Marty Smith (November 26, 1956 – April 27, 2020) was an American 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 competiti ...

racer.Marty Smith at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
/ref> 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 1974 to 1981, most prominently as a member of the

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

factory racing team with whom he won three AMA National Motocross championships. With his long hair and Southern California surfer looks, he was a popular figure among race fans.

Motocross career

Born in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, Smith first made a name for himself on the motocross scene by winning the inaugural AMA 125cc National Motocross Championship in 1974 and followed that up with another 125cc title in 1975. That same year, he won the

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

125cc U.S. Grand Prix of Motocross, and finished second in the 250cc AMA Supercross series. Though he didn't win a title in 1976, he again won the 125cc U.S. Grand Prix of Motocross and placed fourth in the 125cc World Championship, the highest finish for an American in the world championships at the time. Smith was runner-up to

Bob Hannah Robert William Hannah (born September 26, 1956) is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1975 to 1989, most notably as a member of the Yamaha factory racing team. He was one of the ...

in the 1976 125cc national championship. In 1977, Smith recorded his final AMA title, defeating his long-time rival Bob Hannah in the last race of the season to win the 500cc AMA National Motocross Championship. A serious crash at the Houston Supercross in 1978 left Smith with a broken hip. He finished third in the 500cc National Motocross Championship that year, but never recaptured his championship speed. He raced for

for one more year before switching to Suzuki for the 1980 and 1981 seasons. He retired at the end of the 1981 season. Smith stayed involved in motorcycling. In 1991 he teamed up with Larry Roeseler and Ted Hunnicutt Jr. to win the famous Baja 1000 desert race on a Kawasaki. Smith was inducted into the AMA

Motorcycle Hall of Fame The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycle ...

in 2000.

Death

Smith and his wife Nancy were killed in a dune buggy rollover accident at the Imperial Sand Dunes in Southern California on April 27, 2020. He was 63.Marty Smith, legendary motocross rider, dies in California dune buggy accident
/ref>

References

External links

American Motorcyclist, January 1976, Vol. 30, No. 1, ISSN 0277-9358
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Marty 1956 births 2020 deaths Motorcycle racers from San Diego American motocross riders AMA Motocross Championship National Champions Road incident deaths in California