Rookie of the year honors will now give a nod to the late Marty Smith. MX Sports Pro Racing, organizers of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, has announced that its annual accolade recognizing the top performing freshman rider in the 250 Class will be renamed the “Marty Smith Rookie of the Year Award” in his honor.
“Marty Smith was the original Rookie of the Year. He won the first AMA National he ever entered back in 1974, and then he became the first-ever 125cc AMA National Champion,” explains MX Sports Pro Racing President Davey Coombs. “It’s pertinent that we rename this prestigious award in his memory, in recognition of his contributions to the Pro Motocross Championship and the sport as a whole.
“For an entire generation of racing enthusiasts Marty Smith was the epitome of cool in motocross. He proved that a motorcycle rider can become a household name alongside the likes of football, baseball and basketball stars. He was a charismatic, larger-than-life figure in motocross, one that any aspiring racer has and should look to emulate. We’re privileged to ensure that his legacy carries on to future generations of motocross racers and fans.”
Tragically, this past April, Marty Smith and his wife, Nancy, lost their lives in a dune buggy accident in Southern California’s rural Imperial Sand Dunes. He was 63 years old.
