VOLUME 58 ISSUE 46 NOVEMBER 16, 2021 P113
promoted the motocross na-
tional at RedBud in Buchanan,
Michigan. Often, after working
on a bike, Domokos would take
it out and "test ride" it by doing
long wheelies.
Ritchie recalls that at the
motocross events at RedBud,
Domokos would get on his bike
and wheelie around for fun.
"He ended up with anywhere
from a dozen to a 100 people
out in the parking lot watching
him," Ritchie said. "He loved
crowds. If he could get four
people to watch, he'd perform."
It was Ritchie who suggested
that Domokos and his buddies,
Raymond Ritchie (Gene's son)
and Rex Thwaits, do wheelie
shows at the races. After a
couple of years, his friends lost
interest in performing, but not
Domokos.
Domokos continued to per-
form, and racer Jimmy Weinert
and factory mechanic Steve
Johnson brought Domokos to
the attention of Kawasaki's Bryon
Farnsworth. In 1978, Farnsworth
arranged for a Kawasaki-spon-
sored bike and a Toyota pickup
for Domokos to travel around the
country doing wheelie shows at
motocross tracks. His first show
with Kawasaki was in Rhode
Island. Kawasaki had sent him a
new bike and he didn't have time
to open the crate to prep it. So
he took the bike in the crate and
opened it at the track. Barely
getting ready, he had just about
15 minutes to get familiar with the
bike. Despite the late preparation
Domokos put on a great show
and the fans loved his stunts.
In the late 1970s, Domokos
began performing at supercross
events in stadiums as well as
the outdoor national motocross
events, and he began being fea-
tured in motorcycle magazines.
He soon gained national rec-
ognition and his ability to ride a
motorcycle on its rear wheel took
him from putting on a show in
front of a few people at the races
or the shop to a thriving career.
"I thought I would travel the
country, have a good time and
meet a lot of people," Domokos
said of his early days of perform-
ing. "I never thought it would
grow to the point that I'd never
THE WHEELIE KING
