One of the hard men of American motocross in the seventies was Tony DiStefano. Racing out of Eastern Pennsylvania in a Full House van loaded up with a CZ motorcycle, Tony D. took on the best riders the rest of the country had to offer over the course of a long professional career. He also got in some qualify wins against European competition in those late, great Trans-AMA and Inter-Am series races.
But it's AMA Motocross where DiStefano found the most success. After racing that antiquated CZ throughout his first two years (1973-'74) as a professional, finishing second to Kawasaki factory rider Jimmy Weinert in the 1974 500cc Nationals, Tony D. was picked up by Suzuki in 1975 and immediately went on a tear. He was the first man to take the #1 plate off Gary Jones' hands in the 250 class, taking the '75 AMA Motocross Championship as well as that summer's last-ever Inter-AM tour by winning all three rounds of the series.
DiStefano won three titles during his long career.
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He repeated as champion in both '76 and '77, narrowly holding off Team Honda's Marty Smith and Jim Pomeroy for his third-straight crown with a dominant win at the final round at High Point Raceway. Little did anyone know at the time that the High Point win that wrapped up his third straight title would also mark his last-ever win as a professional.
On March 18, 1978, DiStefano was involved in a major first turn crash at the Houston Astrodome that had devastating effects on three of the top riders of the time. Tony D. wrenched his knee badly, Honda's Marty Smith dislocated his hip and his teammate Jimmy Ellis separated his shoulder. Of the three, only Ellis would ever win another race as a professional.
DiStefano came back later that year but his speed had changed, as had that of the new frontrunners, California flyers like Bob Hannah, Broc Glover, Mike Bell, and the Texan Kent Howerton, who took over from DiStefano as the team leader.
DiStefano would close out his career on overwhelmed Can-Am and Husqvarna motorcycles, while also dealing with an eye injury that nearly blinded him in one eye. His last national finish was a 12th at Washougal, on August 2, 1981.
DiStefano won his first title in 1975 with Suzuki.
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Next in life for Tony D., a popular and highly-respected racer, was a chance at teaching motocross schools, but that too took a turn for the worse when he crashed while instructing young riders and ended up in a wheelchair. That is his situation now, but his legacy forever will be that of an all-time great in American motocross and a three-time AMA 250cc Motocross Champion.
Tony DiStefano is also #21 on our list of the 30 Greatest AMA Motocross racers of all time. Here's a look at all of his race results, courtesy of the Racer X Vault.
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(Racer X Contributors to this list: Davey Coombs, Jason Weigandt, Eric Johnson, Steve Matthes, Jason Thomas, Andrew Fredrickson, Chase Stallo and David Pingree)
