David Bailey Rules on Instagram
Jason Weigandt

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David Bailey Rules on Instagram

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I love David Bailey. He's one of the best people to talk to on Earth. David is so smart, so analytical and so articulate that he could look at the phone sitting on your office desk, stare at it for 10 seconds, and figure out 28 amazing and interesting things about it that you never would have noticed yourself. We're lucky, then, that David's great mind is especially trained on motocross, and now through Instagram the multi-time AMA National Champion and former ESPN Supercross and Motocross analyst is able to wax poetic again.

Here's his post about Carlsbad and the USGP today. It's just a picture of a sign, but so much more when it gets Bailey to tell a story.

This sign on the 5 freeway approaching Palomar Airport Rd. was burned into my brain as a teenager. A sign Motocross was big time! That sign combined with ABC Wide World of Sports covering the United States Grand Prix at Carlsbad for a round of the prestigious 500cc World Championship made that race the single most important one. Being in it would be great, but winning it, with a massive crowd, television coverage, helicopter following along overhead and all the history was something I dreamed of. After two difficult years there, that dream became reality. On a day when the temperatures were near 100 degrees I slowly walked up the dry dusty hill to the starting line for the final moto and I had a moment where I didn’t think I could do it. I was drained and I paused, saw stars for a few seconds and in that moment I couldn’t believe I had to race a works 500 for 45 minutes against Broc Glover. He won the race in 1984 and he looked focused, he knew that track and had come from last place in the first moto all the way to 2nd! He was just plain faster than me. I focused and grabbed the lead in an attempt to interrupt his ability to disappear in the opening laps, but he flew past me on the downhill and doubts crept back in. I was going to try and beat him on speed and fitness at the end, but before I planned to dig even deeper “hoping” it would be enough, he slid out and handed it to me. In 1984 I led both motos and blew it both times, sort of handing it to him. At a dinner a couple years ago when that subject came up, Broc jokingly said, “Should we just exchange trophies?” Regardless of how we managed to win there, I’m so happy we each won it. @mxgoldenboy @ride100percent #dreamcometrue #motocross #Carlsbad #USGP

A post shared by David Bailey (@davidbaileymx) on