Fritz Kling, who is best known for racing the factory Harley-Davidson VR1000 AMA Superbike alongside teammate Miguel Duhamel in 1994 and for finishing as runner-up in Formula USA and AMA Super Teams Championships in the mid-1990s, has been diagnosed with inoperable terminal brain cancer. “It’s inoperable,” Kling told Roadracingworld.com Thursday in a telephone interview from his home near Lansing, Michigan. “They can’t get to it [tumor], period. They’ve done all the radiation [therapy] they can do. Now, whatever happens happens.” Kling is already a survivor of brain cancer, as he had a tumor removed from the rear of his brain in 1995. “But this one is worse,” said Kling. “They can’t get rid of it, but they did surgery [May 21, 2007] to relieve some pressure.” Before the surgery, Kling had started to lose the function of the left side of his body, preventing him from working. (Kling worked as a contractor.) The surgery halted the paralysis and brought some (but not full) function and strength back to his left side, but periodic seizures and intense headaches not only prevented him from working but also from even driving a car. All of this has led to a nightmare situation for Kling and his wife Tina and their two sons, Cory, 16, and Caleb, 5, as they are facing incredible financial hardship on top of Kling’s terminal prognosis. “He’s a tough guy. He’s never asked for help,” Kling’s life-long friend Brent Hurst told Roadracingworld.com. “They’re maybe going to lose their house to foreclosure for not being able to meet the bills. He worked hard to build that house, and I would hate to see him lose all of his hard work. It’s bad enough that he has to worry about what he’s about to face. I don’t know what his kids will do. It’s bad enough they’re losing their dad.” Hurst, who said he faced a very similar situation when an infection spread to his heart 10 years ago and doctors put him on a heart transplant list and gave him a terminal prognosis, said he just couldn’t stand by and watch Kling go through his tough times alone. “I remember what my family went through,” said Hurst, who recovered without a heart transplant. “I remember feeling helpless and not being able to provide for my family. And Fritz is a real go-getter. He’s not one to not provide. I know how he feels. I couldn’t stand going through that myself, and I can’t stand to sit back and do nothing and watch him go through this. It’s horrible. So I’m not gonna allow that. I’m gonna do something. I’m gonna reach out and find some people that can help him.” Hurst said he had no experience doing so, but he decided to organize a benefit to provide some financial relief for Kling and his family. He then got the idea from Kling’s father, whom he has worked with for years at College Bike Shop in Lansing, Michigan, to draw the motorcycle community into the benefit by posting news of Kling’s situation on the WERA BBS (www.wera.com), where Roadracingworld.com learned of the news. The benefit for Kling is scheduled March 22 at the Bath Charter Township Community Center, located at 5959 Park Lake Road, Bath, Michigan, 48808. The benefit will include an auction of donated items. In addition, a bank account (#4532119619 at Citizens Bank, 3015 East Saginaw Street, Lansing, Michigan 48912) and a Paypal account ([email protected]) have been set-up to receive donations to the Kling family. For additional information on the benefit for Fritz Kling, contact Brent Hurst at (517) 896-0242 or at [email protected].