God Speed Marty Smith

[swamp fox]

Marty and his wife were killed in a dune buggy accident.
God Speed Marty.
https://motocrossactionmag.com/godspeed-marty-smith-1956-2020/
Robert Manucy
72 Berkshire
72 Six Day
82 Honda cr250r
04 BMW K 1200 GT - KIA in N. Ga. - 32987 smiles
08 BMW K 1200 S
17 Ktm 300 Six Day (50th Aniversary)

[skiracer]

Sad, sad news....  He was an awesome person, and of course, an awesome rider too!  He will be missed..

1976 250 MC5 Original Owner
1976 Penton 175 XC

[Pat Oshaughnessy]

R.I.P. Marty We will pray for his family to help get through this very hard time[V]

[R.T.Fischer]

Great full career interview with Marty on YouTube. Mentions getting a Penton 125 when he first turned expert in '72 , winning a lot on it which caused Monark to notice , and offer him his first contract to ride motocross before Honda snatched him up. Ironic in that at the end of the interview he talks about how much they enjoyed going out in the dunes on that buggy. watch on  "The Whiskey Throttle Show" [ episode 15] from 2019.

[Mike Rosso]

Very, very sad news when I heard it, he was one of my heroes, just an awesome racer and person in general. Met him late in his career when he rode Suzuki's and I was doing the team Suzuki Enduro thing. I was talking with Davey Coombs (Racer X) a few weeks ago before this tragedy about how I got to ride Marty's 125 Monark after an international mx race at St. Peters Missouri back before he went to Honda. At that time I was on one of the very first (of three) U.S. Husqvarna 125 MX bikes and it was so slow (compared to my 125 Penton's or anything else for that matter) and the factory Monark was a rocket ship, it scared the pants off of me in the short ride there. I sent Davey a bunch of photos I had taken at High Point and he used one of them. Godspeed Marty and Nancy.

https://racerxonline.com/2020/05/01/racerhead-18


Mike

[Timothy Walls]

Ha ! I loved that Desert race story in The Whiskey Throttle interview .
 122mph. across the dry lake bed, with a Chopper above him .

Timothy Walls

[Pat Oshaughnessy]

Marty signed a autograph for my Son at carnigie back around 1976 or so. Just the nicest freindlist guy in the sport! He was the real deal for sure! What a great Guy! A real credit to our Sport!

[Tom Penton]

If you're at the Ktm building in Amherst and turn right out of the driveway and head west "towards the Leimbachs", as we'd say, and turn right after just a few hundred feet onto N. Quarry Rd. you will shortly come to a small quarry. We would ride in that area during the late '60's and early 70's. Dad had bought some property off Crosse Rd further to the west that abutted the quarry land and we ran a hare scrambles there a couple times (I helped set up the course.)

I believe it was the Summer of 1973 when both Marty Smith and Marty Tripes were riding for Honda. A national motocross was happening the coming weekend and they both ended up at Penton Imports (out by the lake ... the current KTM building was still to be a beer distribution site for some time). Perhaps they had come to visit us because both Martys had ridden Pentons earlier in their career. They wanted to get in some riding time and asked if I could take them some place, so I took them there to the old quarry course. We went 'round and 'round for quite some time. I knew the course and besides my forte' was first time reading of the trail, so I was able to keep ahead of them for a couple laps, but then they took off ahead of me! I could give the excuse they were on their 250's and me on a 125, but that's what it would be ... just an excuse.

Marty lives on in memories, and I'm so honored to have had that one.

That weekend both Marty's gave quite a show at the motocross, and I do believe they won both the 125 and 250 classes. This photo reminds me of that day.


Tom Penton

[Timothy Walls]

Thats a great Picture of him . Are thoes Hi - Point boots he has on ?

Timothy Walls

[Daniel P. McEntee]

quote:Originally posted by Timothy Walls

Thats a great Picture of him . Are thoes Hi - Point boots he has on ?

Timothy Walls

   I do believe they are. If you look at a lot of vintage MX photos, you will see the shiny shin guards on a lot riders.
   Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee