Bruce Bunch, Rick Hemme, Kyle Fleming

ASHLEY T wrote:

My brother was the first ever Team Green rider ever, I remember watching him in second place at Ponca chasing Rick Hemme, One lap later he...

My brother was the first ever Team Green rider ever, I remember watching him in second place at Ponca chasing Rick Hemme, One lap later he crashed in a turn and had his finger and thumb cut off.

RandyS wrote:

I always liked Duke, I knew him from BMX and I always felt bad that he had to live with that hanging over him for the...

I always liked Duke, I knew him from BMX and I always felt bad that he had to live with that hanging over him for the rest of his life. A few years ago I heard a much different story from someone who was a strict grandfather away from being in the car about what happened and what was going on earlier at the same hump/jump.

This makes it a little easier to hate the guy.

http://contests.ironmanmagazine.com/index.cfm?go2=contests_competitor&C…

Looped Out wrote:

That's not "The Duke". He had a scar straight up his belly to his chest after the crash. He had a scar on his neck also...

That's not "The Duke". He had a scar straight up his belly to his chest after the crash. He had a scar on his neck also, because he was on life support for a long time. All his insides were pushed up into his chest from the impact. It was not pretty. I can't see an scars on this guy.

And yes, Larry Brooks was in the car and driving out the gate next to the tower. Hal S. (the announcer) stopped the car and told Larry he had to do a radio interview, so he got out and Kyle Flemming got in. Larry and Kyle wore Oakley goggles back then and "The Duke" was trying to get Bruce and Rick to wear Oakley's, so he had Larry talk to them since they were all on the same team. The Duke was taking everyone to Sonic burger, but they never came back.

All the R&D Suzuki had been protested by Kawasaki (Team Green), so Ralph Brooks, Ralph Bunch, and Big Rick Hemme were there with the bikes and watching the NMA, making sure they didn't screw up. Rudy and Dean Dickenson were there too. Larry Brooks was just walking around and his parents didn't know he had got out of the car. Jackie Brooks was told that there had been a car crash and she tore off to the train tracks and they were telling her that Kyle was Larry. She couldn't tell who it was because Kyle had come halfway out of the car and the door slammed of his head, crushing it. Kyle wore braces on his teeth and she finally realized it wasn't Larry. No kids had lived and The Duke was already taken to the hospital.

As all this was going on Larry Brooks had walked back over to were his Father was and at that same time Jackie Brooks had drove back to the track to try to find Larry. The police were there and as Jackie Brooks walked up, she saw Larry and ran over to him and grabbed him. Ralph Brooks had no idea what was going on not did Larry. The Police took Larry to the Police car and sat him in the back seat as they told all the parents what had happened. They didn't want Larry to hear the news, because those were his teammates and best friends. Ralph Bunch and the Hemme family all jumped in cars and raced out of the track and went to the Rail Road tracks or the hospital (I don't know where they went), but just after everyone was started to leave and go see what was going on, Jackie Brooks walked over to the Police car and opened the door and sat there and told Larry that everyone was dead (except Rick Hemme and The Duke) and Larry began to cry while his Mother held him. Rick Hemme has sever brain damage and he had lost one eye and I think one was his arms. Rick held on for a day or so, but they lost Brain signal and his parents had to pull the plug on the life support.

Later that night The Brooks family went to Ralph Bunch's room back at the Holiday Inn and Larry sat there was Ralph Bunch for an hour or so. While he smoked cig after cig, he talked to Larry and told him to ride everyday and learn his bike so he could get better. He talked about how much Bruce ran and rode and wanted to help Larry. He had just lost his only kid and he just had this blank look on his face. I don't think he knew what was going on right then. Ralph Bunch and Larry Brooks were just sitting there crying and talking. The hotel room door was wide open and I remember everyone was walking to the door and looking in, not knowing what to say, they would just stand there and finally walk away.

I also remember when the Hemme family checked into the Holiday Inn, they walked to their room and they said it had the smell of death in the room. They told me this after the car crash, but I will never forget then telling me that.

It's was the worst day of my life. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I had to stop myself from crying a few minutes ago. All I can see is Larry Brooks' Mom grabbing a hold of Larry and hugging him like she had just got her son back.

It didn't stop there (in Ponca City), it was a long drive back to California and going to all the funerals. Ralph Bunch actually drove Bruce Bunch's body back in the back of his van, all the way back to California. Times were much different then.

ASHLEY T wrote:

Webco, name was Keith Turpin from Georgia.

ASHLEY T wrote:

My brother was the first ever Team Green rider ever, I remember watching him in second place at Ponca chasing Rick Hemme, One lap later he...

My brother was the first ever Team Green rider ever, I remember watching him in second place at Ponca chasing Rick Hemme, One lap later he crashed in a turn and had his finger and thumb cut off.

Webcokid wrote:

Here is a picture of Bruce’s truck. He got the truck when he was 15 and was waiting to get his license. Ralph garaged the truck...

Here is a picture of Bruce’s truck. He got the truck when he was 15 and was waiting to get his license. Ralph garaged the truck for over twenty years and finally decided to give it to Chris Taylor. I think this was after Bruce would have turned 40. This truck meant so much to Bruce and he loved to drive it up to saddleback for practice. You can see the original R&D Suzuki stickers on the back windows and the license plate say’s “Bunch”. I drove this truck to pick up my latest bike, and think I had more fun driving the truck then riding the new Honda. It still has the old stereo in it and drives great! Bruce also enjoyed getting muddy in this truck and his mom called it the “Mud Bud”. It was pretty easy to go 4 wheeling back then, as most of the development around Orange County was still in the future. I can still vividly see this truck parked at the Webco flats during a practice day and can still smell the so cal race fuel in the gas cans. I wanted a truck like this so bad, but once Bruce was gone, my dad said a two wheel drive would be best. He said I would role a new 4x4 in a matter of weeks; dad was probably right on this one!
Can’t wait to drive it again next year when I get a new bike!

Webcokid wrote:

Here is a picture of Bruce’s truck. He got the truck when he was 15 and was waiting to get his license. Ralph garaged the truck...

Here is a picture of Bruce’s truck. He got the truck when he was 15 and was waiting to get his license. Ralph garaged the truck for over twenty years and finally decided to give it to Chris Taylor. I think this was after Bruce would have turned 40. This truck meant so much to Bruce and he loved to drive it up to saddleback for practice. You can see the original R&D Suzuki stickers on the back windows and the license plate say’s “Bunch”. I drove this truck to pick up my latest bike, and think I had more fun driving the truck then riding the new Honda. It still has the old stereo in it and drives great! Bruce also enjoyed getting muddy in this truck and his mom called it the “Mud Bud”. It was pretty easy to go 4 wheeling back then, as most of the development around Orange County was still in the future. I can still vividly see this truck parked at the Webco flats during a practice day and can still smell the so cal race fuel in the gas cans. I wanted a truck like this so bad, but once Bruce was gone, my dad said a two wheel drive would be best. He said I would role a new 4x4 in a matter of weeks; dad was probably right on this one!
Can’t wait to drive it again next year when I get a new bike!

mxracer106 wrote:

Webco, Thank you for sharing the awesome pictures of your friend Bruce's Toyota and helmet! That is amazing that Ralph kept that truck all these years....it...

Webco,

Thank you for sharing the awesome pictures of your friend Bruce's Toyota and helmet! That is amazing that Ralph kept that truck all these years....it looks brand new! It must be like going back in a time machine for you every time you sit in it! I cannot imagine the emotions that you have when you are around it. I have been watching this post for almost year now, and reading all of the comments and stories on this tragic incident has touched my heart.... just like it did when I first read about it as a 15 yr. young man. Reading everyone's recollections of their memories of this sad story gives me goose bumps, and takes me back to 1982. I am now a 42 yr old vet expert from Indiana, where I started racing mx back in 1981 (80cc 12-15) and idolized the likes of Bruce Bunch, Kyle Flemming,Rick Hemme, Eric Kehoe, Paul Denis, Larry Brooks, etc. Growing up in the mid-west, far away from the growing SoCal MX scene, I couldn't wait until the next issue of Minicycle/BMX and Motocross Action to show up at Reader's World, so I could see a few pictures of my 80cc hero's and review their results. I will never forget reading the story about the accident at Ponca that took the lives of these three great riders. It was as big to me as my father reading about the plane wreck that took the lives of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens. To me, that was my version of "the day MX died". I cannot imagine how big of a star Bruce Bunch would have been, or how many pro titles he would have won, or Rick and Kyle for that matter, and unfortunately we will never know. They are still legends in my mind, and I am sad to never have had the privilege to see these kids ride their RM80's in person like some of you have on this post. There was not much printed back then about this story, so it was so much of a mystery to me, but now the power of the internet has allowed me to know more about what really happened, and to once again honor these three great mx kids. Thank you everyone for your contributions to this post.....priceless! Webco, do you or anyone else out there have pictures of Bruce or Rick and Kyle without their helmets on? It would be cool to see what Bruce looked like behind the Simpson helmet and Scott goggles! Keep up the great stories guys!!

Chester Franklin wrote:

I forgot that Duke guy lived thru that train wreck, was he the Oakley guy ? I remember i heard about it the next day and...

I forgot that Duke guy lived thru that train wreck, was he the Oakley guy ?
I remember i heard about it the next day and believe it or not to this day I always look both ways before I cross train tracks.
I hate to say it but if 1 more person went be Brooks or Button then it probably wouldn't have happened because the extra 10 seconds it would have taken for 1 more guy to get in the car the train might have been 10 seconds behind and saw they would have seen it..

wownd out wrote:

David Dooley, was the guy driving the rental car with bruce bunch in it. And yes he was with Oakley.