Jim Pomeroy (November 16, 1952 in Sunnyside, Washington - August 6, 2006 in Yakima, Washington) was a professional motocross racer. In 1973, he became the first American rider to win a FIM world championship motocross race when he rode a Bultaco Pursang to victory in the 1973 250cc Spanish motocross Grand Prix. At the time, European riders still dominated the sport of motocross and Americans weren't considered as talented. The news of his victory created a huge wave of excitement in America where motocross was undergoing an explosive growth in popularity. His victory signaled that American motocross riders were ready to compete with the best in the world. He retired from competitive motocross in 1980.
In 1987, Pomeroy was a passenger in a vehicle that was involved in a crash that left him with permanent damage to his back. Still, his involvement with the sport remained constant as he competed in vintage events conducted motocross schools throughout the Northwest. His extremely outgoing nature and tremendous sense of humor made Jim a most welcome speaker at motocross events worldwide. Pomeroy was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. He raced with AHRMA till his death after mid-Ohio in 2006.
On August 6, 2006 Pomeroy was killed when his Jeep rolled in a single vehicle accident near Yakima, Washington.
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“Just kids! That’s about the craziest argument I’ve ever heard. Every criminal in the world was a kid once. What does it prove?”
—Theodore Simonson. Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr.. Jim Bird, The Blob, responding to the suggestion that they not lock up the teens pulling the alien “prank,” (1958)