Ronald M. Halem, age 61, died due to complications from kidney cancer November 6 in his home in Prunedale, California.
Halem, also known as “Gold Star Ron,” is best known for building and tuning his BSA Gold Star in pursuit of a 100 mph lap at the Isle of Man during the annual Manx Grand Prix. According to a video interview with Halem, no BSA Gold Star has ever broken the 100 mph lap barrier at the Isle of Man.
Halem was also an FCC-licensed amateur radio operator. His call sign was N6ATP.
Halem is survived by a brother, Jack Halem; a sister, Cheryl Moritz; and a cousin, Gail Quenneville.
More, from an e-mail sent to Roadracingworld.com by Kenny Cummings:
FIRST PERSION/OPINION:
Via e-mail:
I wanted to share a video celebrating the life of Ronald Halem, aka “Gold Star Ron”, who lost his fight with cancer this last week. Ron was quite the fixture in our classic racing world, whose focus and non-stop drive to achieve his goals at the Isle Of Man is worthy of retelling.
In 2013, Seattle-based filmmaker Don Lange and his crew from Straightface Studios began attending the AHRMA racing series with Dave Roper and myself to shoot footage for a potential documentary. Don was new to the sport and admitted he wasn’t sure what he’d find, but upon arrival to his first event (Sonoma, CA) he was completely struck by the wealth of character in the racing paddock, and Ron was front-and-center, becoming his first interview.
Don captured some fantastic, candid, intimate moments with our buddy “Gold Star Ron”, and I’m grateful he was able to edit some of this together in a short amount of time.
Click this link here to watch:
Ron was definitely one of a kind. We can all learn from his enthusiasm and passion.
Thanks for listening. Hope all is well.
-Kenny Cummings