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For the past 2 hours, I have been trying to concentrate and do what needs to be tone to honor of the passing of our own Jack Bailey but this is one of the hardest things to do. This is something that hurts my heart and weighs heavily on my soul and mind. Dave Allen proposed we have a public section here just for Fast Jack so that his friends that are not TRR members could come and read about Jack. This section is dedicated to our friend, confidant, and eternal trail captain. From the moment I first met Jack and his dad George out on the trail, he has been one of my personal heros not only for his pure talent but his easy going personailty. He would stop to help novice riders and always offer advice and encouragement. He was a wonderful person and such a great ambassador for our sport.

Please come here and share images, stories, and favorite memories of Fast Jack.

Dear God,

A smiling gentleman named Fast Jack is knocking on your gates for admittance. You can probably hear him now. He will be joining his father, George, who has been there for a while and after they have had some time together, I expect they will soon ride out to your backwoods looking for the holy trail.

You don’t need to line up your angles to clear the trail, as Jack and George have been doing it for years down here on earth.

If someone wants to take up the sport, or needs their dirtbike tuned, Jack and George will gladly show them how it’s done, like they’ve been doing for years down here on earth.

If you need someone to organize and lead a trail ride, Jack and George will be glad to do it, and even provide a chili break, as they have been doing for years down here on earth. (I hope you have the ponds well stocked with fat trout, as Jack has been known to carry his rod and line.)

Be advised that Jack and George may raise a bit of a ruckus and mess up your clouds with knobby tires. But, when we look up from below and see the tracks in the clouds, we will know that they are out enjoying a trail ride, like they did for years down here on earth.

Granted, you have probably sensed that Jack’s warm smile comes with some mischief, but don’t for a second doubt that its not genuine and honest, as he was for years down here on earth.

Amen

LBL 200

I met Jack and his Dad about 16-17 years ago at Holly Springs 661A parking area . The greatest guys you could ever talk to . Jack was always giving out support to newbee riders . He would tell stories about racing all over the US. He will be missed by all , he was a legend .

Jack and I were doing one the MMC turkey runs several years ago and were stopped looking for a check and after we found it I went back to my bike and found the clutch lever zip tied to the grip. He took off laughing and I went chasing after him on foot and tried to pull him off the bike. I took me 1/2 an hour to find someone with a knife to cut it off. I finally caught up with him and when he saw me coming he took off on foot with me yelling at him "I'm gonna kick your a$$ Jack". Finally I got to laughing so hard at him running in circles away from me I stopped and picked up a limb and threw it at him calling him a butthead and we both were out of breath and laughing. Man what I would give to relive that whole thing all over.
I knew Jack a long time and he was a good friend and a great rider. I'm gonna miss that smile of his forever. Godspeed buddy,,hope the riding is good up there.

Now you can ride it all buddy, every road, every trail and climb every hill.

For Jack Bailey.

I would like to make a suggestion.
Suppose we take up a collection and instead of flowers we get a pw50.
When a young father walks into SKY thinking about getting his little
one started on a dirtbike, they tell him to just take " Jacks first ride" (or?)
for the weekend for free. The magnificent first rush of being on 2 wheels
that we all felt, would be in honor to Jack.
The dad would be back at the shop on monday to buy 1 anyway.
Or if someone here knows a father thinking of getting his young'en started
on the trail,they could take it for the weekend.
We could keep a small fund goin for repairs and I'm sure we could take turns
doin the repairs or upkeep so's SKY isnt out of pocket.
I dont know if this would be possible/feasible or not, just a suggestion.
Sure would be cool to have a little pw floating around with Jacks name on it
getting the little ones started on the right path. I think that would make
him smile up there.

Tony

I think that's a great idea Tony ....and very feasible.

Gary, thats a wonderful prayer, thanks.

I remember the first time I met Jack we were at Holly Springs and I had just started back riding dirt bikes and he was leading an organized trail ride that day. He took it real easy on us and we stopped for a smoke break (like Jack did often to let us slowpokes catch up). I had no idea where we were ..just in a creek bed in the middle of the forest. Jack without saying a word put his helmet on and just FLEW up this big hill .. I was AMAZED he made it look so easy. No one else even wanted tried it that day. It turns out we would go back to that hill many times before the place closed down and yeah I saw others climb it but none as effortlessly as he made it look. I thought Jack was just an OK rider until I saw that and from that day on I knew that he was a really good rider and taking it slow that day for our benefit.

After riding for LOTS of years I got into Dual Sport riding and he took us to the Ozarks for a little scenic ride. Well I am rolling along "sorta" keeping up with Jack. After about 10 miles, 2 rocky creekbeds, and a few log crossings Jack holds up to wait on us and when I get there I realize for no telling how long he was riding on a flat front tire. ... And I thought I was riding good. In fact one of the guys was just flat worn out and decided he wanted out, Jack finds a really old rutted trail up the side of the hill that would at least take us back to a gravel road but this ole boy was too spent to ride up it, So Jack not only rides his bike up the hill but he rides this worn out grown man about 3/4 the way on the back of his 640. YEP all the wile with a flat front tire.

Just a few memories (out of many) of the man ... the legend Jack Bailey

I can't stop crying watching the video at the head of this post.

These posts show the love we all had for Jack. And let's not forget he loved us back.

I don't remember when or where I first ran into Jack, it's been so many years ago. When I'm too old to ride, look me up at a Burger King or McDonalds in the morning and I'll bend your ear about Jack and the fun we had. We can share stories.

There is a void - an empty space where he stood.

We must not forget his family, wife, mother and children. We need to support them in this time of need.

This rambling must stop.

Great stories, Guys. throughout this whole ordeal with Jack, I have been manning the keyboard trying to give something back to Jack for the help and advice he gave me when I first started riding back in 2005. I hope my small contributions have done Jack proud. I haven't been able to sleep even though I am exhasuted and emotionally drained. It's hard to code and create photo montages with tears in your eyes. I have always stated to people when the topic of Jack popped up how I looked at him as one of my heros and luckily I got tell him that before he left us so soon. We shared a lot of laughs around the campfires at Loretta Lynn Spring and Fall rides. I don't know how everyone is bearing up but my heart is hurting and my soul is sick. Jack has laid his burden down and now it's time for him to cut some single track in the heavenly woods with George at his side.

I agree with Lin, Jack would be pissed if the race were to be canceled or individuals used his passing as an excuse not to race at Saulsbury tomorrow. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend as I will be out of town visiting my terminally ill aunt but will be with each of you in mind & spirit.

Like many who have already communicated their found memories of Jack, my introduction was very similar. I first met Jack at Holly Springs when returning to the sport some eight or nine years ago. He quickly singled me out and introduced me to others as we walked around picking up trash at 661A. I also remember him and his father making chili later that same day and thought how great this family was spending so much time in the woods together.

To this point, it goes without saying Jack is full of laughter right now as he doesn’t have to worry about any more forest service personnel on the endless trail he now enjoys. I’m pretty confident Jack is finding it difficult to locate any of them just to say… “I told you so.”

While thinking of a way we could honor Jack, I received the calling post from Dave regarding the victory lap at Saulsbury. This is a great idea and I’m sure it will help the healing for many. Again, I hate that I will not be able to participate but know he will be looking down with pride and pointing out to God all those who have a tendency to cut the trail!

I also saw a wonderful suggestion from stinkfinger and have to ask, shouldn’t we make this commitment to Jack’s two young children? What if we make it a point to ensure his son and daughter have bikes to ride through their early years and include them in our future events? I believe I read somewhere he was looking for a PW50. Does anyone know if he ever found one? If not, I think we make this one of our top priorities.

To Tom’s point, yes… Friday was a horrible day. It was my birthday but like so many, I sat on the edge of my seat praying for a miracle.

Riding will not be the same without seeing Jack’s smiling face waiting for me at the beginning of each trail head. God bless you Jack!

Mark

MiniTrail-I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of uploading your pics for you. I apologize about the image issue and will get this fixed when I can find a solid solution.

Jack was one of a kind. I know we all have alot of Jack stories. One day Lawman, Charlie Sauerman and myslef were riding @ Holly Springs. It was snowing that day and we were having a blast. The snow turned into sleet after an hour or so and we kept going. We came to the swamp area on the high side. This is right after the sandy section. I told Lawman to take my line even though it was nasty, had downed trees and you had to go through the brush. Lawman decided he wasn't going to do that line and was going through the swamp - bad bad move. He drowned his bike out in the water and killed the engine. We got it out and had to push it up the next hill. The bike was absoultely dead. We were completely out of breath and sweating when we got to the top. The sleet was now a steady rain and we were starting to get really cold. I was shivering and knew no way out but to go back the way we came and that wasn't an option. There was no way we were going to get that bike out of there. After about 30 minutes we hear a bike. You don't hear alot of bikes @ Holly Springs and I knew there were no other trucks parked @ 661G so I was very shocked when I heard a thumper coming. There is only 1 person I wanted to see on that thumper and that was Jack Bailey. Sure enough it was Jack by himself. Now I know Jack is no Angel, but he sure looked like one that day. He made a few typical Jack comments, looked @ the bike and then said he would be back. About an hour later, here comes Jack on a we-todd-it-4-wheeler. He towes Lawman's bike out of the woods onto a county road where there are 3 vehicles waiting for us. He helps us load our bikes and we get in the warm truck. At this point I was as cold as I have ever been in my life.

That's the kind of person Jack was. It messed up his riding day Helping us out of the woods that day, but it left an impression one me that will stay w/ me the rest of my life.

We'll miss you.

Good story.

We were working on the trails one day ( 15 years ago !!) . I was on a we-todd-it-4-wheeler towing a small bridge ( it was tied to my rear grab bar dragging the ground ) Next thing I know , my quads starts to bog the bridge was VERY hard to pull ! I look back to see what it was hanging on , and JACK rode his BIKE up on the MOVING !!! bridge , I was towing it at a quick pace !! then he rode off of it in a wheelie !! Fun times !!

Jack was always helping others to have a good ride, even at the expense of his own. If you rode with Jack he always made sure you had fun. Once during a "renegade" ride at Holly Springs with several newbies, he coached them through the difficult sections and even rode their bikes through when necessary. He did all that without complaint and without making the newbies feel inadequate. He made it fun for everyone. Of course, he stopped at every pond and caught a fish - that was the rule. I also saw him do something I have never seen before (and now probably never seen again) He would see a pine cone on the gravel road and somehow "flip" it 20 or 30 ft off the side of the road. I don't know exactly how it was done but it was a pretty cool move. My boss was along on this ride and thought it was pretty cool too. I think all of us who knew Jack realized that he was special in his skills and his personality. That is why so many of us were shocked to find out that this would come to such a sudden end. No......not JACK!! were the first words I heard from many of you the first time you heard this tragic news. There is not and never will be another like him.

Thanks Jack, for teaching me how to ride bikes and life!

I remember the first time I met Jack and his dad. It must have been '83 or '84 at Gaston (Pittsboro,MS). I was riding a CR80 and I can still remember the sound and feel of those big 500's when they'd catch and pass me. I also remember the ruts! It was hell getting an 80 through them but I thought it was cool how a motorcycle could "dig" them. He and I were just talking about this at the Iuka race the other day. He laughed and said "Those were the days!". Yep Jack, those were the days.
Scott.

3 years ago I started a thread on Advrider.com about how I, a dirt noob, decided to buy a real dirt bike and go racing. Some guy calling himself Fast Jack, located in "Mississippi-Armpit of the Nation", posted how it was the best thread on the whole site and how he'd really like to help out anyway he could. Soon enough, he posted one of his MSWS race reports in the thread. Now who knows what kind of nut you might meet on the internet, but Jack seemed like the genuine article - fast and willing to help - and I hoped to hook up with him and ride before my first race, just a couple of months after buying the bike.

That didn't happen. I met him at my first race ever on the way to the starting line. He shouted out "DC!" since I was easy to recognize on my clean Husqvarna. He said I don't have time to really give you any advice, but the best thing I can tell you is to breathe in through your nose and out of your mouth. I seemed to remember that from Jr High track. I wouldn't have finished that day if I hadn't have followed his advice. I wish he'd had time to tell me 20 psi was too much air in my tires. I think he lapped me 3 times that day, always shouting out "DC!".

After the race he asked me how it was and I said "horrible!". It was horrible to me. He told me how Sommerville was a middle difficulty hare scrambles course (now I know it's actually easy and he was just trying to make me feel better). It felt really good to have the guy who got 3rd place overall come and talk to me and give me some tips, especially about air pressure.

Jack was a great guy and one of the most unique people I've ever known. He was extremely nice to my son and really listened to the boy talk about his races. I'll always regret not taking him up on his offers of dual sport trips to the Ozarks. Even more so than Scot Harden, who I took a class from when all I had was the 640 Adv, Jack is what made me as good a rider as I am.

Thanks Jack, I'll never ride in the woods without trying to ride as you taught me. See you on the other side.

Its still hard to believe that Jack is gone. Although it has been several years since i have rode with Jack, it seems like just yesterday that I was in ahh watching Jack climb Mt Bailey at Holly Springs. I can remember when i bought my first thumper(xr600) and i laid it down at Holly Springs and could not for the life of me get that big bore cranked back up. Jack rode back to check up on me and jumped on my bike and splained how to get the piston on top dead center and give her a good kick and cranked her up in one stroke. After laying her down a couple more times and Jack having to show me again and again, I came to the conclusion that Jack must just be the god of thumpers and I was just never gonna get it right. But Jack, as usual, was very patient with me and I finally got the hang of it. Funny thing was, he said "you know, I can tell ya how to avoid this cranking issue again, just dont go down again"! We laughed and I said I would work on that real hard and smoked a cigarette over conversation about how to make that big, top-heavy machine go thru the corners without the front end washin out.
One more and I'll quit: Back in 95 or 96, I had the opportunity to go to Loretta Lynn's for the GNCC Nationals and watch Jack in action with some serious competition. The night before the race, I heard a knock at the door. It was raining pretty hard and very late in the night. I got up an went to the door and standing there soaking wet was Jack and his wife. He said that they had overbooked their room at the hotel and they had no where to lay down for the night. I knew Jack needed a decent place to rest for a tough next day of racing. So we cleaned off the extra bed we had and let them stay the night. Jack, as usual, was very gracious and said thank you about 100 times before he finally went to sleep. The next day he joked about being glad that Brian W. was out of room in that heep he had driven up there and again thanked us another 100 times. He won his class and came in the top 10 I believe overall and attributed his win on the great night of sleep he didnt have to spend in his truck. I'll never forget how gracious and humble Jack was being one of the best riders I have ever had the chance to be friends with. He will be greatly missed!

Jack had an easy going way about him and I liked the way he viewed life. Several years ago we were talking about taking a ride that required us to cross a section that the hikers had taken away from us. I was all woried about what would happen if we came up on a group of them and asked Jack if that had ever hapened to him. He told me it had and I am wondering if they yelled at him or through stuff at him. His reply to what did they do was "they got out of the way". I walked away smilling and had a great time on the ride with him.