Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1527076
8 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com 1975 US ISDT Silver Vase Riders Reunion 1975 US ISDT Silver Vase Riders Reunion By Kurt Flachbart By Kurt Flachbart Ossa ISDT Silver Vase Riders Reunion Yankee Motors Team on Specially Prepped Ossa Desert Phantoms 50 th ISDT Isle of Man August 24, 2024, At Charlie Vincents Sunnyside Farm Warren, Maine Few events in life go exactly as planned, but on a gorgeous August day on the coast of Maine, a group of legends gathered to share stories of the Yankee Motors 1975 Ossa ISDT Silver Vase Team. Consis ng of Don Cutler, Kevin Lavoie, Max Mar- kowitz, Charlie Vincent, and Team Manager Marcia MacDonald, these five champions reunited and spent a wonderful a ernoon together along with a dozen or so friends and fans enjoying each other's company and reminiscing about an epic me in their lives. As a kid during the 1970s, all consumed with dirt riding, the New England Trail Rider Associa on Junior Enduro program was a godsend for many of my genera on. Founded by New England off-road legends Don Cutler, a six- me ISDT compe tor, and US ISDT Team Manager Marcia MacDonald, also a mul -year NETRA Women's champion famous for winning a whopping 36 races in a row. The NETRA Jr Enduro events kept so many of us young punks out of any real trouble and gave us a great way to meet and mingle with like-minded peers and upcoming champions. During this me, the fastest guys in New England all seemed to be from Connec cut, and there's a reason why. It was Don Cutler and Marcia Mac- donald who took two young men, Kevin Lavoie and Max Markowitz, under their wings and groomed them into what would become world- class off-road champions. Dubbed the "Motor Mice", Don taught the boys fundamentals such as riding skills. Marica stressed the importance of a swi maintenance program. She would invent scenarios where the boys would have to repair a broken chain or swap out a broken control cable along with proper air filter service. Performing these tasks quickly was of utmost importance, and in the end under Marcia's tutelage, the team was able to change two res in under 4 minutes. The boys prac ced constantly, and in fact, during the season of 1974, Don and Kevin rode every night a er work, racking up a whopping 6000 miles on their Ossa Pioneer prac ce bikes. Kevin also recalls a rugged sec on of trail they rode o en that par cular season. Max Markowitz, Don Cutler, Kevin Lavoie, Charlie Vincent and Team Manager Marcia MacDonald Max Markowitz, Don Cutler, Kevin Lavoie, Charlie Vincent and Team Manager Marcia MacDonald