October 2

1977 

Team Honda's Marty Smith, the recently crowned AMA 500cc National Champion, took the win at the second round of the 500cc Trans-AMA Series at Lake Sugar Tree in Axton, Virginia. Smith used 2-3 finishes to carve out the win over Suzuki's Roger DeCoster, Honda's Brad Lackey, and Yamaha's Bob Hannah. 

1999

The annual Kawasaki Race of Champions at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, used to host actual Team Kawasaki factory riders, making it one of the key events of the off-season. Through the years, the list included Jeff Ward and Ron Lechien, Jeff Emig, Ricky Carmichael, and many more, and it was eye-opening to watch them race the pro class against the fastest privateers in the Northeast. In '99, Carmichael took to the 250 class and dominated the event, and New Jersey legend Barry Carsten took the 125 class that day.