His victory at Sears Point (riding a Kawasaki) made him the youngest rider to ever win an AMA Superbike national at 18 years, 8 months of age. He won the Sears Point and Laguna Seca rounds of the series and finished third in the championship. Spencer also raced Superbikes for the first time that season.

He went on to win the 250GP title that season over Eddie Lawson. On June 16, 1979, Spencer won his first AMA National, the Lightweight (now called 250 Grand Prix) National at Loudon. As a teen, Spencer began concentrating on road racing and continued winning by earning national amateur and club road racing championships. By the time he was 11, Spencer had already won numerous regional dirt track racing championships in Texas and Louisiana. Young Spencer became a racing prodigy, learning to ride at 4 and entering his first races at age 5. Spencer was born December 20, 1961, in Shreveport, Louisiana.

He was the only rider to win three major races during Bike Week at Daytona International Speedway (the Superbike, Formula One and International Lightweight races in 1985), the youngest rider to win the 500cc Grand Prix World Championship (at 21), the youngest rider ever to win an AMA Superbike race in 1979 (age 18) and had the longest span between AMA Superbike victories (just under 16 years). In addition to winning three world championships, he was the only rider ever to win the 250cc and 500cc Grand Prix World Championships in the same season (1985). 1983, '85 500cc World Road Racing Champion.įreddie Spencer, or 'Fast Freddie,' as fans called him, will go down in history as one of the greatest road racers that America ever produced.

Don spence professional bike racer 1983