A Motorcycling Great Passes
Ralph Hudson crashed at Bonneville on August 14. On September 7, the Southern California Timing Association posted to its FaceBook Page that Hudson had succumbed to the injuries he suffered and passed away.
He was a man who loved speed. Hudson was one of the first to do a speed run in Bolivia on the Salar de Uyuni salt flat. Revzilla covered that story a few years ago. At that time he managed one run at 304 mph. However, because he couldn’t make two runs, he didn’t get the record for the fastest person on a “sit on” motorcycle.
Hudson set four SCTA records at Bonneville this year. On the last day of riding at Bonneville, he lost control of his motorcycle at more than 250 mph. Crosswinds triggered a speed wobble which sent him down.
Hudson was 69 years old. He was surrounded by his family when he passed, and there will be a memorial service to honor him. As of yet, I haven’t seen the date announced, but the SCTA Facebook Page noted that it would post the information for all who are interested.