From Gordon Lunde of the Wegman Benefit Fund, which offers financial aide to injured road racers and their families, and of the Steel Shoe Fund, which does the same for injured dirt track racers and their families:

Jim Sumner, AMA National #45, died during practice for the Springfield Mile on Sunday May 26th.

I write about this dirt tracker on this road racing site because Jim is the son of my friends Al and Judy Sumner. Al and Judy are on the board of directors of the Wegman Benefit Fund and (Al is) the head of the Steel Shoe Fund.

Jim was the ultimate privateer. His equipment top notch, his attitude better and always looking for a way to the front. Now he’s there, forever.

Please take a moment for prayer for Jimmy and his family.

Cards may be sent to the Sumner family 4630 W. Mill Rd, Milwaukee, WI 53218.


More, from an AMA Pro Racing press release:

JIM SUMNER: A LIFE-LONG RACER

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — AMA Pro Racing dirt-track competitor Jim Sumner, 32, of Grafton, Wis., died Sunday, May 26, as the result of injuries sustained in a single-bike accident during practice for the Springfield Mile at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois.
Sumner, national number 45, was part of a racing family deeply rooted in motorcycle competition. AMA Pro Racing extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Jim Sumner. Sumner is survived by parents and long-time AMA Congress representatives, Al and Judy, sisters, DD and Chris, and brother, Bert.

Sumner was a life-long racer following in his father’s footsteps into the sport. He first earned his AMA Pro Racing license in 1986. Sumner never became a star on the AMA Grand National circuit; rather he was a journeyman racer who earned the respect of his fellow competitors by turning in some strong performances over the years. He was one of the riders in the series who raced for the sheer love of the sport. Sumner twice came back after suffering serious injuries, a testimony to how much he enjoyed racing.

Sumner’s best AMA Grand National result was a 10th-place finish at the Springfield Mile in May of 1995. His biggest successes came in the Harley-Davidson Sportster Performance Series (formerly called the Harley-Davidson 883 Dirt Track Series) where he earned 11-career top-10 finishes including his only national podium finish, a third on the Springfield Mile in September of 1993.

Sumner worked for and was sponsored by Suburban Motors, a Harley-Davidson dealership in Thiensville, Wis. He had been with the company for over 11 years.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that a memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 5566 N. 69th St., Milwaukee. The family is requesting donations to the St. Philip Neri Catholic School, local animal shelters or the Steel Shoe Fund — a benefit for injured dirt-track racers.