IN
THE
WIND
P40
AXO FOUNDER JIM HALE PASSES
I
ndustry icon Jim Hale, founder of
AXO USA and Mechanix Wear,
passed away Wednesday, May
16, from complications of back
surgery. He was 64.
Hale was a regular in South-
ern California's MX scene in the
1970s. He went on to form AXO
USA in 1984, and would later
acquire Sinisalo and then Renthal.
He also launched Mechanix Wear.
Mechanix Wear wrote on its
website: Jim was an entrepre-
neur and industry pioneer. After
becoming the U.S. distributor for
AXO, he acquired the Sinisalo
product line, as well as Renthal's.
After launching Mechanix Wear,
he divested himself of the other
three companies to devote his
complete attention to Mechanix
Wear.
He will be remembered as a
visionary and as an extraordinary
leader who founded and then
built Mechanix Wear into the
vibrant, successful company it
is today. More importantly, he
will be remembered as a truly
exceptional person who guided
Mechanix Wear into a brilliant
future with his caring, his confi-
dence and a ton of hard work.
He touched the lives of many,
acting as a mentor and as a
father figure, inspiring confi-
dence in others with his fearless
approach to life and business.
Jim's creative thinking, his kind-
ness to all and his generosity
were inspirational to all who
knew him.
Jim's memory will be car-
ried forward by his family, his
friends and all those whom he
employed and influenced over
the course of his life. His legacy
will endure in the hearts of his
family, and in the hearts of the
multitude of people whose lives
he touched. CN
TICKLE TALKS
L
ast week, the Red Bull KTM
Team released Broc Tickle from
his contract after his B sample also
tested positive for testing positive in
a recent FIM/WADA anti-doping test.
Following that announcement, Tickle
released his own statement via Insta-
gram, saying: "It's hard to believe the
things that have happened over the
last month. I accept KTM's decision
because the autocratic and arbitrary
FIM Anti-Doping Policy left them no
choice. I sincerely appreciate every-
thing the Team has done for me. I
will not give up the fight." CN
Broc Tickle says
that he accepts
KTM's decision to
release him from his
contract.
