Peter Lenz
Encyclopedia
Peter James Lenz was a nationally ranked American amateur motorcycle racer.
Lenz was born in Orlando, Florida
. He was a four-time international champion, five-time national champion and in 2009 started competing in 125GP racing. He was featured in Roadracing World’s 2009 and 2010 Young Guns: North America’s Fastest Kids feature.
On August 29, 2010, Lenz was killed in an accident during the warmup lap of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP
.
At the age of 11, Lenz became the youngest licensed Expert racer in AFM (American Federation of Motorcyclists) history; the previous holder of that honor was American GP racer Randy Mamola
.
Lenz also became the youngest rider to win an AFM race with his win in the Clubman Lightweight class on March 21, 2009, at Buttonwillow Raceway Park
.
At the age of 11, Lenz became the youngest licensed Expert racer in CCS (Championship Cup Series) history. He also became the youngest rider to win a CCS race with his win in the 125GP class on March 1, 2009, at Firebird International Raceway
(East Course). In the same day, Lenz set a new 125GP track record of 59.14s.
After the first two rounds, Lenz was leading the USGPRU (United States Grand Prix Racers Union) West Coast 125GP and 250GP class championships. Mid-season Lenz crashed into a tire wall at Portland International Raceway
(PIR) on May 31, 2009, due to several mechanical failures. He suffered several broken bones (tibia
and fibula just above the boot line; a broken femur
; and a broken humerus
just above the elbow) requiring several surgeries. The arm also suffered a severed radial nerve
. The accident effectively ended Lenz’s 2009 season and his run at the USGPRU 125GP and 250GP motorcycle road racing national championships. Lenz recovered and returned to racing in 2010.
PW50 when he was 5 and quickly started racing it. He soon moved up to a KTM Pro Senior 50. At age 7 he transitioned to pocketbikes on pavement which he rode for the next 2 years, finishing with an undefeated season. Lenz then advanced to racing minis for 3 years on a variety of bikes including: Honda NSR50, KTM 65SX roadracer, Metrakit MiniGP 50 and 80 and Honda RSF150R.
) as well as being a member of the BMS Factory Racing, USA Team. He finished the season taking 4th Overall in the Junior division of OMRRA (Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association).
based FNB Racing. In March he traveled to France, to visit the BMS factory, and Spain where he placed 4th and 6th in an internationally attended pocketbike race. At the Canadian Mini Nationals sanctioned by the CMA in August at Quesnel, British Columbia
, Lenz went home as the 2006 CMA Canadian National Open Pocketbike Champion and the Canadian Junior National Pocketbike Champion. Lenz also raced his first year in MiniGP on his NSR50 finishing as the NMRRA Mini50 GP Class Champion. Lenz completed the season as the OMRRA Junior Overall Pocketbike Champion and announced his retirement from pocketbikes.
NSR50, KTM
65SX, and new Honda RS85 and Honda RSF150R in select SCMINIGP, CMA CNMRA, CMRRA, NMRRA, & SMRRC races. He also ran the Can-Am Mini Motorcycle Roadracing Championship Series in which he won four National Champion titles. He also won the CMA Canadian National Formula Thunder Championship. Awareness of Lenz increased significantly when a video of him titled, “Follow 10yr roadracer Peter Lenz at the Streets of Willow” was posted on YouTube
and was viewed by tens of thousands and shared on hundreds of internet forums. Lenz's Honda RSF150R was featured in RoadRacerX’s The Point feature. Lenz began riding a Honda RS125 in the fall of 2008 and retired from mini racing on kart tracks. He raced his RS125 for the first time with WERA at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
finishing in second place, five tenths of a second off the track record. Lenz was also awarded one of CMA's MAX Awards for the year.
, were instrumental in his success as a racer.
. Lenz trained by running, playing motorcycle video games and riding motocross. In his spare time he enjoyed ripstiking, cycling and video games. As of June 2010 his height was 4'10" (147 cm), and his weight was 80 lbs (36 kg).
On May 31, 2009, Peter Lenz suffered a brake failure and hit tire barriers at the Portland International Speedway at over 100mph (160 km/h). He suffered multiple fractures to, among others, the fibula, the tibia and the femur, facial lacerations and a severed nerve. Peter Lenz's first comment about the cause of the failure was that someone had failed to pump his brakes before the race. Others, including father Michael Lenz, speculated the wreck may have been caused by a failure unrelated to the brakes.
. Lenz fell and was struck by another rider, 12-year-old Xavier Zayat. Paramedics immediately placed Lenz into a cervical collar, intubated him, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation
and rushed him to the Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis
, where he later died due to his injuries. Reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi fell four times at the track during practice and warm-ups and other top riders acknowledged the track was difficult.
The funeral was held on September 3, 2010, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Vancouver, Washington.
In memory of Lenz, his school (St. Joseph's Catholic School in Vancouver, Washington) is raising funds to build the Peter Lenz Memorial Athletic Field.
Lenz was born in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. He was a four-time international champion, five-time national champion and in 2009 started competing in 125GP racing. He was featured in Roadracing World’s 2009 and 2010 Young Guns: North America’s Fastest Kids feature.
On August 29, 2010, Lenz was killed in an accident during the warmup lap of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP
Indianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix
The Indianapolis Grand Prix is a motorcycling event held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States as part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. Its first edition took place on September 14, 2008 and was sponsored by Red Bull. The race was held again on August 30,...
.
Racing results
Four International (Can-Am) Championships, nine National Championships, nine Regional Championships and one Provincial Championship with 135 race wins and 43 additional podiums from years 2005 to 2009.Grand Prix racing
In 2009 Lenz began racing full time on 125 GP race bikes. He competed in the USGPRU National Series and select WERA West, AFM, CCS SW and OMRRA races.At the age of 11, Lenz became the youngest licensed Expert racer in AFM (American Federation of Motorcyclists) history; the previous holder of that honor was American GP racer Randy Mamola
Randy Mamola
Randy Mamola born in San Jose, California is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He is considered one of the most talented riders never to have won a world championship.-Career:...
.
Lenz also became the youngest rider to win an AFM race with his win in the Clubman Lightweight class on March 21, 2009, at Buttonwillow Raceway Park
Buttonwillow Raceway Park
Buttonwillow Raceway Park is a motorsports park in Kern County, California, north of the town of Buttonwillow and northwest of Bakersfield. Owned and operated by the California Sports Car Club, a region of SCCA, Buttonwillow is the "flagship" track of Cal Club, and is also the location of the...
.
At the age of 11, Lenz became the youngest licensed Expert racer in CCS (Championship Cup Series) history. He also became the youngest rider to win a CCS race with his win in the 125GP class on March 1, 2009, at Firebird International Raceway
Firebird International Raceway
Firebird International Raceway is a quarter-mile dragstrip and road course in Chandler, Arizona.-History:The facility opened in 1983 and hosts the NHRA's Arizona Nationals. It held one IMSA GT race, in 1987. Due to its warm climate, it is a popular winter testing spot for NHRA and IndyCar...
(East Course). In the same day, Lenz set a new 125GP track record of 59.14s.
After the first two rounds, Lenz was leading the USGPRU (United States Grand Prix Racers Union) West Coast 125GP and 250GP class championships. Mid-season Lenz crashed into a tire wall at Portland International Raceway
Portland International Raceway
Portland International Raceway is located in Portland, Oregon, USA's, Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River. It is west of a light rail station and less than a mile west of Interstate 5....
(PIR) on May 31, 2009, due to several mechanical failures. He suffered several broken bones (tibia
Tibia
The tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....
and fibula just above the boot line; a broken femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
; and a broken humerus
Humerus
The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....
just above the elbow) requiring several surgeries. The arm also suffered a severed radial nerve
Radial nerve
The radial nerve is a nerve in the human body that supplies the upper limb. It supplies the medial and lateral heads of the triceps brachii muscle of the arm, as well as all 12 muscles in the posterior osteofascial compartment of the forearm and the associated joints and overlying skin.It...
. The accident effectively ended Lenz’s 2009 season and his run at the USGPRU 125GP and 250GP motorcycle road racing national championships. Lenz recovered and returned to racing in 2010.
Career
Lenz began riding in the dirt on a YamahaYamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
PW50 when he was 5 and quickly started racing it. He soon moved up to a KTM Pro Senior 50. At age 7 he transitioned to pocketbikes on pavement which he rode for the next 2 years, finishing with an undefeated season. Lenz then advanced to racing minis for 3 years on a variety of bikes including: Honda NSR50, KTM 65SX roadracer, Metrakit MiniGP 50 and 80 and Honda RSF150R.
2005
2005 was Lenz’s first season riding pocketbikes (see Pocketbike racingPocketbike racing
Pocket Bike racing, also known as Minimoto or circus racing, is a category of racing where miniature racing motorcycles are raced around kart tracks...
) as well as being a member of the BMS Factory Racing, USA Team. He finished the season taking 4th Overall in the Junior division of OMRRA (Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association).
2006
In 2006 Lenz rode a full season with OMRRA and joined Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
based FNB Racing. In March he traveled to France, to visit the BMS factory, and Spain where he placed 4th and 6th in an internationally attended pocketbike race. At the Canadian Mini Nationals sanctioned by the CMA in August at Quesnel, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Lenz went home as the 2006 CMA Canadian National Open Pocketbike Champion and the Canadian Junior National Pocketbike Champion. Lenz also raced his first year in MiniGP on his NSR50 finishing as the NMRRA Mini50 GP Class Champion. Lenz completed the season as the OMRRA Junior Overall Pocketbike Champion and announced his retirement from pocketbikes.
2007
In 2007 Lenz rode undefeated in the 50cc classes for the Metrakit Canada Factory team on a Metrakit 50 with ambitions of winning several Canadian National titles. Unfortunately, a startline crash resulted in a broken arm taking Lenz out of the series and along with it, his ride with Metrakit. He finished the year aboard his Honda NSR50 and his KTM 65SX motard racer taking a total of 4 national wins, 34 regional wins, and an additional 14 podiums for the season.2008
In 2008 Lenz focused on full-size GP chassis bikes. The focus of his riding was to continue the development of his racecraft on MiniGP tracks on his HondaHonda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
NSR50, KTM
KTM
KTM Sportmotorcycle AG is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and moped manufacturer.The company was founded in 1934 by engineer Hans Trunkenpolz in Mattighofen. It started out as a metal working shop and was named Kraftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen...
65SX, and new Honda RS85 and Honda RSF150R in select SCMINIGP, CMA CNMRA, CMRRA, NMRRA, & SMRRC races. He also ran the Can-Am Mini Motorcycle Roadracing Championship Series in which he won four National Champion titles. He also won the CMA Canadian National Formula Thunder Championship. Awareness of Lenz increased significantly when a video of him titled, “Follow 10yr roadracer Peter Lenz at the Streets of Willow” was posted on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and was viewed by tens of thousands and shared on hundreds of internet forums. Lenz's Honda RSF150R was featured in RoadRacerX’s The Point feature. Lenz began riding a Honda RS125 in the fall of 2008 and retired from mini racing on kart tracks. He raced his RS125 for the first time with WERA at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
finishing in second place, five tenths of a second off the track record. Lenz was also awarded one of CMA's MAX Awards for the year.
Coaching
The California Superbike School sponsored Lenz. Lenz repeatedly mentioned in interviews that the school and its founder, Keith CodeKeith Code
Keith Code is a former motorcycle racer,writer, and founder of the California Superbike School.He has been called "arguably the best known and most successful on-track motorcycle instructor in the world".-Rider training:...
, were instrumental in his success as a racer.
Personal life
Lenz lived with his parents and two sisters in Vancouver, WashingtonVancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
. Lenz trained by running, playing motorcycle video games and riding motocross. In his spare time he enjoyed ripstiking, cycling and video games. As of June 2010 his height was 4'10" (147 cm), and his weight was 80 lbs (36 kg).
Pre-death crashes
On July 8, 2007, Peter Lenz was racing at the Canadian Mini Road Race Formula 80GP when another rider accidentally bumped his handle bar forcing him into a hard right turn and into several other riders. One of the other riders suffered a fractured arm.On May 31, 2009, Peter Lenz suffered a brake failure and hit tire barriers at the Portland International Speedway at over 100mph (160 km/h). He suffered multiple fractures to, among others, the fibula, the tibia and the femur, facial lacerations and a severed nerve. Peter Lenz's first comment about the cause of the failure was that someone had failed to pump his brakes before the race. Others, including father Michael Lenz, speculated the wreck may have been caused by a failure unrelated to the brakes.
Death
On August 29, 2010, Lenz was involved in a fatal crash during a warm-up lap at the MD250H race of the Red Bull Indianapolis GPIndianapolis motorcycle Grand Prix
The Indianapolis Grand Prix is a motorcycling event held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States as part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. Its first edition took place on September 14, 2008 and was sponsored by Red Bull. The race was held again on August 30,...
. Lenz fell and was struck by another rider, 12-year-old Xavier Zayat. Paramedics immediately placed Lenz into a cervical collar, intubated him, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure which is performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest. It is indicated in those who are unresponsive...
and rushed him to the Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis
Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis
Methodist Hospital of Indianapolis is a hospital part of Indiana University Health, located in Indianapolis, state of Indiana, United States. It is the largest hospital in the state of Indiana and one of only two regional Level I Trauma Centers in the state...
, where he later died due to his injuries. Reigning MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi fell four times at the track during practice and warm-ups and other top riders acknowledged the track was difficult.
The funeral was held on September 3, 2010, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Vancouver, Washington.
In memory of Lenz, his school (St. Joseph's Catholic School in Vancouver, Washington) is raising funds to build the Peter Lenz Memorial Athletic Field.