IN
THE
WIND
P26
TOM WHITE, RIP
T
om White, one of
the motorcycle
industry's most iconic
and beloved figures,
passed away peaceful-
ly, Thursday, November
2, 2017 at 9:07 a.m.,
surrounded by family
members in his Villa
Park home in Califor-
nia.
White was diag-
nosed with cancer in
April of this year and
fought hard, but the
disease had already
progressed too far.
Tom was a nationally
ranked flat track racer
and working at Orange
County Cycles in the service
department during the early
'70s, when he partnered with his
twin brother, Dan, to form White
Brothers Performance Products.
Tom later bought his brother out
and built the aftermarket shop
into an industry powerhouse
that raked in over $37 million in
2000, the year that he sold it for
an undisclosed sum.
Tom had been enjoying col-
lecting and restoring old moto-
cross bikes for years alongside
his son, Bradley. When Brad
suffered a catastrophic head
injury in 1997, Tom used his
collection of over 200 bikes
to raise money for the High
Hopes Head Injury program in
Orange County, hosting events
at his "Early Days of Motocross"
museum.
White was a diehard racer at
heart and rarely missed a Satur-
day at REM at Glen Helen Race-
way, where he also served as
race announcer during the AMA
National Motocross Champion-
ship and FIM Grand Prix races
held there over the years. His
genuine enthusiasm and a love
for the sport that he wore on his
sleeve endeared him to racers
and fans alike.
Tom was inducted into the
AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
in 2014 and will receive the
Dick Hammer Award from the
Trailblazers MC next April. His
legacy will live forever, not only
in his Early Days of Motocross
museum and the hearts of
motorcyclists everywhere, but in
the minds of every racer on the
starting gate at the Dubya Vet
World MX Championships last
weekend at Glen Helen Race-
way, an event he founded 33
years ago.
Tom is survived by his wife
Dani, daughter Kristin Ander-
son, sons Bradley and Michael
and three grandchildren. God-
speed, Tom.
Steve Bauer
Tom White, of the White Brothers
fame and the creator of the Early
Days of Motocross museum, passed
away November 2.
