Meet Brett

My name is Brittany Downey, Brett Downey’s oldest sister and I am going to give you a little background on my amazing little brother and the life that he led before the accident that ended his time here on earth on August 19, 2004…

Brett was born, Brett James Ethan Downey on October 13, 1992 in Wildomar, California to my mom and dad, Jim and Kathy. Brett was honestly the best little brother that God could have given me…he was always upbeat and smiling and he was absolutely adorable. We all knew very early that Brett would be an active little guy because before he could even walk he wanted to ride a bicycle.

Brett’s love for motorcycles began when my family went to a friend’s house for a barbeque. Our friends had a PW50 in their garage and at the age of three, Brett hopped on that motorcycle and refused to get off of it, so it came home with us that day. Bringing that bike home was the beginning of a new life, not only for Brett, but for our entire family as one bike turned into two, two into three, and so forth until at one point Brett had nine motorcycles in the garage. As a family, my mom, dad, Brooke, Brett and I would travel across the country annually for all of Brett’s nationals. We turned these trips into little vacations that we all had a blast on. We also made the local races so much fun as Mom would bring out the churro maker and hot dog machine. Brett had so many fans, with Mom, Dad, Me, Brooke, Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Art at the top of the list. We all hoped to see Brett some day accomplish his goal of racing professionally and when that career was over, becoming a fireman.

Not only did Brett love and have a passion for motocross, but he loved wakeboarding, snowboarding, going paint balling, swimming, riding his bike and of course playing video games. To Brett, just relaxing was a chore. Brett was a friend to all and would have done anything for anyone that he knew. Brett was also a devout Christian. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at Shane Kelley’s funeral in 2001 when he was only eight years old. He never went a day without his cross around his neck. In Ponca City this past year, the chain on Brett’s cross necklace broke and he seemed heartbroken, so he and my mom ran down to the jewelry stand in the pits and Brett picked out a new cross with the words “Let God Steer” across it, which is exactly what Brett did with his life. Brett let God steer on and off of the track and it brings peace to Brett’s family and friends to know that Brett dwells with the Lord in Heaven.

Brett made an impact on me that will always be with me. He was the most amazing little brother ever, he was my hero. I used to always kid around with him and tell him that when I grew up I wanted to be just like him, even though I was six years older than he. I am still Brett’s big sister, his death has confirmed many things in my life, most importantly my walk

We all miss him more than words can express, it is easy to get caught up in the negative side of Brett’s death, my family and I are going to miss out on so many events that we expected to experience with him, but on the more positive side of things…Brett’s death has given many people the most wonderful gift of all, salvation and eternal life through the acceptance of Jesus Christ, which is a gift that no one can put a price on.

Aside from receiving the gift of life… the gift of safety in the sport that Brett loved so much. My parents, family and friends decided that what we could do most to honor Brett’s life was to keep the sport around as long as possible and to make it more safe than it has ever been before. Please help us in honoring Brett and in keeping the sport of motocross a safe one by supporting the Brett Downey Safety Foundation. It is non-profit and all proceeds go towards motocross safety. Thanks so much for your interest and support!

– Brittany Downey