Leisure In Peace, Nancy Ritchie (1940-2024)

The following is an announcement from Pro Motocross:

The American motocross neighborhood show farewell to 1 of its most crucial and influential figures this past Sunday as a celebration of life ceremony turned into held for Nancy Ritchie, matriarch of Michigan’s iconic RedBud MX, with a expansive gathering of family, chums, and diversified preferred ones from every decade of her astounding life.

Alongside her husband, Gene, the Ritchie’s founded RedBud MX in 1972 and over the past 50 years this hallowed ground within the rural township of Buchanan has change into arguably basically the most properly-known motocross phrase on this planet. One day of its existence RedBud has hosted native racing occasions, moreover Trans-AMA Championships and each and each AMA Newbie National and Regional Championships. It earned global recognition thru its execrable annual Independence Day party that is the RedBud National, which has been a centerpiece of the Pro Motocross Championship since 1974, whereas additionally serving as the host venue of the spectacle of the FIM Motocross of Countries, the “Olympics of Motocross,” on two cases, which integrated an anticipated return to the pinnacle of the podium for Crew USA on dwelling soil at some stage within the 2022 match.

Nancy Ritchie (1940-2024) Courtesy of the Ritchie Family

“Nancy Ritchie turned into one of those unheralded champions of the motorcycle alternate, an particular particular person who possibly didn’t know mighty about the sport unless her husband, Gene, determined to scramble all-in on his passion for motocross racing,” mentioned Davey Coombs, President, MX Sports Pro Racing. “From there she grew to alter into his partner, managing their shared endeavor by doing all of the within the help of-the-scenes work that every a success alternate requires. Together, they built RedBud into one of the most sector’s premier motocross companies and products, allowing limitless racing families to ride their chosen sport for better than five decades. Even after their kids, Tim and Amy, took over day-to-day facets of the alternate, and even after Gene passed in 2016, Nancy remained terminate to the phrase she co-founded manner relief in 1972. As her kids posted following her passing closing week, ‘RedBud turned into Gene’s dream; it labored due to the he convinced Nancy to reach alongside.’

“Thanks to the unwavering dedication of Gene and Nancy, and now Amy and Tim, to provide RedBud the most sensible motocross phrase on this planet, the venue has served lots of generations of American motocross enthusiasts. RedBud MX has been an indelible allotment of the lives of thousands of passionate racers and followers, and for that Gene and Nancy Ritchie will constantly be remembered.”

Nancy Ritchie at the side of her kids, Angie (high left), Amy (high exact), and Tim. Courtesy of the Ritchie Family

This weekend, at some stage within the annual consult with of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship to Detroit’s Ford Discipline, Gene and Nancy Ritchie will be on the minds of those in attendance, a quantity of whom possess been lucky to be allotment of the indelible legacy of RedBud MX over the past 50 years. The flee will be a becoming manner for the racing neighborhood to extra possess a fair exact time the lifetime of Nancy and the contributions of the Ritchie family to the sport of off-highway motorcycle racing.

Nancy Ritchie turned into 83 years passe.

Godspeed, Nancy.