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Bruce Bunch- The fastest guy to ever race a Suzuki RM-80.
On this website, where are the links to the photos?
Is he still involved with motocross ?
The Shop
http://contests.ironmanmagazine.com/index.cfm?go2=contests_competitor&C…
Rick Hemme was able to practice whenever he wanted to because he had
a track right in front of his home in Quartz Hill.
10 Ryan Dungey MN
19 Jake Weimer ID
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36 Kyle Cunningham TX
39 Trey Canard OK
41 Matthew Lemoine TX
43 Broc Tickle MI
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61 Blake Wharton TX
77 Steven Clarke
85 Sean Borkenhagen CA
87 PJ Larsen CA
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177 Mitchell Rask OR
180 Doug Leavitt CO
201 Cameron Rodriguez CA
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221 Tiger Lacey OR
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228 Lance Phillips WA
259 Tylor Hemme CA
277 Ryan Newton CA
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309 Spencer Dally MN
316 Brandon Jones CA
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339 Michael Thacker TX
350 Ben Evans ID
377 Christophe Pourcel
411 Tyla Rattray California
428 Tyler Johnson AZ
472 Tony Sherman CA
474 Jake Anstett WA
525 Brett Preuss CO
534 Travis Freistat CA
536 Erick Meusling OR
555 Jerry Lymburner AK
565 Preston Mull CA
577 Martin Davalos
614 Josh Jackson WA
620 Brad Nauditt WA
623 Buddi Bruner AZ
653 James Mills CA
691 Lucas Crespi FL
711 Ronnie Goodwin NV
715 Jacob Sanchez CA
719 Vince Freise MO
727 Rhett Urseth AZ
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758 Jason Potter WA
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777 Devin Watson OR
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818 Tyler Riehl OR
854 Landen Powell UT
874 Brodie Humphries UT
946 Mac James WA
952 Adam Conway NV
978 Brandon Brower UT
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986 Topher Ingalls CA
I saw some girl out at Glamis dunes a few years back, wearing a Kalos 911 Jersey. I asked her where she got it.
I guess she was given it many many years prior. I don't remember what brand it was. It was nightime in Glamis store.
I offered her a hundred bucks for it. She had no interest. I even told her I'd give her a brand new fox jersey too.
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.
Thanks for some clarifications.
http://i41.photobucket.com/...ompnstu/IMG_3596.jpg
Yes Bruce had a Mom. She wasn't around much. Flew air planes. She would fly over Saddleback on race day sometimes and Bruce would always tell you "there's my Mom". She blamed Ralph for Bruce's death (I think) because he got him into MX. Ralph and her went close, she had remarried.
Duke's a Big Ass Dude now a days. Man he was so small and sick looking after the crash. Man he sure looks good today.
I remember that he didn't remember the crash much because of head injury and his speak was very bad. Is all that back now?
The Duke was a great guy. I remember one night he drove to my house in South Pasadena in his Porsh (911 i think) and it had a CD player in it. This was around 81 or 82 and it was the first CD player I had ever seen. He was a bad dude.
This was hard to read for me, but appreciate you setting the record straight. It all started with Harry's Cycle sales and Bruce was always the top prospect. BTW: Raplh now lives in Arkansas and is back together with Bruce's mom, Ann. Me and Chris Taylor always spend time remembering Bruce and always remember the anniversary that recently passed. It was hard back then, there was no counseling, no discussion, just move on and try to forget the pain. I have not forgot and still feel Bruce around mid August. It might sound wierd, but I heard a high pitched 80cc bike running through my neighborhood at around 2 AM last August. Yes, it had the same destinct sound of the R&D machine, right down to the chilled fuel in the float bowl-that was Rudy's and Ralph's little secret to keep the race fuel on ice. Maybe I was dreaming, but I swear I heard the bike. I asked a few neighbors and none heard it, just me. Call it strange, but it was him.
I have nothing against Oakley and even have a pair of Oakley goggles now, just don't tell Bevo. I take some flack for waering them, but hey, they were free!
Thanks,
Webcokid
No bad getoffs!
I do and will certainly get some scanned in. I have a picture of him and Chris Taylor leaving for Ponca City in 1982. We also have some old pics oh him and Eric Kehoe. I will make some calls and see what else I can come up with.
I appreciate your eagerness to see Bruce. He was a funny kid and did not take shii from anyone. We used to go to this liquor store on our bikes, and the guy had this butch hair cut behind the counter. Bruce asked him" Mr, are you scared of me". The old man said, why would I be scared of a little runt like you? Bruce said, welll your hair is sticking straight up!
Pit Row
I remember seeing the photo in cyclenews covering the last race at Ponca, I think it had Rick Hemme, Larry Brooks and Bruce stating how close they finished to each other in one of the motos, I still remember the photo vividly after all these years.
Tom: Did you shoot photos for cyclenews for that race?
During the week I used to practice at Sadddleback and remember how empty the R&D Suzuki box van was after the accident losing most of the team that weekend. It was less than a year after the accident that Larry went to Honda and I think Kalos went around that time too. What a loss for R&D, they did some work on my bikes and were nice people, their efforts made the mini-bikes look like the factory works teams back then.
I did attend one of the Kyle Fleming memorial races at Canyon raceway and have a great memory of that race. It was 1983 and I was waiting to pick up my new 1984 bikes but they were not available yet so I had nothing to ride. My friend had just signed with Honda to race 125’s so he let me race one of his, brand new right out of the box, I don’t think my friends father was pleased and was worried that Honda may find out, but my friend did not care, we wanted to race!
I also knew Duke a little bit and went running with him a few times. I remember that during the 1984 Ponca races my friend went back with him to support the Oakley riders. When they both showed up to the gates Ron Henrickson and other NMA officials were upset that Duke was back there, but they eventually let them in, the accident really affected a lot of people. Duke went on to later start Duker distribution which distributed Oakley products to bicycle shops on other retailers, after that I do not know what he did. He was always a bit goofy, like walking around in the rain wearing shorts at the Golden State races in the cold winter.
Chris: I remember you and your red box van at Saddleback, parking near the top of webco hill near the announcers tower, you would also say hello, I was a 125 int. and I think you were a pro in 83, so that was cool. It was a good group of racers back then.
NW#599: I rode the bike you use as your screen photo. My friend rode for DMC before Mouse did and when he left for Honda, Dave Miller wanted back the cylinder, pipe and other parts that he used to create it. The DMC 105 kitted KX80 was a monster. It would wheelie all the way up the start hill at Saddleback with no problem.
I am sure it is VERY difficult for the families though.
Post a reply to: Bruce Bunch, Rick Hemme, Kyle Fleming