American racer Dane Westby, 28, was tragically killed in a street accident on Monday, March 23. The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native had just finished a very impressive fourth quickest at the recent MotoAmerica Dunlop two-day test at Circuit of the Americas last week on his Superstock-spec Yamaha R1, and was looking to make his mark in the big bike class after a solid career in the middleweight categories.
Westby was a two-time Suzuki SV650 Cup national champion (2006-07), as well as a WERA National 600 Supersport and 600 Superbike champion in 2008. He finished second in the 2010 Daytona 200, and earned his first AMA Pro Daytona SportBike National victory at Mid-Ohio in 2011 riding for the M4 Suzuki team; he finished seventh overall in the points standings at season's end. The following year, he finished second overall in points after earning another race victory at Mid-Ohio, only finishing outside the top ten once in 19 starts. He finished sixth overall in 2013, and finished third overall last year.
Westby is survived by his parents, Tryg and Jane Westby, his sister, Scarlett, and his girlfriend, Patricia Fernandez. The staff of Sport Rider extends its deepest condolences to Westby's family and friends.