VOLUME 57 ISSUE 18 MAY 5, 2020 P77
He also had that all-American flare (and it
certainly didn't hurt that Honda's corporate
racing colors were red, white and blue) that
parents of young motocross enthusiasts
across the country could approve of. Honda
certainly did and used his clean-cut image
and youthful good looks as selling tools for
its Elsinore production motocross bikes. It
was a win-win situation for everyone, espe-
cially for the sport of motocross.
"It was an era of rebellion for a lot of
kids," remembers Dave Arnold, who
turned wrenches for Smith's race bike, in-
cluding his championship season in 1977.
"Marty was a baby boomer, and when
those kids' parents looked at motocross
and saw that it was kind of an athletic
sport—or at least healthier than sex, drugs
and rock and roll—they were more inclined
to fund the purchase of an Elsinore or
whatever. Marty epitomized that; he had
teen-idol looks, wore a red, white and
blue Honda jersey and was on book cov-
ers and lunch pails."
(Above) Smith finished
out his career with
Suzuki. He retired after
the 1981 season. (Right)
Smith won back-to-back
125cc MX titles in 1974
and 1975. A new kid
named Bob Hannah
prevented Smith from
making it three titles
in a row. (Left) Honda
signed Smith to a factory
contract at the age of 17.
