When John Dowd slides on his helmet, nuzzles his fingers into his Spandura gloves and makes final adjustments to his kneepads and boots, he scours his competition.
Surrounding him are so many young riders, he half expects to be called “Dad,” even “Granddad.”
“I get that a lot,” said Dowd, who will turn 40 next month.
That doesn’t bother him. He’s still doing well in his last full season on the American Motorcyclist Association motocross circuit.
“As long as your body can take it and as long as your mind can, then why not keep going?” said Dowd, who is eighth in points this year in the 250cc class.
The journeyman racer from Massachusetts nicknamed “Junkyard Dog” has recorded 16 AMA victories since turning pro in 1988.
Growing up, Dowd’s path to the track was considerably different from most of today’s racers, who start racing almost as soon as they can walk. Dowd spent his youth helping out at his father’s junkyard business.
He remembers at age 5 scurrying around with a pail in one hand and a screwdriver in the other, looking for as many hose clamps as he could find. His dad gave him 5 cents for each one. He recalls coming home after school and helping his dad weld auto parts. He was good with his hands and good around engines.
“Heck, now these guys don’t even know how to change a tire,” he said.
Dowd caught the racing bug at age 21, when he went to a local Southwick track to watch his friend Jeff Ferreira compete. Soon after, Dowd purchased his first bike, a used 1984 Honda CR500. He won several local novice races, giving him reason to envision a hobby if not a possible career.
His biggest roadblock, however, was money; his bike kept breaking down. He got his big break in 1987 when a local dealer, Cycle Design, let him borrow their bikes to race.
“That was a turning point,” Dowd said. “I couldn’t have gone another year if I didn’t get help.”
He turned pro the next year.
In 1991, he suffered a broken leg in Michigan during the Red Bull Track-N-Trail, and missed the rest of the year and the beginning of the 1992 season.
“People told me I could not make it because I started too late and when I got injured, I got knocked down a few more rungs,” he said.
Dowd bounced back at full strength in 1993. His success led to contracts with riding companies such as Yamaha, Honda and now Suzuki.
Dowd continued to reach the podium, and at age 32 he recorded a rare feat of winning 125 and 250 motocross championships in the same season.
“I’ve never been naturally gifted,” he said. “I’m known as a guy that works really hard and gets it done that way.”
He is an inspiration for the younger guys.
“That’s awesome and unheard of,” Team Honda rider Andrew Short, 22, said about Dowd’s longevity. “To do what he’s doing is unbelievable.”
