P136
CN
III WHEELSPIN
BY KEITH DOWDLE
L
ast week we received
the sad news that Hans
Laske had passed away
suddenly and unexpectedly.
Hans was a fixture on the AMA
Pro Road Racing circuit for well
over 25 years. Most recently he
drove the team hauler for Vance
& Hines, but he's best known
for his 20-something years with
Yoshimura Suzuki, and prior to
that with the HRC Honda team
back in the mid '90s. Like many
of the behind-the-scenes folks
in the paddock, Hans never
sought the attention of the fans
or the media, but he became
known to them regardless sim-
ply because he was one of the
nicest people in the paddock
and a true character as well.
I first met Hans in the '90s,
when he was driving for HRC
Honda. He was always kind and
respectful to me—even though I
was the new guy back then and
probably more in the way than
actually helping. But he was
always patient with me, that's
just how he was. Hans treated
everyone the same, whether
they were newbies or their last
name was Hayden. He was just
nice to everyone.
Hans was a big man, fitting
for someone who drives a giant
18-wheeler, but he was just a
big teddy bear, really, and a
hard-working one at that. On
race weekends, the hauler
drivers are the first to arrive and
the last to leave. And unlike the
rest of the team who hop on a
plane and are home within a
few hours, Hans and his fellow
drivers would need days to get
to the next race. During the
season, they almost never got
to go home. But Hans rarely
complained. He was at home
when he was with his friends
and teammates on race week-
ends—even though his actual
home was oftentimes thou-
AN
UNSUNG
HERO
OF THE
PADDOCK
Hans Laske, who was a fixture on
the AMA Pro Road Racing circuit
for well over 25 years, passed away
suddenly and unexpectedly.
