When men were men and bikes were heavy pieces of ill-handling steel with little to no suspension, rules were made to be broken, and reputations were built with bravado. Men raced until their hands were bloodied and teeth knocked out from rocks, starting line shit talking was a regular occurrence, and everything was left on the track. Back then, it didn’t matter if you finished first or last, when the checkered flag flew, all that counted was if you had a good time and that the beer was cold back at the truck. It’s during these times that Fasthouse was born. And if you dig deep enough on TheFasthouse.com, you’ll find a treasure trove of history—famous racers, infamous races, and bikes of the past—all cataloged and thoroughly entertaining.

In honor of Throwback Thursday, we dug into The Fasthouse archives to find some rare newspaper clippings from a plethora of popular magazines and papers, featuring racers of yesterday and photos that any fan of the sport would love to stare at. These were the days when rules were few and it was perfectly acceptable to kiss the trophy girls on the podium. Sure, nowadays the bikes are faster, the riders jump higher, and the talent level is incredible, but nothing compares to how things were when it all began—raw, unadulterated, and unforgettable.