PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association is devastated by the sudden passing of AMA Hall of Famer Steve Wise, and offers sincere condolences to his family and friends. He was 68 years old.
One of the most multi-talented riders in the history of motorcycle competition, Wise is the only racer history to win AMA motocross, AMA Supercross and AMA Superbike nationals. Additionally, Wise earned a podium at the AMA Grand National Championship, his first-ever Grand National Dirt Track appearance, in 1982, and emerged victorious in the ABC Wide World of Sports Superbikers competition twice, in 1980 and 1981.
Wise is the only National-class motocross winner to ever win an AMA Superbike National (Mid-Ohio, 1983).
Born in McAllen, Texas, on June 2, 1957, Wise’s father Gary was instrumental in Wise’s motorcycling journey, taking him to local races at an early age. Wise began his racing career in the early 1970s, earning a Texas State Motocross Championship in 1974.
Wise then began competing in AMA nationals at the young age of 17. As a rider for Kawasaki and Honda during the early stages of his career, Wise notched a career-best third-place finish in the AMA 250 National Motocross Championship in 1980, which included a victory at the Red Bud 250cc National in Buchanan, Mich.
Despite being a perennial contender in both motocross and Supercross, injuries and unexpected bike failures ultimately kept Wise from his ultimate prize of a national championship. But Wise would have his day in the sun during the early 1980s at the ABC Wide World of Sports Superbikers competition.
Riding factory Hondas, Wise outpaced two stacked fields of riders en route to a pair of victories in Superbikers competition in 1980 and 1981, thrusting himself in the national spotlight and ultimately earning him a contract for the 1982 AMA road racing season.
Wise nearly claimed a title in his first AMA road racing season falling just three points shy of Mike Baldwin for the Formula One championship. Wise’s outstanding debut season, compounded with his unexpected podium finish in his first-ever appearance in an AMA Grand National Dirt Track race at the Houston TT, earned him the 1982 AMA Pro Athlete of the Year honor.
The pinnacle of Wise’s career came in 1983, when he became the first and only motocross winner to cross over to road racing and win a national, claiming the Mid-Ohio round of the AMA Superbike Series.
Sadly, injuries derailed Wise’s promising career in the AMA Superbike Series, and he retired shortly after his triumph at Mid-Ohio.
Following his racing career, Wise became an ordained minister and started a real estate investment company.
Wise was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2001 and later served as the Grand Marshal of AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days in 2023.
Main image: Kevin Wing
