MY BLOGS

The AMA (American Motorcycle Association)Sportsman of the Year Award was presented to the riders of the Grand National Championship main event held at the DuQoin, IL Mile,

Tragedy struck the Grand National Championship series in DuQuoin, when rider Davey Camlin, of Rock Island, IL, perished in a crash during qualifying. Riders Kevin Atherton, Brett Landes, Johnny Murphree and Gary Rogers were injured in the same crash.

Reeling with grief over the loss of Camlin and their injured fellow racers, the remaining riders agreed to cancel the Grand National Championship race, and instead held a non points-paying, 10-lap exhibition race for the fans.

Prior to the start of the exhibition race, the riders left the pit area one at a time, and in tribute to Camlin, headed in the reverse direction of a regular race. The riders then came back to the start and rode a full-on, 9-lap race for the fans. On the last lap, the leading riders positioned themselves in a straight line, crossing the finish line at the same time.

The riders then returned to the front-straight, lined up facing the crowd, and removed their helmets as Camlin's Gardner Racing teammate, Dan Stanley, and his mechanic, Greg Crow, took a checkered-flag lap aboard Camlin's backup bike. Following that lap, nine-time Grand National Champion Scott Parker recounted Camlin's career, and informed the crowd that the riders were contributing their purse money to Camlin's family.

                                                  - UNTILL WE RIDE AGAIN DAVEY-