Now THAT'S Casual

From the January 2005 issue of Cycle World:

Chris Draayer: 1946-2004

"Chris Draayer, billed in vintage races as The World's Fastest One-Armed Motorcyclist, was killed in a one-bike crash near his home in Utah last September.

He was born to the sport. The Draayer family owned the Harley-Davidson dealership in Salt Lake City, and Chris rode for his dad as a Novice, then for the factory after he made Expert. In 1966, he was the AMA's Rookie of the Year and finished the season fifth in national points.

In 1967, at the Sedalia, Missouri, Half-Mile, there was a multi-rider crash and Draayer was critically injured. His left arm was severed below the shoulder and he spent months in the hospital. But Draayer didn't quit. Former teammate and lifelong pal Mert Lawwill built Draayer an artificial arm.

Draayer's professional career was over, but he remained a rider, and operated the family's dealership until he retired in 1984 to devote time and effort to the Mormon Church-he was sometimes called the "Stormin' Mormon." When BMW inaugurated its Battle of the Legends series, Draayer was part of the cast and rode well. He was a modest and friendly man and became a crowd favorite.

Lawwill continually revised and improved the prosthetic arm he built for Draayer and hopes to raise funds for a memorial foundation that would subsidize artificial arms for kids who need such help.

The saddest part, Lawwill said, was that Draayer was out for a casual cruise and wasn't using the arm when he had his accident. It could have made a difference in control. What sometimes seems to be a minor decision can have major consequences."

Allan Girdler