On Saturday, June 16, 2018, PRE Track Days held their annual Airfence Fundraiser in the South Course Paddock at Virginia International Raceway. By the time the evening was over, PRE had raised $28,211 for the 501 (C ) (3) not-for-profit Roadracing World Action Fund. The monies will be designated to provide additional soft barriers to both Road Atlanta and VIR for 2019 and beyond.
The fundraiser began at 6:30pm with attendees browsing and bidding on the many silent auction items displayed under the big tent. Dinner followed and consisted of over 140 lbs of BBQ pork and chicken masterfully prepared by Cory Messerli and Kevin Lareau. There were also dozens of side dishes and desserts prepared by the small army of volunteers who helped to make the fundraiser possible.
Immediately following dinner PRE President, and the MC for the evening, John Allen, explained to the crowd in attendance how and why these fundraising efforts were begun back in 2012. This was followed by a short video that showed Airfence in use, and then proceeded to the live auctions and raffle drawings.
Dozens of items were auctioned and raffled, including a 4-day Texas Tornado Boot Camp, a PRE logoed canopy, helmets, boots, and safety gear, and the grand auction item of the evening: a wood slab that came from the historic VIR Oak Tree.
PRE President and co-owner John Allen explained how the funds will used. “Our plan is to send twelve sections of Airfence Bike Evo to Road Atlanta, and after that hopefully we’ll have enough money left over to send an additional five or six to VIR. Our fundraising efforts for the year aren’t over though, and we hope to add to this total significantly by the end of the season so that we can make some repairs to the fence that is already at VIR. A couple of the things I explained to the crowd that evening was about the two really big crashes we’ve had in the last year where the Airfence at VIR has made a significant difference in the outcome for our riders. Unfortunately, those crashes also damaged some of the Airfence, and we need to make some repairs to get it all back into top shape.”
Allen also said, “This is the seventh consecutive year we’ve held one of these fundraisers, and I’m pretty sure with the proceeds from this year our total number of soft barriers donated will exceed one hundred. That’s over 650’ of walls that can now be protected, walls that weren’t protected before. We’re pretty proud of that because it’s a milestone of sorts.”
PRE Track Days would like to sincerely thank all of our sponsors, and everyone else who supported this event. They include MotoAmerica, VIR, Colin Edwards and the Texas Tornado Boot Camp, Frontline Eurosports, Irish Racing, Westby Racing, Fast Frank Racing, Auto Interior Plus, PFC Brakes, Max Speed Cycles, Hazardous Racing, OTP Racing, Trackside Gear, Podium Motorsports, MotoNation, Capital Motorsports, Woodcraft, Apex Pro Photo, Pierce Metals, Allen Properties, Inc., Stowaway Storage, Nick Munson, Eric Stevenson, Paul Hagar, Tim and Sharon Saylor, Cory Messerli, Kevin Lareau, Joel Abernathy, Mike Ruhe, Joey Mooney, Nicole Del-Toro, Kyle Matthews, John Dunham, Shea Fouchek, Niccole Cox.
For more information on PRE Track Days visit www.ridepre.com, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RidewithPRE