Tony Armada - R.I.P.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 9:12AM Tony Armada will be missed by many, me being one of the many.
I have been riding IOTMX now for about 12 years. When I first started I used to watch some of the “OLD GUYS” race in the Super Geezer (+60 and +70) classes. Tony Armada was just one of the guys I used to marvel at how he still wanted to get out and do battle with his friends on the track.
I used to watch Tony and always told myself I wanted to be like that and still go racing at his age.
One of the best things I can remember about Tony is that he always had some good stories to tell. They were not all about the races either, just stories of life. It was always a treat to go visit him on the weekends of racing when we were camping at the track. He would sit by the fire in his pit until late at night talking, laughing, well making me laugh anyway and just B.S.ing in general. I would laugh so hard sometimes that I remember my sides would hurt. I can remember more than once after spending hours laughing I would look at the clock and think holy smokes it is almost 11pm! Then I would look around and realize all the other Old-Timers had gone to bed.
His famous phrase to me was, “these kids now days are punks”, they use guns now to get into fights. He used to tell me how when he was younger they got into fights but had some honor. Maybe some ruffian would bring a knife or a chain but nobody ever brought guns to their fights. I was entertained but realized what an era and rough neighborhood Tony must have grown up in. They were little gangsters and hoodlums running around his neighborhood but they had some respect and honor in everything, including fighting with each other.
So I assumed Tony was still fighting and doing battle in his own way just as he did in his younger days, only now he did it on the track. His new ruffian buddies were all the other Old-Timers in his class and he liked it because they still had some honor and respect in the way they choose to do battle.
Tony has moved on to a new battlefield and I am sure his new adversaries will soon learn from Tony how to compete against him with Honor and Respect.
Godspeed Tony and Thank You for being a part of my life,
#33