Brad Lackey

Brad Lackey (born July 8, 1953) is an American former professional motocross racer. In 1982, he became the first and only American to win the 500cc Grand Prix Motocross World Championship. He was known as "Bad Brad" to his fans.

Early career

Born in Berkeley, California, Lackey was the son of an avid motorcyclist. He grew up riding off-road motorcycles in the mountains around the San Francisco Bay area. He began racing motocross at the age of 13 and had progressed to become an expert-ranked rider by the early 1970s. In 1970, he received sponsorship from a local CZ dealer. At that time, the sport of motocross was beginning to grow in popularity in the United States and, American motocross racers were not as advanced as the racers from Europe where the sport had originated. From watching European motocross racers, Lackey learned about the importance that physical fitness played in being a successful racer. In 1971, CZ sent Lackey to Czechoslovakia to enter a training camp to develop his physical fitness and riding abilities. While training in Czechoslovakia, he lived in a room with no heating or running water but, he was driven on by his determination to compete against the best motocross racers in the world. While he was in Czechoslovakia, Lackey gained his first experience on the world championship motocross Grand Prix circuit when CZ entered him into a few 250cc Grand Prix races. He returned to the United States and competed in the 1971 AMA 500cc motocross national championship, finishing in second place just one point behind champion Mark Blackwell. The Kawasaki factory offered Lackey a contract to race for them in 1972 and, he won the AMA 500cc motocross national championship in dominating fashion, winning five of eight events. He also finished as the highest ranked American rider in the 1972 Trans-AMA motocross series.