Wayne Hosaka 1948-2011


Don Emde Remembering Wayne in Cycle News

Photos at bottom of page 

Wayne Hosaka...January 16, 2011 This is the hardest post we've ever had to write... Tonight, Wayne crossed those final checkers. While we will all surely do our best to carry on this Forum in the way Wayne envisioned it, we acknowledge that things won't be the same. Wayne was a mentor, a friend, a great humanitarian, a brilliant artist, and so much more...to so many of us. The world was a better place, thanks to you, Wayne. May you rest in peace now, and may you finally find the freedom and answers you've longed for. We are truly blessed to have been touched by you, Hos...and we know you will still be ever-present in our lives. Godspeed, Hos. THANK YOU for EVERYTHING. Chew and Mia The Fans in the Stands --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have been asked to share the following info, regarding the Memorial Services for Wayne: On January 29, at 2:00 P.M., the family will be having services at Christ Unity Church, 311 Highland Ave., El Cajone, CA. Immediately following the service, and honoring Wayne's passion for music, there will be an open Jam Session celebrating Wayne's life, held at The Downtown Cafe, 185 East Main, in El Cajone, CA. There are a couple of other events being planned in Wayne's honor, including a Celebration of Life to be held at the Perris opener in March. Details on these events will be posted as soon as I receive them. Godspeed Wayne, and continued love and prayers for his family. Mia -------------------------------------------------------- GodSpeed Hos!   #1 steel shoe -------------------------------- We will really miss Wayne, but we will never forget the man who tied the flattrack family together.So many new relationships have been started and there will be so many more new ones too because of our friend Wayne.Godspeed Wayne.Gary/Lightshoe ------------------------------------- The news I didn't want to hear. God Speed Wayne. A Man who quietly became a legend. Jim Henry ----------------------------------- God speed Hos,you brought us all together and kept us mostly sane during the off season,I will miss you my friend. Geo. ----------------------------------- Like many of you, this forum has been a part of my daily life for 10 years now. I don't know if there has been one single day that I haven't checked to see what is going on. Like all of you, flattrack motorcycle racing is part of me, as it is part of Americana. The history, the racers, the tracks, the fairs, the towns, and all of the every day people that we meet as we travel to and from the races are all part of it, and it all gets brought together right here on Wayne Hosaka's Flattrack Forum. We all owe it to Wayne to keep this forum going. It needs to continue in the spirit that Wayne intended, to treat the sport and all of the crazy people in it with the repect deserved. Godspeed "Hos". May we all react and deal with adversity with the amount of strength and resolve that you have. Rowdy Racer ----------------------------------------- Forever grateful for all you have done for all you have done for us all and the sport we love. Godspeed Wayne    Toolman ---------------------------------------------------------- Godspeed....Hos   Mayra -------------------------------- WE WILL ALL MISS YOU "HOS" R. I. P. White Plate Flat Tracker's Sturgis SD. George Holter 60K ----------------------- God Seed Hos, you will be Greatly missed   BT24 -------------------------------- Wayne, my friend... I remember to this day when you ask me what I thought about starting a flattrack website and I told you it was a great idea and I would help get traffic by taking pictures at the races and post them Sunday nights so people would have something to look at Monday morning, it worked very well the website took off. Wayne was a true friend who I have came to know even before flattrack.com ever was. Wayne fought a tough battle all his life and now the battle has ended and Wayne is finally at peace. Wayne I love you and I cherished every minute we spent together. Godspeed my friend. Jim Grant ------------------------------- Ride on 55x... slidin33 ----------------------------------- God Speed Wayne Hosaka. Flattrack has lost one of the all time greats. AudreyHauser ------------------------------- Gonna miss the occassional conversations and jokes. God bless you my friend. You contributed alot to many lives and our sport. May the race never end. Rest Wayne... Al Stay and family ------------------------------------------------ Our deepest need is for the joy that comes with …knowing we are of genuine use to others.” -- Eknath Easwaran The quote above is from Wayne's profile here on the forum. Hos, I hope you felt that joy..YOU contributed so much with such quiet dignity and more. Your presence will be sorely missed. God Bless you. drttrkerfan -------------- So sorry to hear that Hos didn't make it out of this situation!!! God Speed Hos, you will be missed.. With a little help and cooperation hopefully we can carry on in his memory!! Sad day indeed.. Bultacoslider ------------------------- A true flattrack hero he was. His website has made the world a better place. Godspeed our friend. cslider ------------ godspeed !!!!!!!!!!! Racer97 ------------------------- so sorry to hear of Waynes passing he will always be missed. He may have seen his final checkers here on earth but he is starting a whole new career racing all of our fallen heros up in the heavens above scottg ----------------------------- Wayne is loved by so many, my prayers and good thoughts go to his family and friends, what a sad, sad day. Rod Lake -------------------------- Godspeed...Hos CROZ 73P ---------------------- Thank You for what you gave us Wayne, may you rest in peace. Mike   Triumph79 ---------- Saw Wayne ride numerous times but only meet him once and he ask me to do a little "video bit" he wanted to "post" on his site...A generous and carring man---he will be missed and never forgotten... John Reinhard ------------------ Godspeed , Hos..... TCL ------------------------ The heavy sorrow in our hearts can only be lightened by all the wonderfull things HOSS did for the flat track community . Gonna have walk this one off for a while. Marty Lewis ------------ So very sad to hear of Wayne's passing. I can't remember meeting a more incredible person. We flattrackers owe Wayne an incredible debt of gratitude for bringing us together from all corners of the world. I feel fortunate to have known you. I know you are now in a truly better place, without the burdens and limitations you were dealt. Brad Rudy --------------- Gosh.....what to say about Wayne and his passing. Sort of in shock right now just seeing this and don't really have the right words. He was a great person to have had the privilege and now an honor to have known him personally and I will cherish my memories of him and some of the things we did together. God rest you forever Wayne. Gabe ---------------- I'm not ashamed to admit that when I heard this I broke down and cried. I was so hoping he'd pull thru this. He was a one of a kind. A Memorial Race, retiring the number and above all, admittance to the Hall of Fame is the least we can do in his memory. "Wayne, you will be missed" alan11p --------------------------------- Words fail me. Such a great loss. Godspeed Wayne. Rudy87m ----------------------------------------------------------- It has been over a week since Hos succumbed to his medical problems and I’ve tried to think of all the times we met at race tracks and banquets. I have a leg up on most people trying to do the same as I have a photo history of most of our meetings. But the funniest encounter was probably the first. I was at the Tulare track west of town, which had an oval, for an AHRMA race with my friend Tom Horton. Hos asked us if he could get a ride back to the hotel in Tulare. We said sure and start asking how to lift Hos into the seat of the truck. He said it would be much easier for him if he just stayed in his chair and rode in the trailer! Well, disbelieve at the suggestion was the first order, but Hos was insistent. The trip was gentle and slow, but we made it. I reminded Tom of the incident the other day and we had another good laugh. Wayne’s shining hour in my memory was his induction into the Trailblazers Hall of Fame in 2005. That evening, he presented an original painting to one of his heros, number 25, Everett Brashear. Wayne started his web site about a year before VFT and although the sites were in competition, we were never competitors, only friends.  His enormous contribution to our sport goes without saying and he will be missed. My hope is that his site can continue and his memory will only grow. Godspeed Hos.   Dennis vft ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ya know it's sorta funny about posts... I've been writing on here since 05 & it's just as you said... Just as I hit "Submit"...I would think to myself... "Damn, Wayne Is Gonna Jump All Over That One!" Well? Wayne never jumped all over it... He Jumped Right Into It Instead! That's the kinda guy he was! Wayne Wanted Variance In Perspectives! Wayne Gravitated Towards Outrageous Comic Relief! Wayne Embraced Inciteful Respectful Heartfelt Comentary! Wayne Gave Me Latitude & Longitude Without Bounds...To Push It! Music, Literature, Poetry, Philosophy, Arts, Science & even Al Freak'n Einstein stuff! Wayne let me run rampent through the hearts & minds of the Flattrack Family... because to Wayne..."Feeling" mattered..."Life" mattered... If it was worth thinking about...It was worth talking about! In that... We all grew & improved as human beings in one way or another as a direct result of Wayne & his desire to Explore Thought Without Borders! Flattrack was his Medium Unbound off-setting the chains & shackles of physical restriction... Friends Forever! Seeya Art ------------------------------------------------- I have been a member of this forum for many years. I didn’t know Wayne but for a few back and forth emails with him thru the years over various lost passwords, etc. but while I didn’t know him personally, I knew Wayne was behind this forum. I knew he was there to keep folks in check, to let heavy conversations ride, to shut down offensive ones, to use this forum to his best ability whenever someone was in need. He made this forum a joy to visit, a destination, my first stop whenever I turn on a computer. I can remember a few posts where I thought to myself, damn Wayne is going to jump all over that one. And each day I am still amazed at the collective knowledge, insight, and passion this forum has brought together. Wayne’s love of flattrack was obvious. But to me, more than that love of flattrack, he was an honest, fair, decent human being. Maybe that’s not saying much nowadays. I simply respected the man and I will miss his presence. How do I get a 55x sticker for my tool box? And not the Godspeed one either. The flattrack.com one. I’d like to keep Wayne’s memory alive and well. BUD ----------------------------------------- I'm so sorry to hear about Wayne, your journey will be blessed. You will be missed so much Dee Dee De Lucca ----------------------------------- I remember meeting Wayne at my first race in the mid 60's at Dehesa, a track (Now closed) in San Diego County. I remember watching him in turn one, on that Pursang and thinking, WOW, someday I'll ride like Wayne. It's been almost fifty years, and I'm still trying. Thanks for the memories Wayne. Mike Wilder -------------------------------------------------- Very sorry to hear about Hos. God speed my man, and thank you for all of your great contributions to the sport and especially to and for FlatTrack.com!    RIP 55X Wayne Hosaka! Stu  stuman714 ----------------------------- RIP Hos #55x! You are a truly inpirational person and will be missed. Thanks for all you have done! verticaltwin --------------------------------- Because of Hos we are all on this forum.RIP Hos you will be missed by countles of people!! willego -------------------------- Having never met the man, i knew him well.Wayne's desire to bring our sport to unknown levels, cannot be matched.Wayne mentored many of us . On behalf of all Electric City Riders our deepest condolance's are extended to the Hosaka family during this very difficult time and you will be in our thoughts and prayers. God Bless Wayne,God blesssed us all thru this man.   cquickjoe --------------------------- I'm so sorry to hear that Wayne is gone. He did so much for me when I was doing Live I Sports, and he was always so happy to help. We always talked about the fact that I use #55 and I sure hope that a national caliber rider will run #55 in his honor this year. He deserves so much for what he did for this sport. Go with God Wayne.  Doug Stewart #55 Ducati ------------------------ Iam not as good with words as Art. The fact is its hard to put into words. The fact is we lost a dear freind and we all should take time to remember his time here with joy. I had just a couple conversations. A few emails. A few laughs. After he got the poster we sent him after the astro cup he laughed when I told him it almost said "Flat Tire .Com" I remember his thanking me and I told him He has given more than I could ever repay. He gave us all that never was a place to remember. He brought a bunch of people together that had similar dreams and passions to place where we share together. I just had to say he touched all of us and will keep doing it as long as we allow. Thank you Wayne. Tim   fire814 ---------------------------------- I remember not too long ago when we just got into flattrack racing I did a search on the internet and the only thing that came up was this forum. James and I were just going to our first race together, it was my first race ever at 44 years old on a new Wood Rotax I bought from Ron Wood and James on a Suzuki Jr, and I wanted a tee shirt bad. I had no idea who Wayne was, nor did I have any clue what I was getting into. He emailed me back, I sent a few dollars and a couple of flattrack.com shirts came in the mail. I remember I was the only person in New England to have one and people were asking me where did we get them and what was flattrack.com. Since then I have had many email conversations with Wayne about any number of things from kids, to business to who knows what. I have some of his reproductions that I was drawn too which I will cherish. Mostly I remember those first days of meeting him on-line and how he quietly ushered me into the fold. It was all pretty cool. Wayne has provided an enourmous avenue for the sport. His unselfish posting of our press releases, his support of our race reports and his ability to be fair has made a huge difference in our program over the years. James and I will remember always what you have done for us and everyone else you touched. RIP Mr. Hosaka James, Philip and forever the Coolskunk KyDs ---------------------------- We in the world of Flat Track have lost one of our greatest. Hos has touched the lives of someone wanting to race their first race to ex number ones to the best of our current pros. What other sport has a website like this? We have the best tuners, racers answering our questions, helping us for a common cause, the betterment of Flat Track. They say God works in mysterious ways, what if Hos had not been injured that day, he could have gone on to be Number One, raced for factory teams, made lots of money. It wasn't the hand he was dealt, but he moved onward and upwards. He touched the lives of thousands of people, many who never had the opportunity to meet him but consider him a best friend, the brother or father they never had. I think this song of Garth Brooks is fitting of Hos's life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7MhgP5c5j8 Hos, you are loved and will be missed. Bultaco48e, Tim Hurley ---------------------------------- Those who live in the hearts of others, never die.   king kirk --------------------------------------- Well its 4:00 am Im just sitting here cant sleep thinking about WAYNE a nice guy that has touched all of us I never personally met the man seen many pictures listened to you all and read alot of different topics really liked that he started this hole shabang flattrack.com its really sad I have always loved this sport and cant think of anything that has given me more enjoyment or a history lesson than this. I would probably never had the chance finding some parts or getting some knowledge with laughter. The best thing is how he made it all possible, I cant think of hanging out with a better group than all of you. My thoughts and prayer to your family and friends. Thank you Wayne Hosaka,    JLR  GrumpyGreeves ------------------------------------- God Speed Wayne!You will be missed but not forgotten!  RayP #11n --------------------------- Just found out about Wayne's passing in the last hour or so. I've already read all the posts by all of us who knew, appreciated, respected, and loved him so much. Everyone has already pretty much said everything that expresses all of our sorrow as well as tremendous respect for Wayne "Hos" Hosaka through his life here on earth before his accident and especially after his life changing accident. I think Tim Hurley (AKA Bultaco48e) may have just hit the nail on the head when he wrote the following. They say "God works in mysterious ways", what if Hos had not been injured that day, he could have gone on to be Number One, raced for factory teams, made lots of money. It wasn't the hand he was dealt, but he moved onward and upwards. He touched the lives of thousands of people, many who never had the opportunity to meet him but consider him a best friend, the brother or father they never had.  (End quote) The Rolling Stones sang this in one of their songs...."You don't always get what you want -- but if you try -- sometimes, you just might find you get what you need." Wayne never stopped trying, found (or was led to) the internet where it became a blessing to him and through it he became a blessing to thousands upon thousands of people world wide. Funny how things work out sometimes when you keep your attitude right like Wayne did and you keep on trying like Wayne did. "Sometimes you just might find you get what you need." Vince Gill wrote a song for some of his loved ones who had passed. It is called "Go Rest High On The Mountain". The following are the words and the link if you care to listen to it. I think it is very appropriate for #55x Wayne "Hos" Hosaka on this occasion. "High On The Mountain" by Vince Gill I know your life on earth was troubled and only you could know the pain. You weren't afraid to face the devil You were no stranger to the rain. Go rest high on the mountain Son, your work on earth is done. Go to heaven a-shoutin' Look for the Father and the Son Oh, how we cried the day you left us We gathered around your grave to grieve Wish I could see the angles faces When they hear your sweet voice sing Go rest high on the mountain Son, your work on earth is done Go to heaven a-shoutin' Look for the Father and the Son http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jXrmAKBBTU&ob=av2el Royal W. Sherbet ------------------------------------------------------- Today I was just working away in the garage trying to get bikes ready for the Daytona trip and I found myself thinking about Hos. I keep pondering that quote he used as the signature on his posts. The one about one of the greatest joys in life is to know that you are truly useful to others. I kept thinking this is for sure one of the things that drove Wayne to create his art, and especially this site. I think he also discovered along the way some of the other joys in life such as to share what you have learned, and to be loved and respected by others. I feel like Wayne taught me about these things though I never got to meet him in person. For these lessons I thank you Wayne. I will be eternally grateful. Dennis denny 611 P.S. I was never this philosophical until I started hanging around with you flattracker guys. -------------------------------------- Wayne made the world a better place. Through the inspiration of overcoming his disability, the beauty of his artwork, his intellect, and the creation of this forum, he made all of our lives richer.Godspeed Hos DB117w -------------------------- God Speed Hos... You will be sorely missed. Hang it out there on that big flattrack in the sky. Anthony Mitchell 42z ------------------ Truly saddened by the news of Wayne's passing. Peace be with you. God bless. Doug Parker ---------------------- There are no words...God bless ratattack --------------------------------- Very sad news. May God comfort his fiancee and family with His grace and mercy at this difficult time. A man is measured by the company he keeps. I believee this Forum was a pretty good measure of the man. God speed, Hos. Bert Sumner -------------------------------- Gods Speed Wayne Hosaka motorcycleman60 -------------------------------- Gone, but never forgotten......... rideblue --------------------------------- Dang it! I hate stuff that makes me cry.Hos will be missed! Mike Schwarzenbacher ------------------------------------ Gods Speed Wayne. You will be always in our hearts.... Tim Housman --------------------------------- My condolances to Waynes family. I wish I could have met him in person. Thanks for such an awesome gift to the flattrack family. Ricky Henson. ------------------------------- This is very sad news indeed. I enjoyed meeting Wayne and bench racing with him. His paintings were awesome. He was a very brave man.Blessings, Devon Sowell --------------------------------------- So sorry to hear of waynes passing. His passion for flat track was tremendou. Godspeed Wayne. siev45p ------------------------------- I am so sorry to hear this. You will be sorely missed Hos. You are now free as a bird brother... Crume ------------------------------------- I have been on and off the forum since 1997 or so. Got to know Wayne through the years. Never met him, but felt like he was a good friend. He was always supportive of my endeavors and we traded favors through the years. Wayne’s background and personality was expressed through the forum. He would step in at appropriate times to keep things conciliatory. He was a talented racer, artist and inspired others. He touched a lot of life's in a positive way. This site has been an almost daily stop for me over 10 years. The forum will continue, but Wayne will be greatly missed.Love and Prayers to all affected, The Pearson’s ---------------------------------- 55X is in the heavens with all of the early passings of the greats that we are all familiar with--#3, #31, #21, #92 and many, many more of the legends and leaders of this great sport of ours. Words cannot describe what this man has done for all of us and this great community of flat track fans. His memory and his will to spread the news and info to the masses will live and love on forever, in our hearts, and in our minds.Godspeed Hos! stuman714 ------------------------------- R.I.P. Hos Stutz ------------------------------ R.I.P. Wayne Tbear ----------------------------- What sad news. We all will miss you Wayne. I'm not sure I will be able to surf the site with out your help. May you rest in GOD'S Arms and keep an eye on all of us while we try to keep our sport moving forward. PatL --------------------------- If we keep Wayne in our thoughts he will always be with us.Rest In Peace Dave ----------------------------- God Speed Wayne!! Now you have no physical limitations! Tell all the racers in the sky "hello" for us. You will be missed here on Earth and welcomed by those who have been missing you since they left. You're in a better place. May your loving memories comfort those left behind. Thanks for everything you did for Flat Track and to make our lives better. You are a true hero!  Eddie & Jodi Mulder ------------------------------------- He was good friend. root ------------------------------- Rest in peace... bob57p -------------------------------- Like most readers on the flattrack forum, I too, take a look nearly once a day to see what is going on in the sport. I was very sad when I read last night of Wayne's passing. Also I suspect, like at least some other readers, I did not know Wayne personally but came to know him through this site. Last summer I broke my back in a couple of places short-tracking my 450 and was laid up for a bit. During that time Wayne wrote me several personal e-mails of encouragement that led to several e-mails back and forth. I was very touched by him taking the time to do that. I don't know how long that would have taken him but I would guess that much more effort and time went into doing that on his part than it takes most of us readers to knock out a few words. And that is impressive and encouraging. We should all think about that when we think we are up against something tough. Requiescat in pace et in amore Wayne. Ryan Stewart ---------------------------------- HERES TO WAYNE , REST EZ hotshoe -------------------------------- I never got to meet Wayne personally but I’ve followed this site since close to its beginnings. He was always an Inspiration. If there is a podium in Heaven I feel sure he is standing at the top. Godspeed Hos. jtbiker -------------------------------------------- Godspeed Wayne, I thank you for all you have given to this sport and the Flattrack.com community your legacy will live on with every post made on this site. R.I.P. Jeff ------------------------------------ Rest in peace my friend. You have been an inspiration to all of us. Ol89r -------------------------------------- I'm in the business of "death". I see it everyday. I'm sitting at my computer...looking across the street at my cemetery. I've been crying since I first read of Wayne's passing yesterday. That's not what funeral directors do...but I'm going through it right now. I've known Wayne for several years. I remember him once posting a racing painting, and asking the forum members to guess who the riders were. There were a lot of close guesses. Rather than post the answer, I sent Hos an e-mail with the answer. He wondered how I knew. I told him I had an 8x10 of that picture in my racing room...AND, if he ever decided to be a "professional painter"...to call me. He asked what that meant. I told him that professionals sold their works. It took a while, but soon the painting was hanging in my house. Months went by, and he called me. He wanted to do something new, and asked what he should paint. It was a simple answer. "ME". In the first YouTube video I saw about him after his passing, the painting he's working on is that picture. It hangs in a place of honor in my living room. A couple of years ago I told him that I wanted to give Eddie Mulder a painting for his birthday. It took a while to get everything in place, but I was able to present Eddie with that painting. Wayne refused to let me pay him for it...as he knew it was important to me. That painting was not near as important to me as Wayne's friendship. It will take a while for the pain to go away. He was one hell of a racer, an outstanding artist and a true friend. I will miss him every day I'm still here...and will be looking forward to seeing him when I get to the big track in the sky. We will never forget him. Rest in Peace, my friend. Digger ---------------------------------------- I haven't the words to express enough how much Wayne will be missed. A friend to all and a gapping hole in mine and everybody elses life. Visionary and racer!! rest in a full lock slide. Your Friend, Johnny 10xng ------------------------------------- My friend Augie told me about Wayne last night. I was instantly sad, but as we talked about him a calm peaceful feeling came over me. You see Augie and I came to the conclusion that Wayne had to have woken up in heaven a young,strong and agile man again. Figured he jumped on a bad ass flattracker (because heaven has all the best race bikes) and hit the track rubbing elbows with Markel, Graham, Tresser, Camlin and all the other racers that made it to the big track before him. Maybe he was reliving the astrodome, riding as hard as he could powersliding out of the corners with no fear because if he crashed he would just land in a clowd, jump up, shake it off and go again because heaven is like that. Atleast thats the way I am going to think about Hos hopper54p ----------- Very sorry to hear of this. RIP stk0308 ----------------------------- Wayne was a man who shared beauty and brought people together. He will be sorely missed, but never forgotten. Dennis 611 ------------------------------- To the Father of Flattrack.com.....from one of the famliy..Thank you.for all that you shared with us...every time we log on we think about you. Eddie Ahrens --------------------------------- I posted a few weeks ago that Mike Shattuck directed me to Flattrack.com a few years ago & I was grateful. It has become a big part of my daily life. Thank you, Hos. You have brought together a great community. I wish I could have met you. WC1209 ------------------------ Wow, this just hit me hard. I never had the pleasure of meeting Wayne but have followed him via the website and admired his go for it attitude. What a guy. I believe that he is racing with all the best in heaven. Havin' fun and ripping it up. You are welcome there, but will be missed here Mr. Hosaka. flattrackstuff --------------------------------- Hos, Godspeed, my friend. You'll always in the hearts, minds (& on my leathers) of flattrackers everywhere. Vintage Hotshoe ------------------------------- Hi, I am Annie (Art the Dart's daughter) and I just wanted to send my thoughts and condolences out to the whole flat track family. Although I have not had the pleasure of meeting Wayne in person, I have spoken with him over the phone and computer and enjoyed my conversations with him. Our friendship was brief and had miles between it, but I knew Wayne was a gentle and sweet soul that will be greatly missed by many. Annie Bugg --------------------------- I thank everyone for all their great comments about my father, he overcame a lot and was a great man. Hos Jr --------------------------------- I never got to meet Wayne but being close friends with JG I heard so many great stories about a very great man. I myself certainly appreciate this forum that he created. I ve met so many wonderful people and enjoy going to this everyday and reading about whats going on in the sport I love so much. Rest in Peace Wayne, and Rick... The Longs Rich, Aaron, and Bubba

-------------------------------------------------------- I got up this morning to go to work, I sat down to put on my work shoes and one of them DIDN'T want to go to work with me.Could have been the snow from last night and it shrunk up a little.Anyway I was giving my REDWINGS grieve for not going on my foot,then I got upset at the world,cause my shoe wouldn't go on,THEN,THEN,all of a sudden it dawned on me!!!! Look back at Wayne!!!! Wayne had a great many days of things not going right,yet he over came them. I miss the phone calls,as I know alot of us do! I miss his posts.I miss his ONE LINERS that he used to throw at us.But I know he is watchin down on us and ya know what??!! After I started thinkin about Wayne,my shoe slipped on like a throttle grip over a shined handlebar!!!! CHEW --------------------------------------------- Wayne Hosaka on Daytona 200 Monument I just got off the phone with Kevin and Mia and we talked about the loss of Wayne Hosaka. His family of dirt track friends on this web site which has become a meeting place of sorts for all of us! I first met Hos at the hospital the day after my rider, Aaron Creamer, crashed at Del Mar one year. Hos with his friend Gabe showed up in Aaron's room the next day concerned for the kid that was hauled to the hospital in the ambulance the day before. Aaron was still listed in critical condition with internal injuries but the visit from Hos, Gabe, Ronnie Jones and Sammy Sebedra had him feeling better in no time! I really didn't know Hos at that time but over the years with emails and telephone calls and of course Flattrack.com I can truly say that I'm a better man for having known him. Now that he has been taken from us, like many of you I feel the loss. Well since just before Christmas I have been in touch with Kevin and Mia to meet with Dick Klamfoth, (3 time Daytona 200 winner on the beach) and the man behind the Daytona 200 Monument. Well with snow storms and other commitments they were unable to meet over Christmas. Mia was going to do a video taped interview with Dick and his racing exploits along with an introduction to Flattrack.com about his dream and work on the Daytona 200 Monument. That interview is still on their to-do list, however with the sudden loss of Hos over the weekend I decided to set up a fund to have Hos immortalized on the Daytona 200 Monument. I know that money is tight out there right now, (I know it is for me and most of the people I know) so I set up The Daytona Monument Fund at my local bank. I started it with a personal donation of $100. I had set up a similar fund when my rider Aaron Creamer was killed at Sturgis 6 years ago. Through the generosity of people on this forum, the fund was able to put Aaron's plaque on the monument. Well it's time to do it again for our friend Hos. I have been involved with Dick Klamfoth and this Monument from day one. Introduced to it by my friend Ben Campanale who won the 200 twice on the beach and he got me involved. I am not posting photos with this posting, however I know that Dave Hoenig and Jim Grant have photos that I welcome them to Post. The reason that I started the fund is I feel that more money may come in than the cost of a plaque for Hos. I sure hope so because I would like to see more of our dirt track legends on this monument before it is too late. Most of the space that was available for plaques around the perimeter wall of the monument have been sold out. Dick tells me there are about 20 spaces left so we have to move quickly. With any of the funds that are left after we get a plaque made for Hos, I would like a committee of forum members to designate/nominate names for people like, Ricky Graham, Rodney Ferris, Will Davis, Davey Camlin and many other that never really made the big time like Jesse Phipps! The cost of each plaque and art work cost about $1200 which isn't much when you consider that these people will be immortalized forever at the birthplace of speed, Daytona Beach. To help sweeten the deal for anyone that donates $500 the fund will provide a paving brick at the monument with their name on it! Anyone wishing to donate to this can Send their check to The Daytona Monument Fund, 11 Haven Lane, Huntington, CT 06484 or Direct deposit toTD Bank Transit Routing # 011103093 Account # 4257088075 Thanking you in advance, Leo Castell. Publisher The Motorcyclist's Post 203 606-1515 God Speed Wayne Hosaka! If anyone would like a plaque for someone they want to pay for personally and not from this fund, please contact me and I will get you in touch with Dick or help you through the whole process. Postman http://www.daytona200monument.com/monument.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I think he did it Written by C.J. Wakula Thursday, 27 September 2007 5 Minutes with Wayne Hosaka A brief chat with the internet trailblaizer. What is your background in Motorcycle racing? I grew up following flat track racing in Southern California during the early 60s. My uncle used to take me to Ascot Park to watch the Class C professionals on both the half-mile and TT tracks. I also regularly attended the TT races at El Cajon Speedway. Some of my heroes were Bart Markel, Joe Leonard, Sammy Tanner, Skip Van Leeuwen and Calvin Rayborn. My first race was in 1964 at the Alpine TT scrambles riding my Hodaka Ace 90. In 1968 I turned professional novice and raced the TT season at Ascot Park. In 1969 and 1970 I raced both half-mile and TT as an professional "Amateur" and graduated to Class C Expert in 1971. I was injured that year forcing retirement. What year did you start Flattrack.com? Being employed in the computer field, I was an early user of the World Wide Web and in 1995 I created my own web page. I quickly realized that through the World Wide Web, users could distribute information very quickly around the world. For me and other flat track fans it was an agonizing wait until Cycle News was delivered to the local shops or to our mailbox, usually Wednesday or Thursday. As people began to discover The Flat Track Page, they would e-mail me the results of races they had attended. Soon I was able to post the results of national races on The Flat Track Page the same evening as the race. My viewers increased rapidly and results from many races became available quickly. Also, flat track enthusiasts started sending me classified advertisements for motorcycles and parts they were selling. In 1996 I purchased the domain name www.Flattrack.Com and started the flat track forum. The forum was a great hit and soon it was a major source of information on Flat Track Racing. Why did you build it? Because I love flat track racing and want to help it grow. Did you imagine it would grow this large? My original mission statement was to provide a place for flat track enthusiasts to share information on racing, equipment, schedules etc. I did not fully realize the impact it would have on the sport as an "Open Forum". It gives promoters, riders and team owners a place to discuss issues and help establish the rules and regulations. What sort of recent changes have you made? After a couple of years of personal hardships, I have decided to upgrade The Flat Track Page. I have hired a professional web page designer to create a state-of-the-art web page that people of all ages will enjoy visiting. The new web page will contain more information, be easier to navigate and be faster to load. Where do you see it going in the future? As flat track racing grows, The Flat Track Page will grow. I do not foresee the sport obtaining the popularity it had in the 60s, 70s, and 80s as the number of motorcyclists has diminished. Off-road riding is not nearly as popular as it was then. Hopefully the popularity of flat track racing will grow slowly each year or at least stay at the same level for many years. _____________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ For those of you who don’t know me, I am Kathleen Fabry, Wayne’s fiance, companion, and care giver. I thank each of you for attending this celebration of the life of Wayne Hosaka. We all know what an amazing individual Wayne was and we’re here today to celebrate his awesome personality, his love of Flat Track, music and art, and hopefully to bring peace to ourselves with the loss we all share. Wayne asked me many times if I would let everyone know how hard it was for him. I tell you now, as able bodied people, we have no concept of how hard, what we take for granted, is for a quadriplegic, or paraplegic. What I take comfort in is that regardless of how hard it was for Wayne, he didn’t complain, he persevered. He was my brave Samurai. He lived by the Samurai code of honesty, integrity, and love. He made up a motto for himself about a year ago, and I placed a copy of it on his computer so he could see it daily. His personal motto was “I cannot do everything I want, but I want to do everything I can.”…and he did. Please introduce yourselves to me and to one another and let us all know what relationship we had to this man, whether it be a friend from Flat Track, art, music, a neighbor, whatever the relationship is. Let us celebrate Wayne today and let the good times roll….that was his wish. Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives. Wayne lived an exemplary life and we celebrate that today. Let the celebration begin…………. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I attended both the memorial service and party for Wayne yesterday. Both were great. The service was short and poignant... the party loud and long. Wayne's family was very welcoming of the crowd that attended (100 plus)and made sure everyone got a chance to sign the guest-book. There were a lot of the usual suspects in attendance... locals and out-of-towners. I saw Sal Peluso, Sydney Oswald, Jim and Nancy McMurren, Sid Carlson, Rob North, Johnny Apple, Jeff Apple, Brad Holt, Earl Rolloff Jr., Bud of Bud's Bultaco, Bruce Sanford, Alex of Kon Tiki Motorcycles, Don Emde, Nancy Emde Stewart, Chris Wakula, Maurice Ortega, Tom "too fast" Ferguson, and Gary Pendelton. There were quite a few more bike guys and gals there but I can't recall all the names. Suffice it to say the flattrack community showed up. One of the nicest things to observe was the different contingents of people. While we didn't mix much I believe all the groups observed the others and came to the same conclusion... Wayne had a full life. There were a lot of relatives of course, there were musicians and there were artists, and then there was our motley crew of racers, mechanics, and old guys. The minister repeatedly cited the fullness to which Wayne lived and how many lives he touched in the process. It almost didn't need saying. Anyone who spoke with Hos received the same smile and friendliness and long term recall of who you were. Wayne had a knack for remembering names and making people feel good about themselves. Special recognition should be given to Kathleen Fabry. Kathleen was initially Wayne's assistant and worked with him for many years. Their working relationship grew to be a friendship and then some. It was clear she shared Hos's spirit and supported him 100% in all his endeavors. I call for a salute to Sal Peluso as well. I know he was a rock for Wayne during the hard times and a very good friend. It has been awhile since I hung out with the racer bunch. As I tried to find my legs and voice in a group of people I hadn't seen in quite a while, I spent some time just observing at the service and the party. I've come to the conclusion that while there are certainly "bad apples" in every group, there is an amazing amount of "good apples" among the flattrack folks. I mean that. I looked at the group and could not find anyone I genuinely didn't like. A few guys who may have low-sided me, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Not much pretense among the bunch. Straight-shooters, kind, competitive, friendly (in a gruff, bust your balls kind of way), and sincere. If they say they're gonna be there... they probably will. I'm sure many wished they could have attended. By the messages posted on his baby "flattrack.com", there were loads of folks attending in spirit. While it was both a sad time & a good time, I think Wayne would have been pleased with the turnout of good apples. John Dupree ---------------------------------------------------- Thank you, so much, for sharing this with us, John... Unable to be there in any other way, I'm sure I speak for many in saying we were definitely there, in spirit. I join you, also, in your recognition of Kathleen, who is a truly wonderful and genuine lady. I will forever be grateful to Hos for introducing us, and continue to send our positive vibes in her direction. Sal, likewise, has my eternal appreciation. While I have not had the privilege of meeting him, his dedication and selflessness has earned my appreciation. You couldn't have described the community any better, John. Some of the best apples among the batch are collected in this bushel right here. The orchard was definitely harvested with love! Peace, Love, and Pea Gravel, Mia -------------------------------------------------- Thank you, John. It is hard to say goodbye from so far away, hearing about the service and celebration from those attending helps. Getta -------------------------------------------

Jim Grant, Byron Kukla, Wayne Hosaka, Gabe Slatton




Hos and Maurice Ortega 5y



Del Mar Octor 5th, 2002


Hos and Sal's Triumph


Del Mar - 2006


Kevin Atherton, Hos and Jim Grant









Sal Peluso, Hos and Sammy Tanner


Hos and Kathleen



Wayne's induction into the Trailblazers Hall of Fame






Presenting an original painting to one of his heros, number 25, Everett Brashear.


                
                                                                                     Wayne's Uncle Chic and Rob North