Born and raised in Salinas, California, he turned his hobby of riding motorcycles into a successful racing career.

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He built a reputation as one of the most versatile motorcycle racers in American Motorcycle Association racing during the 1980s and 90s. He is one of only four riders in AMA racing history to achieve the "Grand Slam," which is a prestigious title that identifies someone who has had national wins in each of the five grand national racing disciplines– short track, TT, half mile, mile, and road race. He became a three-time AMA Superbike Champion, was a top competitor in the 500cc Grand Prix World Championships (now called MotoGP), won an AMA Supermoto Championship race late in his career, and was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2006. 

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Towards the end of his professional racing career, he opened a motorcycle riding school. He taught new riders how to improve their skills, and experienced racers how to improve their times. His main goals were to teach people how to become better, smoother, and most importantly, safer riders. He ran this school for about seven years before transitioning to opening his shop—

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