The Vintage Motorcycle Festival and LeMay – America’s Car Museum (ACM) have designated Riders for Health, an international aid organization, as an official charity of the Aug. 24-25, 2013 motorcycle event in Tacoma, Wash.
For 20 years, Riders for Health has managed and maintained vehicles for organizations providing medical assistance in sub-Saharan Africa. The organization’s expertise in transport management enables health workers to deliver health care and medical supplies to remote rural communities.
“The work done by Riders for Health is the most benevolent use of motorcycles I have ever heard of anywhere,” said Burt Richmond, chairman of the Vintage Motorcycle Festival. “I’ve traveled on motorcycles all over the world, and I know what a challenge it can be to get to remote locations on rough roads – if there is a road at all. I’m proud we are supporting this vital cause, one that is working so hard to bring better healthcare to so many people in Africa.”
From its headquarters outside London, Riders for Health manages more than 1,400 motorcycles, ambulances and other vehicles used to deliver health care for 12 million people in seven countries across Africa. The organization operates specialized training centers in Harare, Zimbabwe, and in Kisumu, Kenya, and works with ministries of health, international and African non-governmental organizations, private-sector organizations, local community organizations and religious groups.
In supporting Riders for Health, the Vintage Motorcycle Festival joins a wide-ranging group of Riders supporters including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Global Health Corps, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Moto GP and the Rich Oliver Mystery School. World champion motorcycle riders Randy Mamola, Kenny Roberts and Wayne Rainey are also supporters of Riders for Health.
The Vintage Motorcycle Festival will showcase a Riders for Health display at the 2013 event, and plans are in place for a representative of Riders for Health to serve as a motorcycle concours judge at the Festival.
The Vintage Motorcycle Festival is one of the signature events at the 165,000-square-foot Tacoma museum and will feature motorcycles from famous makers including BMW, Ducati, Triumph, Norton, Harley-Davidson, Indian and many European marques from bygone eras.
The festival’s main event on Saturday will include judged classes and awards, a swap meet, trials motorcycle demonstrations, panel discussions and music. A scenic motorcycle ride launching from ACM’s plaza and traveling along Pacific Northwest roads is slated for Sunday.
The inaugural event in 2012 attracted more than 200 motorcycles and 2,000 enthusiasts to ACM’s Haub Family Field. Best of Show was won by a 1963 Norton Atlas owned by Ron Rumbolz of Fife, Wash., which is now on display at the museum.
