Birthdays from December 31 to January 6
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December 31: One of the most stylish riders in motocross history has to be David "The Icon" Bailey. As a Team Honda standout in the 1980s, Bailey won four titles from 1983 to ’86, plus the AMA Grand National Championship in ‘83. Unfortunately, his career was cut short with a practice crash in 1987, but what Bailey’s down since then—raised a family, worked on television, won the Ironman Triathlon and continues to be a powerful voice in motocross—has only added to his legend.
December 31: Ogio's Andy Bell, our adventure-seeking, beer-drinking, big-in-Europe, married-to-an-angel, Racer X Canada columnist.
December 31: Gear Media and Marketing ATV Motocross Producer, Mike Roser.
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January 1: Larry Brooks ranks as one of the fastest 85cc riders ever to throw his leg over a minicycle—he even earned a rare cover (for kids) on MXA while riding for R&D Suzuki. Brooks turned pro in 1985 with Honda and won three SX Lites races. He was a mainstay in the top ten of the 250 class for nearly a decade before he decided to hang up his leathers and try his hand in management. In 1998, his buddy Jeremy McGrath gave him an opportunity to be the team manager of his newly formed team Chaparral Yamaha team. They won three titles together, then moved to Red Bull KTM in the fall of 2002. Last year, when Chad Reed decided to form his own team, Larry came over as the boss of L&M Racing.
January 2: James Dobb decided to leave the Grand Prix come to America in the early 1990s and race against the best riders in the world. Mitch Payton gave him a shot and in 1993, James won his only AMA race at the Unadilla 125cc National. A few years later the Englishman returned home and won the 2001 FIM 125cc World Championship.
January 2: Hinson Clutch Components, Ron Hinson.
January 2: DeCal Works, Riley Fredin.
January 3: Cherie Reynard, Robbie's sister and Mototalk regular.
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January 4: After years of racing SX and MX fulltime, Kelly Smith got a chance to ride for Team Babbitt’s Monster Energy Kawasaki in the arenacross series this year. He is currently in third overall and just 13 points out of first. He also has a place in the history books as the first KTM rider ever to win an AMA National (High Point 125 in 2000) and he will be remembered by bench racers as one of the best starters ever.
Have a birthday (or know someone with a birthday) that you would like mentioned on Racer X Online? Send them to mikef@racerxill.com.