Lancaster Raceway crash kills motorcyclist
07-05-2004, 01:20 PM
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Lancaster Raceway crash kills motorcyclist
A Florida motorcycle racer who grew up in Clarence was killed Friday night during the weekly drag races at Lancaster Raceway Park, track officials and his family confirmed Sunday.
David A. Rey, 25, a 1997 Clarence High School graduate who lived in Palm City, Fla., lost control of his motorcycle and hit a wall at about 9:35 p.m., witnesses said. He was pronounced dead at 10:15 p.m. in Erie County Medical Center, but family members say they believe he died at the scene.
"This is what he loved doing, anything extreme," his brother, Joseph C. Rey Jr., of Clarence, said Sunday. "We're different people from everybody else. We like living on the edge."
Every year, David Rey would drive up from Florida to race with his brother at a national event in Ohio. Then they would come back to the Buffalo area, where David would spend a week with family members. Joseph Rey was sick last week, but David wanted his brother to see him race.
So Joseph Rey and other family members were watching him Friday night at Lancaster in the first-round race.
"Right around the finish line, he lost control of the bike," Joseph Rey said. "He separated from the bike, and he hit the wall. I saw it happen. I was standing right next to him on the starting line. I saw what happened, and I ran to where he was."
Joseph Rey declined to comment on any possible cause.
"We are deeply saddened by this occurrence at Lancaster," Fred Somers, the facility's general manager, said in a brief statement. "We extend our condolences to David's family and friends during this time of sorrow."
Another Lancaster speedway official refused to answer any questions about the death.
Lancaster Raceway Park, formerly known as Lancaster Speedway, is a dual-purpose facility, with a half-mile oval track for stock cars; a eighth of a mile straightaway is used for drag racing.
Local racing enthusiasts say the last local speedway death occurred in June 2002, when Rich Conte, 41, of Brockport, suffered a heart attack behind the wheel of his car at Genesee Speedway in Batavia. The car spun off the track and slammed into a tow truck.
The last racing-related death at Lancaster dates back to June 1989, when Tommy Druar, 38, of Akron, the defending Lancaster National Speedway champion, was fatally injured in a two-car crash in a Modified event.
"Lancaster, through the years, has a very good safety record," Larry Ott, The Buffalo News motor-sports columnist, said Sunday. "They've been open for about 45 years, and this is the first fatality there since 1989."
Ott and others - he didn't witness Friday night's fatal accident - said motorcycles reach speeds of at least 80 mph in such events before they hit the finish line.
"Despite the precautions taken for safety, this is still a dangerous sport," Ott said.
In addition to his brother, David Rey, who worked as a sales representative in Florida, is survived by his parents, Barbara Latona of Clarence Center and Joseph C. Rey Sr. of Clarence; to other brothers, Michael D. Rogers of Clarence and Jeffrey C. Rogers of Florida; and his grandmother, Helen L. Schrock.
A prayer service will be held at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday in Amigone Funeral Home, 8440 Main St., Clarence, followed by a funeral at 11 in Love Joy Gospel Church, 5423 Genesee St., Lancaster.
Joseph Rey said he had spent two days trying to think of even one person who didn't like his brother, or whom his brother didn't like. He couldn't think of anyone. And he talked about how much he will miss his brother at his own wedding later this month.
David Rey was going to be his brother's best man.
"I just wanted to hear what he would say in his toast," he said, "because he was always off the wall."
e-mail: gwarner@buffnews.com
•
David A. Rey, 25, a 1997 Clarence High School graduate who lived in Palm City, Fla., lost control of his motorcycle and hit a wall at about 9:35 p.m., witnesses said. He was pronounced dead at 10:15 p.m. in Erie County Medical Center, but family members say they believe he died at the scene.
"This is what he loved doing, anything extreme," his brother, Joseph C. Rey Jr., of Clarence, said Sunday. "We're different people from everybody else. We like living on the edge."
Every year, David Rey would drive up from Florida to race with his brother at a national event in Ohio. Then they would come back to the Buffalo area, where David would spend a week with family members. Joseph Rey was sick last week, but David wanted his brother to see him race.
So Joseph Rey and other family members were watching him Friday night at Lancaster in the first-round race.
"Right around the finish line, he lost control of the bike," Joseph Rey said. "He separated from the bike, and he hit the wall. I saw it happen. I was standing right next to him on the starting line. I saw what happened, and I ran to where he was."
Joseph Rey declined to comment on any possible cause.
"We are deeply saddened by this occurrence at Lancaster," Fred Somers, the facility's general manager, said in a brief statement. "We extend our condolences to David's family and friends during this time of sorrow."
Another Lancaster speedway official refused to answer any questions about the death.
Lancaster Raceway Park, formerly known as Lancaster Speedway, is a dual-purpose facility, with a half-mile oval track for stock cars; a eighth of a mile straightaway is used for drag racing.
Local racing enthusiasts say the last local speedway death occurred in June 2002, when Rich Conte, 41, of Brockport, suffered a heart attack behind the wheel of his car at Genesee Speedway in Batavia. The car spun off the track and slammed into a tow truck.
The last racing-related death at Lancaster dates back to June 1989, when Tommy Druar, 38, of Akron, the defending Lancaster National Speedway champion, was fatally injured in a two-car crash in a Modified event.
"Lancaster, through the years, has a very good safety record," Larry Ott, The Buffalo News motor-sports columnist, said Sunday. "They've been open for about 45 years, and this is the first fatality there since 1989."
Ott and others - he didn't witness Friday night's fatal accident - said motorcycles reach speeds of at least 80 mph in such events before they hit the finish line.
"Despite the precautions taken for safety, this is still a dangerous sport," Ott said.
In addition to his brother, David Rey, who worked as a sales representative in Florida, is survived by his parents, Barbara Latona of Clarence Center and Joseph C. Rey Sr. of Clarence; to other brothers, Michael D. Rogers of Clarence and Jeffrey C. Rogers of Florida; and his grandmother, Helen L. Schrock.
A prayer service will be held at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday in Amigone Funeral Home, 8440 Main St., Clarence, followed by a funeral at 11 in Love Joy Gospel Church, 5423 Genesee St., Lancaster.
Joseph Rey said he had spent two days trying to think of even one person who didn't like his brother, or whom his brother didn't like. He couldn't think of anyone. And he talked about how much he will miss his brother at his own wedding later this month.
David Rey was going to be his brother's best man.
"I just wanted to hear what he would say in his toast," he said, "because he was always off the wall."
e-mail: gwarner@buffnews.com
•
07-06-2004, 01:12 PM
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Re: Lancaster Raceway crash kills motorcyclist
from what i have just found out from freinds that were there that the guy he was racing had a 1 second head start in eliminations dave roped him in and ran a 6.60 at a hundred in something mph in the 1/8 mile and in the shut down area there was dirt and **** all over the the track and he lost it in hard braking and hit the wall at over a 100 . This is really horrible because his whole family was there to witness it. i dont know the guy personally but i have heard enough about the family over the yrs of riding that i feel like he was a close freind he was 1 hell of a rider to run that time on a 6rr
R.I.P david rey
R.I.P david rey
07-10-2004, 05:32 PM
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Re: Lancaster Raceway crash kills motorcyclist
Is that the speedway that you can see from Interstate 90?? when i go by on Wed night there is a line of like 300 cars waiting to run? Sorry to hear about that guy, if you like drags check out NY international raceway park, we get a good amount of bikes on wed night and friday night.
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