Mark Barnett was one of the top American motocross

Motocross

Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...

 racers in the early 1980s. He won three consecutive AMA

American Motorcyclist Association

The American Motorcyclist Association is an American not-for-profit organization of more than 300,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights...

 125cc national championships between 1980 and 1982. He was a rider for team America in the 1983 Motocross des Nations

Motocross des Nations

The Motocross des Nations is an annual team motocross race, where riders representing their country meet at what is billed as the "Olympics of Motocross"...

 Championship.

Born in Bridgeview, Illinois

Bridgeview, Illinois

Bridgeview is a village in Cook County, Illinois in the United States. It is located approximately from the Chicago Loop. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 16,446...

, Barnett began racing as an amateur in North Judson, Indiana. In 1977 he started racing professionally when he turned sixteen, racing for the Fox Racing

Fox Racing

Fox Head, Inc. is privately owned action sports brand founded in 1974. Fox designs, develops and distributes clothing and accessories to over fifty countries primarily focusing on off-road motorized biking.- History :...

 team. By 1978 he was hired by the Suzuki

Suzuki

is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...

 factory racing team. Along with his three national championships, he also won the 1981 AMA Supercross

Supercross

Supercross is a motorcycle racing sport involving off-road motorcycles on an artificially-made dirt tracks consisting of steep jumps and obstacles. Professional supercross contest races are held almost exclusively within professional baseball and football stadiums.-History:Supercross was derived...

 championship. After retiring from competition, he began to design supercross and motocross tracks for pro riders like Ricky Carmichael

Ricky Carmichael

Ricky Carmichael is a racer known for his success in Motocross. He is currently competing in NASCAR. He drives the #4 Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado for Turner Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series and the #30 Chevrolet Impala part-time for Turner Motorsports in the Nationwide Series...

 and Ivan Tedesco. In 2000, Barnett was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame

Motorcycle Hall of Fame

The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association that recognizes individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction and motorcycling in general. It displays motorcycles and riding gear and memoribilia. The museum is located in...

.