David Bailey

David Bailey was the voice of ’90s racing, and he fought to preserve old-school traditional racing through the storm of Gen X.

David wasn’t merely defending the old system. He helped build its modern standard. Alongside Johnny O’Mara, Bailey belonged to the first generation of motocross stars to incorporate dedicated trainers and serious fitness programs, establishing the professional discipline riders would follow for decades.

Then, from the broadcast booth, he watched a teenager named Jeremy McGrath rewrite the formula. McGrath was fast, confident and somehow relaxed enough to throw a Nac Nac while winning. Bailey immediately understood that something different had arrived.

What followed was harder to embrace. Punk-fueled VHS movies, spectacular crashes and unknown freeriders began attracting more attention than racing itself. Bailey wanted that world kept separate.

His resistance gives the revolution weight in MOTO NINETIES. He isn’t an out-of-touch villain; he is a champion protecting the craft and credibility he devoted his life to building. But the movement refuses to remain outside the gates. Deegan ghost-rides across the finish, freestyle invades the stadium and Bailey’s protégé, Travis Pastrana, chooses X Games tricks over racing championships.

Through The Professor’s eyes, the audience feels exactly how radical, and threatening, the takeover really was.