JOE BYRD Loved by many, Hated by Many!!
There are many changes that face our sport. Some of them are starting to be more and more visible, while other changes lie just beyond the horizon. Though they may not be foreseen or expected, they are there. When I think of change, I think of people in our sport that have helped or been a part of the evolution of it all. I think of names like Tim Farr and Doug Gust when I think of it of folks in recent history that have made monumental impacts in our sport. Doug with all his work helping bring the Suzuki to the forefront while racing and, of course, Tim’s input in the design of the Honda’s that have not been changed since he tested and help design a machine that has helped win championships.
There is another name that sticks out when I think of change and someone that has given so much to our sport. The amazing thing about this pioneer is that he has been around racing professionally longer than anyone in our sport today. He is loved by some and possibly literally hated by others. And no matter your opinion of the man, he is truly one of the greats. Even he will tell you “I haven’t been an angel”.Joe Byrd #7 is quite possibly the most recognized name in our sport today.
I say he is the most recognized simply because he is the best known worldwide, especially in South American countries but he is also well known in Europe. Joe takes his quad riding schools all over the world and introduces them often times to a world they never knew possible. The fruits of his labors can be recognized most recently with Vital Cazenave whom we saw make his AMA Pro ATV racing debut at the season finale at Dirt Days this past season.
Joe has been around since the mid-80s in our sport. He has won 2 titles and he holds the esteemed honor of being the first officially licensed AMA Pro ATV racer to win this title. He raced the ultra-competitive and highly popular Mickey Thompson series. He told me this when I asked him about one of the biggest things to ever happen in our sport:
“Daytona should be an interesting event. It sounds like everybody is going and is super excited about this race. It’s awesome to be opening the series up in Florida where the weather is warm and we are in such an amazing facility and venue. It reminds me of my first pro win at the Micky Thompson Series opening round in Anaheim, CA with 60,000 spectators. I’m sure we won't have near that many spectators but heck there will still it will be tons of fans and quad sponsors there. Hopefully this is just a stepping-stone to the future and the promoters can put more pro quad points paying events with more mx nationals similar to Daytona. This just might be the shot in the arm the quad nationals need.”
I couldn’t have said it any better. And even though when Joe raced in front of and won in front of 60,000 fans, it was still only a small part of something big and at Daytona the stage belongs to the ATV racers of the world on Tuesday during Bike Week.
Article taken From Rodney Tomlin
No comments:
Post a Comment