Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/626951
www.PowersportsBusiness.com NEWS Powersports Business • January 25, 2016 • 7 A man familiar to many in the powersports industry, James Rayburn "Ray" Price, died Dec. 16 at the age of 78. Price was the owner of Ray Price Harley- Davidson and Ray Price Triumph in Raleigh, North Carolina. Both dealerships were named to the Powersports Business Power 50 lists in 2013 and 2014. Beyond owning his dealerships, Price was also recognized for his motorcycle drag racing. Known as the "Father of the Funnybike," Price designed the first wheelie bar for motorcycle drag racing, according to a press release. He also helped create the current style of the two- speed racing transmission. Price remained actively involved in the Ray Price Motors- ports Racing Team until his death. The team announced its retirement in early January after 48 years of drag racing; the retirement came in part due to Price's death. Price began motorcycle drag racing in 1967 at the age of 30, retiring at the age of 66. He won 46 national events and set 51 speed records, earning the national points championship in 1979-80. He has been inducted into the Ameri- can Motorcyclist Association Hall of Fame, the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame, the N.C. Drag Racing Hall of Fame, the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame and the National Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame. Price ran his dealerships for more than 30 years. There he hosted a number of events, many benefitting charity. Just two weekends before his death, Ray Price Harley-Davidson and the Raleigh Harley Owners Group hosted a ride that brought 50 bicycles and $3,000 in cash and toys to the Marines' Toys for Tots campaign. Price also organized the annual Cap- ital City Bikefest, drawing more than 100,000 people to downtown Raleigh in September. Price was laid to rest on Sunday, Dec. 20, as thousands of friends, family and colleagues gathered to remember him. Thousands of bik- ers rode from the memorial service to the cem- etery in a final sendoff. "Today we buried a wonderful, dedicated family man and a legend in the world of motor- sports," Mark Hendrix, general manager of Ray Price, Inc., said in a press release. "Ray Price was a motorsports icon with a huge heart, who always had time for friends and fans. His pas- sion for sharing his love of motorcycling con- verged every day with his dedication to serving our community." Price is survived by his wife of 57 years Jean Price, as well as his daughter Robin Richardson and her family. PSB Well-known North Carolina dealer Ray Price, 78, dies Ray Price, right, accepts his dealerships' Power 50 award from PSB editor in chief Dave McMahon at the 2014 Power 50 dinner at AIMExpo in Orlando. Ray Price has been inducted into numerous motorcycle halls of fame for his drag racing accomplishments that spanned more than three decades.