Nineteen eighty AMA Supercross Champion Mike Bell passed away yesterday after suffering a heart attack while mountain-biking near his home in Southern California. Bell was a longtime Yamaha factory rider who grew up in a racing family, as his father worked at Long Beach Honda. Bell turned pro in 1977 and won his first races—a 500 National and the Superbowl of Motocross at the Los Angeles Coliseum—within a six day stretch in June '78. Bell nearly won the '79 AMA 500 National Championship, finishing just three points behind his friend and rival Danny Laporte. The next year Bell led the AMA Supercross series basically from start to finish, sweeping the doubleheader opener in the Seattle Kingdome, and then leading all the way through the final at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, which he also won. Bell was nicknamed "Too Tall" for his height (he was well over six feet tall) and he used his long legs to his advantage, especially in the whoops. But they were also injury-prone, as Bell suffered several knee injuries that hampered him throughout his career. He retired in 1983 after winning the Dallas SX, as well as finishing second in his last pro race, the St. Louis 250 National. When he passed yesterday, Mike Bell was 63 years old. Godspeed, Too Tall.