We Went Fast

This 2,000 word story started as an Instagram post where we simply wished Eli Tomac a happy birthday. But this is We Went Fast and we can’t help but find a deeper story within the details, even if the details are just cake, ice cream and 30 birthday candles.

It led to this data dive by Brett Smith and Clinton Fowler. 

Flash trivia: how many 450 Supercross main events have been won by tricenarians? Wait, that probably seems like two trivia questions. A tricenarian is a fancy way to say ‘person in their 30s’. For the answer, you're just going to have to listen. If you want to read the print version of this story,  click here.

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This is a story about roots. I wanted to know how Doug Henry became Doug Henry, the scrappy kid from New England who worked two jobs while trying to make it as an athlete. 

He was 14 when he entered his first race. He wasn’t a promising amateur prospect, his gear didn’t match, his bikes were held together by various fasteners found in the garage. He worked with what he had, not what he wanted.

And where did that grit and resolve come from? To figure all that out, I visited Doug in Connecticut. He took me on a tour of the places that shaped him as a man and a racer.

You can also read the print version of this article and see more photos of THE DAM.

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Join the FAST LIST and get free stickers sent directly from me (yes, for real!). Go to wewentfast.com/subscribe and sign up for the newsletter. Then check your inbox. The welcome message has the key to free decals

wewentfast.com/shop - quality hats, shirts, art, etc. This is how We Went Fast keeps going. 

Patreon.com/wewentfast. This is how you can directly help We Went Fast pay the bills.

Leave a 5-star rating and review! 

Tell a friend about We Went Fast. Share this podcast. 

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On August 1, 1982, an automobile/train collision killed three teenaged motocross riders in Ponca City, Oklahoma . Forty years later, memories of that white hot afternoon still haunt those who were there. 

Six years ago I received a message that said, “I wish someone would write about the boys who were killed at Ponca in 1982.”

I had no idea what he was talking about. But I knew I had to pursue it.

This is not a happy story. It was emotional to research, report and write. It’ll be emotional to read to you.

After six months of reporting and interviews with nearly four dozen people, I was able to achieve the ultimate goal and keep the promises I made to the families of Rick Hemme, Bruce Bunch and Kyle Fleming: I wanted the world to know about their children; who they were and who they wanted to be. Today, August 1, 2022, marks the 40th anniversary of this tragic accident. This story is a way to say to the boys they’ll never be forgotten.

This is the audio version of the story by the same title. The print version includes photos, court documents and other supporting materials. 

If you'd like free stickers from We Went Fast, go to wewentfast.com/subscribe. Sign up for the newsletter then check your inbox. The welcome message has the key to free decals sent directly from me. Fast List members are the first to know about new stories, podcasts and products.  

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Visit our shop for quality hats, shirts, art, etc. This is how We Went Fast keeps going. 

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Terry Pratt spent 35 years working on "Grand Prix Motocross" but died a few years after finishing it. In continuation of Pratt's legacy, We Went Fast reads Chapter 1 of his book. 

This show is a little different from the others I've posted. First: I didn’t write it. A man named Terry Pratt did.

He wrote an entire book about the 1972 World Motocross Championships and the chapters are broken into the individual rounds of the series, which detail his witty observations from the events, which he attended as a reporter on a very long European vacation.

I’m going to read the book’s foreword and Chapter One, which is the 250cc Grand Prix of Spain.

If you want to know more about Terry Pratt, after you finish this episode, listen to Episode #9, “The Curious Life of Terry Pratt.” That’s a story I wrote back in 2019 on this amazing unsung hero in the motorcycle industry. When I’m asked which of my stories are my favorites, I always point to this one. You can find the written version by clicking right here.

If you like this story and want to see more, I sell the book in THE SHOP. It’s only $40, the same price Terry sold it for 15 years ago when it was published. "Grand Prix Motocross: The 1972 World Championship Season" is an incredible book and a must own for all moto collectors. and it makes a great gift!

Purchase "Grand Prix Motocross: The 1972 World Championship Season"

When Pratt died in 2012, the book was thought to be gone forever and copies of it sold for well into the triple digits on eBay. But then I found the unsold stock sitting in a warehouse in the desert. It’s available at wewentfast.com/shop but only while the supply lasts. We won’t reprint it. It’s makes a great gift for anyone in your life who loves motocross history.

It’s been an honor to finish Terry’s work of preserving motocross history.

Here’s an excerpt from Grand Prix Motocross: The 1972 World Championship Season.

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wewentfast.com/shop - quality hats, shirts, art, etc. This is how We Went Fast keeps going. 

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Patreon.com/wewentfast. This is how you can directly help We Went Fast pay the bills.

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On April 27, 1996, Jeremy McGrath came into the St. Louis Supercross with a record 13 consecutive race wins. He was two wins away from a perfect season. But inside the Trans World Dome, Superman fell short of perfection. It was the only blemish in an otherwise dominant season and the rest of the world won’t let him forget it.

This is the audio version of the story by the same title. It includes bonus content, including audio from the ESPN2 race coverage of St. Louis 1996 (Art Eckman and David Bailey!) To read the printed version of this story, CLICK HERE. 

SUPPORT WE WENT FAST! 

wewentfast.com/shop - quality hats, shirts, art, etc. This is how We Went Fast keeps going. 

Leave a 5-star rating and review! 

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How did you find out about Jeremy McGrath doing the Nac Nac? And what did you think of it at the time?

For me, it was the weekly copies of Cycle News sold on the counter of MotoSports in Clio, MI. I was just a few weeks away from turning 15 when the 1994 Supercross season started. The February 9th issue featured the first published photo of McGrath doing the nac nac. Cycle News named McGrath their Rider of the Month and ran a small black and white photo of the champ swinging his right leg over to the left side of the bike while looking over at the crowd. He had MAC ATTACK on the back of his pants.

This is the audio version of the story by the same title, which was published here back in January 2019. The printed story is a great place to check out some fun nac nac photos. 

This show is brought to you by our friends from NOO COFFEE. NOO and We Went Fast share the same core values: good stories and good products.

Check out noocoffeeco.com to buy 10 packs of their single serve pour over bags. They're perfect anytime, anywhere, especially on the tailgate of your truck before or between motos.

Enjoy the show and thanks for listening. If you value these stories and want to keep them coming, buy products straight from the shop at wewentfast.com/shop. We Went Fast is a small (like, 83 square feet) independent brand devoted to quality.

Or, join me at Patreon.com/wewentfast. Patreon helps an independent creator like me produce content you care about.  From $3 to $25 a month, you can have a direct impact on what happens at We Went Fast. And I’ll reward you with some really great stuff.

We all remember where we were and what we were doing on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Beyond those chilling hours of trying to make sense of the news and horrific images it gets fuzzy.

This is a story about what the members of Team USA 2001 did on the morning of Sept. 11. How they reacted, where they went, what decisions they made. Or didn’t make.

It’s difficult to write a story about something that didn’t happen. Team USA didn’t go to Belgium for the 2001 Motocross of Nations. Heck, it’s hard to remember the story behind something that didn’t happen.

And that’s why I wrote a story about a team that didn’t go, about bikes that didn’t get ridden, about memories difficult to unpack. Telling stories isn’t always easy, especially when it’s something nobody really wants to remember.

Thank you to the 21 people interviewed for this and those who helped with the photo assets. Want to read the print story and see more of the photos of the Team USA bikes? 

You can find that at this link.

Help us continue to tell stories such as this one by checking out our apparel, hats and artwork at shop.wewentfast.com