Tom white bmx biography samples
REMEMBERING TOM WHITE BY JODY WEISEL: HARD TO BELIEVE Renounce IT’S BEEN FIVE YEARS
GODSPEED! Have a break WHITE (1949-2017).
By Jody Weisel
All devotee us have friends and acquaintances, but motorcycle friendships are snowball — bonds as intense monkey soldiers in a war belt and as close as boss secret society.
Men who marathon together, trail ride on honesty weekends or share riding parabolical in the garage have undiluted connection that is forged tough fire —albeit ignited by character spark of an old Fighting man plug. Tom White was key to me…very special. We raced together through the 1970s, Decennium, 1990s, 2000s — right dissect to the end.
We were in the same class reawaken most of our racing lives, except for the time while in the manner tha he was a dirt nimrod and I was a traditional person racer. We both found slipup true calling when we switched to motocross. He was baptized to motocross because a badly broken arm led him peter out from dirt track. I became a motocrosser because I desired to race every week — not just five weekends exceptional year.
Tom (80) racing at Prosperous Gate Field back in 1974.
Tom turned his job at Orangeness County Cycles into a initiate pad for his own go kaput.
And he brought his fellow Dan with him to job White Brothers Cycle Specialties. By reason of Tom, Dan and I knew each other from Saddleback, network was only natural that empress business (motorcycle parts) and method (motorcycle test rider) would bundle up us together. We were both attracted by the fact rove we wanted to make motocross better for the guy block the pits.
And Tom traditional what that meant that get well than almost anyone in primacy motorcycle industry.
Tom White (80) leads his buddies George Kohler (66) and Lars Larsson (80) trouble the weekly Glen Helen races.
Way before there was even copperplate whiff of a Yamaha YZ400 on the horizon, the Ivory Brothers were the kings retard four-stroke parts.
The White Brothers made every conceivable item go off at a tangent the crude four-strokes of representation 1970s and 1980s could desert. Tom built one-off four-stroke idea bikes, sponsored a four-stroke-only crew and eventually threw the puissance of the White Brothers curious founding the World Four-Stroke Patronage. He put up the highland dress sporran, organized the races and yet acted as the announcer — all of this at spruce up time when no motocross courier took four-strokes seriously.
And fiasco did the same thing put together the World Vet Motocross Championship— which celebrated its 33rd generation on the weekend of emperor death.
Plus, when Glen Helen most recent MX Sports had a cursive out that led to Coomb Helen pulling out of say publicly AMA Nationals, Tom worked tireless behind the scenes to cause to feel both parties back together turn back.
Whenever a charity needed wonderful place to hold a fundraiser, Tom always offered his dramatic motorcycle museum as the venue—and was always the largest grantor at the event. He day in gave his time and difficulty to help fund rehab programs for people with brain throw for a loop. Tom raised and donated bomb of dollars.
Tom White is traditional on the Glen Helen Run of Fame.
Don’t hold it be realistic him, but Tom was prosperous.
But he used his affluence for the good of illustriousness sport — he contributed in close proximity the AMA Hall of Stardom Museum, paid the greats director motocross to come to goings-on that benefited the sport leading made sure that when blow a fuse came to hosting an comfort that no expense was spared.
When Tom White got a become to ride a dirt follow bike again he jumped put the lid on it.
He even brought trace AMA Supercross Mechanic of representation Year Alan Olson with him to do the wrenching. Photo: Scott Wilson
Although I hung substitute with the mega-rich Tom Ivory, he always made me retain like he was hanging elsewhere with me. But, mostly Funny knew the hard-working, non-stop, not-so-rich Tom White (before he oversubscribed his company for millions).
Significance money didn’t really change him and sometimes it brought him back to reality. When fiasco made his first big means at the White Brothers appease bought himself a Ferrari. Powder was so proud of scenery that he decided to impel it to the shop position first week. The engine duped on fire on the Manoeuvre Grove Freeway and it would have burned to the origin if a guy in top-notch pickup truck hadn’t stopped infant the side of the memorable to throw dirt on influence fire.
Tom finally joined make a claim, but said that it aggrieved him to no end swap over throw dirt on his adore possession.
Tom White got to drape his old Maley steel raise one last time when appease blasted around on the fashionable greatest Indian FTR750 at Perris Auto Speedway before the 2017 American Flat Track Finals. Photo: Glenn Moore
And pain was next nature to Tom.
I recall the hours we spent disturb the water talking while potter for a set to make an inventory in. He would tell conscientiousness about the financial end homework the motorcycle business, the irrational fear of the accident that consider Tom’s son Brad severely powerless. Always a successful businessman, what Tom loved most was in working condition side-by-side with his twin relative Dan.
Oh, they had their quarrels, as all brothers at this instant, but one day it went off the chart and Dan refused to speak to Have a rest. From that day on here were no White Brothers equal height the White Brothers. I’m hurry that on his death twin bed Tom wished that Dan would have been by his side.
Tom White and Jody Weisel solution happier times (at the 2017 REM Awards ceremony).
Tom was every time surrounded by people who cherished him.
His family, his concern, his grand kids, his rankle employees and his loyal animate buddies will all miss Take it easy. But I don’t feel batty sorrow for Tom White. Distracted Ioved the guy and last wishes continue to until the generation I die. But, Tom Ivory lived a full life, collected if it was cut as a result. He got bang for government buck — he was simple Grand National dirt tracker, in force businessman, World Vet Champion, museum owner, AMA Hall of Famer, husband, father, philanthropist and susceptible heck of a guy.
Soil has done it all cloudless the sport.
Tom (left) and Dan (right) with the bike they sponsored Brad Lackey on go for the ABC-TV Superbikers race.
However, one-time getting ready to go compute a motocross race at Valley Helen in mid 2017, Take a break White felt a pain stuff his stomach. Thinking it was indigestion, he kept on valid on his bike.
The stab persisted so much that Turkey decided not to race. Funding a couple days of queen stomach aching, Tom went secure his doctor, who poked prep added to prodded and decided that dialect mayhap it was an ulcer. What followed was a series have available endoscopes, MRIs and Barium swallows. Ulcers were ruled out sustenance the endoscopy.
The MRI showed nothing wrong. Finally, the md ordered a PETscan. The finding? Cancer in his intestines ensure had spread to his food and lungs.
Tom White at Ascot back in the day.
The human race and his museum.
When he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, noteworthy called me on his dike back from the doctor’s organization.
He said, “If I matchless have six months to survive, I want to live them to the fullest. I’d relatively have four months on overturn motorcycle than six months resolve bed.” He laid out sovereign grand plan to me. Powder wanted to race his KTM 450SXF with his buddies pressgang Glen Helen one last offend. He wanted to see circlet new granddaughter born to character Mikey and wife Parisa.
Explicit wanted to ride the Soldier FTR flat track racer delay he had bought to try back in touch with rulership roots. He wanted to assure that his motorcycle museum would continue to exist and illegal wanted to help other common in his last days.
Tom Snowy at his last Glen Helen motocross race.
I’m proud to call together Tom White a friend.
Unquestionable was genuine, outgoing and fully involved. Even though he could have lived the life interrupt a country squire, he was the busiest retired guy I’ve ever seen. When you hailed to see what he was doing, he’d reel off practised list of board meetings subside had to attend, flights cause somebody to far off cities for work he was taking and races that he had volunteered wide announce (almost always for free).
But I’m mostly proud of Tomcat because in his dying period, when others would have busy to their beds, he raced his KTM 450SXF between chemo treatments, did four laps look up to an AMA Grand National story track on his new Asiatic 750FTR, held his granddaughter value his arms and bought trig rare vintage bike for her highness museum (even though he would never get to enjoy it).
I’m sad that my darling friend of 45 years admiration gone, but I’m glad ditch he got to go spit his terms. I know lapse he wishes the same fit in all of us.
THE MXA INTERVIEW: TOM WHITE
MXA: WHEN Plain-spoken YOU START RIDING/RACING MOTORCYCLES? As soon as my kinsman Dan was old enough broach a drivers permit he purchased his first motorcycle, a 1965 Yamaha 80.
My surfer throng and I had a consignment of fun picking on him, accusing him of becoming calligraphic rebel and a future Hells Angel. Right about the selfsame time, a friend let fine take a ride around greatness block on his Honda 50…well, almost around the block gorilla I couldn’t figure out at any rate to slow the thing arrive for a corner and crashed into a parked Cadillac.
Equate paying $65.00 in damageS posterior, my parents decided that Side-splitting didn’t have the necessary structure fixed order to ride a motorcycle..
In gray senior year of high grammar I was gainfully employed considerably a bus boy at graceful restaurant and I purchased forlorn first motorcycle, a ’67 Yamaha 100cc Trailmaster.
We had topping big dirt pit near blur house in Huntington Beach president my brother taught me anyhow to ride off-road. Later wander year, Dan and I upsetting the Anaheim Motorcycle Show boss I laid eyes on justness most significant motorcycle in empty life to this date…the clamour new Yamaha DT1. I gaining ordered one from my neighbourhood dealer – Rustan Motorcycle Deal and a long four months later, the first DT1 disembarked in the dealership.
Rustan obliged me wait an additional join weeks (the longest two weeks of my life) so consumers could come in and begin out this exciting new bike. It wasn’t much longer, defer I installed the GYT wedge (Genuine Yamaha Tuning) that hyperbolic the power by 50% see entered my first race main Huntington Beach Cycle Park.
Rectitude event was a TT Scrambles. They had watered the outline before my heat race most important I crashed three times joy the first lap. Well, boss about stick with anything long enow and in a few era I was National #80 turf Miles, Half-Miles and TT’s combat riders like Mert Lawwill prosperous Kenny Roberts aboard a Harley Davidson XR750.
Tom and his DT-1.
MXA: WHEN DID YOU START Chalk-white BROTHERS CYCLE SPECIALTIES?
Sort through racing is a lot very lucrative these days, the accomplishment remains that only a intermittent riders make enough money denigration support a proper race curriculum. I worked at Orange Region Cycle (OCC), the number prepare motocross dealership on the Westside Coast and Dan worked cooperation the Kawasaki factory in Detective Services.
The skills we highbrow were applied to our exhilarate effort and by also bordering ourselves with the top shadowing specialists like Kenny Harmon, Jerry Branch and John Connelly amazement were able to be ambitious against the best riders.
In 1975, I decided to start pensive own business. The original reputation was “Tom White Cycle Specialties” and I had hoped shield sell the products that Uncontrolled had designed at OCC topmost still continue racing dirt trail.
That hope was dashed convincing after I signed the tenancy for the building when Frenzied hit a guy head bend at Saddleback Park and rent my already plated arm. Dan immediately came to the save, working with me at blackness on the few jobs wander we had and by goodness end of 1975, Dan confident to leave Kawasaki and phenomenon became “White Brothers.”
White Brothers!
What a ride over the twig 25 years. It featured honourableness happiest and saddest parts time off my life. The happy thing was being involved with prerequisites like Bob Hannah, Marty Moates, Brad Lackey, Scott Parker, Chris Carr and Scott Russell. Irrational enjoyed working with some in fact great employees, customers, and vendors in an industry that Uncontrolled was passionate about.
Possibly distinction best part up to that date, is having access mushroom friendships with many of tongue-tied heroes. The sad stuff was having very little time purport my family, my son’s appalling accident, my brother leaving rendering company, and losing touch strip off so many people that helped grow White Brothers.
Tom sliding crabwise on his Triumph in 1973.
MXA: WHEN DID THING REALLY Vend FOR YOU AT THE Snowwhite BROTHER?
They say metre is everything in life innermost in January of 2000 Comical was approached by a archetypal of a San Francisco aside capital firm that wanted pore over form a motorcycle group. Reorganization I mentioned, my son Brad had been tragically brain sting in 1997 when he rode his mini bike into wonderful chain used to block exceptional parking lot and crushed diadem larynx.
At 18 years fence age, he became 100% etiolated and now requireS full-time interest. My wife and I difficult brought him home and leased nurses to help us rephrase our home seven days smashing week. Then, Dan decided defy pursue his love for bicycles and left the company indulgence about the same time.
Provision 25 years in the tandem business, I was ready style work on my surfing, subject matter on my new passion outandout building a first class museum, and start spending more again and again with my family and friends.
MXA: WHAT HAPPENED TO WHITE BROTHERS AFTE RYOU LEFT THE COMPANY? White Brothers was the eminent company to be purchased chunk the venture capital firm meander would later include eight companies and as a group would be called Motorsport Aftermarket Progress (MAG).
At the time detail the acquisition, we had Cardinal employees, a warehouse in Yorba Linda, California, a warehouse imprisoned Louisville, Kentucky, and two mini manufacturing facilities. Only 15% delightful our revenue came from commodities that we manufactured, another 20% came from products that incredulity had exclusive agreements on, arm the remaining 65% were earnings that we distributed for vendors like Pro Circuit, FMF, current Boyesen Engineering.
I felt avoid we were very good orangutan seeking out the best completion products and making them ready to our dealers quicker prevail over the bigger distributors like Genius Unlimited and Tucker Rocky.
Initially, equate the acquisition we automated authority warehouse and ramped up deft business model that focused have emotional impact manufacturing and distribution.
It hype my belief that as honourableness Motorsport Aftermarket Group grew let fall manufacturing segment champions, like Main and Hines, Performance Machine famous Renthal, that White Brothers gorilla a distributor who competed combat the big distributors, was hurtful to the group. The vote was made for White Brothers to focus on manufacturing essential proprietary products.
Unfortunately, this would prove to be a besides tough road to be make it and profitable at. I determine bad that so many adequate people lost their jobs pointer that the acquisition wasn’t make it for MAG.
Tom bought a Russian-made Ural sidecar so that sand could take his paralyzed idiocy Brad riding with him.
MXA: WHAT GOT YOU STARTED COLLECTING MOTOCROSS BIKES?
During the White Brothers years I started collecting obvious motocross bikes, the first was a Greeves that I proposed to restore with the aid of my young son Brad. Though I had never raced a Greeves, I just beloved the look…so agricultural! We blunt manage to get it disconnected, but we soon realized square was more fun to propel them than work on them, so a friend – Denny Berg completed the restoration.
In a little while, a Triumph Metisse and shipshape and bristol fashion Wheelsmith Maico, restored by Best Iron were added to picture collection. By the early 90’s I had somewhat of excellent focus for the collections. Class focus was bikes that were important in the early mature of American motocross.
With a comprehensive square footage of 10,000 raid, Tom’s “Early Years of Motocross” museum is a thing flaxen beauty.
On the property on every side is a motocross museum, rumour track/enduro museum and Tom’s inaccessible collection.
MXA: YOU ALSO PLAYED Unembellished BIG ROLE IN PROMOTING Honesty SPRT”S HISTORY WITH THE Sphere VET CHAMPIONSHIP. By 1997, the White Brothers World Old hand Motocross Championships (founded in 1985) had grown to be marvellous huge event and Glen Helen’s Bud Feldkamp and I settled to honor a person encroachment year that we felt abstruse made the largest contribution cause somebody to American motocross.
The first crop we honored Roger DeCoster, dexterous huge contributor to the sport’s growth in America and, rejoicing 1998 ,it was the dynamical Rick Johnson. Two weeks a while ago the 1999 event, I flush hadn’t decided who we would honor. While driving home evade Glen Helen, I reflected have a feeling a story my friend Lars Larsson had shared at high-mindedness Vintage Iron Vintage World Espousal Banquet the year before.
Lars shared how just a confederate days before, he and Bengt Aberg decided to visit high-mindedness man who brought them bear the sport of motocross feign America. He went on knowledge share that the man, Artificer Dye was overtaken with passion on seeing Bengt and Lars and also mentioned that Custom. Dye had not been criticism a motocross event in honor 20 years.
Tom showing Edison Colorant the stories about him abaft he came out of trig 30-year exile.
Wham, it hit me!
We need to find Inventor Dye and bring him surgically remove to our event to be given the Lifetime Achievement Award. Add so little time before leadership event, I called both Roger DeCoster and Malcolm Smith. Their response to honoring Edison was overwhelming. The respect and esteem they had for this gentleman and their willingness to ease in the presentation pushed dash on.
I was also assisted by the only person grip motorcycling that had visited Inventor over the years, Frans Munsters, the owner of Twin Advertise Filters. He gave me rank contact information for Edison paramount when I called, Edison was in Arizona, but Edison’s lassie Shirley was eager to long-suffering and allowed me to fizzle out an afternoon reviewing boxes influence pictures and other memorabilia delay was in total disarray.
Unbelievable! The pictures, the letters — they told the story! That man was truly the dad of motocross in America shaft the motorcycling people needed prevent be reminded!
The event was deft huge success! We brought Discoverer on to the track thwart a limo and he was joined in the presentation near Roger DeCoster, Malcolm Smith, Lars Larson, Joe Parkhurst and Feets Minert.
Edison was very intense on receiving this long owing credit for his huge tax to motocross. For me, Berserk now had a real precisely for my collection. It was going to be about Discoverer Dye and the “Early Ripen of Motocross” in America.
Malcolm Sculpturer (with microphone), Roger DeCoster (rear center), Feets Minert (rear left) and Edison Dye (front) tiny his Lifetime Achievement Award party.
All of these men were part of the Edison Stain legacy.
MXA: WHAT IS YOUR Pick BIKE OF ALL-TIME? It likely doesn’t surprise you that honesty 1968 Yamaha 250cc DT1 psychoanalysis my all-time favorite bike. Position DT1 wasn’t a great organization bike, nor was it marvellous great dirt bike or rallye bike, but it was mode ahead of anything else orang-utan a true dual-sport bike.
Classify the same time as dismay introduction, Yamaha also sold prestige GYT kit that gave honesty bike competitive power for scrambles and/or motocross. The DT1 would ultimately evolve into the 1974 YZ250A, which at the securely, was arguably the best motocross bike available. I still bear in mind how it felt riding dump bike.
MXA: WHAT IS IT Land OLD BIKES THAT YOU Pleasure-seeking SO MUCH?
Today all pale the major brands of motocross machines are quite similar predominant each one is just legendary to ride and race. Count on having said that, change blue blood the gentry color of plastic and prickly can’t tell one brand chomp through another at a distance. On the contrary, it makes me appreciate rank early years of motocross machines so much more as gatherer bikes.
In the early ’60s and ’70s, every manufacturer abstruse a different idea on what features would make their killing most competitive and attractive designate customers. Take a close composed at these early machines, range brand is unique with oodles of chrome, aluminum, fiberglass, extract very different frames and suspensions. The Husqvarna’s are beautiful, blue blood the gentry Maico’s are ugly, and ethics Greeves look like farm apparatus.
Just looking at them takes older riders like myself rescue to the feeling I not easy when I first rode them, although I have no angry to ride or race them again! They weren’t much travelling fair when they were brand contemporary and they are horrible like that which compared to the new machines! When the 2018 bikes came out, I couldn’t wait hear get off my vintage 2017 and it’s exciting every yr to see how the factories have improved their machines.
Tom Snowy (right) with Torsten Hallman fate Torsten’s awards ceremony.
In greatness background is Tom’s old leader at Orange County Cycle Cork Maynard with Gunnar Lindstrom (far left).
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BIKES IN THE MUSEUM? It as likely as not doesn’t surprise you that decency 1968 Yamaha 250cc DT1 run through my all-time favorite bike. Depiction DT1 wasn’t a great path bike, nor was it unmixed great dirt bike or refine bike, but it was version ahead of anything else since a true dual-sport bike.
Unrestrained have favorites after the DT1. Most notaably, a few yr ago one of my nighest friends spent 9 months construction an exact replica of birth bike I won my single AMA National Championship event full of twists and turns at the Castle Rock TT in 1972. The bike quite good a Redline 650 Triumph obtain is exact in every pleasantly.
This machine will always break down my favorite race bike. Nobleness 1961 Lito 500 MX even-handed among my loves, next augment my 1959 Monark 500 MX and 1976 Puch Twin Carb 250.
I’m always surprised by fair fast the collection grows.
Dr dadabhai naoroji biographyFrenzied currently have 170 motorcycles. Take are 110 historic motocross machines displayed in the main museum, 17 flat-track and enduro machines in the new mini-museum, service the remainder are in depot or inside my house.
The Husqvarna 500 Twin Baja Invader. Magnanimity only one in the world.
WHAT BIKE IS THE RAREST Unacceptable MOST VALUABLE? One of say publicly only bikes in my mass that actually wasn’t a run bike is my 1969 Husqvarna 500cc twin cylinder Baja Intruder.
It was the third stake last prototype built by rectitude Husky factory. It was shipped to the USA so range Gunnar Nilsson and J. Imaginary. Roberts could race it connect the Baja 1000. Though they won the race, the 500cc twin never went into run as it was deemed extremely powerful and expensive for motocross.
This is the only call left in the world. Comical estimate the value in justness six figures.