Motorcycle racing legend Sammy Tanner passes away

From the late-‘50s to early-‘ 70s, those attending the motorcycle races which were held at the Rooks County Free Fair were fortunate to watch Sammy Tanner, aka “The Flying Flea” work his magic on the racetrack. Tanner, who, at that time, was a teenager from Texas, competed for a few years on the Midwest county fair circuit, tearing up the dirt tracks and making a quite a name for himself.

Doug Stewart, who now resides in Hays, met Tanner back in 1996 and was gracious enough to share his story with us.

“When I was a kid growing up in Stockton, and watching the races every summer at the county fair, you simply could not help but be a fan of Sammy 'The Flying Flea' Tanner! Sammy always rode a 750 BSA, or on occasion a 750 Triumph.

I'm pretty sure he was the first person from which I ever asked for an autograph.

Sammy had a great deal of success on the Kansas county fair circuit, but he also had a great deal of success all over the country as a Grand National flattrack star.

He won seven Grand National races in the ’60s and ’70s, with one of his biggest claims to fame being winning the very first Ascot 1/2 mile, a place that became legendary among racetracks.

Ronnie Jones, a good friend of mine, won the last Ascot 1/2 mile before they shut the track down for good.

I was racing the Del Mar, California Mile in 1996 and was talking to Steve Morehead, another famous racer, when Sammy Tanner walked up and said hello to Steve. Steve then asked if I knew Sammy, and introduced us. Before I could tell Sammy we had met many years before, Steve jumped in and said, ‘Doug, tell Sammy where you are from!” I said, ‘Stockton, Kansas,’ and Sammy lit up with a big grin on his face! He said, ‘I love that place!’ We were fast friends after that! I would see Sammy from time to time at different racetracks around the country, and we always had a good laugh about how cool the Stockton races were.

After Sammy retired from racing, he became an Arai Helmets national distributor… a career that was a natural for him and made him quite wealthy. His estate still owns the business today.

When I was on the road racing all those years, I always told people I was from Stockton, Kansas. It didn't matter if I was living in Colorado at the time, I was from Stockton, Kansas. I don't think most people in the Rooks County area realize just how famous our racetrack is all over the country. If you talk to someone who has raced there, they will tell you what a great place it is, and if a person has not raced there, they will tell you it is on their bucket list!

The racing history at Stockton is something to be proud of.” —Doug Stewart, #55

The following article about Tanner was taken from a Facebook post by Howie Zechner.

Sammy Tanner 5/23/39 – 9/21/23

A massive stroke has claimed one of America’s most-loved two-wheel warriors with the passing of the “The Flying Flea,” Sammy Tanner.

The seven-time Grand National Champion, Sammy Tanner was born in Houston, Texas, on May 23, 1939. A race fan since early childhood, Sammy bought his first motorcycle and started racing it at age 14. At only 5 feet tall and 100 pounds, Sammy was a fierce competitor, with his weapon of choice a 500 cc Triumph.

As a teenager, Sammy competed in the dirt track races on the Midwest county fair circuit. One night an announcer told the crowd that Tanner was a rock 'n' roll star from Texas. The comment was a huge hit, which had many of his fans asking about his singing and where they could buy his record. Sammy was no dummy, so he quickly wrote a song and cut a record based on his nickname, “The Flying Flea.” Fans loved the song and Sammy would sell autographed copies of his record at the race track.

Sammy Tanner qualified as an AMA Expert In 1958 and began competing for the title of Grand National Champion. That first year, he finished sixth in the circuit. In both 1958 and 1959, he was the top points earner in AMA half-mile races.

When Ascot Park (in Gardena, Calif.) opened its half-mile track in 1959, JC Agajanian received a long-distance collect call from Sammy asking to be put on the program. Rumor is, Aggie paid his expenses to drive from Daytona, Florida to his California facility. It ended up being a smart move as Tanner not only won on opening night, but he followed it up by winning five of the next six events held at the Ascot half mile. Called “The King of Ascot” Sammy became the local hero after he broke the long-held eight-mile race record by six seconds, and won the first AMA Grand National race held there.

From 1959 to 1966 Tanner competed regularly at the Ascot Park weekly races and won four Grand National Championships on the half-mile track. Very popular, his white racing leathers had a guitar emblazoned on the back, and yes, Sammy still sold copies of his record to the fans after the races. The ultimate souvenir—an autographed copy of his record—is still a highly-valued collector’s item.

Over his career, Tanner campaigned Triumph and BSA motorcycles, and won a total of seven AMA nationals, including the prestigious Springfield Mile. His astonishing life-long record had Sammy winning 408 regulation AMA races, and 67 Trophy Dashes by the time he retired from competition in 1972.

Sammy Tanner was inducted into the AMA and Trailblazers Hall of Fame and still did personal appearances at various tracks and reunions. A hardcore fan, Sammy was a regular at the City of Industry Speedway motorcycle races. On any given day you could find him working at his company, Sammy Tanner Distributing, supplying Arai Helmet to the racers and the public.

Rest in Peace, Sammy Tanner…all will miss “The Flying Flea.”

With deep respect,

Howie Zechner