We start of our day with some somber news to report. MotoAmerica racer Dane Westby was killed in a streetbike accident yesterday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was 28 years old.

According to KTUL.com, the accident occurred when Westby, who was riding a Honda Hawk->ke2358 street bike and was on his way to his parent’s house, lost control of his ride when it ran off the road, slid along a curb, and hit a utility pole. Westby was rushed to a hospital by EMSA after the accident but was pronounced dead shortly after.

News of Westby’s death came as a shock to the motorcycle community with many expressing disbelief that a man who was at the peak of his racing career could be taken away so suddenly and in the manner that it happened.

Dustin Meador, a long-time friend and former mechanic of Westby told Roadracingworld.com that skid marks at the scene of the accident indicated that Westby lost control of his bike after braking to avoid hitting what he believes was someone coming out of a burger joint across the street from where the crash happened.

I’ve seen Westby ride in the AMA Superbike series in past years and I’ve always been a fan of his flair on a racing bike. So I was shocked when I woke up to the news but immediately felt even worse upon finding out that he was actually going to his parents house when the accident happened.

He was scheduled to be part of the Superstock 1000 class of the inaugural MotoAmerica racing season and even drove the pace car for the Daytona 200 a little over a week ago.

On behalf of everyone here at TopSpeed, our sincerest condolences go to Dane Westby’s family and friends.

Continue reading to read more about Dane Westby’s sudden and shocking death.

Why it matters

This one really hit home. Really, it did. I remember last week reading about Westby being chosen to ride the pace car for the Daytona 200 and that was after I read that he actually rode his bicycle from Tulsa to Daytona to serve his pace car duties. I chuckled after reading that before realizing that this was the Wolverine we’re talking about. Things like this are normal for him and that not only made him an awesome racer, but a real character, too.

Now, I’m writing about a crash that killed him. It’s still hard to believe as I’m typing these words, but such is the reality of life. Just when you thought that you had the world in your hands, it gets snatched away from you at a moment’s notice.

If I could curse right now and get away with it, I would’ve probably done it by now. That’s how shocked I still am. I didn’t know Dane Westby, but the shocking way that he died kind of makes me feel like I did know the man.

I can’t imagine what it must be like for his family, especially his parents who were waiting for him to arrive at their house, only to get the call that they had lost their son.

Life is cruel sometimes. It really is.