Marty Smith

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Marty Smith (born November 26, 1956 in San Diego, California), is a former professional motocross racer. He won three AMA National Motocross championships, all aboard Hondas, and was runner-up twice. With his long hair and Southern California surfer looks, he was a popular figure among race fans

Smith rocketed onto the motocross scene by winning the inaugural 125cc AMA National Motocross Championship in 1974 and followed that up with another 125cc title in 1975. That same year, he won the 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 was runner-up to Bob Hannah in the 125cc 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 dislocated hip. He finished third in the 500cc National Motocross Championship that year, but never recaptured his championship speed. He raced for Honda 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 1992 he teamed up with Larry Roeseler to win the famous Baja 1000 desert race on a Kawasaki. Smith was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.