FIRST PERSON/OPINION: Via e-mail: Yesterday, David Bettencourt passed away at his home in West Bridgewater, MA. David had been actviely battling Leukemia for the past two years and was looking forward to a bone marrow transplant. His passing in great loss for his family and the entire motorcycle racing community. David, together with the entire Bettencourt family, has been a fixture in the motorcycle community for decades. His father Dick founded Bettencourt’s Honda over 65 years ago and established a legacy of excellence and enthusiasm for motorcycling that carried through to his sons David, John and Mark. The Bettencourt name has certainly been etched in motorcycle history both in New England and throughout the nation. In his tenure at the helm of Bettencourt’s Honda/Suzuki David has supported literally hundreds of motorcycle racers. His generosity touched riders in nearly every discipline of racing from dirt track to road racing, motocross to ice racing. Top New England riders like motocrossers Keith Johnson and Tony LaRusso, road racers Jeff and Eric Wood and national dirt track heroes like Kenny Coolbeth and Aaron Creamer are just a few of the riders fortunate enough to have carried the Bettencourts banner on their machines over the years. His first love was dirt track, and David did more to contribute to the success of the racers and of New England dirt track racing in general than any other individual in the history of the sport. He was a top performer in his own right and won a number of championships in both dirt track and ice racing. As his own career wound down, David supported countless other riders with their racing efforts. If you talk to any of the fans that have attended these events over the past few decades, they can all recall times that it seemed that nearly every rider in the field had a Bettencourt’s jersey on. David always helped to make the races a place that you wanted to be, and he provided the opportunity for many riders to participate who otherwise might not have been able. David will long be remembered by all who knew him as one of the most generous, most steadfast and most genuine people that has ever been a part of the motorcycle community. He had a heart of gold…his enthusiasm for the sport and his desire to help other people was manifested in all he did in his life. Most of all, David one of those people that you simply always enjoyed the company of. He will be sorely missed. Eric Wood Woodcraft Winchendon, Massachusetts