Sparky Edmonston
1951 - 2008
The following notice is from the family of Sparky Edmonston:
Please join us in remembering Sparky Edmonston on Saturday, January 10th, 2009, at 1:00 pm at Christ Lutheran Church,
25816 Tournament Rd, Valencia, California. Immediately following the service there will be a short reception at the church.
Following the reception there will be a party at J-me and Jesse's house to celebrate Sparky’s life with friends, family, dinner
and drinks.
Forwarding for the family of Sparky Edmonston:
The Edmonston family would like to take this opportunity to thank the Trailblazers for all the support and love we have received.
Sparky was so proud to be a member of Trailblazers. People outside the motorcycle community could never understand the family atmosphere.
Thank you for inducting Sparky into the Hall of Fame. It meant so much to us.
With love, Karen, J-me and BJ Edmonston
I am deeply saddened to inform the flat track community that Sparky Edmonston passed away.
Sparky’s long involvement in flat track started as a racer out of Bakersfield, then with his father’s (Red) Lectron carb.
He wrenched for Kenny Roberts and was Ricky Graham’s mechanic on the RS750s. He was inducted into the Trailblazers Hall
of Fame in March of 2008. I meet Sparky while working on Diehard 2 in Denver in 1990.
He became a Studio Teamster and he and I spent many hours sitting on a tailgates, bench racing.
Godspeed. dennis vft
On December 23 Sparky Edmondson lost his life to melanoma cancer. Sparky was a great friend and avid Flat Track fan,
supporter and contributor. Sparky had a good run in Motorcycle Racing including Flat Track; He put together the Suzuki
Flat Track program with Ronnie Jones back in 1981. He was also the factory mechanic who took Ricky Graham to his
second GNC title while at Honda. My win at Indy in 1976 was the result of Sparky talking Mert Lawwill in trying a
new set of Lectron Carburetors. Back in the 70's Sparky, Roberts and our family's spent a great deal of time together.
Many great memories. Sparky also spent time in Europe building and maintaining bikes for Roberts Flat Track school.
One year ago Sparky's dad, "Red" also lost his life to melanoma cancer. Red was the inventor of the Lake and Lectron Carburetors.
Our prayers are with his family.
Godspeed Sparky. You are already missed. Mike Kidd
We are very sorry to here about anyones loss especially during the holiday season.
Christmas will always be extra ordinarilly hard for Sparkys family & I wish them my very best.
We as a family tip-toed around this very sadness last night with my Mom in her first
Thanksgiving & Christmas without Dad.
Keeping his memory alive with Sparkys Family is all anyone can do.
Time... will turn tears to smiles & only the best of his life & times will remain.
Sorry again for your loss. Art & Brenda
I have only heard about Sparky but my thoughts and prayers go out to the Edmonston family.
God Speed Sparky. Audrey Hauser
I had the fortunate pleasure of meeting Sparky of all places at a short track in Victorville, Cal. I had hear of him but had
never meet met and when I did he appeared much younger than I had thought. Godspeed Sparky. Jim Grant
Always ready to try something new and / or take a chance.
Sparky has been an inspiration to me for as far back as I can remember.
We are slowly losing our best.
Godspeed Sparky.
With great repsect,
Dale Lineaweaver
I saddened to hear of Sparky's passing. I'll never forget the good old days at Sprockets park in Bakersfield in the late 60's.
I always called him the "BANDANA MAN" for his trademark bandana he wore before it was fashionable.
He would show up on an imaculate Triumph. Godspeed Art Carter 54r
I knew Sparky from his diaper days as Bill his dad worked for my Dad, and Sparky for me at Pierce Motor Center in our
Monrovia store, he in fact built his own bike for Xmas in the 60’s he built thinking it was for somebody else, guess who was
surprised at Xmas we have been close for 57 years and he drove to Fresno to surprise my mom for her 80th birthday
and Bill & Frosty then arrived. It has been a tough year for him I’ll sure miss calling him up to cheer him up,
cancer has sure taken a lot of old & young friends in the last few years, let’s all chip into the American Cancer Society
so we find a cure the other choice sucks. Glenn Pierce
I was saddened to hear of Sparky's passing. Sparky Edmondson was without a doubt an excellent racer, tuner, and setup man
as evidenced by his life involvement in racing. I enjoyed the time we spent talking about race setup for Pomona
as well as the bench racing about all the racing that he and I had done in the past (somehow we got better as we got older).
He was with some of the greatest racers of all time and was a walking book of knowledge about race setup as well as racing history.
Our industry has lost a good man. I'm glad to have called Sparky my friend. God speed Sparky.......Tom Horton
How saddened and shocked I was to read of Sparky Edmondson's passing. He was one of the good guys in our sport.
Although I hadn't seen Sparky in more than 20 years, I have great memories of him when I was an editor at Cycle World and
always looked forward to getting together on different projects. He always made me laugh and his all-around knowledge
of motorcycles was most impressive. Years back when I lived in Laguna Beach, he and I worked on a Lectron carb article
but then we spent much of the afternoon doing wheelies up and down my street to see who could wheelie the furthest.
He wouldn't give up and finally beat me and drove away happy. I'm sorry now that I never ran into him through the years
since he's gone way too soon. RIP Sparky. My sincere condolences to his family and many friends. He will be missed.
D. Randy Riggs
If you would like to leave a memory of Sparky, email me at dennis@vft.org
Brian Uchida, Sparky, Tom Horton and Rod Lake.
Standing: Sparky Edmonston, Tom Horton, Bubba Shobert, Rod Lake, Chris Rudy, Kenny Eggers, Gordon Rudy and Bob Connett.
Front row: Brian Uchida, Sammy Tanner, Niece, Kathy and Dan Rouit, and Digger Helm.
Sparky, Mr. and Mrs. John Hateley and Mr. and Mrs. Springsteen.
Jim Felice and Sparky. Tom, Sparky and Gene.
Sparky and Terry Dorch Tom Horton, KR, Sparky and Gene Romero
Sparky and John Hateley
Edmonston family at Sparky's induction at Trailblazers.
Young racer Edmonston.
