MARTY

Stylin'!!!!

And Nancy too!!!

I had a dog named Marty.

Going to be tough for a LOT of fans...

Ahhh.... now I see....

https://racerxonline.com/2020/04/28/marty-smith-rip-1956-2020

So sad. I remember riding his track out by Golden Acorn. It was short lived but still one of my favorite memories. Damn.

As much as I wanna f'n go off on UTVs........ I can't....

God Speed Marty & Nancy......

Godspeed Marty and Nancy, so sad.

As a kid I had the red/white/blue Team Honda jersey like Marty, and I wore that thing to do school at least once a week.

Had one too at age 10 in 1974. Vented nylon and padded elbows. He was my first Mx hero before Hannah.

Sad news as MXA has a first hand account from his friend who was there.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/motocrossactionmag.com/amp/godspeed-marty-…

Rest In Peace Marty, Had this giant poster I “borrowed “ from my local Honda dealer in my bedroom.

This really hurts, I know I’m not alone with those that wanted to be like Marty as I started my MX Life.

Many people forget that in 1977 when he won the 500cc championship, he would have also won the 250 title had it not been for a broken gear box that cost him the points to win that also.

it's a sad day

Marty holeshotting and winning his class at the vintage pro/am race at Rio Bravo circa 2004

Just when you think it couldn't get any worse you read about this today. RIP Marty and Nancy prayers for the Family and friends of America's first Moto idol.

🙏🏻

THE original American motocross hero! What a huge impact he had on the beginnings of MX in America. RIP Marty and Nancy.

64....too young to go.

But....if you gotta go....it's good to punch your ticket doing something you loved....not rotting on a couch or in a hospital somewhere. Living life...

In some ways, it's good they went together. Tragic for the family though

RIP Marty. Thanks for the memories.

RIP Marty and Nancy. He was an American motocross legend, and this is a loss for the entire motocross community. Thoughts and prayers to all of Marty and Nancy's family and friends.

A LOT of us wanted to BE Marty Smith in the 70s. Great style, great competitor. I had the pleasure to meet him a couple of times, most recently when he did an MX school and served as our guest of honor at The Moto Museum pre-SX party in St. Louis a few years ago He was a gracious and humble guy, and truly enjoyed hanging with a lot of people who were thrilled all those years later to meet the guy they idolized in their youth. What a sad, sad day for the MX community.

(CNN)Marty Smith, a prolific motocross rider known for winning 18 career national motocross titles, has died.

He was 63.

Smith and his wife Nancy were both killed in a dune buggy accident in the California desert on Monday, close friend Lee Ramage confirmed to CNN.

Ramage and wife Tammi were in the buggy with Smith, riding through the Imperial Sand Dunes in California, when the vehicle rolled over. Both Ramage and Tammi were unhurt.

They stayed with the Smiths in their last hour while the first responders arrived, he wrote in a Facebook post.
"He was my best friend and I did all I could to save them," Ramage told CNN over the phone. "It breaks my heart to know I couldn't save them."

Smith came into prominence during the 1970s, winning three national titles -- the 1974 and 1975 AMA 125cc and the 1977 AMA 500cc motocross championships. After retiring from racing in 1981, Smith was inducted into the American Motorcyclist Association Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000, according to the AMA.
Many posted their condolences upon hearing about Smith's death.

Scott Champion, a current motocross racer, wrote on Instagram that he was shocked to hear the news.
"I'll never forget Marty approaching me in 2013 & believing in me when not many did," he said. "Working with Marty in 2014 & 2015 were some of the best times of my life that I will never forget! You will be missed by many my friend!"
JT Racing, a motocross clothing brand, also paid tribute.

"We are devastated by the passing today of motocross legend, Marty Smith and his wife Nancy. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and the entire motocross community," the company wrote.
Marty and Nancy are survived by their three children and grandchildren, according to Ramage

Here is a pic of Marty and his wife in the dune buggy a few hours before the accident per the above news;

From left, Lee Ramage, Tammi Hernandez-Rammage, Nancy Smith and Marty Smith. The four were together in the dune buggy. This photo captures a moment from the couple's final hours.

One of the biggest of all time MX legends taken from us too fast! He had been active on Facebook lately following the old pics being posted of him and sometimes making comments. As a teenager racing MX in the 70;s, I was one of many trying to make my gear and bike look like Marty's.

Wow. I remember chasing him at Rio Bravo, my home track about 5 years ago when he was on a green bike and I could not believe how fast he still was. Been my hero since the 70's, had posters on my walls. RIP

As many have said, The Original American Moto-Hero.

I'm very sad about this...like all of us are; but, I can't help feeling the terrible emotional pain...also...for Lee and Tammi having to watch them leave...

This is a sad day.

American motocross' first superstar and a living legend gone too soon.


MartySmith by Tracie Asbell, on Flickr


MartySmith2-1 by Tracie Asbell, on Flickr


MartySmith3 by Tracie Asbell, on Flickr


MartySmith4 by Tracie Asbell, on Flickr

MartySmith5 by Tracie Asbell, on Flickr

MartySmith7 by Tracie Asbell, on Flickr

As a young boy I rode a Honda MR 50 Elsinore and had Marty Smith Honda book covers for my school books. I pretended to be him every time I rode it. He was my first hero in Motocross. Praying for the entire Smith family at this time.

My first and favorite Moto hero. Think it was 1977 or 78. New Orleans SX. Met the whole team. Had like a press conference at hotel near Superdome. Smith. Tripes. Wise. Pomeroy. Ellis. What a memory as a kid MX fanatic.

RIP Sad news
I got one of these too.

Dude was an American motocross hero and cool as fuck. Marty and Nancy were a true team through thick and thin and it is so sad to read this news. A legend by any definition. Prayers to their entire family.

Couple of a friends photos from the 1977, Texas Trans-AMA. Picture perfect form in every one. Rest In Peace, Marty and Nancy.

He and my uncle Furman Gray has some great battles. Here they are in 77 Unadilla 1 and 2 in the 500 class. Marty passed Furman that day. RIP Marty and Nancy.