R.I.P Peter Lenz

[Grrrly]

tears filled my eyes when I read this on facebook yesterday.  I was fortunate enough to ride with Peter at CSS last year in NJ.  He was fun to watch as he passed everyone like we were standing still.  It was also a pleasure to see him just be a well-rounded kid off track.  My prayers go out to his family.  I also pray for Xavier as well,  who I know from my "local" track.

[ryandalling]

This sucks. I raced with him in Oregon. They grid the little bikes with a wave start in front of the SV650 grid. Fast kid, fearless... and a really nice person. Having my own 13 year old at home, this really hit me hard. Peter was at PIR last weekend for the Portland stop of the USGPRU with Xavier... I just keep trying to think of what to say and no words come.

What really sucks is all the news blogs blaming the age and the parents on this and not it being a tragic accident. Things happen in life, it sucks... but let the kids enjoy life...

[duccarlos]

He passed doing what he loved. RIP Peter.

[duclvr]

RIP

[dolci]

RIP Peter.

[Betty Rage]

I heard about this yesterday morning. I couldn't stop crying all day.

Pete was a well loved and respected member of our local racing community. He had so much promise.

Peace to his family in this trying time.

We'll miss you buddy.

[mitt]

So sad.

mitt

[Betty Rage]

For anyone interested in donating to his family as a memorial fund:

http://www.peterlenz.org/

[LMT]

For anyone interested in donating to his family as a memorial fund:

http://www.peterlenz.org/

RIP Peter.  My heart goes out to his family.

However, I looked at the above site and can not see where any $ donated will go. If it is to the parents, they should have had life insurance on him.  If he were older and had kids to support it might be different.  The Mojo Gear site gives no indication of any $ would go for either.

I do not mean any disrespect, just viocing a valid thought.

[GregP]

Very sad to read this. RIP little guy!

Unfortunate that this type of incident has to occur for mainstream media coverage. 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/from_the_marbles/post/Teen-motorcyclist-dies-how-young-is-too-young-t?urn=nascar-266149

[Betty Rage]

RIP Peter.  My heart goes out to his family.

However, I looked at the above site and can not see where any $ donated will go. If it is to the parents, they should have had life insurance on him.  If he were older and had kids to support it might be different.  The Mojo Gear site gives no indication of any $ would go for either.

I do not mean any disrespect, just viocing a valid thought.

From what I understand, the money is going to his family. I do not know life insurance details but I'm assuming they had it on him. I don't know what exactly life insurance covers, it might cover different things with different plans but it's possible it may not cover all the expenses for them. Obviously there is a need, because this site was set up for free by a close friend of the family.

[Spidey]

RIP Peter.  It was a blast watching you race, and shame that the moto gods took you from us so early.   

[zooom]

David Emmett wrote a nice piece here -> http://motomatters.com/blog/2010/08/31/editor_s_blog_racing_s_dark_side_the_dea.html

[gm2]

i started writing something about this last week but nothing made sense.

it seemed like i was on track with Peter at least once a month in 2008 and 2009.  i'm sure it wasn't that often, but it was.. often.  he was a CSS private student and i spent a lot of time cornerworking for them -- at virtually all their Streets Of Willow school dates; Peter was at seemingly all of them as well.  as a cornerworker and an off-the-books student, especially at lunchtime, we spent lots of time running around the track breaking 'school' riding rules.  I would pass him anywhere sorta straight, he would pass me in all the corners.  Usually on the outside.  The kid was scary fast.

It was really, really easy to forget about Peter's age and size on track.  he was truly a natural.  he would regularly do things that i could conceive of but would never, ever, actually try.  he had that thing, that gift.. you knew you were seeing someone great before the world had any idea.

then i would run into him in the pits and, at first, i wouldn't even realize it was Peter.  Four-foot-nuthin, eighty pounds.  He suddenly looked like a kid.  He would bomb around through the pits on a razor scooter or a BMX bike, jumping over gaps in the pavement or chasing other kids his age with a water bottle.  because i was 3x his age and he probably had no idea i was the guy he was just playing cat and mouse with on track, of course we weren't "friends".  but after months and months we started to recognize eachother off track and i started to give him playful dirty looks for being so damn fast.  he would be slightly embarrassed, slightly proud... then he would do something like nearly cut me off at the track exit.  laughing aloud in his helmet, i'm sure.

he was a prodigy.  and just a kid.  sure, he died doing what he loved.  but nothing can be said that makes his early passing remotely ok.

I'm sorry Peter.  Rest in peace, friend.

[fastwin]

Nice post gm2!

Sad story indeed. You know, to me the saying "he/she died doing what they loved" really only applies to someone who has lived many years and has lived a life filled with adventures, experiences, loves, heartbreaks, successes and failures. He and Shoya were just too young for that statement to have it's full meaning. Yeah, sure they died doing what they loved, they just missed a lifetime of the rest. At least you got to know Peter, think of the tens of thousands that never will and he will never get to know them. Breaks my heart any time a young kid/adult passes from any cause. These two just happened to come in a sport I love to watch. I think sometimes we forget how dangerous our sport can be. On the track or street. I hate these reminders.

RIP Peter and Shoya