What ever happened to Yamaha factory rider Keith Bowen?

Don't know where he's at but that name brings back memories.  Saw him race Freddie Andrews at Malvern Raceway in Ohio back sometime probably early 80s.  I was just a little kid but that race is etched in my memory as one of the best MX battles I ever witnessed.  

I was at those races also; Freddie and Keith went at it like a couple of boxers

Here is Keith at the Binghamton National, 1986 I think

I have no idea what he's up to but his orange and green TUF Kawi was so ugly that it was awesome

Memory is not what it was, but I seem to recall he was appointed race director at the national arenacross series and then went to work at the ama as head of amateur racing..

Don't bet the farm on either.

This is a good read
https://motocrossactionmag.com/mxa-interview-the-wild-crazy-life-of-kei…

I vaguely remember one year at Daytona maybe winning a heat race and running pretty well in the main.  Kinda, sorta, maybe?

If Bubba gets credit for inventing the Scrub, Keith Bowen should get credit for inventing skimming the whoops. 

Crazy story about the Italian team! Bowen was one of my favorites back then because I rooted for all the Yamaha guys.

I swear there was another similar tale in MXA in the mid to late 80s about Phil or Mike Larson with another euro team. May have been Italy as well. One of them was racing the 500 GP's and got into a dispute with the team and wanted to leave. The team planted drugs in his luggage so he would get busted going through customs at the airport and it would give the team reason to not pay him. At least that is what my fuzzy memory thinks I read nearly 40 years ago.

Funny story. In 1983 or 84 I did Anaheim Supercross as a local squid pro.  Since it was Keith Bowen‘s first Supercross race, he had to do a four lap daytime qualifier race to get into the night show.  I got a better start than him and when we were lapping into the first turn on the second or third lap, apparently he tried to rail me on the outside but I was already there!  Unbeknownst to me, I sent him into the cheap seats!  I had no idea until my friends told me after the race.   We both made the night show, but that was about as good as it got for me.

I met Keith in 2000ish when I believe he moved back to IL after a divorce. I was a high school kid working at TUF and had no idea who he was. I helped him unload his U-Haul into a storage unit and he had all these crazy trophies from overseas and I started to figure out who he was. We threw some parts at a used 99 KX250 we had on the floor and he showed up to our large Midwest series. He was pounding cheeseburgers and Coke and destroyed everyone but Tommy Hofmaster and Chad Johnson. He was 100% the fastest through the whoops. He has some legendary stories about him and Lechien. Going off my memory, his first overall win was Southwick 86. I’m pretty sure he said he pulled an all-nighter with chicks and blow and went 1-1. Great dude with a few demons and I hope he’s living a healthy grandpa life.

This is 1987 and one of his last races as a team yamaha rider, he got 4th this day on the yz490. That's Stanton in the background his rookie season.

its on youtube.  he lead the race twice!  went over the bars, came back to lead, only to get a rock jammed in counter shaft sprocket.  was faster than everyone that day.   

It must have been in the late-90's after his pro career that I found myself on the Iron Mustang's (D-14 Brighton, MI) gate with him, his brother Greg, and a whole slew of Michigan Mafia fast guys. I knew I should have protested Bob Darden when he pushed me to 250A! I had a great start then watched them all go by! Other than the Bowens, they were already gone... 
I'm quite sure Keith is residing in Michigan these days. 

In 86 he was the fastest 125 rider. Micky Diamond said Hondas strategy was to start in 1st gear & cut him off.  Keith was also a TUF. Racer. That’s why I run the TUF seat cover The Awesome AX team & a ton of cool fast Bros raced for the team.  At a big race last July in Mi. The UP a lot of people Loved it. And started naming the TUF riders , Keith,s name always came up& saying they had a TUF bike. 

ask hurricane hannah. they were best buds lol.

Had to look it up. That might be in the ugliest Kawi I've ever seen.

I think it’s unique & it pops . Lechien in 91 rode a kx500 for TUF .  I saw him

At Millville. 

These were bad ass in the day…

Bowen got a bad rap because of Hannah.   Actually, anybody that got in Hannah's way.   Howerton as well.

Yeah didn’t Keith blast Bob out of the way.  Raw Speed vs fan favorite that should’ve retired . 

Jumped on him at the Six Flags National on an uphill step up. 

https://www.pulpmx.com/sites/default/files/podcasts/130207_bowen.mp3

Yep was watching at the top of the hill. It was a step up going into a sharp left handed corner.

Hannah was in front of him and checked up for lappers.

Bowen sent it anyway and landed on hannahs arm.

Snap!

They already had had a beef early in the year when bowen raced for a position and got pretty aggressive.

Hannah had zero use for him after that.

I will say that bowen was years ahead of most riders the way he blitzed a set of whoops. He was certainly way ahead of the mid 80's suspension capabilities.

Spent some time around Keith when he was DV's mech' at Motoworld Yamaha in 2006. and kept on checking in with him in 07. This is a photo I took at Millville that year. Very nice guy. 

1987.  Bowen rode the 125 class in 1986, that's a YZ490.  Also that's Jeff Stanton in the background, Jeff's first National was the last race of 1986 which was Washougal.

I already corrected him last night -  about a dozen post's before you.

Another Bowen story I just remembered….Back to his whoop ability, he had a way of convincing you to take out some rebound in your shock, upshift and everything will be fine. I was a 16yr old kid riding a legit AX track in front of the pro team. When Keith Bowen tells you to lean back and click 3rd you do it and then proceed to eat shit half way through. I try to blame the bike like every kid does and he jumps on it and destroys the whoops. This was years before the infamous DV picture of tennis shoe whoops.

It’s such a reality check when you see natural talent regardless of age or fitness.