Moto Guzzi motorcycles have delighted riders with their unique motor music and long-distance ridingcomfort for over 80 years. Now, one of this storied brand’s thoroughly modern sport touring motorcycles, the Moto Guzzi Norge, will travel cross-country on the 15th anniversary Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride, starting in Stevenson, Washington on May 8th, 2009.
Piloted by AMA Pro Racing President and Grand-AM CEO Roger Edmondson, the Moto Guzzi Norge will head east, along with over 200 other riders and motorcycles, collecting autographs from celebrity participants along the route. Its final destination is the January 2010 Sound and Speed charity auction www.soundandspeed.org in Nashville, Tenn., benefitting children’s charities, including Petty’s Victory Junction camp.
"I’ve been an enthusiastic rider for over 53 years and I’m especially happy to combine my passion for motorcycles with a terrific cause like Kyle and Pattie’s charity ride," said Edmondson. Edmondson, who was first hooked on two wheels when he bought a scooter at the age of 13, is no stranger to Moto Guzzi. He owned one of the best-loved Moto Guzzi models, an 850 LeMans – the same model that AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Mike Baldwin unexpectedly took to a runaway victory in the 1976 AMA Superbike race at Loudon, New Hampshire.
Edmondson will be adding a number of non-standard "options’ to the Norge along the route. To prep the Moto Guzzi for its final destination, the 2010 Sound and Speed charity auction, he’ll ask notable ride participants like NASCAR legend Harry Gant, Chick-fil-A president and COO Dan Cathy, football great Herschel Walker and PGA Tour professional Davis Love III to add theirautographs to the motorcycle.
Supported by a growing number of caring riders each year, the 15th anniversary Ride benefits Victory Junction and other children’s charities. Petty and his wife, Pattie, founded Victory Junction in Randleman, N.C., in 2004. The year-round camp serves children ages 6 to 16, with serious health issues, at no cost to their families. The Petty’s plans to open a second Victory Junction will come to fruition on May 13 when the Ride stops in Kansas City, Kan., to participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking celebration at the site of the new camp.
Since its inception, the Ride has visited 49 states and donated more than $12 million to children’s charities. Riders have traveled approximately 7.9 million cumulative motorcycle miles, and 13 riders have participated all 15 years. For complete and current information on the Ride, visit www.kylepettycharityride.com.
