John Dowd, also known as "The Junk yard Dog", (born August 10, 1965) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
former professional
motocross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
racer. He competed in the
AMA Motocross Championship
The AMA Motocross Championship (commercially known as Lucas Oil Pro Motocross) is an American motorcycle racing series. The motocross race series was founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1972. The series is th ...
s from 1987 to 2013.
Motocross racing career
Originally from
Chicopee, Massachusetts
Chicopee ( ) is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 55,560, making it the second-largest city in Western Massachusetts after Springfield. C ...
, Dowd entered his first motocross (MX) race at age 20,
Bikeland 13 May 2010
/ref> considered old for prospective professional motocross riders. Dowd progressed quickly in the sport and was soon beating riders with many years more experience of motocross than himself and was able to turn professional by age 21.
With his relatively late start, Dowd has achieved the best results of his career later in life, which is unusual compared to his typical competitors. He holds many AMA records, including being the oldest rider to win an AMA National (Southwick 125cc, 1998), oldest rider to win a Supercross
The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross) is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from ...
championship (125cc West, 1998), oldest rider to win a National moto (Mt. Morris, 2000), and oldest rider to finish on the podium in an AMA National (Southwick 250cc, 2005).endurance
Endurance (also related to sufferance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from a ...
, enabling him to ride hard for the entire moto. He is considered a specialist on sand tracks. Dowd is from the New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
area, renowned for its strength-sapping, sandy tracks. He finished on the podium in 3rd place at the 2005 Southwick 250cc National just shy of his 40th birthday, aboard a privateer Suzuki
is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...
RMZ450.[ On August 30, 2009, at the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Southwick National at Motocross 338, John Dowd, at the age of 44, rode his Kawasaki KX450 on his home track, finishing second in the 450 class Moto-2 and took 3rd overall. He also won the 2006 ]Endurocross
Indoor enduro or SuperEnduro which is also known by Endurocross shortened Enduro-X or EX, is a hybrid motorcycle competition, a mix of supercross and enduro racing held indoors over obstacles resembling a Motorcycle trials, trials track.Christne ...
championship.
References
Living people
American motocross riders
People from Chicopee, Massachusetts
1965 births
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