FEATURED RIDERS #14

SHAWN SMITH #36
HONDA CRF450R
AGE 27

BILLY SMITH #42
HONDA CRF450
AGE 54
 SCROLL DOWN FOR BIO

 

SHAWN SMITH - BIRTHDAY 4/17/1980, BORN IN GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS.  SHAWN STARTED RIDING AROUND THE YARD ON A PW50 AT JUST 4 YEARS OLD AND RACING TRACKS BY AGE 5.   SHAWN GREW QUICKLY SO HE MOVED UP TO THE 60'S.  HE DIDNT HAVE MUCH IN THE WAY OF SPEED OR RESULTS UNTIL MOVING UP TO THE 80'S, WHERE HE FINISHED 4TH IN THE 9-11CC STOCK CLASS AT LORETTA LYNN'S AGAINST THE LIKES OF TRAVIS PASTRANA, MATT WALKER AND JOHNNY MARLEY.  MOVING UP TO THE 125'S AND THE 12 -15 SCHOOLBOY CLASS, SHAWN GOT MULTIPLE TOP 10 FINISHES AT LORETTA LYNN'S AGAINST THE CURRENT 450 PROS.  SHAWN WON AMATEUR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AT THE LAKE WHITNEY SPRING NATIONAL AND THE GNC (THEN RUN AT MOSIER VALLEY) IN BOTH THE SCHOOLBOY AND INTERMEDIATE CLASSES. 

SHAWN TURNED PRO FOR A SHORT TIME WITH LITTLE SUCCESS AND QUICKLY TURNED HIS ATTENTION TO A REAL JOB, MAKING RIDING JUST A HOBBY.  SINCE THEN HE HAS ENJOYED GOING OUT AND RIDING EVERY WEEKEND WITH HIS FATHER, BILLY, IN THE NAME OF A GOOD TIME WITH VERY LITTLE RACING MIXED IN BETWEEN.  SHAWN CURRENTLY RIDES A 2009 HONDA CRF450R.


 

BILLY SMITH - BIRTHDAY 2/1/1954, BORN IN ALVARADO, TEXAS.  BILLY PAID FOR HIS OWN BIKE AT 18 AND HAS BEEN RIDING EVER SINCE (MORE THEN 35 YEARS IN TOTAL, ONLY TAKING A BREAK WHEN HE COULD AFFORD IT AFTER SHAWN'S BIRTH)  HE STARTED SLOW AS A TRAIL RIDER, THEN MOVED ON TO RACE THE TCCRA SERIES.  FIRST IN THE AGE DIVISIONS THEN LATER AS A PRO RIDER.  BILLY WO THE ROSSMAN AWARD (OVERALL POINTS WINNER FOR THE YEAR) 3 TIMES AND WAS MULTI-TIME CLASS CHAMPION IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT CLASSES.  BILLY ALSO TOOK 2ND OVERALL IN THE PRO IN THE SERIES.

AFTER SHAWN WAS BORN HE MOVED OVER TO MOTOCROSS WHERE HE STILL HAS SOME SUCCESS.  AT LORETTA LYNN'S AMATEUR NATIONALS BILLY HAD MULTIPLE TOPS 5'S IN THE +40 CLASS, WITH A BEST OF A 3RD AGAINST FORMER PROS LIKE EARL MAY AND KEVIN FOLEY.  SINCE THEN HE HAS STEERED AWAY FROM RACING IN FAVOR OF JUST BEING A WEEKEND WARRIOR, ENJOYING THE LOCAL PRACTICE TRACKS AND TAKING THINGS AT HIS OWN PACE.  HE STILL OCCASIONALLY RACES SOME OF THE LOCAL RACES.  HIS CURRENT BIKE HE RIDES IS A 2008 CRF450R.   

IF YOU SEE BILLY RIDING HIS #42 HONDA WITH HIS SON SHAWN AT THE TRACK GO UP AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THEM.   THEY ARE SOME VERY NICE GUYS TO BECOME FRIENDS WITH AND VERY COMMITTED TO THE SPORT OF MOTOCROSS.