Motorcycle trackday organization Performance Riding Experience held a fundraiser to benefit the Roadracing World Action Fund on Saturday, June 28, at Virginia International Raceway. The fundraising efforts kicked off with a lunch at midday, followed by a catered dinner and silent and live auctions. Additional monies were also raised through the sale of commemorative T-shirts and a raffle. These efforts resulted in a total of $30,024 in donations, all of which will be used to purchase additional Airfence Bike soft barriers for use at VIR.

P.R.E. President and co-owner John Allen said the event was more successful than the organizers had hoped. “We are thrilled with the amount of money that we raised this year, and this is almost double our original goal. Five months ago this organization didn’t even exist, so to say that we are really happy about the way this fundraiser turned out would be a huge understatement.”

Airfence are soft-wall safety barriers that are used extensively in motorcycle racing to protect riders from hitting hard walls or objects. Currently there are nine sections of Airfence at VIR. These soft barriers are stored on site and can be easily and quickly deployed by any motorcycle trackday or race organization who wishes to use them.”

Allen went on to say, “We had hoped to bring the total number of Airfence blocks at VIR up to twenty with this fundraiser, but now we are going to be approaching thirty by the time this is all said and done. So many people contributed to this accomplishment and everyone should be very proud of these efforts.”

Virginia International Raceway Director of Track Operations Kerrigan Smith said, “Success like this is not accidental and comes from great leadership and personal effort from John Allen and the P.R.E. staff to attract riders and partners who share the same goals and see the clear direction of P.R.E.”

Along with John Allen, the fundraising effort was organized by P.R.E. co-owner Mike Ruhe and Irish Racing Owner Kenny Walsh, who together have all been actively involved in raising money for the Road Racingworld Action Fund for the last three years.

When asked for comment Mike Ruhe said, “What can I say? You take a great idea, an organization with ownership and staff that are committed to fun and safety, mix in integrity, and add great food. With that recipe you are going to attract the best customers and friends to your events. The amount is huge, and it brings our 3 year total to $90,000. That is a lot of fence. We are thrilled to be deploying more soft barriers at an outstanding facility like VIR”.

Co-organizer Kenny Walsh was instrumental in making many of the arrangements for the fundraiser, including the commemorative T shirts, and especially all of the food. Walsh said “I’m still blown away by the support we received for this year’s event. The generosity of P.R.E.’s members and staff along with numerous sponsors made this event even better than we could have imagined! Wow, $30,000! Really shows how great ALL of the participants truly are. What can we say, other than thank you to EVERYONE whom we consider part of the P.R.E. family and to VIR for their fantastic support!”

P.R.E. would like to sincerely thank all of the sponsors who supported this event, and also all of the individuals who have contributed their time, talents, and money to make this fundraiser possible. Sponsors include Swett & Crawford, Andrew Swenson Designs, BW Tools, LLC., Max Speed Cycles, Trackside Gear, Woodcraft Technologies, Pierce Metals, Vortex Racing, Irish Racing, 1220 Exhibits, Sicilian Racing, Speed Mob, Motul, Foresite, Fast Life Cycles, Spiegler Performance Parts, Hollow Pockets Racing, Next Level Fitness, First Light Restaurant, Swiftline Custom Coating, Trading Paint, Fluidology Inc., Allen Properties, Inc.

To find out more about P.R.E visit www.ridepre.com

To find out more about Airfence Safety Barriers visit www.airfence.com

To find out more about Virginia International Raceway visit www.virnow.com

To find out more about the Roadracing World Action Fund visit https://www.roadracingworld.com/actionfund/