The Worst Tragedy in Motocross History Happened in Oklahoma

Years ago, in the world of motocross, Ponca City used to be more than a dot on a map.

As the Dog Days of summer rolled around in August, thousands of amateur motocross riders looking to earn their way to the pros descended on that town for a week of wild motorsports. It was the center of youth racing and the final proving ground of the year where dreams could come true.

For those who lived there, there was a mix of opinions. Kids loved it. It was a week where we ran around town on minibikes as if we owned the night. The adults didn't appreciate it as much, as you can imagine how stressful trying to navigate a town full of wild kids could be, especially after dark.

PCOK doesn't experience this week of racing anymore. Track owners and the AMA/NMA had rumored contract issues for years, and the organizations moved the event to different locales in the years since. But even though the race is long gone, the tales from the days of Ponca's NMA National Championship series were legendary, including the story referred to as the "darkest day in motocross history."

In 1982, Ponca City became the site of motocross's worst tragedy.

On the Sunday when all of the teams start showing up for the week-long event, three up-and-coming teen riders - Bruce Bunch, Rick Hemme, and Kyle Fleming - died in a crazy accident off the track.

Their van collided with a train in Ponca, just down the road from the racetrack.

At the time, and it certainly stayed this way for decades after, there were no crossing arms to block traffic, and the overgrown brush didn't provide much visibility down the tracks. At 4:45 in the afternoon, the unimaginable happened.

The young riders weren’t just participants in a race. They were kids chasing something big. Their names still live on in quiet conversations among those who remember.

In the motocross world, where injury and risk are part of the deal, this hit differently. It wasn’t a crash on the track. It was a gut punch off of it.

The accident sparked real conversations about crossing safety, especially around small towns and temporary event sites that draw heavy seasonal traffic.

Some say it prompted improvements in visibility, signage, and more proactive caution near temporary venue traffic zones. Others just remember the eerie silence that hung over the races that year.

While it still remains the "darkest day in motocross," the accident helped reshape a community.

Ponca City kept hosting the championship until it was taken away when town leaders bit the hand that fed them for so many years. What remains is a sleepy little dying town.

It’s been more than forty-something years now, but it still lingers in the memories and stories of a once-great Oklahoma event. It's also a cautionary tale that gets passed down to the local youth - my nephews included - when they want to go goon-riding on their dirtbikes around town.