Great post by Tony Blazier

That was cool, thanks for posting.

Excellent commentary, Tony.

The story of David's career, as well as his years after his injury really need to be put out as a book. I've never met anyone with a memory like David's. He is a living encyclopedia of early and modern motocross.

Bailey was the epitome of cool. His style on a bike was just so flawless.

Certainly one of the few and rare examples of someone who had a unique and different approach than the normal pin it, aggressive, hang it out style that is more typical. To liken him to a surgeon on two wheels barely serves justice.

I'll never forget when David was injured. It was a very sobering moment for a young moto fan. The Big Red Machine was rolling in those days and it was hard not to be a Honda fan. Another piece of trivia is that he was called in to action on very short notice to sub for Donny Hansen who was injured practicing in Europe for the Motocross and Trophy Des Nations. Donny really never returned to form after his head injury. I didn't look at MX through such rose colored glasses after those events.

One clarification:

Your last sentence: "Sometimes, that risk can seem like a steep price to pay, but for those of us who love it, not doing so would be an even greater sacrifice."

I understand where you're going with that comment, but you're wrong. If you have to live with it, every day, that statement is just flowery words. Don't get me wrong, I get the emotion you're conveying, but you're just wrong.

Early after the injury, I'm sure DB was quoted somewhere saying that he "wouldn't go back and change anything" or something similar. Now, nearly thirty years later, with great clarity, he would change everything. If David had it to do all over again, his life would have taken a different path. I'm sure of it from conversations that we've had.

This doesn't take away form your very much appreciated post about DB and his talent as a rider and a person. I just wanted to set it straight that the price IS too steep, and it altered his, and many other peoples lives forever.

Honda had the top talent back then and took three serious hits with those injuries.

Magoo was always a wildman, but Hansen and Bailey, especially Bailey, was so in control and smooth. If there was ever one person that you least expected a big injury to happen to it would be Bailey.

I had the opportunity to meet and briefly talk with Bailey on several occasions and he was such a cool guy with the average joe fans.

Blasting through the Vegas airport one year before the SX and he was sitting in his wheelchair outside with nobody around waiting on transportation. I still kick myself thinking about a missed opportunity to stop and talk with a true legend one more time.

At his.peak he was simply the best in all aspects and Honda and his sponsors couldn't have asked for a better representative.

He's still a stud today and I can't help but think that having him on the team was a major factor in elevating the rest of the Honda team to their dominance during that period.

#truth

The problem is that kids up until a certain age are unable to weigh those risks correctly as they have no understanding of how fragile this life really is. Thus, it should be our responsibility to try to keep them as safe as we can. That, to me, would mean riding nothing bigger than a 125 until at least the age of 16, possibly even 18. Ideally, in my world, the 125 class would be brought back to a national championship level class. What happens to the bigger class is less significant to me. Just make sure that a rider has three years experience at least on a 125 first before he can move up. By then he should be old enough and skilled enough and mature enough to ride any size bike capably.

Just to clarify something, Bailey didn't crash because he made a mistake, like most of these catastrophic crashes were , he crashed because he made a bad choice. Bailey wanted to win more then anything and was testing the waters, and I'm sure if he had to do it over, he would've made a different choice.

Well said Tony. I'm getting the Tbteam also...it's too great of a cost to pursue unattained speed. I'm glad I've survived those years of chasing our moto dream. I am also glad I can still head out to a track and ride it well (for an old guy) on my 450. When I feel the need to try unattained 57 year old speed - it'll be through the turns on my 125.

I'm with TBteam, the price IS too high.

I've lost 3 close friends to this sport in recent years, the pain that brings can't be washed away by anything....and when I think about them, the last thing I want to do is go riding....but that's just me.

I didn't know Tyler Hoeft myself, but I do remember his dad racing WORCS and seeing some little guys running around their pits (this was about 6-8 years ago), the thought that one of those little boys is now gone forever because of this sport we all love, literally makes me sick.

You don't consider a bad choice to be a mistake?