Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, in 1936, West was a member of the U.S. Army in the 1950s, stationed in Germany. After his service, West was working for Florida Power when he bought his first motorcycle, a Honda 100 Scrambler. With a growing passion for both cars and motorcycles, he opened his own shop in St. Petersburg called Cycle Village. He also began competing in flat track, enduro, and motocross events, despite the fact that he was well into his thirties. He soon ventured into motorsports promotion, which is where he found his true calling, and began creating and producing events that helped shape the entire motorsports world as we know it today.
West’s first venture was the Florida Winter-Am Series, which he co-created with a fellow enthusiast named Russ Coe. Within a few years it became one of the most competitive and prestigious series in the entire sport.
In 1971, West helped convince Daytona International Speedway into adding a motocross event on their infield to run in conjunction with the Daytona 200 and serve as the final round of his Winter-Am tour. That event morphed into the Daytona Supercross, what is now the centerpiece of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. In that same year he began organizing a youth event called the Winter Olympiad, a multi-discipline event run over the Thanksgiving holiday that is now simply referred to as the Mini O’s and remains one of the single-largest amateur competitions in the sport, with more than 6,000 entries just last year.
Next for Bill West was Pro Motocross, as he began hosting southeastern rounds of that AMA-sanctioned series at tracks like Sunshine Speedway, in St. Petersburg, Road Atlanta, and Gatorback Cycle Park, in Gainesville. The success of those events and many other ventures led West to create SuperSports, one of the most highly respected motorsports promotional businesses in the world.
When Supercross began its expansion, West hosted rounds of the series inside stadiums in cities like Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, Miami, and more. When the various promoters of the Supercross tour decided to consolidate in the mid-90s under one roof, West’s World Sports company became a part of PACE Motorsports, and eventually became what is now Feld Motor Sports, a subsidiary of Feld Entertainment. West served as an advisor for supercross, motocross, and monster truck events for the rest of his life.
“Through his ground-breaking events and ideas Bill West introduced countless new fans and participants to motorcycle racing,” said Davey Coombs, President of MX Sports Pro Racing. “He was an incredible role model and mentor to many of us now involved in Monster Energy AMA Supercross, AMA Pro Motocross, and the new SuperMotocross World Championship. His contributions to each of these championships, as well as many of the major youth and amateur racing events across the country, will never be forgotten. Bill was one of the true pillars of American motorcycle racing.”
“The motorcycle racing community lost a friend, and another one of its modern era founders, in the passing of Bill West,” said Roy Janson, Commissioner of Motocross. “Bill was a larger-than-life character, who squeezed a lot of living into a single lifetime. He was a simple man who enjoyed great business success over his lifetime. His love of the sport of motorcycle racing left lasting contributions in the world of amateur motocross, professional motocross, and professional supercross. It’s a bit redundant to try to relist all the programs that Bill’s work and efforts influenced, but it’s correct to say that they include every major motorcycle racing program and series existing today.”
“Bill, most of all, enjoyed the love of his daughters, his friends, riding motorcycles, driving fast cars, and the endless support of his life partner, Sherry. He leaves us with a book of Bill West stories and memories, of all of the memorable times and travels that we experienced together. We’ll miss him,” continued Janson.
“It can’t be overstated how important Bill’s legacy is to the foundation of both professional and amateur motorcycle racing in the United States,” said Dave Prater, Vice President – Supercross, Feld Motor Sports. “Bill was a pioneer when the sport was in its infancy whose ideas, methods, and work helped establish Supercross, Pro Motocross and now the SuperMotocross World Championship. Bill was a visionary and to see the enduring success of events like the Daytona Supercross and Mini O’s is such a strong testament to that. The Daytona Supercross saw record attendance this past season and last year’s Mini O’s witnessed a record number of amateur entries and participation. Bill was a mentor to many of the sport’s modern-day leaders whose influence is still felt throughout the industry and paddock today.”
Bill is survived by his partner of 44 years, Sherry Dye, and daughters Holly Foerch, Rebecca West, and Amy West, all from St. Petersburg. Brothers Bob West, of St. Petersburg, Jerry West, of Lake City, sister Vicki West, of Clarksville, Tennessee, Sherry’s son, David Dye, and grandson Lawson.
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