The search for deeper meaning in Penton’s 1959 record-breaking transcontinental ride. John Penton, the motorcycling pioneer and legend turned 100 years old on August 19, 2025. To celebrate this milestone, we're diving into a 52 hour period of his long life, to ask him about the time he raced across the country as fast as he could. For photos, charts and video from this story, click here to check out the print version at We Went Fast Support We Went Fast shop.wewentfast.com – Find your next favor...
Aug 18, 2025•19 min•Ep. 34
Locals shine at Southwick but the brightest day in the track’s history is June 14, 1998, when Doug Henry and John Dowd won all four motos in their respective classes. This story is about that day Officially licensed John Dowd and Doug Henry merchandise accompanies this story, including a "Snapped" t-shirt and Signature Series autographed prints (available now at shop.wewentfast.com ). For photos, charts and video from this story, click here to check out the print version at We Went Fast Support ...
Jun 17, 2025•17 min•Ep. 33
Jeremy McGrath, the King of Supercross, relives memories from the building that gave him many crowning achievements. This show dissects and discusses McGrath's 8 Anaheim Supercross wins, including his first ever SX victory and his 72nd. Officially licensed McGrath merchandise accompanies this story, including a "Snapped" t-shirt and a new Signature Series autographed print (available now at shop.wewentfast.com ). For photos, charts and video from this story, click here to check out the print ver...
Jan 21, 2025•31 min•Ep. 32
Earlier this year, for over two hours, I sat at Jeff Ward’s dining room table and listened as he told stories of an era more than three decades behind him; his time as a member of Team USA with the Trophee and Motocross of Nations between 1983 and 1990. They were mostly stories of winning, but also the suffering, soldiering and salvaging he went through to get those wins. As he autographed the artwork designed in his honor (available now at shop.wewentfast.com ), the normally quiet Ward spared n...
Sep 18, 2024•26 min•Ep. 31
Have you ever wondered why Budds Creek MX Park has an obstacle called Henry Hill? This is the story behind how small errors, fatigue, pride, determination and a wardrobe issue caused Doug Henry to take the most notorious flight in motocross history. For photos and video from this story, check out the print version at wewentfast.com. Support We Went Fast shop.wewentfast.com – Find your next favorite t-shirt or piece of artwork. Leave a 5-star rating and review! Tell a friend about We Went Fast. S...
Aug 12, 2024•20 min•Ep. 30
Between 2005 and 2016, James Stewart completed just one full season of Pro Motocross in the 450 class: 2008. And in the days, weeks and months leading into that summer, he was dubious of being able to go the distance. His first three years in the class were disasters: it started with an uncompetitive bike and ended with a knee injury. In between, there was Ricky Carmichael, who refused to be beaten even as he headed into the sunset. It seemed like Stewart couldn’t win. Then he won everything. Fo...
Jun 28, 2024•31 min•Ep. 29
This is part 3, the final installment of a series with Marty Smith. These interviews were done by David Dewhurst for his book, “Motocross: The Golden Era”, which is available at shop.wewentfast.com and ships free to customers in the United States. Part 3 covers the end of Marty's racing career and his thoughts on the future. This interview series was done at Marty's house just two weeks before he and his wife died in a dune buggy accident at the Glamis Sand Dunes Among other accolades, Marty was...
Jun 04, 2024•37 min
This is part 2 of a 3 part interview with Marty Smith. These interviews were done by David Dewhurst for his book, “Motocross: The Golden Era”, which is available at shop.wewentfast.com and ships free to customers in the United States. Part 2 covers Marty's time as a factory Honda rider. This interview series was done at Marty's house just two weeks before he and his wife died in a dune buggy accident at the Glamis Sand Dunes Among other accolades, Marty was first ever 125MX Pro Motocross Champio...
Jun 04, 2024•35 min
Another release from David Dewhurst book, “Motocross: The Golden Era”, which would make the perfect Father's Day gift! It's available at shop.wewentfast.com and ships free to customers in the United States. This episode is Marty Smith's last interview, which happened at Marty's house just two weeks before he and his wife died in a dune buggy accident at the Glamis Sand Dunes Among other accolades, Marty was first ever 125MX Pro Motocross Champion, a title he won in 1974 and repeated in 1975. He ...
May 28, 2024•22 min
The best way to win a 450SX main event in 2024 (or even a single Triple Crown gate drop) is to cross that white line in no worse than third place. Surely, we’ve had a few too many cocktails with Captain Obvious but we’re here to share the data that some people think doesn’t exist. And don’t me Shirley. Read the print version of this story to see all the data charts that would be too damn boring to read in a podcast. Support We Went Fast Free stickers to newsletter subscribers....
Apr 24, 2024•6 min
Eli Tomac has now done something only ONE other rider has accomplished in the 50 year history of Supercross: he’s won a 450 race every year for 10 consecutive seasons. The other rider? Listen to the show to find out! See the print version of this podcast , which is filled with data charts. Garage Members got early access to this podcast. If you want to become a member, go to wewentfast.com/garage ....
Apr 10, 2024•4 min
David Dewhurst reads the chapter he wrote about Bob “Hurricane” Hannah, once the winningest rider in Supercross and Motocross history. Dewhurst's book is called “Motocross: The Golden Era”. It's available at shop.wewentfast.com and ships free to customers in the United States. The Golden Era is a 480-page coffee table book filled with 600 gorgeous images he captured as a photojournalist during a pivotal era of the sport: 1972-1985. I can’t stress enough what a masterpiece this book is and Dewhur...
Mar 29, 2024•24 min
NOTE: The statistics in this show are relevant after the 2024 Indianapolis Supercross but before the 2024 Seattle Supercross. Check in at wewentfast.com for updated info. It’s time to talk about this: we haven’t even reached the two-thirds point of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship and Jett Lawrence isn’t just in prime position to win the title; he’s in the hunt for the greatest rookie season of all-time. Support We Went Fast! shop.wewentfast.com – Find your next favorite t-shirt o...
Mar 20, 2024•16 min•Ep. 28
Why the final running of the Super Bowl of Motocross was the greatest race in the sport’s history. Rick Johnson goes from (almost) last to first; Wild man Guy Cooper (almost) wins; a unique but one-lined track with a short start straight and a first turn the size of a “phone booth” causes absolute carnage; Shots fired on the podium from Ron Lechien, and RJ is caught on a hot mic saying “You’d have to be a stupid idiot to follow these lines if someone faster than you was behind you.” And Larry Hu...
Sep 21, 2023•17 min•Ep. 27
This story is about Ricky Carmichael doing something even he thought wasn’t possible: a second perfect season. "I doubt if this will ever happen again," Carmichael told Cycle News after the 2002 Steel City National when he completed his first 24-0 run. The project you’re listening to right now started well over a year ago and began as a 20th anniversary celebration of that 2002 season. But the more Ricky and I chatted, the more we found ourselves riffing about 2004, his second perfect season, wh...
Aug 24, 2023•49 min•Ep. 26
"The Greatest Gamble in Motocross History" is the untold story of Ricky Carmichael’s shocking switch to Suzuki. What started as a deep dive into Carmichael’s perfect motocross seasons turned into a saga about one of the greatest mysteries of our sport: How did Suzuki convince Ricky Carmichael to switch teams? How did Honda let him walk? The basic surface details of this story are not a secret. Carmichael has discussed it often over the years but during the reporting phase of this project, we lea...
Aug 12, 2023•42 min•Ep. 25
"The Greatest Gamble in Motocross History" is the untold story of Ricky Carmichael’s shocking switch to Suzuki. What started as a deep dive into Carmichael’s perfect motocross seasons turned into a saga about one of the greatest mysteries of our sport: How did Suzuki convince Ricky Carmichael to switch teams? How did Honda let him walk? The basic surface details of this story are not a secret. Carmichael has discussed it often over the years but during the reporting phase of this project, we lea...
Aug 12, 2023•47 min•Ep. 24
In the spring of 1997, a mysterious 4x6-in. snapshot showed up in the marketing department of Oakley. The subject was one of their young riders, 17-year-old Ricky Carmichael, laying his motorcycle flat at the Silverdome. It was a mystery because nobody knew who took the photo. The decision to run with the image, including using it on a billboard in Southern California, made for one legendary tale that wasn't told for over two decades. And it turned the photographer, David St. Onge, into a cult h...
Mar 06, 2023•46 min•Ep. 23
It’s like déjà vu. Just like in episode 21, the idea for this story was just supposed to be a simple social media post. I was curious about how many different riders have held the record for most supercross main event wins. The list is even shorter than I thought it was. And I still ended up going overboard. So it goes. Thanks for listening and please leave a rating and wear We Went Fast swag from wewentfast.com/shop FREE STICKERS: If you'd like free We Went Fast stickers, go to wewentfast.com/s...
Feb 23, 2023•22 min•Ep. 22
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 ...
Dec 08, 2022•17 min•Ep. 21
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...
Oct 21, 2022•24 min•Ep. 20
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 rea...
Aug 01, 2022•57 min•Ep. 19
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 atte...
Jun 01, 2022•18 min•Ep. 18
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 Ba...
Apr 06, 2022•29 min•Ep. 17
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 t...
Jan 03, 2022•22 min•Ep. 16
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 ...
Sep 16, 2021•27 min•Ep. 15
Forty years ago a quartet of young Americans traveled to Europe and turned the World Motocross community on its head. Danny LaPorte, Chuck Sun, Donnie Hansen and Johnny O'Mara won the Trophée des Nations (250) on Sept. 6, 1981 in Lommel, Belgium and then the Motocross des Nations (500) a week later in West Germany. Episode #14 is a special collaboration between Racer X Illustrated and We Went Fast. “When We Were Kings”, was an article that ran in the September/October 1998 issue of Racer X Illus...
Sep 05, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 14
Fifty years after its release, Bruce Brown's motorcycle documentary continues to influence. From Malcolm to Masterson, this is a collection of stories from people whose lives were never the same after watching "On Any Sunday" This is the podcast version of the story under the same title. You can listen by clicking the play arrow below or you can search "We Went Fast" in your preferred podcast player. For the print version of this same story, click here. Please leave a rating and review and tell ...
May 09, 2021•43 min•Ep. 13
They told him not to. But when rookie James Stewart committed to jumping LaRocco's Leap on a 125, Jeff Kardas knew where to point the camera. This is the podcast version of the feature article “Ep. #12 Modem Killer: James Stewart vs. LaRocco's Leap”. Author, Brett Smith, reads the text. You can find this and the entire collection of podcasts by searching “We Went Fast” in your preferred podcast player. Looking for the PRINT version of this story? You can find that here: " James Stewart vs. LaRoc...
Dec 07, 2020•15 min•Ep. 12
Was the PW50 your first bike? It was for me! "Little Giant: The PW50 Story" celebrates the life and legacy of this iconic motorcycle, which turned 40 in 2020. It may have aged but it hasn't grown up. The Yamaha PW50 is a familiar piece of our childhood that we're passing along to our own kids. This is the podcast version of the feature article "Little Giant: The PW50 Story". Author, Brett Smith, reads the text. You can find this and the entire collection of podcasts by searching "We Went Fast" i...
Oct 19, 2020•38 min•Ep. 11
