Riders’ Meeting

TRIBUTE TO A TEXAS MOTO LEGEND

July 24-25, 2021 // Lockhart, TX  //  Bill Kasson Memorial Ride Day

WORDS & photos BY: DENnis Cox

Bill Kasson made an indelible mark on the Texas motocross scene, from its rough-and-tumble start in the early seventies to the heady heydays of Central Texas motocross history books. He carried Yamahas at his dealership located in Austin on South Lamar Blvd.—coincidentally, a stone’s throw from the old offices for my former employer, Cycle News Central, where I first worked as a photo lab technician and part-time reporter on motocross races at the time. I remember many a day spent chatting with Bill about the Texas motocross racing scene, awestruck at his knowledge and understanding of the earliest days of professional motocross racing. Bill was a complete moto enthusiast, and he was one of the first Central Texas dealers to carry CZs, then Husqvarnas, as well as his trademark Yamahas. Visiting his shop on Monday nights was a regular routine for all of the local moto enthusiasts. Bill’s Yamaha shop was the epicenter of the Central Texas moto scene.