Career
With his long hair and Southern California surfer looks, he was a popular figure among race fans. Born in San Diego, California, Smith first appeared onto the motocross scene by winning the inaugural American Medical Association 125cc National Motocross Championship in 1974 and followed that up with another 125cc title in 1975. Smith was runner-up to Bob Hannah in the 1976 125cc national championship.
A serious crash at the Houston Supercross in 1978 left Smith with a broken hip.
He finished third in the 500cc National Motocross Championship that year, but never recaptured his championship speed. He raced for Honda for one more year before switching to Suzuki for the 1980 and 1981 seasons.
He retired at the end of the 1981 season. Smith stayed involved in motorcycling.
Smith was inducted into the American Medical Association Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.