Mike Bell's
Celebration
Of Life
F
amily, friends and fans gath-
ered at Saddleback Church
in Lake Forest, California, March
13, 2021, to celebrate the life of
Mike "Too Tall" Bell.
The globally admired moto-
cross and Supercross star got his
start racing many of the tracks
around Southern California while
in high school in the 1970s, the
now-shuttered Saddleback Park
among those (though the race-
track and church are connected
in name only).
While adhering to local Covid
mandates, Bell's celebration of life
drew many of his former team-
mates and rivals from across the
country as well as around the
world. Among the attendees were
former motocross Pros Scott
Burnworth, Donnie Hansen, Rick
Johnson, Warren Reid; road racer
Randy Mamola; speedway racer
Shawn McConnell and many more
from the motorcycle industry, in-
cluding his former boss at Yamaha
(which he rode for his entire Pro
career), Keith McCarty.
Officiated by Saddleback
Church Pastor Jim Wilke, the ser-
vice featured a number of moving
video tributes to the 1980 AMA
Supercross Champion from his
three children as well as friends.
While "Too Tall" was a racing
champion, he also was well
respected in his post-race career
where he maintained close ties
to the racing community on both
two and four wheels.
An avid mountain biker, Bell
was also very active in church
activities at Saddleback with
Pastor Wilke relating several
stories illustrating the racing
champion's willingness to help
others. A recurring theme in all
memories was that though Bell
was driven to be the best racer
he could be during that phase of
life, he formed countless lasting,
loving relationships with those
he connected with. Besides the
many victory ads and other race
memorabilia on display, the Bell
family made sure those who at-
tended would remember him in
the T-shirt and sticker everyone
received.
Mark Kariya
IN
THE
WIND
P36
(Above) Pastor Jim
Wilke officiated Mike
"Too Tall" Bell's
celebration of life on
a beautiful Southern
California day not too
far from the site of a
motocross track Bell
raced at many times.
(Right) Best known
in the motorcycle
industry as the 1980
AMA Supercross
Champion, it was
only fitting that a
former Bell YZ250 and
championship poster
would be prominently
displayed.
PHOTOS: MARK KARIYA
