When my obsession with the sport began, late 70's, the kids of the sport, rising stars like Hannah, Howerton, Johnson, Bailey, Ward, Chandler, etc. were the main story subjects of Dirt Bike and Motocross Action magazines. And of course, the evolutionary changes in the bikes coming so rapidly year to year at that point took up a lot of magazine space as well.
Occasionally I would see articles on these older guys like Jim Pomeroy, but seemed like they were strangers to the sport. Little did I understand that for years, they were the heroes that had been battling the Europeans with only marginal fanfare on less refined machinery. They paid their dues the hard way, and they paved the way.
Today, with my love of racing vintage motorcycles, these guys are my true racing heroes of the past.