Tom White Memorial Ride

White has been inspiring motorcycle enthusiasts for decades, as evidenced by the hundreds of people who came out to Glen Helen on November 11 for White’s memorial ride at Glen Helen. Mixed in among regular SoCal locals were 5-time world MX champ Roger DeCoster, famed dirt-trackers (and On Any Sunday stars) Gene Romero and Walt Fulton, former factory Husqvarna motocross racer and fellow AMA Hall of Famer Mark Blackwell, off-road legend Scot Harden, Yamaha’s motorsports manager Keith McCarty, and KTM North America president John Hinz, among many others.

Attendees gathered in the track’s main building prior to the ride, where one of White’s dearest friends, longtime Motocross Action magazine editor Jody Weisel, offered a touching tribute that was heartfelt and unexpectedly happy in its tone.

“I think if I took away anything from the Tom White experience with cancer, it’s that you’ve got to live while you are dying, Weisel told the crowd. “You’ve got to do the things that you want to do. Tom made a list of the things that he wanted to do. He said, ‘I’d rather live for two months and live life to the fullest than live six months in pain.’

“He wanted to race,” Weisel continued. “He wanted to ride his dirt-track bike. He wanted to see his granddaughter born. He wanted to go on a road ride. And in between chemo and feeling bad, he was able to go and do every one of those things. So, when he died, I didn’t really feel like it was a loss.”

So, with surprisingly buoyant mood, riders headed out to their bikes for a lap of honor to White’s legacy. Mixed in among contemporary motocross bikes, like the Honda CRF450RX I rode, were dozens of vintage machines, and the sound of air-cooled thumpers and the smell of Bel Ray two-stroke smoke was thick in the air. It was a fitting and glorious way to bid farewell to the respected and loved Tom White.

White’s daughter, Kristin Anderson, intends to honor her father’s legacy by continuing to operate the Early Years of MX Museum and supporting White’s philanthropic efforts.

“We’re humbled by the turnout,” Anderson said appreciatively, “but it’s not a surprise because we know that he had a really big impact on the sport. Seeing everyone here really helps us kind of fill the void that he left. He has had so many whose lives he touched. He wanted us to celebrate (not mourn) him, and that’s what we’re doing.”

“Even at the very end he still did not complain about anything,” DeCoster said about White. “He was matter-of-fact, and he was planning what he had to do, but he never said, ‘Why me?’ We all complain about things that we shouldn’t, and Tom was the best example of being positive no matter what.”

“We hope that Tom’s life story serves as inspiration to everyone that fierce determination and good will can yield a life extraordinarily well lived,” the White family said in a statement upon the passing of Mr. White.

Tom White’s life and the way he lived it should be an inspiration to us all. His bravery, passion and enthusiasm never waned even as his days came to a close. Godspeed, Tom, you’ll be dearly missed.