Larry Brooks was teammates with all 3 riders and this is what he wrote on vital mx. By the way they have about 10 pages about that tragic day on vital in the old school forum in case anybody is interested.
Larry Brooks:
Holy crap, I heard this was on this page. I just read this post and I started crying.......I mean I got a bit emotional, I don't cry (I'm lying). Wow, that was a crazy time in my life. I lost two of my teammates and good friends Rick and Bruce. I wasn't super good friends with Kyle, but he was just coming on and always around. And "The Duke", he was a really good friend. I used to ride with him and Jim at this track near my house in Alhambra, but the track was in East L.A. and a bad part of town. And yes I was in the car and got out to do an interview with Hal (the announcer at Ponca City). We were going to Sonic Burger and when I went to go do that interview they were suppose to bring me back a burger, fries and a shake. After the interview, I just walked around.........you know I really have no idea what I was doing. I just remember walking around and throwing rocks and stuff that kids do when their bored and alone. Sooner or later I walked over to the in-pound area were are the bikes were and I knew my Dad was over there.
That story above was just the way I remember it. Me and my Mom were just talking about this the other day. She was saying that she thought I was dead because they thought I was Kyle (same color of hair) and I guess they couldn't make out the face. But my Aunt was there and thinking much more clear than my Mom and said "that's not Larry" and they took off back to the track were me and my Dad were waiting for the whole protest bullshit to be done with. I remember the police taking Ralph Bunch to the side and telling him what had happened. I'll never forget the look on Ralph's face. And my Mom, I thought she was going to pop me like a grape, she was hugging me so tight.
Later that night I remember going Ralph Bunch's room at the Holiday Inn. My Dad and Mom took me over there to talk to him and they were drinking beer and smoking cig's like crazy. Ralph started talking about riding and what I needed to do to be better. He was in such pain, now that I think back. He was just holding the tears back. I think we were all trying to hold them back, but I wasn't doing a very good job because I just couldn't stop crying. Rick's Mom and Dad and family where out of there, they took off right away and I didn't see them till the funeral. Rick was still alive and they had Life Flighted him to some hospital pretty far away. I have no idea where Kyle's parents were. I didn't know them like I knew the Hemme's and Ralph and Bruce. Sad day in the world of Amature motocross.
That was to quietest drive home that we ever had. No fighting, no talking, nothing. Just driving in silence.
I could go on and on, but I really can't right now. I have to work. We have a bunch of testing going on this week.
