CN
III ARCHIVES
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
I
t all began with the 20-year re-
union of the Class of '79, one
of the most talented groups
of rookies ever to enter the
AMA Grand National Flat Track
Championships, that included
Wayne Rainey, Johnny Wince-
wicz, Charlie Roberts, Tommy
Duma, Ronnie Jones and Scott
Parker. Several of that amaz-
ing rookie class assembled in
Indianapolis in August of 2009
to be recognized at that year's
Indy Mile during Red Bull India-
napolis GP weekend.
The guys got together for a
round of golf. "There was a little
bit of money involved and Park-
er won, imagine that," Charlie
Roberts grins while remember-
ing the get together. "He threw
the money in the middle of the
table and said, 'Let's do some-
thing.' That's how this all started. None of us had
any idea that it would grow into what it is now."
What was started that day was the Class of '79
deciding to do something to help the racers of
today. Former racers Jackie Mitchell and Lance
Jones joined the group and united with other
friends, and today the Class of '79 works tirelessly
to raise funds to help injured AMA Pro Flat Track
riders and their families.
"When Stevie Bonsey fell off and broke his
neck at Springfield we raised $14,000 in 10 days,"
Roberts said. "So we were able to tell Stevie,
don't worry about rent, don't worry about making
a car payment. We're going to take care of your
life; you focus on healing yourself and getting
back to what you love to do."
Talk about paying it forward!
"That was a goal we had when we started
this, to have that kind of an impact," Roberts
continued. "We're nearing somewhere close to
a half-million dollars lifetime benefits paid to in-
jured riders. We were right at $100,000 in 2015.
I think 26 riders have received funds in excess
of $50,000 and then Jethro Halbert's one-year-
old son Caleb has a $26,500 educational trust
because of the fans' love for his father. We're
THE CLASS OF '79 PAYING IT FORWARD
P118
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
LARRY
LAWRENCE
The original Class of '79 Reunion at the 2009 Indy
Mile served as a kick-off for the charity, which, to
date, has given nearly a half-million dollars to injured
riders and their families.
