Person of the Week “Legends” Mo Parsons
Vol. 2, Issue 23
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Photos by: Greg Guarinello, Scooter Kizer, Dave Kommel, Matt Polito, Larry “Rabbit” Smith, and unknown.
Mo Parsons, The Innovator
By Keith S. Kizer
Life is far more complicated than one can imagine. I’m sure we have all sat and pondered, “What If” many times. In the world of motorcycle drag racing, I grew up with IDBA and NMRA being the best the sport had to give. Not to take anything away from these great sanctioning bodies but in my own personal opinion, the peak of professional motorcycle drag racing came between the years 1990 through 2002 with Prostar. At our peak, Prostar had an average of 525 bikes per event (back when few ran the same bike in two classes) and we hit a high of 5,000 real spectators at the Atlanta event in 1998. The manufacturer’s midway, if lined end to end would have stretched over half a mile and included all four major Japanese manufacturers plus a who’s-who list of aftermarket suppliers. The events at Chicago which featured eight factory semi’s and demo rides and a 1/2 mile flat track race are some of the best memories. Those truly were the best days of the sport.
I say all of that to say this. None of that would have ever happened had it not been for Mo Parsons. Had it not been for Mo Parsons, Terry Kizer would have never started drag racing. Terry and I would have kept dirt track racing and Prostar would have never existed.
Born December 7, 1944 in Pasadena, Texas, LeMoyne (Mo) Parsons was a quiet, non-emotional person who was a perfectionist at his craft. Mo was a multi-time Pro Mechanic of the Year during the early glory days when Byron Hines, Elmer Trett, Jack O’Malley, and Bill Hahn, Sr., to only name a few, where the geniuses of the sport. Mo was the innovator and/or perfecter of many of the products used to this day. Although Terry Kizer enjoyed great success with Jack O’Malley and Orient Express, his accomplishments with Mo Parsons have never been matched by a single team. To date, they are the only Pro team to set a national record at every single event for three years straight. They were the first gasoline powered vehicle to ever run a 7-second pass, including cars. They also had the first trailer ever used in motorcycle drag racing. The other Pro teams all used box vans. Terry estimates that they put over a quarter of a million miles on that trailer and wore out four trucks in the process.
Those who competed in the 70’s will remember the dominant team of Ken Tipton (founder of MTC), Mo Parsons, Terry Kizer and Ted Hofmeister (the original Mr. Turbo). They were known for their straw cowboy hats and colorful uniforms, but mostly for their innovative technology and record performances. The team set many records and won numerous NHRA, NMRA and IDBA national events and championships and, as mentioned earlier, laid claim to the first ever 7-second gas powered motorcycle.
Other memorable bikes photos:
In 1994, Terry and Mo were in between projects, so Mo agreed to serve as the AMA/Prostar Tech Director in 1994 and 1995, as depicted in the below photo, featured on the cover of the 1995 Rulebook.
Towards the back half of the 90‘s, Parsons & Kizer were back to building innovative bikes, and at the close of the 1999 season, they agreed to field a factory supported team for John Hoover at Kawasaki. After a 72 hour, around the clock, dash to finish bikes for the 2000 season opener, Mo fell asleep at the wheel of their new semi and trailer and crashed into a forest of trees in the median along the panhandle of Florida, nearly killing both Terry, who was in the sleeper, and himself. Inside were four bikes that were destroyed and the racing careers (well at least at the track) of both Parsons and Kizer ended. The two, who were “Best Man” at each other’s weddings, remained inseparable friends until the end. Early in the morning of July 5, 2006 at the age of 61, Mo died from an aorta aneurysm that led to multiple organ failure.
If the statement is true, “He who dies with the most toys wins,” Mo was a contender. Since Mo and his wife Mary Ann never had children, he was dedicated to high performance fun. Toys that were sitting in his garage the day of his funeral included a 2006 Daytona Charger (possibly the fastest in the country at the time), a 13-second 4WD Chevrolet diesel truck, and a custom painted Gold Wing (chromed out the wazoo). He had a 2007 Shelby 500 on the list as his next weapon of choice. As Terry put it, “you could beat Mo on the street once…never twice.” He had the fastest cars, boats, and motorcycles in Houston, period. Basically if there has ever been a car that you have only dreamed to own since the 60’s, Mo had a brand new one when they came out. He was not a wealthy man, but made a good living, lived a modest life, and spent money on his passion, Speed.
For me, some of the best memories of Mo was when we all goofed off outside of racing. In 1982 following the NMRA race at Orange Country Raceway in California, the Parson’s, Kizer’s and Hofmeister’s decided to spend a day at Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park between West Coast race weekends. We all got on one of those rides you stand up in as it starts spinning with enough centrifugal force that they drop the floor as you are stuck to the wall. This is about the time we learned Mo had an equilibrium problem and he passed out. There was nothing any of us could do except watch as the floor came up and the ride came to a stop and Mo slid to the floor unconscious. Once the ride stopped, 30 seconds later he woke up. We didn’t ride anymore spinning rides.
About that same year was the popularity of the 3-wheelers. Of course, we couldn’t have just any ole three wheelers. Mo and Terry hot-rodded out a pair of Kawasaki Tecate 250’s and I had a Honda 250R. We were all riding in a cane field that had narrow trails carved out for riding. I got to this one particular trail first with Mo behind me and Terry behind him. After several minutes, I could no longer hear Mo’s engine, so I looked behind me and there was no one. Apparently one of the tall thick canes caught Mo’s right handlebar and sent Mo through the cane field, breaking his collarbone. By the end of that summer, all three of us ended up in the hospital from wild 3-wheeler crashes. We stopped riding 3-wheelers.
The day we laid Mo to rest was another turning point in my life. Terry and I were the last two people to leave the cemetery. As we sat in the truck looking out over the scene, we briefly reviewed how we got into this sport and debated whether it was time to move on. One month later I was offered and accepted the job as the Senior Director of Racing at the AMA. Albeit a decision I would somewhat live to regret, it was one that was made in the wake of Mo’s death. A lot has changed in four years and the memories of what Mo Parsons did for the Kizer boys will never fade. Those of you who were lucky enough to spend any time with Mo can relate to another great motorcycle drag racing pioneer that was taken from us far too soon.
If you are interested in being featured as person of the week, contact Dave Schnitz
Previous Features:
Thomas Gates
Tony Williams
Patrick Chabaud
Bradd Gott
Jerry Cooper
Greg Stephens
Lewis Bloom
Dave Page
Cecil Towner
Debbie Knebel
Jay Regan
Les Stimac
Walt Timblin
Mike Lozano
Fred Collis
Boo Brown
Steve Rice
Ronnie Procopio
Peggy Llewellyn
Cliff Jones
Jennifer Robertson
Mark Doucette
Al Omond
Steve McBride
James Rester, Jr.
Don Plesser
Ashon Dickerson
Greg Pollard
Dave Vantine
Brunson Grothus
Tim Hailey
Dan Rudd
Sebatian Domingo
Daniel Burchett
Greg Smith
Dave Conforti
Erica Edwards
Dave Beck
Chris Hand
Rick Moore
Roger Gordon
Masa Yokota
Bob Carlson
Augustine Herrera
Santa Claus
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