The Roadracing World Action Fund, a 501(c)3, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting motorcycle racing safety, has been able to purchase 30 additional 30-foot sections of inflatable Airfence soft barriers thanks to a surge in donations led by Most Valuable Contributors Brooks Gremmels/Shogun Enterprises, Fred & Adrienne Bittner, and Mark Brereton. Gremmels’ $20,000 contribution helped put the Action Fund over the top to meet the $84,000 price tag for the new sections, and brought Gremmels’ total over four years to $34,150. With their most recent contribution of $2900, Fred & Adrienne Bittner’s total now stands at $12,050, the couple having contributed enough to pay for a one section of soft air barrier every year since the “Racers Take Action” campaign began back in 2001. Mark Brereton’s program to donate $5 from each RoadRACE DVD sold brought in another $1100, bring Brereton’s total contribution to $5115. Twenty-one new Action Fund contributions made “In Honor of Vincent Haskovec” brought the total of Haskovec-inspired contributions to 50, including $1000 each from racers Josh Hayes and Jeff Wood. A repeat donation from David Celento and Rebecca Henn /CelentoHenn Architecture & Design came in with the following letter, as a reminder of why deploying soft air barriers is so important: To: Roadracing World Action Fund Re: Airfence vs. Medical Insurance Deductible Please find the enclosed check for $100, bringing Celento Henn’s Action Fund contribution total to $200″¦ I had the pleasure over Memorial Day weekend of standing up, hosing the mud off, and scrambling to make my next race instead of taking an ambulance to the hospital. What a delight! Had USGPRU not run regularly with Formula USA, I’m sure to have hit the Armco, and there would be more than a few pieces of hardware to get me and the bike back in running order. I start the tale with a confession I am the Princess rider”¦ I do laundry and keep the garden pretty at home, while my husband keeps up maintenance on all the motorcycles two 125s, and a variety of streetbikes. Shy on keeping records for the new (to us) Honda RS125, I seized a piston going into Turn 1 during practice. My mechanic and his assistant (the redoubtable Merle Eschman, IV) replaced the cylinder and piston in time for me to make the 20-minute race that day. Unfortunately for all riders in the GT Lights race, we all sat on the cold pit revving our bikes for an extended period, watching the thermometers rise before going out on the track. To cool down the bike, I took it easy on the “warm up” lap (since I did have a new piston”¦) Green flag for the race, right turn, right turn, right turn, slight left turn, right turn, slow left turn, right, right, quick lef”¦. pavement, mud, Airfence. I will let my mechanic go into the gritty mechanical details on the USGPRU forum ( http://www.usgpru.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1275 ), but the direct cause of the crash was water geysering out of my head at one bolt location, and spilling down into the belly and onto the left side of my tire. I heard “that sound” “zzzzziiiiinnnnggggg” that I dread (Who says it’s hard to highside a 125? I’ve done it three times!), and I was on the ground, winning the day’s gold for belly-sliding speed. I got that great on-board camera view you know, worm’s eye view on the track, looking at two guys coming at you, hoping you’ll slide out of their way”¦ I did slide, and slide, and slide through the mud puddle and into Airfence. Though most spectators gave me the solemn face when I asked about the crash, it was a piece of cake. Though I still have a football-sized bruise from the footpeg, there are no other injuries. Many, many thanks for the Fund, the execution, and all the guys who helped install the ‘fence before the weekend. Rebecca Henn A/A USGPRU #40 The 450 Honda Dirt Tracker Raffle continues, with total tickets sold at 714, for a total of $7140 added to the dirt track fund. Sponsors of the 450 Honda Dirt Tracker raffle who have donated to the project include: J&M Frames, Concord Honda, First Klass Glass, Weiss Racing, East Coast Wheels, SuperTrapp, Wakula Racing, A1 Cycles.com, Bettencourt’s Honda-Suzuki, Sideways Promotions, ZEKE Design, Fast Plates and Traxxion Dynamics. With 2286 tickets still available for purchase, the drawing is scheduled for October 1, 2005 at the Duquoin Mile. Summary of Recently Posted Contributions (Contributor comments and dedications are included below with their listing.) Road Race Shogun Enterprises/Brooks Gremmels $20,000 Wegman Benefit Fund $5000 Fred & Adrienne Bittner $2900 Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. $1500 Komodo Racing $1500 RoadRACE DVD/Mark Brereton $1100 Jeff Wood/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $1000 Josh Hayes/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $1000 Sharkskinz Racing Bodies $1000 Arroyo Seco Motorplex $925 Bob Robbins $750 “Track safety has come a long way, but improvement needs to be a never-ending process.” Tommy Hayden Shirt & Hat Auction $500 Doug Kamholz/In Memory of Buster Roberts $500 Ian Gunn $500 Road Racer X $500 Motorcycle Daily $500 Anonymous at 2005 U.S. GP $417 Jeff Gruetter $250 Bart C. Moore/LRRS #440 $250 “To all present and future racers hoping you never need to use it.” (WERA BBS aka the Machine; Speed BBS aka BCM440.) Fastrak Riders $200 Sliderphoto/Jack Beaudry $155 Andrew C. Dirkes $100 Marshall Morgan $100 “This is for ALL the riders hanging it out even knowing most tracks in America aren’t as safe as they could be.” Patrick Ferrill/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $100 Geoff Underwood $100 “Dedicated to my dad Rick Underwood #95” Rick Fairbairn $100 David Brunton $100 Celento Henn $100 William M. Murphy/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $100 Dan R. Azar MD, MPH/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $100 “So as few of us as possible have to face the same challenge – for I doubt many of us are as brave as he. Get well soon – Dan.” Sylvia M. Salenius/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $100 Walter Nash $100 Michael Taradash $100 William Cody Brown $100 Marshall Skloss/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $100 “How many gravel traps and Airfence sections could’ve been purchased with Vincent’s medical bills? Now he may never walk again, and for what? So some greedy bastard who never had the balls to turn a wheel can save a few dollars? Too bad you can’t enlighten the unconscious.” Mike Herndon $75 Darrin Talbott/Dedicated to Jeff $60 Peter Rollins/For Gianpaolo Gentle $50 Erik Daniels/On behalf of Brad Hochhalter $50 Jimmy & Amy Gannon/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $50 Robert Robillard/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $50 “Viva Vincent!” Gary Neuer/Helmet House & Bruno/Suzuki of Van Nuys/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $50 Nolan Ballew/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $50 Mark White/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $50 Thane Stielow $50 Mark Gardner $50 Margaret Cavin/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $35 Matt Dowling $30 Michael Miller $30 Eric Putzier/WERA BBS Mongo’s Beer Fund $25 “Congrats Nicky!” Kai Chiu/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $25 “Get well soon, Vincent!” Carl Andersen $25 Paul Pascarella $25 Michael Neuhouse $25 Jane DeMartini $25 Duane Hixon $25 William Diberto Jr. $25 Ken, Jean & Kari Siderio/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $25 “Get better soon!” George Shoblo/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $25 Jeff Krueger/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $25 “Get Well Soon, Vincent.” Aaron Loyd/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $25 Nathan Richmond $25 “I hope this helps.” Phillip Kamp/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $25 “For Vincent H and all the racers out there.” Michael Ryan $25 Jack Knight $25 Hayden McLean $25 Kevin Gray $25 Jeff Heller $20 Michael Morgan $20 Peter Young $20 Kai Brown $20 Ethan King $15 Andrew Elder $5 Dirt Track Jeff Krueger/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $25 “Get Well Soon, Vincent.” Phillip Kamp/In Honor of Vincent Haskovec $25 “For Vincent H and all the racers out there.” July 27, 2005 Accounting Details to Date Road Racing Expenditure Details Direct purchase of soft barriers: $209,600 Shipping/Customs: $9,992.02 Bank Fees: $384.05 Air Fence* Deployment Crew Training: $700 Transportation & Installation: $5577.78 Corporation/Business Fees: $612 Online Auction Fees: $221.99 Printing Education Materials – $346.42 Misc Supplies: $39.59 Donation to AMA Pro Racing for Air Fence: $104,104 Total Spent: $331,577.85 Total Donations Collected $355,341.55 Misc. Income $117.38 Cash on hand: $23,881.08 Dirt Track Expenditure Details Direct purchase of soft barriers: $28,800 Shipping/Customs: $2717.72 Transportation & Installation $2174.77 Total Spent: $33,692.49 Total collected: $30,674 Cash on hand: <$3,018.49> All administrative costs, including the percentage taken by credit card companies on credit card donations, have been absorbed by Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. Airfence is a registered trademark of Airfence Safety Systems Australia.