Bob Malley

Spanning a period of well exceeding four decades, Bob Malley has dedicated himself to the sport and activity of motorcycling. In his early years of racing, both as an amateur and a professional, his competitive spirit, racing accomplishments and outstanding sportsmanship qualities were unsurpassed and won him the praises of riders, officials and fans alike.

Malley was born June 6, 1938 in Athol, Mass., and graduated from Stadium High School in 1956. He began his racing career in 1960, and by 1962 he was the leading scrambles rider in the Northwest. He went into professional racing the following year and at the end of the season ranked fifth in the novice standings. By the mid-1960s, Malley had achieved expert status in the American Motorcycle Association and was a leading competitor on the western racing circuit.

Most motorcyclists, however, remember the racing competitor as “Bouncing Bob”, who in 1970 became the Western Region starter for nationally-sanctioned American Motorcycle Association competitions. Malley decided to do something different and interesting for the fans. He initially got his “Bouncing Bob” moniker because his starting antics included a challenge to see how high he could jump above the motorcycles when beginning a race. Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel reminded Malley that as a starter “you are always a performer.” Malley took tumbling lessons and added cartwheels to his starting repertoire. The result was electric. Racing fans anticipated and loved the gymnastics performance as a prelude to the waving of the Green Flag. By 1982, however, electric lights had replaced Malley’s cartwheels and a motorcycle era came to an end.

Malley did more than race and start motorcycle competitions. By the 1970s, he was also sponsoring two local clubs. One, “Young Hotshots,” was for youngsters aged six to 16 organized to teach young riders the art of motorcycling and safe riding techniques. The second club, ironically named the “West Coast Nomads” by its McNeil Island prison inmates, was formed in 1969, and was the first of its kind in the federal penal system. The inmates conceived the program themselves as a way to combine their love of motorcycles with developing skills as mechanics.