Ray Lang - R.I.P.

[Tatonka]

From the Marietta Times

WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. - Raymond "Ray" Carl Lang, 40, of Wheat Ridge, Colo., died Tuesday (July 29, 2008) in Nashville, Tenn.

http://www.mariettatimes.com/photos/news/md/505761_1.jpg

He was born Dec. 12, 1967, in Marietta to Jake and Jackie Lang. He was a graduate of The Ohio State University. He was an independent representative for Castle Sales, being based in the Colorado and Utah areas. Ray enjoyed motocross, snowboarding, and bikes.

He is survived by his mother, of Marietta; brother, Russell Lang of Morgantown, W.Va.; sister, Debbie DeShetler (Dean) of Seattle, Wash.; and niece and nephew, Ani and Max DeShetler and special friend, Rose Saal.

He was preceded in death by his father.

Memorial services will be held at 4 p.m. Monday at the Marietta Chapel of Cawley & Peoples Funeral Home, with Pastor Steve Mahaffey officiating. The family will greet friends at a reception, at the funeral home, immediately following his services.


Posted from MX Sports

HURRICANE MILLS, Tenn. (July 30, 2008) -- The MX Sports racing family is saddened to report the loss of rider Ray Lang after an incident yesterday in the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn's Ranch.

The Senior 40+ rider from Wheat Ridge, Colo. was pronounced dead at a local hospital of chest trauma as a result of a collision with another rider. Despite the best efforts of the event medical director, who witnessed the incident and was the first to respond, paramedics and EMTs, as well as Life Flight medical technicians, attempts to resuscitate Mr. Lang were unsuccessful. This is the first loss of life in the 27-year history of the event.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Ray’s family and friends," said Event Director Tim Cotter. "A moment of silence and prayer was held this morning to honor Ray Lang before the start of day's races."


Taken from the Denver Post

Local rider Lang dies from crash
Article Last Updated: 07/30/2008 11:56:38 PM MDT

WAVERLY, Tenn. — Wheat Ridge amateur motocross racer Ray Lang died Tuesday after an American Motorcyclist Association event at country star Loretta Lynn's ranch.

The 40-year-old Lang went airborne from a jump and bumped another rider during a race. Humphreys County Coroner Dr. Richard Jackson said Lang landed on a shoulder blade and died of overwhelming chest injuries at Three Rivers Hospital, about 50 miles west of Nashville.

Jackson said the other rider wasn't aware of the accident until after the race was stopped.

In May, Lang finished second in the amateur senior division at a regional qualifier at Lakewood's Thunder Valley.

Lang was participating in the 27th Air Nautiques/AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships, which has been called the largest motocross race in the world.

"He just loved living life and having a good time," Lang's mom, Jackie Lang, told the Marietta (Ohio) Times, her hometown newspaper.


Here's another link for more comments and wishes from Ray's friends;
http://the-tackledbox.blogspot.com/2008/07/rip-ray-lang.html


Ride on Ray - I'm glad I had the chance to know you and am proud to call you a friend. Godspeed buddy.

:cry:

BV

[Tatonka]

Ray was a good man doing something he was very passionate about. I'm proud to be be able to call him a friend. I was at Loretta's but hadn't had a chance to see Ray before this happened. I last talked and rode with Ray just a few weeks ago at the Transworld Dirt Days event at ThunderValley in CO. He was stoked to have qualified and heading to LL's.

I first met Ray last year before we went to Loretta's and he was great! He was instrumental in helping RDF get our stuff down there and back to CO again after the races. This year he participated in the Charity auction/Pro autograph sesion we had before the CO Outdoor Nationals at Sun Enterprises. One of my best friends and riding buddies has known Ray for years through the snowboarding industry and had great stories about "RayGun" over the years. Ray - your presence, generosity, enthusiasm, smile and love for life and adventure will be missed by all.

Godspeed Ray - R.I.P.

[char393]

How very sad. Godspeed Ray.

[50ccMoM]

Godspeed Ray... roost on and may you R.I.P

[Administrator]

A sad day. You're in our hearts and minds.

[jcook12345]

Godspeed Ray, R.I.P

[fastlearner]

Very sad to read this.

[mommotox]

Godspeed Ray. Our thoughts are with Ray's family and friends...

[#16mom]

RIP Ray. How very sad.

[Tatonka]

Here's another write up about Ray (taken from Racerxill.com)....

Racerhead #32 August 08, 2008
by DC


The busiest week of the year for me is always Loretta Lynn’s, where the days last from 6 a.m. to close to midnight. It’s the biggest race in the amateur motocross world—even with the struggling economy and rising gas prices, there were nearly 25,000 qualifying entries, and all but two of the 1,386 spots in the final 33 classes were full—and it’s a lot of hard work for everyone in the MX Sports family. So last week’s Racerhead was not up to our usual standard, and for that I apologize.

This one will be a little different too. Although the race ended Saturday afternoon, it really came to a close for me on Monday afternoon, in a small chapel in Marietta, Ohio. That’s where they held the memorial service for a man named Ray Lang, who passed away the previous Tuesday after a mid-air collision with another rider left him on the ground with a punctured lung. He was 40 years old.

http://www.racerxill.com/images/articles/medium/00000013542.jpeg
Ray Lang was going after a championship in the Senior +40 class
Credit: Race Day Pix

I did not know Ray, even though he was born right across the Ohio River, maybe two hours from Morgantown, WV. But once Tim Cotter and myself started reading all of the cards and letters and newspaper clippings about Ray’s life, he sounded like the kind of person everyone wanted to know. He built a BMX ramp in his yard long before BMX was cool, he was skateboarder, mountain-biker, motocrosser and more. He once rode a street bike all over the country, stopping along the way to write a poem or two. He eventually moved to Colorado, where he made as many friends in that community as he had back in Ohio. He had a brother who lives right here in Morgantown and a sister in Seattle; his mom still lives in Marietta. He had a nice career selling books door-to-door, and his co-workers took turns telling hilarious stories about him, though the one his sister Deb told about his visit to Seattle and taking her two children (ages 4 and 6) on a bus ride to find a McDonald’s was the one I will remember forever.

Anyway, I am really sorry that I never got to meet Ray Lang, but I am really glad I got to hear those stories and meet some of his friends and family. I hope in the future we can come up with a way to honor Ray’s memory at Loretta Lynn’s, maybe with a sportsmanship award or something that really stands for what Ray Lang was all about. He sounded like a really cool guy who everyone wanted to be friends with. He will be missed by all.

[Tatonka]

On Sunday, August 24th there will be a Memorial in honor of Ray Lang at ThunderValley MX Park in Lakewood, CO. The track will be open all day for practice courtesy of David Claybaugh and ThunderValley. There are plans for a special parade lap to be held at 4pm that afternoon. For info & directions to the track go to ThunderValley (http://www.mxthundervalley.com)

Ray had many friends in a wide variety of extreme sports including but not limited to motocross, snowboarding and bmx. The MX venue was chosen as a convenient location for all of us to come together, give thanks and remember Ray. Please come out and share your memories of Ray with his friends and family.

Thank you!

[Tatonka]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3085/2763991612_41574995cb.jpg

[Tatonka]

Here's a link to some more photos;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29016408@N08/sets/72157607621903731/

RIP Ray.........

[Tatonka]

From a press release issued by MX Sports...

Morgantown, W.Va. (September 4, 2009) - The family of Broc Streit are the recipients of the first ever Ray Lang Good Neighbor Award, an award established for the families that attended the 2009 Air Nautiques AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, TN. The award is designed to honor those who embody Ray Lang's characteristics at the ranch. Lang, who passed away during the 2008 running of the event, was known as a good neighbor to those who raced with him.

The winning essay nominating the Streit family was written by Rae Ann Niebel, whose family has made the trip to Loretta Lynn Ranch with the Streits several times over the years.

"This is awesome," Streit, who raced the 450 A and 4 stroke classes, said. "I think it's definitely an awesome award. It's something to look forward to. It's good you have good friends out there in the motocross family. They should keep on doing the award."

Niebel's essay detailed the years the two families had helped each other, including their 2009 visit, which included situations such as the Streit's truck getting stuck in a ditch, to the Niebel's forgetting their pit board. The families have shared meals, water bottles and encouraged each other through their years at Loretta's.

"They've just always been there if we needed help with a bike or if Broc needed help with a bike we were there for them," Niebel said. "We've been at the tracks together and no matter what we always helped each other. I thought they were a great candidate for the award. It just started the first day at Loretta's and when I found out about that essay I thought about what happened and wrote it all down."

Because of Niebel's essay they will be able to continue being neighbors at Loretta's in 2010 with a free electrical hookup and side-by-side spots for their motorhomes.