From a press release:

Zemke & Pridmore Lend Support to “Seattle 100” Fundraiser

Unique Track Day Event in September Benefits Kidney Disease Research

On Wednesday, September 8th, 2004, two stars of the road racing and motorcycle riding community will be in Seattle, each to attend the Seattle 100 – a public track day event at Pacific Raceways in nearby Kent, WA. The annual event is open to public participation and will benefit The NephCure Foundation, a not-for-profit organization promoting research into the cause and cure of kidney disease. 2Fast Motorcycle Track Days & Instruction will host the event and facilitate the track day. Brian Orton, Director of the Seattle 100 and Co-Founder of The NephCure Foundation, couldn’t be happier about the help he is receiving from Jake Zemke and Jason Pridmore.

“These are two great guys, and they’re helping me bring national visibility to the Seattle 100 that I couldn’t have achieved without them. As to the participants in this year’s event, every rider will be able to rub elbows with two of the fastest riders in the world, and how often does the average guy get the opportunity to do that? How many people can say, ‘yeah… I’ve ridden with Pridmore… I’ve ridden with Zemke’? The Seattle 100 will be the opportunity of a lifetime for participants, giving them the chance to ride with some of the most famous personalities in motorcycle racing. Above all, we’re all contributing to a fantastic cause.”

Participants in the Seattle 100 raise money through per-lap ($1/lap) pledges and/or fixed-dollar ($100) contributions, each participant attempting to circle the track 100 times before the day is over. Due to track capacity issues, the event is limited to 100 riders, yet is entirely free of charge to all who pre-register and who show up with $500 dollars or more in collected donations the day of the event.

Zemke says he’s trying to help Orton find a few good men.

“Actually, I’m trying to help the Seattle 100 bring out about a hundred good men, including any female riders who would like to participate as well. Jason and I hope that our presence can help Brian and NephCure find the 100 riders they need to help the fundraiser reach its goals.”

Pridmore likes the cause, and promised Orton his attendance nearly a year ago when the two met at Laguna Seca. The two have remained in touch ever since.

“Through the Seattle 100 and what it does to help with the battle against kidney disease, we can all take our passion for motorcycling and track days and use the event to help others. Supporting the Seattle 100 was an easy decision to make, and I’ve actually talked with a few others about joining me at the event to lend their support as well.”

The Seattle 100 is not limited to sportbikes; instead, 2Fast Motorcycle Track Days & Instruction – co-owned by Orton and one of the company’s lead instructors – offers track day operations that are friendly to riders of all experience levels, no matter what kind of bike they’re riding.

“On September 8th, 2Fast will be hosting the Seattle 100 while simultaneously operating one of our instructional riding schools at the same time. Since 2Fast track days and schools are not sportbike-only events, we’re hoping that our usual array of Harley riders, Goldwingers, and non-sportbike riders will also sign up and come out to ride with Jake, Jason, and the rest of us,” says Orton. “Not only do participants of the Seattle 100 get to go through our instructional school and ride alongside two world-class pros, but they get to do so for free… as long as they commit to help us with fundraising. I’d like to think that this is a fair trade-off.”

All participants in the Seattle 100 will receive a free T-shirt and hat combination to commemorate the day and their efforts. However, 2Fast and The NephCure Foundation will encourage participants to raise more than the $500 dollar donations minimum with prizes and giveaways for special achievement levels. For instance, participants arriving at registration on September 8th with donations totaling $1000 or more will get a Seattle 100 jacket. Those achieving greater than $1500 in paid donations will not only get a jacket, but also will be offered an opportunity to ride two up on a bike with Jason Pridmore for 3 laps. Those achieving greater than $2500 in donations will receive an additional gift certificate to any Seattle motorcycle shop for $200. Finally, the rider who raises the most funds out of all the Seattle 100 participants will receive free admission to one of Jason Pridmore’s STAR motorcycle riding schools.

Riders or parties interested in learning more about the Seattle 100, The NephCure Foundation, and/or 2Fast Track Days & Instruction should visit the homepage of 2Fast’s website, www.2-fast.org. The Seattle 100 welcomes corporate sponsorship opportunities. If you would like to participate as a rider in the event and wish to register for one of the remaining spots available, Brian Orton can be reached at (206) 676-5683. You can also reach him by email at [email protected]