If you’ve been around motorcycles long enough, you know the name Wayne Rainey. The three-time 500cc World Champion carved out a legendary career in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, going head-to-head with icons like Eddie Lawson and Kevin Schwantz at a time when Grand Prix racing was as raw and dangerous as it gets.
His career, though, was cut short in 1993 when a violent highside at Misano left him paralyzed from the chest down. For most riders, that would have been the end of the story. But Rainey never turned his back on the sport. Instead, he became one of its strongest advocates, helping shape MotoAmerica, mentoring young talent, and championing safety efforts that continue to make a difference today.
That resilience is why he’s more than just a legend—he’s an inspiration for riders and non-riders alike, proving that even when life knocks you down, you can still find a way to keep moving forward.
That spirit is at the heart of Rainey’s Ride To The Races, a charity event now in its fifth year that combines a group ride through California’s coastal backroads with MotoAmerica’s race weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Riders gather at Baja Cantina in Carmel, ride out under the escort of the California Highway Patrol, and arrive at Laguna Seca to celebrate racing while raising money for a cause that matters to anyone who’s ever thrown a leg over a bike: safety.
This year’s ride raised $142,000 for the Roadracing World Action Fund, bringing the event’s total contribution to over $650,000. Those funds go directly into building and deploying Airfence and Alpina soft barriers, the inflatable wall systems you see lining racetracks at fast corners and braking zones. They don’t just protect the pros. You and I could benefit from them too.
Whether it’s a track day, a racing school, or an amateur event, these barriers are the difference between walking away from a crash or ending up in the hospital. In that sense, every dollar raised doesn’t just support MotoAmerica—it helps keep everyday riders safer when they decide to push their limits on track.
This year also marked something personal for Rainey himself. For the first time in 34 years, he returned to take laps around Laguna Seca, piloting a Yamaha XSR900GP fitted with adapted controls. Sharing the track with him were legends like Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer, Bubba Shobert, Rick Johnson, Doug Chandler, and Ben Spies, turning the ride into a rolling reunion of champions that felt as much like a celebration of racing history as it did a fundraiser.
Rainey summed it up with simple honesty: “What started five years ago has grown into something far bigger than I imagined. The ride now has a life of its own, and that’s because of the people who support it year after year.”
Now, we all know that motorcycles will never be risk-free, and that’s part of what makes them so addicting. But the community can still rally to make the sport safer without taking away what makes it exciting.
A padded barrier might not sound glamorous, but when it saves even one rider from serious injury, it’s worth every penny. Rainey’s Ride proves that legends still lead by example, and it reminds us that safety isn’t just something for racers—it's something we should all care about. Because at the end of the day we all want the same thing: to ride another day, and keep riding for as long as possible.
Sources: Powersports Business, MotoAmerica
