I can’t think of any worse thing in life than a parent losing a child. There just isn’t anything that can equate to the pain and anguish of seeing someone you loved and raised die before you do. That’s the position Yamaha->ke301/Westby Racing principal Tryg Westby is in right now after losing his son, Dane, to a tragic motorcycle accident a few weeks ago. But instead of letting the depression consume him, the older Westby has decided to continue racing in his son’s honor. More importantly, Westby has appointed Geoff May, who is fresh off of finishing third at the Daytona 200->ke3110, to take his son’s place in the Superstock 1000 class of the inaugural MotoAmerica series.

I can only imagine Tryg Westby’s pain behind this decision, but he put it best when he said that this is something that his son would want him to do. So that’s exactly what Tryg is planning to do days ahead of the season opening race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

In Geoff May, Westby has a rider with more than 15 years of racing experience, having raced for a handful of AMA racing teams, including Team Hammer, Michael Jordan Motorsports, and Erik Buell Racing. Just last year, May raced for Team Hero Erik Buell Racing in the World Superbike Championship. He didn’t have the most impressive of showings, but his recent performance at the Daytona 200 speaks to the quality of his talent as a motorcycle racer.

It won’t be the same without Dane Westby, but Tryg Westby and Yamaha/Westby Racing are doing the admirable thing by trying to move on from this terrible tragedy and honoring the memory of their beloved son and rider.

Continue reading to read more about Yamaha/Westby Racing's decision to tab Geoff May as Dane Westby's replacement in MotoAmerica.

Why it matters

First of all, I don’t have a child so I can’t put myself in the shoes of Tryg Westby. But I do admire his decision to carry on with preparations for the season-opening race of the inaugural MotoAmerica series this weekend. Even with the unspeakable tragedy that hit his family, Westby is showing real character to use the upcoming season to honor his son, while also helping other members of the Yamaha/Westby Racing family move on from this horrific episode.

As far as Geoff May is concerned, I’m confident that he can take Westby’s seat in the team and do an incredible job this season. While it’s not as hard as a parent losing a child, taking a place of someone who was so beloved by his team comes with its own set of pressure-packed situations. I think May will be up to the task and while I don’t have any rooting interest in this series yet, I personally would want to see Yamaha/Westby Racing do well this season, maybe even win the inaugural Superstock 1000 class of MotoAmerica for their fallen son, friend, and teammate.