MX History

Boy Wonder: The Eddie Hicks Story

Comments (2)
  1. Fantastic article! Thank you for writing it. I grew up in Palmdale and Eddie was and still is a minicycle hero to me. I raced 60’s and 80’s as well. That was a very special time. I was a few years younger than him. Jeff Willoh was my best friend. Indian Dunes was our home track. I rode a lot with Mikey Pascarella and Brian Gipson. We all knew Eddie was the best ever. A natural. He just came from a poor family who had no education. There was also a lot of undiagnosed alcoholism. His parents didn’t understand business and didn’t know how to properly nurture him. Motocross is a rich kid sport. You don’t get second chances when you’re a poor man playing a game that you weren’t groomed for. He didn’t have the desire or instinct to navigate the business landscape of life. Motocross is also extremely dangerous. I witnessed so many riders get career-ending, lifelong even life-ending injuries like David Bailey, Scott Brown or Jeff Barbacovi…. myself included with 6 concussions before my 15th birthday, spine damage and a torn deltoid in my left shoulder that never really healed…. the list is long. I hate to sound negative but I am glad Eddie didn’t put his own kid on a bike. I never will. I threw away all my trophies and hid the pictures. Motocross dads are notorious child abusers. But I still get nostalgic about the memories. Watching Eddie and Mike Healey battle at Saddleback in their final minicycle race there was unforgettable.

  2. That is the best piece of journalism I have read to date.. and I am old. Thank you Steve for filling us all in on something I had no idea I really wanted to know. Being a kid from Ohio all I knew was the magazine articles… this was so interesting and enlightening. Really well done and really needed.

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