Bruce Bunch, Rick Hemme, Kyle Fleming

3/8/2013 9:23am
Wow. I started riding in 84/85 and met Randy Shipley, Pryor and Fig. You were a great bunch of guys then (as I am sure you are these days). I had just learned of Kyle's tragedy (since I was a new-comer to MX), but it is something that has stuck with me ever since. I could not imagine what everyone that was close to Kyle has gone through all of these years. May thoughts are with all of you. Being a parent now, that would be unfathomable. All the best to everyone!

Scotty
lorihoo
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10/10/2013 6:45pm
I was there at the Ponca City Nationals that summer. I was about 12 and my family went there for my brother, Todd Hoover, a NW racer to race the Mini Nationals. It was extremely tragic to hear what happened at the time and now it still saddens me to think about it. I can't remember all the details but I believe it happened at the end of a race day and they were all headed back to the motel to go to the award ceremony? We were all stunned at the news and shocked. A lot of the racers were staying at the same motel, I remember everyone jumping into the pool, sometimes from the balcony just to cool off after the races. It's nice to read all the posts remembering these racers, they were the cream of the crop racers and the fastest (at least from my memory). I still have a Ponca City Nationals T shirt with Bob Hannah's signature from this race. Sincerely, Lori Hoover
1/21/2014 2:07pm Edited Date/Time 1/21/2014 4:20pm
I remember this tragedy very well, in the summer of 1982 I was riding and working for Young Cycle Supply in Phx. AZ, owned by Bill Young, his son Chip Young raced with and was a good friend of Jimmy Button. On Monday mornings Bill would always come in and tell us all about Chip and Jimmy's racing exploits from the weekend. On the Monday after Ponca, when Bill came in and told us all what had happened, we were all shocked and very sad to hear that these three young boy's had lost their life.

Looking for some old results, I stumbled on to this Cycle News with the 1982 Ponca City National write up, here it is.





















I like the name of the 250 Int. winner ''Rusty Pipes''



1/26/2014 8:27am
NW#599 wrote:
Some talk about these three and their tragic accident in Ponca City in 1982 have been in a couple other threads on here, but I wanted...
Some talk about these three and their tragic accident in Ponca City in 1982 have been in a couple other threads on here, but I wanted to start a seperate topic just in their honor.


It was a terrible and very preventable accident that claimed the lives of these three individuals and put driver Duke Dana in a long coma and years of rehab.


They were R&D Suzuki riders along with Larry Brooks that year.


I would like to dedicate this post to any memories that community members from Vitalmx may have of these three riders. I know that I was just getting my motocross "career" started in 1979 and these were my first "hero's" of the sport since I was following the 80cc stage as a fellow rider/racer.


Please share any experiences, photo's, stories you have heard, or information you know of from any or all of these three riders.


I have an article of Rick Hemme from a newspaper in 1982 that I will share as soon as I can get it put on here.


Things I am looking for:


Pictures of all three racing/riding their bikes (preferrably 1982).

The 1982 Ponca City results from all the 80cc and 105cc Mini classes (top ten).

The Minicyle Magazine article on Ponca City 1982 and this tragedy. I remember reading it, had the magazine back then, kept it for years, but now can not find it. anybody?


Here is a link to see Bruce Bunch 1981 R7D Suzuki 105cc bike:


http://209.85.141.104/search?q=cache:d2hnJE5NhqsJ:www.vintagefactory.co…
I was there!! Used to talk Moto with Kyle Fleming every weekend at the track during his transition from BMX to dirt bikes at Valley Raceway in Phoenix Arizona also known as Canyon Raceway.

The Shop

Dragoo168
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4/15/2014 3:35pm
Having run across/signed up for this sight, I've spent the better half of today, through teary eyes and broken old memories, reading and remembering some of the best times of my life as a mini racer. I was fortunate to have met Rick and Bruce back in 1981 while racing at Saddleback. It was my first year of full-time racing, and I finished top ten at some kind of a district championship race, which provided my first sponsorships, and the opportunity to meet the guys. It was Ralph, or one of the dads that talked my dad into sending me to the Suzuki school of Mx for the first time, and ultimately what gave me aspirations to be a real racer (Not that I ever did). By 1982, I was starting to realize that my newfound dream was beginning to become a reality, and those guys inspired me to work harder at racing, than I had ever done anything before in my life. While I idolized Hannah, I was getting on the line with them, and for me, it was like learning how to play a guitar from jimi Hendrix! While I never battled with them, as a few on here may have, I shared with them, a time in my life, that I carry with me to this day, not only as a 46 yr old man, but as a single parent, trying to do whatever it takes for my kids. When the accident happened, I was emotionally crushed. Like many, I'm sure, I cried from the deepest parts of my soul, as I had when my mother passed away in '77. It was also then that I realized that I had every bit as much respect and admiration for them, as i had for any pro racer that I knew of. With the loss of them, went some of my spirit as well, and I quit at the end of the '83 season. I've never lost my passion for the sport, or the industry, as far as that goes, but looking back, to this day, I can honestly say that my one of my greatest inspirations, (other than my kids, LOL!), came from a coulpe of kids that simply loved to haul ass on their dirt bikes. That's pretty cool in my book, and i can only hope that the kids of today realize the same dedication and hard work that their current heroes put in, and that if they give it their all, and stick with it, that they too may be a part of something that can last a lifetime.

Ray Dragoo
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Dragoo168
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11/8/2014 9:53am
Thanks Mike,..er,..Donny O', LOL!
Eversole
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3/25/2015 7:56pm
I have a few pictures of Rick Hemme I had taken between my races at Saddleback Park. We never made it to Ponca, too far.

I remember when I was told of the tragedy and I took it very hard. Rick Hemme was a great guy as were Bruce and Kyle.

That story still sends chills down my spine.
Canerat
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4/3/2015 12:09pm
I remember the names from the Minicycle mags my dad used to buy me. Sad story. We've had a few similar incidents here in SA over the years.
a22
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4/6/2015 12:15pm
Just read the whole thread and it certainly touched me to think of
these great riders and young men who sadly are no longer with us.
Stories and pics were great and can get an idea how good these
riders must have been.

Being the same age somewhat as these riders but living and racing in
UK, I never knew of this story but can see by some of the names that
these guys were beating they were seriously fast riders. Remember
Mike Healey coming to do the GP's and Jimmy Button also along with
Bob Moore and Bader Manneh, none of them 'hung around, that was
for sure!
~
Remember a kind of very similar and sad story with much in common with
this story. Was a really brilliant rider called Andrew Chambers from Ireland, he won 'sort of everything' and was the British National Champion, on possibly a few ocassions even. I think he too also rode for Team Suzuki. Terribly and tragically, he too departed in a road accident, think he was only about 16 also. He was riding a moped on the road and a tractor pulled out or something and this resulted in a tragic accident and also his passing. Ironic as he obviously had some serious skills on a bike, yet it did not save him that day on the moped. Always remembered him and what a fantastic rider he was and how his story is sort of similar to these other great riders, Bruce, Kyle and Rick.
~
May all these great riders be riding the 'track in the sky', if so expect they may well be all racing each other!
R.I.P and is maybe nice to also remember and respect Andrew Chambers along with them.
He was a class act for sure also.
mnmasotto
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6/2/2015 1:32pm
WOW! This has to be the best post I have ever read. I grew up in Garden Grove and went to Westminster High School. I graduated in 1984. I remember going to Saddleback from the late 70's through the early to mid 80's. I started racing mini's in 1978 and jumped to 125's in 1982. I stopped racing of course when Saddleback and subsequently OCIR closed down. I fondly remember going the the World Mini Grand Prix and watching these guys race. I was always amazed at the level of their talent. I am currently 49 and have seen a lot of young talented riders come up the ranks so to speak. I cannot say I can remember many with as much talent as Bruce Bunch, Paul Dennis, Kyle Fleming and Rick Hemme. I was devastated when I read the new in the local paper. A little off topic but I can also remember a few riders named Micky Diamond and Tarantino. A little older but talented individual none the less. I do not want to come off as being korny but I and I am sure others would love to hear what you guys are doing today.
a22
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6/19/2015 1:52pm
Webcokid wrote: ".... Bruce was an amazing rider! Mark Barnett came to the webco levels during a Thursday practice sesson and asked Bruce who he was. Bruce passed him on an 80 that day. Bruce looked up and said, "I'm Bruce Bunch" with that smart alec tone he always carried."
______

Just how damn cool is that?!
I doubt whether too many people passed 'The Bomber' even if they were on a 500cc and he was on 125cc but doing it on an 80cc and a bundle of years younger is really something else..... Presuming 'The Bomber' was on a 125cc that day.
Mit12
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8/16/2015 10:16pm Edited Date/Time 8/16/2015 10:17pm
I watched Bruce ride about 5 laps at saddleback with his throttle stuck, he got a big enough lead to stop wiggle the throttle cable into place on top of the carb and restart still leading. The kid was an amazing tallent.

On another note. I can tell you that his R&D racing 105 modified Suzuki was a rocket ship. I could hole shot the 125 pro class 90% of the time so one day Dean Dickerson asked me to do a start with Bruce on his 105 modified to see how it compaired to my 125. Bruce pulled me by a couple of bike lengths up the start hill at saddleback, impressive!
a22
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8/17/2015 11:27am
Really great stories... you can see why 'The Bomber' wondered who he was!

(Sounds like you were a pretty decent rider also Mit12)

[QUOTE=Mit12]I watched Bruce ride about 5 laps at Saddleback with his throttle stuck, he got a big enough lead to stop... [/QUOTE]
It sounds like he rode with the throttle stuck open anyway!! Probably made him go quicker still!
KC435
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10/22/2015 9:29am Edited Date/Time 10/22/2015 9:37am
Wow. Just wow. I am from Kansas City and remember reading about these guys and the tragic accident in the mini mags I bought when I was 12. And it actually impacted me back then. A tear jerker for sure. And Looped Out. That was a great write up you did as well. It was actually freaky since your avatar was a "Jesus"...I assume. Religion aside...it was so descriptive as if when you wtote it, something was helping you to paint a clear picture for us all.
Fox88
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12/24/2015 9:23am Edited Date/Time 12/24/2015 11:13am
finally got my old album and scanner in the same room so I could share..

I took this photo of the first turn at Ponca City that year.. I raced the previous year but just spectated that year. My friend Justin Otto had their RV right there at the first turn where I took this picture.

Based on the results posted above, my brother got 3rd that year in modified 125b.. I remember now, he got a bad start and nearly caught the leaders. He was team green, but the guys that finished ahead of him (barely) and the two he passed were all on preproduction bikes. My dad made a little bit of a stink in the pits, that ended up with my brother riding a preproduction bike the next week at Lorreta's. However, fairly sure his own bike was faster! haha

Sorry to get sidetracked... at the time, I read cycle news and MX Action cover to cover, so was well aware of the top mini riders. I raced a little BMX also, so knew Kyle Fleming from those mags too.. We were stuck in the traffic jam at the railroad, as we were going to the trophy presentation. That was a horrible accident, and it really shook me up at the time once I realized it was some of my heroes (although basically my age)...



1
9/20/2016 7:18pm
krazee1 wrote:
i remember racing the 80 int class at blythe in 1982....it was a big race maybe an nma race, but i'm not sure...the night before the...
i remember racing the 80 int class at blythe in 1982....it was a big race maybe an nma race, but i'm not sure...the night before the race was crazy...all of us kids running around doing all kinds of stupid stuff....then i remember someone threw a rock or something and it hit bruner in the face and it was pretty bad....everyone got in trouble...still good times though.
Check this out. Its the original program in perfect condition. Tell me anyone's name who raced and ill tell exactly what no to he was in.





9/20/2016 7:23pm
krazee1 wrote:
i remember racing the 80 int class at blythe in 1982....it was a big race maybe an nma race, but i'm not sure...the night before the...
i remember racing the 80 int class at blythe in 1982....it was a big race maybe an nma race, but i'm not sure...the night before the race was crazy...all of us kids running around doing all kinds of stupid stuff....then i remember someone threw a rock or something and it hit bruner in the face and it was pretty bad....everyone got in trouble...still good times though.
Check this out. Its the original program in perfect condition. Tell me anyone's name who raced and ill tell exactly what no to he was in...
Check this out. Its the original program in perfect condition. Tell me anyone's name who raced and ill tell exactly what no to he was in.











Heavy"D"
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5/12/2017 5:41pm
Man it's so cool people still remember Kyle and gosh he was born to ride. Sorry I'm so late to this party but I'm not really into all the computer stuff. We were at Ponca that year when it happened and we ended up driving the Flemings motorhome back from Ponca to Phoenix that year. I can remember my Dad being rattled by it all and it's something I will never forget because he never really got rattled but this did it. I always loved the Flemings. I also always and still do think the world of Carl, Paula, and Michele. Like my buddy Fig, I was good friends with Kyle as well. We raced BMX together in the late 70's and the kid was unreal at that too. I still think of him everyday because after he was gone I still stopped by the family's house quite often and one time his parents gave me a 8X10 picture of him in his famous D.G. jersey. Man did he wear that thing out when we were kids. To this day it sits on a table in my house. Man I still remember (1) night when he spent the night over at our house and we started shooting bows and arrows at our house. The reason we even had the bows and arrows is because my Pop had hay stacked in the backyard so he could practice his archery skills that he used for hunting. So we are having a blast shooting those arrows and my good buddy Kyle misfires and shoots his arrow into the freeway and it lands on top of a semi truck and we just started cracking up and we always had a lot of fun. Whenever you were with him if you weren't having fun then that was your fault. Well that's it and some of my best memories are with Kyle and I will never forget you, love you buddy.
Brett Smith
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7/10/2017 8:04am
Hi, all,

The photo here is the opening spread of an article being published in an upcoming issue of META. Last October I started the journey of trying to tell the story of what happened in Ponca on August 1, 1982. I spoke with many of you that have commented on this thread, some 2, 3, and 4 times.

Maybe my work will only lead to more questions but the promise I made to the Bunch, Fleming and Hemme families was that everyone would know who their boys were and who they wanted to be.

Over 6 months of reporting went into this article, involving interviews with 50 different individuals, which ended up being 8,000 words, an unheard of length in motorcycle magazines. It was a complicated process and not every detail was able to get to print. I also ran into the issue of one person's account completely contradicting the account of another person's and I knew I could only report the stories that was I able to corroborate from multiple sources.

The family trusted me with this story and that's a very high honor. Word has started to leak about this article's release and I've been getting phone calls from complete strangers, men who were friends of the boys and just wanted to talk about them. I've also been getting messages from young men who are only in their 20s but they want to know more. It let me know that their memory is still very strong and now a younger generation will know who they were as well.

The article (shipping on July 21) will be published in Volume 009 of Meta Magazine and can be ordered from readmeta.com or by visiting a Barnes & Nobles (probably early August). A list of independent stockists can be found on the website.




HackMan162
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Austin, TX US
8/28/2017 4:14pm
Brett, thanks for publishing such a comprehensive piece. I just finished reading it, and am fighting the tears off right now as I write this. As difficult as some of it was to read, I appreciate you capturing the legacy of these three guys that surely would have altered the record books.
Brett Smith
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8/29/2017 5:39pm
Thank you so much for taking the time to read that and give your feedback. It's been a rewarding experience to tell the story of these boys and I met a lot of great people along the way.
8/31/2017 4:28am
Great job on the article.
although i didn't personaly know any of them it was a shock when I read about them in minicycle action back in the day.
Any chance to read the Longer version?
Brett Smith
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8/31/2017 6:22pm
Thanks, Phil.

Did you read the article or did you read that teaser on META's website? It's not available online and that teaser is only about 5% of the actual article.

You can find the magazine at Barnes & Noble and there is a list of specialty shops HERE.

You can also subscribe HERE

Thanks so much for your support.

brett
Old-Man
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9/1/2017 10:14am
I just ordered the Mag

Read this thread way back under another user name and had trouble getting through the posts because of the Tragedy of what happened, It left me with many questions which I hope become clearer in your article.

Jamal#440
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9/16/2017 7:28am
That they kept the guy employed is questionable ..
that they actually sent him back is reprehensible .
Glad I never bought their products
GuyB
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10/5/2017 2:08pm
Kyle parents came out to the 2017 BMX Hall of Fame induction ceremony last weekend, and his dad was wearing one of Kyle's Oakley hats. They were there to see Doug Davis (who Kyle raced against), as he was part of this year's Hall of Fame class.
RobNaughton
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10/5/2017 10:08pm Edited Date/Time 10/5/2017 10:10pm
Carl gave me that hat shortly after the accident, I've had it on display on one of my Fleming memorial trophies ever since, I have a picture of it somewhere in this thread. When Carl told me he wanted to wear it to the BMX Hall of Fame I got in my car that day and drove it to him.

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