Tony DiStefano

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tony DiStefano (born February 6, 1957 in Bristol, Pennsylvania) was a top motocross champion of the 1970s. He won three AMA 250cc National Motocross Championships.

DiStefano was the son of a motorcycle shop owner and began riding motorcycles at an early age. He began his professional racing career in 1973 on a privately supported CZ. the following year, he led the 500cc motocross national championship for most of the year before an injury relegated him to second place behind Jimmy Weinert. His strong performance earned him a job with the Suzuki factory motocross team. With Suzuki, he proceeded to win three AMA 250cc national championships in a row in 1975, 1976 and 1977.

Afterwards, injuries began to take their toll and DiStefano retired from competition after the 1981 season. He continued his involvement in the sport by starting a motocross school for young riders. In 1988, while practicing at a track in New Jersey, DiStefano crashed, broke his back and became paralyzed.

Today DiStefano continues to teach his motocross schools. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.