Patriot Racing: Giving Injured Vets a Day at the Races

Patriot Racing co-founder Steve Levow on the Race to Recovery program’s AMA Pro experience at NJMP

On Saturday, September 5, Patriot Racing expanded our Race to Recovery program and partnered with National Guard/Jordan Suzuki to host a group of Wounded Warriors at the AMA Pro Road Racing finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park. It made for an early morning with impossibly light traffic for Washington, DC, but as I approached the only open gate to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, traffic began to stack up. Walter Reed is one of the primary rehabilitation centers within the Department of Defense and as such, many of our wounded veterans find their way here to receive treatment for their injuries.

As I approached the Mologne House to pick up a group of vets and get them away from the hospital and rehabilitation regime, I saw them waiting for me. A few used canes to help them get around; one was in a wheelchair. Many have been wounded in direct action with the enemy, but during the 2009 season alone, we have also hosted soldiers who have been poisoned, injured in training, victims of vehicle accidents, or just unlucky to have contracted severe illness or disease. Each and every one of them has a compelling story.

This was not the first time Patriot Racing has done an event aimed at getting soldiers away from the hospital for a day. During the 2009 race season, we hosted groups on three separate occasions at Championship Cup Series races at Summit Point Motorsports Park. The NJMP weekend was different: it was our first opportunity to expand our program to the AMA Pro Road Racing Series.

National Guard/Jordan Suzuki welcomed us into the AMA paddock. They hosted our group for lunch and gave us an audience with American Superbike pilot Geoff May. The soldiers got a chance to sit down with Geoff and ask him what it’s like to race a 1000cc Superbike, what he does to train and prepare for the races, and how he got started. Geoff was happy to oblige us and gladly autographed shirts, posters, and other memorabilia for the soldiers. The entire National Guard/Jordan crew was very accommodating to us over the course of the day. As part of the package put together by the National Guard, the soldiers were also given access to the NJMP Superbike Club, a luxury suite overlooking Turns 3 through 5. This was greatly appreciated by the soldiers as the nature of their injuries make prolonged periods of time on their feet or exposed to the elements difficult. Having an air-conditioned refuge available went a long way toward making this event such a resounding success.

Thanks to the National Guard’s additional role as series and event sponsor, a group of Wounded Warriors were invited to present the top finishers in the Moto-GT race with their trophies on the podium. The fact that they were so warmly welcomed and integrated into the day’s festivities was not lost on the soldiers. The racers also seized on the opportunity to shake these soldier’s hands and say thanks. As the day’s activities unfolded, these soldiers were treated like royalty by teams and racers throughout the paddock. In his last weekend racing motorcycles, Mat Mladin made time to sit with the soldiers, answer their questions, sign autographs, and give them memorabilia. Kevin Hunt and the KWS/Millennium Technologies Factory Aprilia team offered up some great barbeque and fed a large contingent of us. Skip Dowling of Orient Express racing offered food, beverages, and a place in the shade. In the AMA paddock, there were simply more people offering to help than there were hours in the day.

Special thanks to SFC John Metzler and Stephen Hand for all of their hard work in setting up our visit to NJMP. Patriot Racing is a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for the long-term needs of wounded veterans and military families. Learn more about Patriot Racing by visiting www.patriotracing.us.