The 2013 Cycle World Joseph C. Parkhurst Education Fund Live Auction took place this morning, benefiting the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation College Scholarship Program. Among the items up for auction were a winter weekend trip to China Peak in Sierra Nevada, a crash-damaged Team Kenny Roberts 2000 KR3 two-stroke titanium exhaust pipe, a 1972 Yamaha R5 350 and a 2009 Team Cycle World Attack Performance Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 signed by Eric Bostrom.
The event began with a speech by technical editor at Cycle World, former race tuner and author Kevin Cameron. He spoke of the high hopes he has for the motorcycle industry, how important it is to supportmotorcycling and the return to personalization in motorcycles.“The industry is no longer offering bikes that come packaged; they can be whatever you want them to be,” said Cameron. “Motorcycles are personal … they become part of the rider, extending his or her abilities on or off the road. These qualities are inherently a part of every motorcycle.”
Many of the items auctioned off were personalized in some way by legendary racers including AIMExpo Champion Kenny Roberts, Jorge Lorenzo, Justin Barcia and Wayne Rainey. Roberts auctioned a crash-damaged exhaust pipe that, if it hadn’t bent and fallen off 30 feet before the finish, would’ve set fast time at the German Grand Prix.
The auction paused to highlight Amanda Witzig – a lover of motorcycle riding and a recipient of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation College Scholarship Program. Witzig thanked Cycle World, Ride for Kids and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation for their generosity and spoke to the audience about how impactful the scholarship was for her.
“What makes this scholarship program so special to me is that it awards scholarships to many brain tumor survivors and it allows us to apply for the scholarship every year during college,” said Witzig.
“Because of complications from chemo, I struggled in many of my college courses and didn’t make the grades to be good enough for this scholarship. I considered not even applying, but I did anyway. When I got the letter in the mail saying I received the scholarship, I was thrilled! That was the point when I realized the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation really understands the struggles brain tumor survivors go through. They’re there to support us through the ups and downs of college.”
The money raised from the auction directly benefits the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Amanda Witzig, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and Cycle World thank all who came and donated to the cause.
