It is with profound sadness that all of us at MotoAmerica mourn the passing of Richard Chambers, the former motorcycle road racer who became a legendary announcer, most notably for the iconic Daytona 200.
The unfortunate news was shared with us by Pat Gonsalves, himself a legendary announcer, who worked with Chambers for more than four decades.
According to Gonsalves, Chambers passed away on Sunday morning, November 2, after a short illness. He was 79 years old.
“I had spoken to him in early October as he was not able to go to Daytona for the ASRA Fall Cycle Scene races,” Gonsalves said.
Gonsalves added, “Richard was one of those special people who was so passionate about motorcycle racing and the people who lived in that world. He was an accomplished racer out of Raphine, Virginia, who came to Canada in the 1970s where he raced in Quebec and Ontario aboard Yamaha TZ250s, TZ350s, and TZ750s that were sponsored by White’s Union 76 Truck Stop. That’s where we first met, and it was at Mosport where he first did some announcing.”
Chambers competed in many Daytona 200s before retiring from racing himself and transitioning full-time to serving as an announcer for “The Great American Motorcycle Race.” In addition, he also served as the announcer for the Loudon Classic in New Hampshire for many years.
MotoAmerica extends its most heartfelt condolences to Chambers’ wife Laurel and their family, as well as to the countless number of friends he had in the motorcycle racing community.
Godspeed, Richard Chambers #76.
