For this edition of Classic Ink, we are going to take a look back at a set of awesome SCOTT USA ads from 1990.
In 1970, SCOTT USA pioneered the basic motocross goggle design we still see today.
Very few brands in motocross are as iconic as SCOTT USA. Founded in 1958 by Ed Scott, SCOTT USA got its start as an innovator in the ski market. In 1970, SCOTT USA expanded into motocross with the industry’s first goggles designed specifically for motocross racing. The new SCOTT goggle was an instant hit with their bright red, white, and blue strap and unique clip-on face guard. Eventually, SCOTT USA expanded its motocross offerings, adding an incredibly popular line of grips and a less successful motocross boot crafted out of plastic. While their ski-inspired boot was a bit of a flop, SCOTT USA’s goggles continued to be a missive hit in motocross and off-road.
By 1990, the motocross goggle market had become much more crowded with major players like Oakley and Smith offering a wide variety of accessories and styles. While the market was full of competition, SCOTT USA remained the top choice for many of the sport’s elite. In this ad campaign from 1990, you get a good look at how many of motocross and off-road racing’s biggest stars were SCOTT athletes at the time. It also provides a great look at some of the awesome custom paint jobs that had become the rage only a few years earlier.
In 1989, Dan Smith and his mighty KTM 540 were the Kings of the desert.
Back East, Jeff Russel was one of Randy Hawkin’s toughest competitors on the Enduro circuit. In 1991, Jeff would finally win the AMA Enduro title for KTM. Twenty-four years later his son Kaliub would accomplish the same feat for KTM and SCOTT USA taking the 2015 AMA National Enduro title.
In 1989, four-time AMA National Enduro champ Terry Cunningham was one of the few holdouts on the National circuit still running an open face with SCOTT’s iconic “Venturi” face mask.
In 1989, Jeff Stanton had risen from relative obscurity to the absolute pinnacle of the sport. After several years of middling results on Yamahas, Jeff made the switch to Honda and under the tutelage of Ricky Johnson transformed his career. While Jeff was never the most stylish or talented rider in the field, his drive, fitness, and determination to win propelled him to the pinnacle of the sport in the early 1990s.
At the opposite end of the Stanton spectrum was Yamaha’s brash 250 rookie Damon Brashshaw. Bradshaw came into 1990 with a mountain of talent and a chip on the shoulder. No pass was too aggressive, and no obstacle was too treacherous for the seventeen-year-old from Charlotte, NC. Damon would get the better of Stanton early in the series, but his damn-the-torpedoes approach would cost the rookie any chance at the title after a crash at San Diego ended in a DNF and sidelined him for the next round in Seattle. While a consistent Stanton would get the best of his rivals on the way to the 1990 AMA Supercross title, Bradshaw would end up tying fellow rookie Jean-Michel Bayle for the most wins in the series at five.
Suzuki’s Denny Stephenson was another of the sport’s brightest young stars in 1990. Denny had been a solid rider the previous two years on Kawasaki, but he stepped up his game in 1990 on the RM125. Stephenson dominated the 125 East Coast Supercross season before a missed shift on the face of a triple at Oklahoma would end his season with a crash and broken wrist. Thankfully, Denny had already wrapped up the 125 East SX title so his untimely crash did not ruin an otherwise successful year.
Another rider making the jump to Suzuki in 1990 was Indiana’s Mike LaRocco. Like Stanton, LaRocco had shown some promise on the YZs, but his 1989 season had proven a disappointment with only one win at Houston. On the RMs, LaRocco had a solid 250 rookie season snagging podiums at Pontiac, Charlotte, Foxboro, and Southwick before stepping back down to the 125s in support of teammate Guy Cooper and carding a win at Spring Creek.
Damon Bradshaw’s 250 teammate in 1990 was longtime journeyman racer Doug Dubach. Long renowned for his excellent starts, Dubach was solid and dependable but not considered a threat for the win. A year later, however, the man they call Doctor D would score an incredibly popular surprise victory at San Jose. After retirement, Doug would continue as a test rider for Yamaha playing a major role in the development of the revolutionary YZ400F and YZ250F.
In 1989, the most surprising rider in the sport was most certainly Canyon Country, CA’s Mike Kiedrowski. At the time, most pit pundits had Damon Bradshaw as a sure-fire bet to dominate the 1989 125 National championship but the MX Kied ended up outlasting the mercurial talent for the title. Much like his teammate Jeff Stanton, Mike eschewed style and flash in favor of hard work and determination. While that garnered him less attention from the fans and media, his results on the track were unquestionable. Four National Motocross titles, wins in every class, and several MXdN victories for Team USA proved that Mike was one of the greatest riders of his era.
