Tony DiStefano
Tony DiStefano (born February 6, 1957) is an American former professional motocross racer.[1] He won three AMA 250cc National Motocross Championships.[2]
Born in Bristol, Pennsylvania, DiStefano was the son of a motorcycle shop owner and began riding motorcycles at an early age.[1] He began his professional racing career in 1973 on a privateer CZ. The following year, he led the 500cc motocross national championship for most of the year before an injury relegated him to second place behind Jimmy Weinert.[3] His strong performance earned him a job with the Suzuki factory motocross team.[3] With Suzuki, he proceeded to win three AMA 250cc national championships in a row in 1975, 1976 and 1977. DiStefano also won the 1975 Inter-AMA championship.[3]
At the end of 1979, DiStefano seriously injured his eye in a home construction accident. Despite being nearly blind in one eye, he made a valiant come back. Afterwards, injuries began to take their toll and DiStefano retired from competition after the 1981 season. He continued his involvement in the sport by starting a motocross school for young riders in 1982. In 1988, while practicing at a track in New Jersey, DiStefano crashed, broke his back and became paralyzed.[1]
Today DiStefano continues to teach his motocross schools traveling around the United States. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.[1]