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The 2023 Hammer Award went to Brad Lackey, the only American win the International Motocross Championship. The road to success would make a terrific movie.
Motocross was a European sport, brought to the U.S. in 1966 where no American could challenge their skills. But Brad was a prodigy. In 1970 he was offered sponsorship by CZ, a Czechoslovakian company and at 17 he went with them, behind the Iron Curtain to train. Back in America he missed the National Championship by one point. In '72 he switched to Kawasaki and won the AMA Motocross National Championship hands down.
From there he went to go to Europe to compete with the best, and bring America the title. It took ten years, missing the title several times by the narrowest of margins.
He and his wife traveled from track to track, raising children on the autobahn in a motorhome. It's just an epic tale and an inspiration.
It was a joy to work with Brad and Lori to create this portrait.