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It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Ivano Beggio, the founder of Aprilia, who passed away during the early hours of Tuesday, March 13th. Beggio was 73 years of age, at the time of his passing.

Getting his start in his father’s bicycle shop in post-WWII Italy, Beggio innovated Aprilia from a simple bicycle company into one that sold motorcycles and scooters.

In 1975, Beggio started a small racing team, which quickly rose to success, winning the 125cc and 250cc Italian Motocross Championships in 1977.

From these pursuits, Aprilia became one of the largest motorcycle brands in Italy, entering the large-displacement market in 1998 with the RSV Mille superbike, and its racing pursuits have involved some of the biggest names ever in the sport.

The 51st running of the Macau Grand Prix got underway today under auspicious conditions, the race organizers finding a narrow window in the rain to let the motorcycles out on the road course.

That would prove to be a fateful move however, as the race would last only six of its twelve laps, with tragedy striking and red flags flying.

A crash in Fisherman’s Bend caused the race’s early conclusion, and in its aftermath we have learned that British rider Daniel Hegarty lost his life in the unfortunate incident.

It is with great regret that we report the passing of Barry Boone, the voice of American motorcycle racing for many fans. 

Boone’s legendary voice is deeply associated with American Flat Track and his “Talking Motorcycles with Barry Boone” radio show, and he was a longtime fan of motorcycles and motorcycle racing.

Boone passed away yesterday, at the age of 62-years-old. He is survived by the love of his life Colette, sister Sharon Rone, brother-in-law Jack Rone, and his legion of motorcycle fans. His presence and his voice will be deeply missed from motorcycling.

Ángel Nieto, the thirteen-time (or “12+1”, as he preferred to call himself) world champion has died as a result of injuries sustained in a traffic accident.

He suffered head injuries after an accident with a quad bike in Ibiza last week, and was taken to hospital and placed in an artificial coma. Though there were initial signs of recovery, Nieto took a turn for the worse last night, and finally passed away on Thursday.

With another fatality today at the 2017 Isle of Man TT, we regret to report that Alan Bonner, from County Meath in Ireland, died during today’s qualifying session for the Senior TT, in an incident at the 33rd Milestone.

The 33-year-old made his Isle of Man TT debut in 2014, and quickly found pace on the Mountain Course. As such the next year, he had his highest finish ever, with an impressive 15th place in the 2015 Senior TT.

We are sad to report that the 2017 Isle of Man TT has claimed its first fatality, as Davey Lambert of Gateshead, England passed away this evening, after sustaining injuries during the Superbike TT race on June 4th.

Lambert crashed near Greeba Castle, during the third lap of the Superbike TT, and was treated at the scene before being flown by helicopter to Noble’s Hospital on the Isle of Man. He was later transferred to Aintree Hospital in Liverpool, where he then passed away.

It is with a heavy heart that we report the passing of Nicky Hayden today, the American motorcycle racer finally succumbing to the injuries he sustained on Wednesday, at 7:09 PM CEST.

The former-MotoGP Champion was struck by a car, while he was training on his bicycle near the Rimini coast. After the incident, Hayden was ultimately treated at the trauma center at the Bufalini Hospital in Cesena, where he later passed away.

While motorcycle fans around the world have been hoping for good news throughout this past weekend, and looking for signs that Nicky’s condition would improve, today Nicky’s race ended, with his family and friends at his side.

I first heard of Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance shortly after I bought my first motorcycle, a Honda CBR600F2. I was stuck in the middle of Dunsmuir, California with a bad rectifier/regulator (a common trouble-spot on that model bike), and a passerby recommended the title.

I think they referred the book out of naiveté its content, but obviously the novel, despite its title, would do little to help my immediate problem with my Honda, though it was a good read about some general philosophic ideas, which I could chew-on after I got my CBR bumped-started and back on the road again.

Undoubtedly, you have likely heard of Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as well (whether stranded on the side of the road or not), as the book has a bit of a cult-following amongst both motorcyclists and the general public, and its sales figures are well into the millions of copies.

Passing away on Monday, April 24th 2017, after a period of failing health, Pirsig will be remembered by motorcyclists and non-motorcyclists alike, for his work as a modern philosopher. He was 88-years-old at the time of his passing.

It’s with great sadness today that we report the passing of John Surtees, a legend in both two-wheeled and four-wheeled motorsport. 

Surtees is best known for winning three 350cc Championship titles (1958, 1959, and 1960), four 500cc Grand Prix Championship titles (1956, 1958, 1959, and 1960), as well as the 1964 Formula One World Championship title.

This makes Surtees the only man to win a World Championship in both two-wheeled and four-wheeled racing categories. He was also the first person to will the Senior TT race at the Isle of Man TT, three times in a row.

At the San Marino GP today, MotoGP officially retired the use of #58, giving honor to Marco Simoncelli, who died almost five years ago while racing in the Malaysian GP at Sepang.

Of course, this weekend’s stop on the MotoGP Championship calendar actually takes place at the Misano World Circuit, which changed its official name to the the “Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli” in order to honor the fallen racer.

This makes the San Marino GP a fitting venue for Simoncelli’s number to be retired, and of course the weekend’s events take place in front of a home crowd, with Simoncelli born just a few miles away on the coast, in Cattolica.