National championship-winning motocross racer’s wife also killed
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. He was 63.

Also killed in the crash was Smith’s wife, Nancy Smith.

A three-time AMA Motocross National Champion, Smith won the inaugural AMA 125cc Motocross Championship in 1974. He successfully defended his title in 1975, and also won the 1977 AMA 500cc Motocross Championship and the 1975 and 1976 125cc U.S. Motocross Grand Prix events. Smith also competed in AMA Supercross for four seasons (1978-1981).

Born in San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 26, 1956, Smith started riding with his father, Al, on a step-through Honda 50 in the California desert. He took part in his first motocross race at age 14. Smith became a regular at Southern California tracks and started winning races on a regular basis. During his formative racing years, he had no professional trainers and learned by carefully observing the fast guys, then applying what he saw.

Smith became known as one of the most precise riders in motocross history. His riding style remained smooth throughout his races and he rarely crashed.

Smith won all of his championships with Honda, and the company featured him in its advertising, using his long hair and youthful good looks as a selling point. He was on dozens of magazine covers riding the legendary Honda Elsinore, donning the famous red, white and blue racing colors. Smith became the first teen idol in motocross and legions of young fans followed his every move.

He retired from racing in 1981 and developed a motocross school called the Marty Smith Motocross Clinic.

Read Marty Smith’s complete biography at https://tinyurl.com/y7aztwq3.

About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.
Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.