The Feed

 When my dad was racing in the late ’70s and early ’80s he had a friend from Beckley, West Virginia, named Charles Godby who raced for Team Green Kawasaki. When I was racing my dad and his buddies would get together at the track and talk about how great he was and that they always believed he was the best MX racer from WV. It was told to me he was supposed to make his pro debut during the High Point National in 1980 or ’81, he had an accident during the holeshot on amateur day. It was the year it was so wet and muddy they didn’t race amateurs on the pro track, but rather one cut out in the field to save the pro track for Sunday. The accident resulted in Godby passing. Besides stories handed down we never have seen any records of my dad’s dear friend. With DC Sr. being there that year, I was hoping maybe DC Jr. might have some information for us, I know it would please my dad and his friends if someone else in the MX world remembered him as well.

Wesley Miller // Racer X Online

Thanks for the note, Wesley. That was a sad day all around. It was 1981 and Godby was a Team Green rider about to turn pro. He was very good friends with Brian Stanley and “Flyin’” Mike Bias, also very fast guys from the Mountain State. The temporary track was down below where the pro pits are now and Godby, who was nicknamed Chinky, was on the far inside of the sweeping start and he slid out in the first turn. He came down on his neck, and there was nothing the paramedics or anyone else could do. Everyone was stunned. It was the 125 Expert class and everyone was watching. My dad called the rest of the races off after that. I still say that Charlie “Chinky” Godby was the best rider ever to come out of West Virginia and he would have gone far as a pro. He just never got there. DC