Rich Eierstedt RIP

RIP Rich. He was one of the heroes from my childhood who I read about in MXA on the other side of the world. Very heartfelt words from Jody. A bio I found:http://www.mxworksbike.com/...ch_eierstedt_bio.htm

I always remember meeting Rich in 1999 at the World Vet Championship.

My brother and I had flown our first cross country trip to California from Maryland to experience the whole "So-Cal scene" that we had only until then read and heard about growing up. Being from the East Coast, we were excited to finally be in what we knew to be the center of the motocross universe.

That year they had a Vintage Iron Championship Event that included a dinner with countless greats of the sport in attendance- names such as Lackey, Pomeroy, Aberg, Decoster, Sun, LaPorte (just to name a few) were in attendance.

My brother and I were seated with Rich that night, and he took a special interest in our visit. Besides treating us like his new best friends, he told us to meet him the next day at Glen Helen.
We met Rich at MXA's pit where he included my brother and I in all of the day's activities. He fed us from his cooler and treated us like we had ridden to the race with him that day.
After the race, we sat around eating brownies and traded stories with the MXA guys.

Rich sent my brother and I off with autographed jersey's from his gear bag, but what he really sent us home with the feeling that we couldn't have possibly had a cooler time in California! He was one of the stars of the sport and had befriended us and given us an inside glimpse of what we had gone to see.

I always remembered that he took the time for us, and he will always be a motocross legend to me and my brother.

Very sorry to hear the news that he is gone.

for me he's one of the great ones. a kind of blue collar and natural talent mix. I saw him on his maico riding for american moto cross. a shop on orangethorpe in buena park. he was a CMC regular. I remember sitting under the scoring tower at saddleback on a big money day. eirstedt and staten were on their hondas going at it. you guy's that were around back then remember what those works hondas sounded like. straight fire breathing. I never knew eirstedt personally but, I can relate to his addiction problems. I've been there myself. I'm sure eirstedt is finally at peace. you sure were great to watch. R.I.P.

Rest in Peace Rich! Always read about you in the magazines when I was little , and definitely one of my child hood heroes! God speed Rich.

Rich was one of my first MX hero's. Growing up in deep east Texas (being 10 years old in 1973), I looked forward to the Motocross Action magazine arriving every month in the mailbox. After reading each issue from cover to cover several times, I would go back through the magazine and cut every picture of Team Honda out of the magazine and tape them to my walls. These pictures formed the basis of my "riding style" when I would race on Sunday's around the Texas motocross scene. Rich's style was the one I most admired and I spent many, many hours practicing what I thought those still pictures were showing me.

God speed to Rich and thank you for the wonderful memories.