Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1445547
T ough, durable, rugged, resilient, indestruc- tible, powerful, gritty and head strong. All of those adjectives have been used to describe David Sad- owski. "Ski," as his friends and fans liked to call him, had a reputation as an un- stoppable force. He would crash—bruised and bat- tered—but he'd somehow find a way to the starting line come race time. Ski was wide open all the time. He came to rac- ing later than many of his peers, and he made up for it in sheer determination. For all of these reasons it was an especially harsh shock to the system upon receiving the news of Ski's passing. Many of us are still having a tough time processing the thought that we'll never see Ski again. Ski was just 58, and the last time I saw him in person, just a year or two back, he looked as healthy and vibrant as ever. In fact, he kept himself in great physical shape, at least outward- ly. He appeared he could throw on leathers and still turn in some hot laps. Sadowski's determination was legendary. Nearly his entire racing career he had back problems. If you looked carefully, you could see him grimace as he saddled up to go race. Once the adrenaline kicked in and he was in the thick of the battle, he could mostly put the back pain out of mind. Al Ludington, who went on to become one of factory Honda's legendary crew chiefs, came up through the ranks wrenching for Ski. Some of the stuff he wit- nessed was cringeworthy. "I caught him one time at the GNF trying to straighten a bent plate on his collar bone with a dead blow hammer," Ludington recalls. "With Ski his attitude was always, 'it's merely a flesh wound.'" Sadowski was the son of a military aviator and moved around a lot as a kid. One of his most vivid childhood memories was when he was about nine and living in Santa Ana, California, his dad arranged for little Dave to go on a ride in the Good- year blimp, and the pilot allowed Ski to briefly take control and fly the blimp. As a teenager in the early 1980s, Sadowski attend- ed American Motorcycle Institute (AMI) in Daytona Beach and used to climb a tree outside of banking at the neighboring Speedway to watch motorcycle testing. He once boldly told AMI classmates that he'd win the Day- tona 200 one day. After AMI, Sadowski moved to Southern California and got a job as a mechanic at Champion Motorcycles in Costa Mesa and began club racing. Money was tight, but Sadowski did whatever it took to get track time. Once at CN III ARCHIVES P108 Dave Sadowski: The End always, 'it's merely a flesh wound.'" a kid. One of his most vivid childhood memories was when he was about Ana, California, his dad arranged for little Dave to year blimp, and the pilot allowed Ski to briefly take As a teenager in the early 1980s, Sadowski attend BY LARRY LAWRENCE David Sadowski celebrates on the podium at Loudon in 1988, the weekend he won his first two AMA National Road Races. PHOTO: HENNY RAY ABRAMS