[coverattach=1]Madison, Ill., prerace: Growing up with four sisters made Pro Stock Motorcycle rider, David Hope very perceptive of the issues faced by those of the opposite sex. And beginning with this week’s 13th annual O’Reilly Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway, Hope and the Vroom Racing team will bring one of the most devastating woman’s issue into the spotlight at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. The young Missouri native has formed an alliance with the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks (BCFO) and will be sporting the highly recognizable pink ribbon insignia on the Vroom Racing Buell, his leathers and his helmet.
Hope is Service Manager at his family owned and run business, Nevada Auto Mall in Nevada, MO. and he and his dad, Dan Hope, Sr. have been looking for a worthy cause that they can work with in terms of the business and the race team. With important ladies in the two men’s lives, the BCFO seemed to be the perfect answer.
It was Hope that came up with the idea of sharing a marketing program with this non-profit organization.
“My dad and I have been talking about becoming involved in a good cause for quite a while,” explained Hope, “and as we thought of the important ladies in our lives that we care about we decided that we needed to do something to help keep them safe. There is my mother, my sisters, my special lady, Sonia, aunts, cousins, friends, the women working at our dealership, and they all can be struck down by this deadly killer, breast cancer. Fortunately, none of them are dealing with the disease at this moment in time, and we’d like to do everything we can to keep it that way.”
The Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks provides local resources for those affected by breast cancer, promotes breast cancer awareness, and provides resources and support for individuals and their families in the southwest Missouri area who are and have been affected by breast cancer and are concerned with women's health issues. It is the only local organization that provides financial assistance for individuals with breast cancer and their families.
Established in 1999 in memory of Kristen O’Brien-Hardy who lost her life to breast cancer at the age of 31, the BCFO’s emphasis is on education. Because Kristen was first told she was too young to have breast cancer, the foundation saw an apparent need to educate those under 40 as well as over 40. Approximately 17% of all women with breast cancer are under 40. From this arose the BCFO’s slogan, “Stop the Silence, Spread the Word, Breast Cancer Affects All Ages.”
Stephanie Lutes, Director of Development for BCFO was thrilled with the idea.
“We were kind of taken by surprise,” said Lutes. “The phone call and information on David came at a great time in our fund raising efforts and we’re excited.”
For more information on the BCFO visit their website at Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks.
Hope is working to design programs both on and off the race track that will promote breast cancer awareness and education, and already has a Nevada Auto Mall fundraiser planned for August.
“Our family business will be having a fundraiser in August,” Hope said, “which is a time when contributions are traditionally low, to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. We will be contributing a portion of the cost of every oil change during the entire month. We will also be selling pink ribbon magnetic decals for the BCFO. And we are currently looking to develop a program with the race team that will also benefit BCFO.”
The Vroom Racing team will make a stop at the BCFO office in Springfield, MO. on the way to the O’Reilly Midwest Nationals to display the team’s new bike graphics. Then they will head to Gateway to get to the business at hand. The team has been working on a problem that has troubled them for the last two races. It seems that the Buell’s new engine is making too much power and although it would seem that lots of power should be a good problem, it can also be troublesome. And trouble is what the team encountered at the last two races, Atlanta and Houston.
“I’m looking at the last two races as test sessions for our new engine combination,” explained team owner, John Hammock. “We have barely gotten a base map for the fuel and the clutch, so we need to get four good qualifying runs this weekend to get some positive information on both the clutch and the gearing so we can use the full potential of the new engine combination. Also, if we can get past the bad luck that has cost us a few rounds recently and some valuable information we should be able to get in the show and go a few rounds.”
The young rider has some great Gateway memories from last year. He had just joined Vroom Racing and they tested at the facility before joining the ranks of the NHRA.
“Last year, the AHDRA race at Gateway was one of the first places John and I tested,” Hope explained. “We qualified No. 1 in Pro Gas and made it to the finals before we were overcome with bike trouble down track to give up the win. On a side note, my dad was racing his bracket bike at the same time and he qualified No. 1 as well. It was a great weekend as I was blessed to have family and friends there to be a part of it, not only for me, but my father as well. We followed up the test session by attending the NHRA race, where we qualified 16th. I’ll never forget going up against Matt Smith in the first-round. I left on him, but Matt, being the pro he is, made his quickest run of the weekend and got the win.
“Even though we’ve faced some challenges this year, I have faith that John will get the bike turned around and every lap we make gives us more data to work with. I know this Vroom Buell is a hot bike and so, I’m looking forward to making some great runs this weekend and having a lot of chances to show off our pink ribbons.”
“Man Enough to Race Pink”
Hope is Service Manager at his family owned and run business, Nevada Auto Mall in Nevada, MO. and he and his dad, Dan Hope, Sr. have been looking for a worthy cause that they can work with in terms of the business and the race team. With important ladies in the two men’s lives, the BCFO seemed to be the perfect answer.
It was Hope that came up with the idea of sharing a marketing program with this non-profit organization.
“My dad and I have been talking about becoming involved in a good cause for quite a while,” explained Hope, “and as we thought of the important ladies in our lives that we care about we decided that we needed to do something to help keep them safe. There is my mother, my sisters, my special lady, Sonia, aunts, cousins, friends, the women working at our dealership, and they all can be struck down by this deadly killer, breast cancer. Fortunately, none of them are dealing with the disease at this moment in time, and we’d like to do everything we can to keep it that way.”
The Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks provides local resources for those affected by breast cancer, promotes breast cancer awareness, and provides resources and support for individuals and their families in the southwest Missouri area who are and have been affected by breast cancer and are concerned with women's health issues. It is the only local organization that provides financial assistance for individuals with breast cancer and their families.
Established in 1999 in memory of Kristen O’Brien-Hardy who lost her life to breast cancer at the age of 31, the BCFO’s emphasis is on education. Because Kristen was first told she was too young to have breast cancer, the foundation saw an apparent need to educate those under 40 as well as over 40. Approximately 17% of all women with breast cancer are under 40. From this arose the BCFO’s slogan, “Stop the Silence, Spread the Word, Breast Cancer Affects All Ages.”
Stephanie Lutes, Director of Development for BCFO was thrilled with the idea.
“We were kind of taken by surprise,” said Lutes. “The phone call and information on David came at a great time in our fund raising efforts and we’re excited.”
For more information on the BCFO visit their website at Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks.
Hope is working to design programs both on and off the race track that will promote breast cancer awareness and education, and already has a Nevada Auto Mall fundraiser planned for August.
“Our family business will be having a fundraiser in August,” Hope said, “which is a time when contributions are traditionally low, to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. We will be contributing a portion of the cost of every oil change during the entire month. We will also be selling pink ribbon magnetic decals for the BCFO. And we are currently looking to develop a program with the race team that will also benefit BCFO.”
The Vroom Racing team will make a stop at the BCFO office in Springfield, MO. on the way to the O’Reilly Midwest Nationals to display the team’s new bike graphics. Then they will head to Gateway to get to the business at hand. The team has been working on a problem that has troubled them for the last two races. It seems that the Buell’s new engine is making too much power and although it would seem that lots of power should be a good problem, it can also be troublesome. And trouble is what the team encountered at the last two races, Atlanta and Houston.
“I’m looking at the last two races as test sessions for our new engine combination,” explained team owner, John Hammock. “We have barely gotten a base map for the fuel and the clutch, so we need to get four good qualifying runs this weekend to get some positive information on both the clutch and the gearing so we can use the full potential of the new engine combination. Also, if we can get past the bad luck that has cost us a few rounds recently and some valuable information we should be able to get in the show and go a few rounds.”
The young rider has some great Gateway memories from last year. He had just joined Vroom Racing and they tested at the facility before joining the ranks of the NHRA.
“Last year, the AHDRA race at Gateway was one of the first places John and I tested,” Hope explained. “We qualified No. 1 in Pro Gas and made it to the finals before we were overcome with bike trouble down track to give up the win. On a side note, my dad was racing his bracket bike at the same time and he qualified No. 1 as well. It was a great weekend as I was blessed to have family and friends there to be a part of it, not only for me, but my father as well. We followed up the test session by attending the NHRA race, where we qualified 16th. I’ll never forget going up against Matt Smith in the first-round. I left on him, but Matt, being the pro he is, made his quickest run of the weekend and got the win.
“Even though we’ve faced some challenges this year, I have faith that John will get the bike turned around and every lap we make gives us more data to work with. I know this Vroom Buell is a hot bike and so, I’m looking forward to making some great runs this weekend and having a lot of chances to show off our pink ribbons.”
“Man Enough to Race Pink”
