Bill Spencer
1941 - 2001

 There will be a celebration of Bill Spencer's life Wednesday, July 4, 11:00 am, at the Media
 Center at Laguna Seca Raceway. This is the same location as Ricky Graham's services were
 held. Please tell your friends. Any questions please Email me.
 Rod        Dirttrack4@home.com
 
 

With great sadness I have been told that Bill Spencer has passed away this morning from a
 heart attack. Bill was the racer’s friend, the fans friend and the promoter of good will for the
 motorcycle fraternity.
 He will be missed dearly, God Bless You Bill….
 For more information contact
 Mike at (408) 281-0788
Gene Romero
 

Myself and many Palo Alto Motorcycle Club members meet Bill shortly after high school and
 he started hanging out with us and going to the races. Bill had found his love with being at the
 races and getting to know all the riders. He has been a great friend to all of us and has
 enlighted and amazed many with his knowledge of who and what was going on in the
 motorcycle world. We will miss you Bill............
Ramon Porky Perez
 
 

In losing Bill Spencer we have lost a great voice, a great encyclopedia of racing knowege and
 a great friend. We all have our memories of Bill. We can all honor him by trading those stories
 over beers after the races. God Bless, Bill. We will miss you.
 The Rudy Family
 

Our sport has lost a treasure that will never be replicated.
 Godspeed my friend
 JB Norris
 

I beleave I speak for many feeling the loss of a friend. I don't remember the day but it was over
 30 years ago when I met Bill ... many stories...good times.. a great voice for our racing  family.
 Marty Lewis
 

Goodbye and God Speed Bill, I shall miss you.
Dale Lineaweaver
 
 

We are all saddened by the loss of 'Big Bill'. He has been an icon in the motorsports world for
 many years. Now, he can announce all those heavenly racers....Godspeed Bill, you will be
 missed.
Yarrow Family
 

 We are deeply saddened to hear about Bill. he truly was a great friend to racing over the
 years.he had racing in his blood. God bless him....
Mickey Lane
 

This morning I lost an old friend. Bill and I go back to the sixties and the day when scrambles
 tracks were carved out of hillsides. Back then Bill was the photographer and I was the
 announcer. A couple of years ago, Bill commented that after all these years we had switched
 places. Just the other day Mario Rinaldi said to me that we don't see too many of the old
 guys any more. Sadly, that's so true. Bill, you touched so many lives, thanks for being my
 friend. Godspeed!
Bob Bacosa
 

Bill signed me up at 14, 31 years ago at Hayward Speedway. I never would have raced if I
 hadn't met Bill. I am one of a thousand kids with a story about Bill, and how he helped
 them. Godspeed Bill, the races will never be the same without you.
Rod Lake
 

Rod your are so right. Bill let me sell Cycle News for him at Fremont Raceway so I could earn
 enough money to buy a 60cc Yamaha. I sold but off all year. At the end of the each night Bill
 would give my cut to my Mom to make sure I would'nt spend it. That winter we got that 60cc
 Yamaha and I race the piss out of it. Thanks Bill for giving me the opportunity to do what I  love.
 You will be missed.   R. Bacosa
 From the entire Bacosa Famly: God Speed Bill.....
 

 GodSpeed A Great Man In Ourlives
Trapper McDaniel
 

My sincere best wishes to a big man that lived for the sport he loved so much, he knew
 everything about everybody, at Hanford 2 weeks ago at the end of the A main I ask Bill if he
 was do for a beer and he said what kind? I said Coors Light, he said no thanks I'm a
 Budman...I wasn't gonna force a Coors on that man...Godspeed Bill...
Jim Grant
 

I am very saddend to hear the news about Big Bill. My earliest memories of Bill are from the
 old San Jose indoors and Fremont marathons. I got to know Bill personally after becomming
 a race promoter in northern cal. Bill was a person I could look to for advice wheather it be
 Motocross racing or flattrack, I am very greatful to him for the time he took to help me and my
 race organization I will miss him, but I know that with Big Bill, Harold Murrell and the others
 we have recently lost there will be some awesome races going on above us. Godspeed Bill,
 Thank-you for eveything.
 Matt Lorenzo
 

 Am very sorry to hear about the passing of Bill. He will be trully missed. My thoughts and
 prayers go out to his family. God speed Bill.
Michelle Lineaweaver
 

Competing in AMA District 36 in the mid-60's - 70's, you couldn't help but know Bill. Riding
 Lodi, Hayward, Fremont and many of the other Northern California events, you'd always see
 his byline in Cycle News with a great report of the race, and, every now and then you'd run
 across your own name when you made the cut. The majority of the time, it was spelled
 correctly (!) and you knew it started with Bill.
 I hadn't seen Bill in roughly 28 years but happened across him by accident at High Five Pizza
 in San Jose. I'd been to the WoO show at San Jose and was sitting at a table with Brent
 Kaeding and friends when I heard Bill's voice across the crowded bar...he was giving a running
 commentary of the night's Outlaw show as the video tape played on the TV. I asked Brent
 who it was and when he told me it was Bill, I had to go up and say 'hello' as I'd never really
 thanked him for all he'd done for the sport (Hell, I was a teenager in those days and we
 weren't usually smart enough to say 'thanks' even if we were picking up a trophy!). We had a
 little reality check and he asked my name, which I rattled off, and he promptly spelled it back
 to me...correctly...and without hesitation. With a last name like Cuthbertson, it's not the
 easiest thing to do! We relived some of the old days...brought up some of the other riders of
 the era...and said goodnight.
 It was good to renew a friendship and say thanks...and it's really sad to say goodbye.
John Cuthbertson
 

I met Bill in 1964 - He was a big kid and a motorcycle racing fan. He was THE
 PHOTOGRAPHER . I saw Bill become more polished as a photographer - writer -and
 announcer through the years. We were good friends as he was to hundreds. Some things
 never changed - his outgoing personality and love of our sport. He was always the same Big
 Kid. What a loss for all of us. Godspeed Bill
Wally Weisler
 

Bill was always in the middle of the action, dedicated to the sport we all love so much.
 Whenever I saw Bill I felt as though we were back in the 70's, which was the heyday of our
 sport. Godspeed big guy, we won't forget you.
Dennis
 

So many races,so many memories, Godspeed Big Bill
Bob Hill
 

The big guy seemed invincible. Thanks for your time with us, we'll miss you! GODSPEED
Al De Hoyos
 

Bill always showed great respect for all the racers and the sport of motorcycle racing. He was
 a great announcer. He always had the answers to any questions of or about racing and
 racers. The racers in the sky have gained one of the best announcers there was.
God speed,  Bill. We'll sure miss you.
Eddie and Jodi Mulder
 

Bill was an encyclopedia of motorcycle knowledge. I tried to stump him more than once, and
 never could. Bill was a friend of mine for as far back as I can remember, our family will miss
 him.......Bill Arbogast....

I remember racing at Fremont in the early 70's when Bill was the referee/promoter/track
 photographer. He DQed me for cheating in practice. I took my 500 BSA out in the 250
 practice, that is when he DQed me. The bad part was, I parked my bike and went back to
 complain and he said he would have let me ride but I had a beer in my hand right then. I have
 had lots of good memories with Bill and he will be missed.
Eric Weisler

I remember way back in the 60's Bill rode a 441 BSA Victor. We use to hang aroung the old
 Hayward, Fremont, Lodi TT's. He was a referee (AMA), I think, and would keep point totals for
 the riders, etc. I know for sure-- he cared a lot for DT and the people involved. Always keeping
 an eye on the progress of amateur riders as well as pros. He was the track photo guy too. He
 took some fantastic black and white 8x10's. Thanks Bill I've still got mine and thanks to you,
 they provide great memories. He hung out at Sonny Kenyon's, partied with the
 greats - Roberts, Brelsfords (Mark and Scott), you name'em he knew them. He will be greatly
 missed.
AD

Bill  was Bill. He treated all people alike. It did't matter if you were National #1, Blackplate #1, or a
 360 novice. He loved racing and the people involved with the sport. Bill  was and will alway's be
 part of my fond memories of racing and growing up. Thank's for the memories
Old 20M
 

I think back to all those Dist. 36 races I use to go to during the
'70's-80's, and I remember always seeing Bill there.  Bill knew everyone, if
you were at the races, either as a rider or part of the pit crew, Bill would
remember you.  He would always have the time to say hi to everyone, and
everyone was treated the same.  Even when I got away from motorcycles and
racing for a period, and I hadn't seen him for over ten years, Bill stopped
to say hi, and had a story to tell me about the "old days".  Bill will be
greatly missed by everyone that met him, as will I.  Godspeed.
                                                    Manuel Datan
 
 

Big Bill Spencer
 I met him at San Jose Speedway he was one of the greatest announcers I have
ever heard and I have been to many dirt tracks as well as Indianapolis,
Talladega. Bill made every racer he announced sound like he was the next AJ
Foyt. He had a name for everyone, From Randy the Hurricane, to Quick Nick
Rescino. The best part about Bill as an announcer you could here him over
the cars his voice boomed with excitement. We use to meet at High Five Pizza
several times a week and talk about the good old days of Al Pombo, Marshall
Sargent, Johnny and Jerry Freitas to Joltin Johnny Brazil. He was a history
of racing and it was all in his head. But the thing I remember most about
Bill was his friendship he always had a big smile and always made room for
my wife Sharon to have a seat he was a class act and is missed.
God Speed Big Bill ....

SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Ya
                                                                  Joe Vargas
 
 
 
 

Very few people have dedicated their lives to dirt track motorcycle racing as much as Bill Spencer.
He lived, breathed, drank and slept motorcycles.  I never knew anyone that you could count on more to be at every race
and to deliver top quality, professional pictures of riders.  When he would come to me with a picture of me
and my fellow racers around me on the track, I would look in my pocket and say, "It's a hot dog and a coke or a picture."
 Most of the time I bought the picture.  I could always eat later, but his pictures were eternal.
Bill was the first person you saw when you were coming out of a turn, flash bulb and all.
He always had a smile on his face.  And with his booming voice, you knew he was around.
Bill was a good friend of mine and will forever remain in my memories as a good guy who loved the sport or motorcycle racing.

Bill Landsborough
billlami@aol.com
 
 

My family met Bill In 71-72 at a Fremont TT. There had to be 700 or more riders.
We saw Bill at 2-3 events every week for the next 5 or so years. Started roadracing in mid 1980 and who shows up, Bill.
He loved every form of racing. And he still remembered the Kane family.
Bill Spencer! What a guy.
The Kanes will always remember you
 
 
  I knew Bill since 1968 we met at the old Fremont scrambles track....I
liked having race pictures of myself and Bill took good ones...As the years
progressed we would always visit at all race events.....I really miss those visits........Bill Calicura 

  Tribute to "Big Bill" by Larry Lawrence