood, and i think from a Mike interview also, that he first jumped it on a 125, not in competition, and from a longer run than the track.

[@motofevermedia1]

@EarthSurferUSA yeah sounds like he got a run in from the night track on his first attempt

[@EarthSurferUSA]

5:47 I am sure the red drawn lines are not an old position for the starting gate. Are they a new position? Because the one shown (not the red lines) is the same I remember from back to 1984. it was straight to a 180, (approx), right hand turn, then the left to the ski jump.

[@motofevermedia1]

It's possible that the gate had been there before but where the red likes are is where thay start was for the majority of the modern era until 2017

[@thomasrenfrow609]

The jump is scary just doing the double, 😂

[@motofevermedia1]

I promise you I'm not doing it haha

[@BlueNoseParaCanoe]

I raced the 08 atv national. I'm paralyzed so strapped to the atv. That jump when you can't see the landings until you are air born. There's a reason why I didn't try the double. Don't need to get more paralyzed

[@rolandrodriguez3854]

Chase for the win!

[@motofevermedia1]

Looks promising especially with Jett out.

[@rickackley158]

Thank you.

[@motofevermedia1]

@@rickackley158 welcome!

[@guywhitecotton1376]

Sexton and Deegan

[@RYKERWINEGARDNER]

agreed

[@motofevermedia1]

🫡

[@motofevermedia1]

With Jett out you're probably right!

[@Steezy_Mx]

Im going for Hunter but same for Deegs

[@rhooton19]

Without a doubt

[@slikkwell]

RED BUD! By far the best track of the outdoor nationals! Edit: I'm a michigander so I might be a little biased ✌️💪

[@motofevermedia1]

@@slikkwell haha nothing wrong with that!

[@rodbelding9523]

I remember watching Pastrana jump Larocco's Leap on a 125 in practice and upon landing he just completely obliterated his front wheel lol.

[@motofevermedia1]

Yeah I wish there was video of it, it sounds like it was gnarly!

[@darkmean65]

I have pictures of it and actually talked to him after and he said he didn’t hardly feel it? lol how crazy

[@chucktrotter9699]

7.4.24 Sexton for the win

[@motofevermedia1]

@chucktrotter9699 not a bad pick

[@THOMAS10386]

250 #1 masterpool 450 #1 sexton 250 #2 Deegan 450 #2 Hunter L 250 #3 Viale 450 #3 J Coop

[@motofevermedia1]

Would love to see masterpool get another win!

[@Familytube90]

Masterpool lol

[@motofevermedia1]

@FlapJackKila I mean he's done it already

[@jmac636]

Masterpool led most of his first moto back from an injury in 2020 at Redbud and finished 3rd, held Jett off and Jett finished 4th. I just watched it a few days ago.

[@motofevermedia1]

@@jmac636 this is true

[@guyroy4857]

How many feet is the jump? How many miles per hour to clear it??

[@motofevermedia1]

120 feet but it's hard to say mph

[@devarskinnee8760]

Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny!!

[@motofevermedia1]

@@devarskinnee8760 bold predictions!

[@charleslynch1618]

Deegan and Lawrence

[@motofevermedia1]

@@charleslynch1618 popular picks haha

[@jessejames14]

Definitely Sexton and Deegan, being that it’s 4th of July weekend! USA all the way!

[@motofevermedia1]

@@jessejames14 🇺🇸🫡

[@egirlegirlegirl]

nice😊

[@motofevermedia1]

@@egirlegirlegirl glad you enjoyed

[@shootermcgavern3309]

250 class; Deegs, Masterpool, Shimoda, 450 class; Hunter, Plessinger, Sexton,

[@motofevermedia1]

Imagine if somehow AP could win this weekend. Everyone would loose their minds 😅

[@ahedochannel4097]

Sexton and deegan for sure

[@motofevermedia1]

🫡

[@gicedrat514]

Sexton, Hunter, AP Deegan, Viale, Kitchen 🙃

[@motofevermedia1]

Solid picks!

[@mikeconnor2102]

I'm old school that doesn't even look like a motocross track to me

[@motofevermedia1]

It's one of the most iconic motocross tracks in the country

[@EarthSurferUSA]

I raced at Red Bud quite a bit. Went to the nationals as a young man. I have not been to a pro race since the 2007 MXofN, and I don;t remember that costing much, (no where near the grand I would have dumped at the last RB MXofN, so I did not go). If I drove 4 hours to Red Bud this Sat, I would have to drop about $300.00 bucks. I am not dropping that kind of money to watch 4 motos. Looks like I will never go to a pro race again.

[@motofevermedia1]

@@EarthSurferUSA sorry to hear that

[@MikeyDolan]

Deegan 250 Chase 450

[@motofevermedia1]

🇺🇸

[@EarthSurferUSA]

I made it to 11 seconds. The rest of the story sounds as good as any, but how does a snowmobile tie in to the making of that jump?

[@EarthSurferUSA]

Before I continued on with your vid, I thought you were going to say that Mike and Tim jumped the big leap with a snowmobile. lol But, there is no relationship with a snowmobile and that jump. May be finding the land to build a track,--but that jump was much later. I am not sure if Mike was born yet when the track was first made.

[@motofevermedia1]

@EarthSurferUSA well without the SnowMobile there wouldn't have been a track for the jump to be built 🥲

[@bigcat5781]

Chase Sexton and Tom Vialle win

[@motofevermedia1]

If Tom beats Haiden this weekend that would be wilddd

[@bigcat5781]

Tom will win with 2-2 finish Haiden wins moto one than crashes and has a mechanical dnf. Shimoda or someone else wins moto two

[@motofevermedia1]

@bigcat5781 not a bad prediction

[@Erick-di9gm]

Johnny Hopper wants the leap taken out!

[@motofevermedia1]

@Erick-di9gm interesting take. I think the Leap is awesome!

[@dicktrickle858]

Johnny Hopper is a dweeb.

[@EarthSurferUSA]

Making a jump and landing on flat to find where to put the landing jump was common. But not for a jump that big. No way for a jump that big. Gotta have a down ramp.

[@motofevermedia1]

@@EarthSurferUSA thats what I'm saying

[@13Skribbles]

Deegan is a no brainer However in the 450's JCoop is super fast on this track so Chase isnt gonna get an easy win I think a good chance this is JCoops breakout ride

[@motofevermedia1]

@@13Skribbles interesting take. Definitely possible!

[@TN_HondaDad]

Chase 2-1, Hunter 1-3, Justin 2-4 Deegan 1-1 Vialle 2-2, Ty 4-3

[@motofevermedia1]

@TN_HondaDad dang that's super specific 🫡

[@anthonyegnor6347]

Sexton450/Deegan250

[@motofevermedia1]

@anthonyegnor6347 that seems to be the most popular picks