It was much more stress than someone like my dad, who had built his life to avoid drama, could take. He made the most of the time he had left, with numerous family get-togethers Greg Petersen passed away in Arizona. These notable motorcycle accident deaths include modern and long-gone famous men and women, from politicians to religious leaders to writers. ", Jimmy was quiet, polite, kind, and dedicated," added David Nees, co-owner of Cycle Sport. Nixon was also known for his partnership with legendary tuner Erv Kanemoto when they won the 1973 U.S. National Road Racing Championship for Kawasaki. Danny Erdeljac was another member of Texas motocross royalty, though hewas actually born in Morgantown, West Virginia. On August 15, Blissett passed away while battling brain cancer. He was 63 years old. (It's now a golf course.) The Sellards home in New Philadelphia, Ohio, also became a regular stopping point for many on the AMA circuit, popular among the transport drivers for its central location and the fact that the ever-friendly Mr. Sellards, a lifelong motorsports enthusiast, was also a master mechanic who had opened a small private trucking company and had lots of garage and parking space for drivers to spend time in between races and maintain their rigs. They called themselves the CCA, which stood for Cross Critik Association, and they often traveled to major international races together, including California, where they would attend AMA Supercross races in San Diego or the Los Angeles or outdoor nationals at Hangtown and Saddleback. Smith and his wife Nancy were killed in a dune buggy accident in. Papa would be up at 4 a.m. and go all day and when he sat in his chair at night you had about 10 minutes to talk before he was out sleeping. 'It's good, brave riders on their flying machines.'. He passed over the Christmas holiday at his home in New Jersey. CNN Marty Smith, a prolific motocross rider known for winning 18 career national motocross titles, has died. He was practically born into it, as his father, David Ow, was one of the founding members of theRidge Runners Motorcycle Club, which helped usher in modern motocross in California. He retired five years ago from calling races, enjoying retirement at his home in Oklahoma City, but the riders and the race fans will always remember the way Jack signed off every time: "Good night, everybody. It was difficult to find riders as skilled as McQueen. But it didn't work out the way anyone expected, least of all Smith. A modern daredevil on modern equipment, his jumps dwarfed those of pioneers like Evel Knievel, England's Eddie Kidd, Bob Gill, Bubba Blackwell, Johnny Airtime, and the aforementioned Gary Wells. Chandler died on May 4, 2010 from illnesses related to his paralysis. A lifelong moto enthusiast who stayed with it well into his vet/vintage racing years, Petersen was open and honest about what he was up against, sharing his condition and decisionsas well as his sense of humoron social media. But this did not satisfy Munro, so in 1926 he decided to start modifying his beloved Indian. Always willing to lend a hand and help anyone even if it was a complete stranger. This page is dedicated to those brave individuals who dared to face the ramps and at some point, for some reason, lost their lives. He was my friend. I only ran a few races that year, skipping Texas and out west, he said. My dad built his life to avoid risk, in mortal fear of being poor. Hewas instrumental in the success story of French MX/SX, which shaped international racing as we know it. "I helped assist carrying him to the helicopter as it was the right thing to do. The biggest two challenges for Munro to overcome while modifying his bike were his lack of money and the fact that he worked full time as a motorcycle salesman. And of course there wasNext Friday, the sequel, where he got back on the bicycle to taunt Ice Cube and friends. Ted's Bio; Fact Sheet; Hoja Informativa Del Ted Fund; Ted Fund Board 2021-22; 2021 Ted Fund Donors; Ted Fund Donors Over the Years. I've known Papa for 40 years, back when Kawasaki built the first SX track on Corona Clay Land. And there he was, still in Indiana. His time here was cut short but was not uneventful by far. -. When Prahm died in late June due to a medical condition, he was in California, not Texas, where he often passed the afternoons on his family's ranch fishing, smoking meats, and enjoying the beauty of the place. He was an avid racer of both motorcycles and cars. There was indeed pain for everyone affiliated with the team, but it manifested itself in a surprising, wonderful way, as his old friends and teammates Osborne, Anderson, and Wilson ended the series with that 1-2-3 sweep. A pioneer in health and nutrition and chiropractic therapy, Dr. Dennis Medskerworked with many of that eras top riders, including Rick Johnson, Jeff Stanton, David Bailey, and more. He was only half-kidding. His family was the true love of his life and motocross was his passion. My dad was the opposite. He bought a trailer and started a traveling clinic, following the professional motocross circuit and helping riders with adjustments, nutrition, and any other health needs that might ariseand not just racers but their families and team members too. McQueen raced in many top off-road races on the West Coast, including the Baja 1000, the Mint 400 and the Elsinore Grand Prix. Celebrity deaths 2022. "After Danny bought Rio Bravo and fixed it back up, I got to go out to a couple of the ride days he had there to see how much it looked like the same track from many years ago," De Coster said. Wrote his friend Jody Weisel ofMotocross Action, "Dave was a genius, and we mean the MIT, rocket scientist, change the world kind of geniusand we are grateful that he applied his unique view of the world and his sometimes crackpot ingenuity to motocross. He loved going to Disney World to a strange degree. It is a shame that he's gone.". By the time of his death, his collection included over 100 and was valued in the millions of dollars. Herbert James "Burt" Munro (Bert in his youth) (25 March 1899 6 January 1978) was a New Zealand motorcycle racer, famous for setting an under-1,000cc world record, at Bonneville, 26August 1967. Eight Grand Prix motorcycle racing champions have died while racing or practicing in Grand Prix motorcycle racing: Dario Ambrosini in 1951, Leslie Graham in 1953, Rupert Hollaus in 1954, Tom Phillis in 1962, Bill Ivy in 1969, Jarno Saarinen in 1973, Daijiro Kato in 2003, and Marco Simoncelli in 2011. North Carolina's Pulley wasa longtime racer who also worked in numerous motorcycle dealerships,including Matthews Fun Machines, Charlotte Motorsports, and, most recently, Freedom Cycles in Charlotte. Lauren Cole stood out in just about any crowd, but even more so when she was in the mechanics'signalingarea of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross, where for a time she helped out her fast friend and privateer NickFratz-Orr. dayton leroy rogers family. Del Sepkovic loved his wife of 62 years, Carol, his seven children, his numerous grandchildren, and even a great-grandchild. The recent fatal crash in MotoGP class of Marco Simoncelli when the Italian made contact with Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi during the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix. Hello world! He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1972 to 1973 and in the Motocross World Championships from 1973 to 1976, before returning to compete in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1977 to 1978. Trips via train to the port at Invercargill were a rare source of excitement, and the arrival of cars, motorcycles and aircraft added to Burt's eagerness to join the world outside of his farm. We close our eyes and another year goes by. He is finished when he quits." She had a very kind and generous heart." After months of failed attempts to cap the spill, Erdeljac came up with a solutiona capping device concept that he said was inspired by the taper-fit countershaft sprockets on older Husqvarna motorcycles like the ones he used to race. It was after he met Gary Bailey and Billy Liles that Doc and took an interest in motocross racing, which quickly turned into a passion. 114. It wasn't just his own sons Kenny Sellards helped along the way. PICKERINGTON, Ohio Marty Smith, a 2000 inductee into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, died Monday, April 27, from injuries sustained in a dune buggy crash in Southern California. Fortunately, Bolger was a self-taught mechanical engineer, and he held patents on many motorcycle-related inventions and tools. Over the years more than 100 riders have lost their lives in fatal crashes during the MotoGP races. Marty and his wife Nancy both died on Monday, according to their close friend Lee Ramage, in a dune buggy accident during a day out at the. Brett Smith of WeWentFast.com described Deleo's existence at his family business, the Corona Clay Company, established in 1948, as The Old Man and the Clay., "In the supercross world, anybody that is somebody knows him, yet the octogenarian hasnt been to a race since Jeff Ward retired in 1992," explained Smith in his feature. Jack was an SOB to work for, sorta, but every editor who learned under him turned out to be top shelf writers and shooters in their own right. Rhodes, who was 81 years old, was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2012 Freestone National. On the last day of the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Salt Lake City, three members of the Rockstar Husqvarna teamZach Osborne, Jason Anderson, and Dean Wilsongave their team its single best day in SX history, going 1-2-3 respectively to close out the coronavirus-delayed series on a very high note. He was obviously very good, especially in flat track, but he more or less disappeared from the scene in 1976, a playground legend like Ferrell McCollough who was done before he was even old enough to vote. It was with Harley Davidson that he achieved his greatest success, winning two consecutive Daytona 200 victories in 1968 and 1969. It was shot on April 4, 1976 on the infield of the Hangtown Motocross Classic at Plymouth track when Smith was at the peak of his stardom, despite only being 19 years old. Check out all the exclusive content this month. I can still hear him saying, 'If you can win a main event at Ross Downs--you can win anywhere in the world!" The Caesar's Palace attempt was the only time in his jumping career that Wells suffered a major crash. An excerpt from Marty Smith's last interview, with David Dewhurst for his upcoming bookMotocross: The Golden Era. 146 years. From there he hand a hand in many young riders' careers, helping them to find the speed and skill and proper habits they needed to advance. Despite the best efforts of the track personnel, he did not survive the accident. Wirick also had his wife and best friend, Virginia, as well as three sons and a daughter, plus seven grandchildren whom he was very proud of. "He had a contagious laugh that always made people around him smile. Jack's wife, Edwina, also worked for the publication for a time and passed away several years ago. Toda was paralyzed from the waist down in 2008 in a factory riding test. The MotoGP championship also boasts of being the oldest racing championship in the world which stared in 1949. ascended masters list. He grew up in a motorcycling familyhis father, Cecil, was the lead mechanic for Cycle Sport Yamaha and rode for them as an amateur, battling the likes of AMA Amateur National Champions David Bailey, Ferrell McCollough, and Jeff Callihan. This used to make me mad, but knowing my dads limitations, the things he did do were pretty amazing. He landed hard and somehow stayed on the bike, but he was out of control and slammed into the casino's cement wheel, breaking both legs, racking his pelvis, and severing his aorta. Another rider was airborne behind him and could not avoid hitting him. In 1973, Blissett received a factory sponsorship from Alsport Steen. In a year of extraordinary loss to the coronavirus, Michael Mars may have been thefirst person many in the motocross world knew who succumbed to COVID-19. "Frank had a big heart; he was generous and kind and would help anyone in need," wrote one of those friends upon Frank's passing in September at the age of 62 following a six-year struggle with cancer. Greg Petersen fought his cancer for as long as he could. Sante Mazzarolo made his mark on motorsports and much, much more. List of Japanese Motorcycle Manufacturers, Real StinkersMotorcycles We Wish We Could Forget, The 1976 Kawasaki KD-400 And The Canadian Connection, Atlanticade 2011, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Olde English Cycles May Show n Shine 2016, EthanolPoisoning A Perfectly Good Engine, Motorcycle Engine Types and Configurations. . After he did it, he just looked at me and said, 'Now you better be leading out of that first corner or' and he just showed me his fist! "He sat in the cubicle next to mine, and his cigarette smoke would waft over all day long. His genius was with a torch, a CNC-machine and his mind. He defined Moto. Tommy Lister was 62 years old. Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites, Motobituary - Remembering Those Riders Who Have Moved On. Last year Kerry Williams was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and told he had three months left on this earth. He was nicknamed Magoo by his father at an early age, and the name stuck. I got this you guys! MOTORCYCLE JUMPING MEMORIAL. It was a tragic accident. But it was his work in salvaging and reviving Rio Bravo that he was maybe the most proud of, at least besides his loving familyhe his wife of 42 years, Kimmy, had three daughters and a son. He passed in February at the age of 72. His real job, though, was as a guard at Folsom State Prison, not far from the Hangtown motocross track. Smith was the epitome of cool in the mid-seventies, the first American superstar of motocross. Brian Joseph Weigandt was the father of our own Jason Weigandt. I did run the AMA National at Mid-Ohio, which was televised on The Go Show, and a couple more events, securing the national championship. McQueen was an avid motorcycle and racecar enthusiast. Friday morning I got the test results back from Covid and unfortunately I am POSITIVE. He was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital, where he passed on December 16. A MOTORCROSS rider has died from injuries sustained after a horrific fall during a race. In Italy, however, the FastCross was not what made Giorgio Saporiti famous. He toured Latin America doing stunt-riding shows, eventually working his way to Sonora, Mexico, where he went into business hosting trail rides along the Sonoran coast. Man seems like Ive heard about alot of deaths related to motocross lately. Before this young woman started traveling to the races, she was into a whole myriad of sports, including lacrosse, softball, soccer, swimming, cheering, and more. Finally, in 2006, at the age of 26, Gonalves tried his hand at rally racing. He was also a gymnast who was talented enough on a trampoline that he was once invited to the Olympics for an exhibition. Soon, the boot-maker began expanding into other fields and markets, including motorcyclists and race car drivers. It was said of Lauren, "She had the biggest heart and never met a stranger she couldnt bond with. Photo: Rick Kern Source: Getty Images That helped Mammoth Mountain quickly become one of the most popular ski destinations in California. His biggest mark on the sport was his FastCross race, an international match race of sorts that brought top American riders to Italy to compete against Europe's best on a track that was usually a mix of supercross and outdoor motocross. It was neat! Blissett closed by telling me that 1976 was the last year he ran competitively in the AMA. In late 1973, Rayborn travelled to New Zealand to compete in an auto racing event and to test ride a Suzuki. If you needed something fabricated, something unique built, something off the wall or an unobtainable part made, Dave was your manOther people will be able to make things, but they wont be Dave Miller. He will be missed by many, but he will never be forgotten.". No matter if it was riding, working on or talking about them, it was what his legacy here on earth was all about." He was inducted in the Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1978. In 2008 he went even farther, jumping 391 feet on a Kawasaki KX 450F, hitting 102 mph when he launched off his takeoff ramp. By the time of his death, his collection included over 100 and was valued in the millions of dollars. "We all worked as long as we could but there was nothing we could do," wrote Price later. The iconic blue DG logo is etched in motocross history, weather on an expansion chamber, swing arm or on a helmet, it let you think that you were part of the DG Team. This page is dedicated to them. He went to work as a union pipe-fi tter, a job he held for nearly 40 years. She was an avid hunter and fisher. Chandler was inducted into the American Motorcyclist Association Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. There are many riders and families who were introduced to the Bible by Del Sepkovic and comforted by him in their times of need and sorrow. 127 years. His first off-road motorcycle was a Triumph 500cc that he purchased from friend and stunt man Ekins. As a result of the crash, he would end up losing a leg. According to theNorthwestern Ohio Motorcycle Association, "He had a special passion specifically for dirt bikes. His circle was large. Wells was riding a Honda "red rocket" and outfitted himself in a matching red tuxedo for the stunt. It drove my mom nuts and they separated. Less than a week later, friends started posting condolences and memories and prayers for Ryan Capes, once the world record holder for the longest jump ever on a motorcycle. 132 years. In 1975 the company put a box van on the CMC and AMA 125 National tour and sponsored a couple ofunknown up-and-comers named Bob Hannah and Broc Glover. At the time, motocross was just starting to catch on in America, and the Mammoth Mountain race would become an annual tradition for three generations of motocrossers and their families, which it remains to this very day. In Loving Memory. This record still stands today. "Our hearts and thoughts go out to Mikes family and friends in this difficult time. He would often work overnight on his bikes (he had a 1936 Velocette MSS as well), then he would go to work in the morning, having had no sleep the night before. DG Performance was a Southern California race shop that became a powerhouse on the 1970s motocross scene. "It was a joy to go to the races and watch Jimmy, most often out front, with his Cycle Sport jersey on. Smith suffered the indignity of having to push his fire engine red Honda through the Hangtown infield, right through the middle of a crowd of spectators every bit as stunned as he was. We Dedicate This Memorial to . As he would have said, "It was a hell of a ride.". Jane and her husband, Drex, actually raised one of the fastest in their own home, as Lisa Akin-Wagner is without a doubt one of the fastest women motocrossers of all time. "Danny was one of the nicest guys one could ever meet, and did an amazing job at bringing Rio Bravo MX back to life," said Shand Garcia after Erdeljac passed in July after a two-year fight against leukemia. Please logout and login again. Every week he helped decide just how much coverage one form of racing or another deserved, parceling out the pages according to the level of importance he felt the event or series deserved: flat track (his first love), road racing, motocross, supercross, flat track, trials, hillclimbeverything. He molded motorcycles with his hands out of raw metal and saw potential in a design none of us could ever imagine. There are nine supercross tracks on the approximately 400 acres of land he owns in Corona. Lauren Hutton Model and actress Lauren Hutton was riding with a squad, which included Dennis Hopper and Jeremy Irons, near Las Vegas for a charity ride supporting the Hermitage-Guggenheim Museum in October 2001. Among his biggest successes was beating a fast little kid from California who happened to be a Honda factory rider: Jeff Ward. He was also a member of the Silver Sage Region Porsche Club of America. Grand National Championship in 1967 and 1968. One of his coworkers there was Rick Wilson, who wrote upon his passing,"His personality and humor was refreshing to hear. This column appeared in Racer X magazine upon the passing of Kenny "The Missile" Blissett this past summer. Anytime friends and colleaguesvisitedIdaho, PK was proud to take them on scenic tours ofthe beautiful countryside aboard motorcycles. He was heartbroken. McQueen collected classic motorcycles. When he passed away, Dave McCoy was 104 years old. Gary Harlow sold his part of the business in 1982 and left the motorcycle industry. The MotoGP championship also boasts of being the oldest racing championship in the world which stared in 1949. In fact, he seemed to instead steer himself away from the limelight, going mostly quiet on social media. That the bike proved to be unreliable was one thing; the fact that Smith and everyone else were completely caught off guard by an ascendent and explosive new rival in Bob "Hurricane" Hannah was another. ", "Danny left a HUGE positive impact on the Houston MX community," added longtime Texas motocross man Larry Hughes. He was busy with the delayed The Sand Pebbles, though. One of the biggest holeshots of my life happened that day. Lettieri is survived by Janet and Frankie, as well as his daughter, Larena, and his granddaughter, Bianca. He could explain the inner workings of a motorcycle and tell you where to best set up for the next corner. Wells wasstuntman andlong-distance jumper in the 1970s with aspirations to be the next Evel Knievel. Pinning the throttle for a parking lot, he was up to reached 85 mph when he took off from the ramp. He was 91 years old when he passed peacefully at his home in Italy in May. In its final stages, the Indian's displacement was 950cc (as built it was 600cc) and was driven by a triple chain drive system. Shortly before Breton passed, during the spring lockdown, Moto-Verte.com published a few articles that were written in the early 1980s about how supercross was going to to radically change the international motocross scene. Motocross legend Marty Smith has died. A competitive skier, he had been working as a hydrographer (someone who maps and measures water) for the City of Los Angeles when he used that expertise to figure out the best spot in the Sierra Nevadas for skiing. There they would take on the best international riders of the era, ranging from Stefan Everts and Alex Puzar to Greg Albertyn and Grant Langston. By that point, Chris was already onminicycles, but when BMX started to really catch on in the mid-seventies, he began competing at the highest levels, winning a world title in 1977 when he was 12 years old. He began his racing career in dirt track events in Southern California and in 1964, he began racing professionally in the A.M.A. Start your day off right, with a Dayspring Coffee In 1974 he created a linked, rising-rate, long-travel suspension system that was put into production and became known as the Ossa BLT (Bolger Long Travel). I started riding when I was nine years old, trail riding with my mom and dad, said Blissett. Brian Swink's Death He was the most neutral person ever. Born and raised in San Diego, California, Rayborn began riding motorcycles at an early age. It wasn't long before he was back on the bike, and within two years he opened his own motocross clinic, 765 MX School. When he had the opportunity to drive in a movie, he performed many of his own stunts. Unfortunately she died after a horrendous battle with cancer. The teenager and two friends lost their lives in an avalanche at a ski resort in Austria yesterday. Giorgio Saporiti was a highly respected motocross promoter from Italy. On March 8, Daro was riding atCahuilla Creek off State Highway 371 in Riverside County when he went down hard. That has nothing to do with the thousands of riders though out the United States and the world who had to have DG parts on their bikes, decals on the helmets, trucks, tool boxes and some for some folks even on their boots.". In fact, one of the first racers Sante Mazzarolo sponsored was a young up-and-coming Belgian motocrosser named Roger De Coster. The company was founded in 1974 by Gary Harlow and Dan Hangsleben in Anaheim andproduced a number of bolt-on performance products. Its not a perfect photo by any technical standardsgrainy, busy, flat, blurryyet it's the most perfect picture to illustrate what made Marty Smith our first motocross idol, and forever an American motocross icon. The Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah, are known worldwide for their many miles of flat, compacted salt, perfect for testing speed machines. Munro was born in 1899 in Invercargill. Mike had been a part of the Chaparral team for the past nine years serving as a technician in our service department. Both boys were very fast amateur prospects. Deleo was introduced as The Factory Landlord in aRacer X magazineprofile by Eric Johnson. Capesset his first world record in 2005, jumping 310 feetfarther than a football field. Gary Nixon (January 25 1941 August 5 2011) was an American motorcycle racer who, when on Triumph motorcycles, most notably won the A.M.A. The motorcycles and minicycles he built were practically works of art. He lengthened the swingarm, cut the leading link front end off of it, put forks from a Yamaha street bike on it. Because as Sante continued to focus on the manufacturing aspects of the company, his son Gabriele because a global ambassador for the brand his father started in the mountains of Italy. Just ask riders, like Bob Hannah, Broc Glover, Mike Bell, Dave Taylor, Gary Denton, John Savitski, Steve Bauer and the list goes on and on. Calvin Rayborn II (February 20, 1940(1940-02-20) December 29, 1973(1973-12-29) (aged33)) was a top American motorcycle road racer in the 1960s and early 1970s. And we finally found out what all those shiny gas cans were forthey were running nitro and methyl alcohol in them. Home; About. Bruce followed in his fathers footsteps and became a good speedway racer on the SoCal circuit, until he got bit by the announcing bug and quit racing in 1974 to become the announcer at Lions Drag Strip. . 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About alot of deaths related to his paralysis Those riders who have Moved on trail riding with my and... 500Cc that he achieved his greatest success, winning two consecutive Daytona 200 victories in 1968 and 1969 the racers. The way more than 100 riders have lost their lives in fatal crashes during the MotoGP also!