Motocross Legend Marty Smith Killed In Accident

MX great Marty Smith and wife Nancy lost their lives in a tragic accident this week when their dune buggy rolled over. An AMA Hall of Famer, and considered to be one of America’s first motocross legends, Smith helped put Honda on the motocross racing map with three AMA national championship titles in the 1970s.

Smith started young—he was just 14 when he began racing at SoCal’s Carlsbad Raceway, but he was successful early on racking up plenty of wins on his way to becoming a factory rider for Honda in 1974. That year, at just 17 years of age, Smith was given an eye-catching red factory RC125 (the factory version of the new CR125M Elsinore) to ride in the inaugural AMA 125cc Motocross National Championship season, and he dominated the four-round series, winning the first two races and snatching the runner-up spot in the final two. In addition to winning the crown that year, Smith even managed to graduate from high school.

With his smooth, textbook-perfect riding style, he handily defended his 125cc crown in 1975, winning all but one of the seven races and finishing third in the other. He was also one of the first Americans to beat the Euros, winning that year's FIM 125cc USGP held at Mid-Ohio. He won the 125cc US Grand Prix of Motocross again in 1976.

Smith continued his winning ways with Honda throughout the mid-’70s, earning national victories in all three AMA Motocross classes (125, 250, and 500cc), and demonstrating how versatile he was with wins in the 250cc Supercross, Trans AMA, and FIM Motocross World Championship series. In 1977, Smith won the AMA 500cc National Championship.

Dave Arnold, Smith's mechanic during the ’76 125cc USGP and 500cc Trans AMA race, remembered Smith’s effect on the sport. “Marty…had teen-idol looks, wore a red, white, and blue Honda jersey, and was on book covers and lunch pails. You could say he took the ‘You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda’ tagline and turned it to ‘You beat the fastest people with a Honda.’ The relationship between Marty and Honda was very family-like and loyal. When he flew to Japan, they put out a red carpet for him, and Mr. Honda was there to meet him on the runway.”

A bad injury knocked Smith out of the ‘78 season and additional injuries ushered in a forced retirement several years later in 1981, when he was only 24. After leaving competitive racing, Smith spent much of his time teaching students through his Marty Smith Motocross Clinic. He was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2000.

One of many industry-wide condolences came from Honda;

“Marty was a great racer and a true Honda legend, and his passing is a blow to the sport,” said Lee Edmunds, manager of Powersports Marketing at American Honda. "On behalf of everyone at American Honda, I extend my heartfelt sympathies to his family, friends and fans."

Smith was 63 at the time of his passing. He is survived by his siblings, Todd and Jeanette; his children, Tyler, Jillyin, and Brooke; and seven grandchildren.