In the early 1990s, a life-long friendship began. I was racing in the ATV Pro class in the CMC Golden State Motocross Nationals and Chris Ridgway was racing motocross bikes. My father, Gary, and Chris’ dad Bob were automotive industry acquaintances. At the races, our dads would get together and tell stories and soon after Chris and I became friends. We were both So-Cal boys racing non-stop, not as direct competitors, but always at the same venues.

Those days, ATV and motocross riders usually didn’t hang out together, but our friendship was different. Since our dads were buddies, Chris and I began to develop our own friendship. We raced for two years with some of the same sanctioning bodies and spent a lot of time at the track around one another. In 1992, our racing paths would diverge and it was nearly ten years before we would meet again.

In 1992, after graduating from high school, I had already spent a year transitioning from off road racing to road racing. I moved to Seattle to further my education and drive for a sports car team. After a year, the race program fell apart and I moved to Southern Utah for a change of pace and to develop some property with a good friend, Marlow Lafountain. While living there I did some desert racing and met my wife, Amy. In 1996 we were married and moved to McMinnville, Oregon. After relocating, I partnered with my dad in his business, Porsche Parts Obsolete, and began a new division called Emory Motorsports.

Meanwhile, Chris went on to become one of the top professional motocross riders in the country, competing in the Mickey Thompson Series. In April of 1995 he had a bad crash at Glen Helen, California breaking both legs and ankles. Chris endured several extensive surgeries, including ones to replace his heels with cadaver bones. Determined not to give up, he began a long recovery. He started racing again at a pro level in 1998 and did very well until breaking his leg again at the end of the 1999 season. After recovering from this broken leg, he went on to race the Baja 1000, one of the most challenging races in the world. He finished 3rd in the 250cc pro class.

As time went on, the left ankle became unusable and after multiple surgeries he had to stop racing motocross. Chris was at a point in his life were everything he was passionate about was on hold. Due to these new physical limitations he now had to figure out how he would spend the rest of his life.

In 2001 my father and I bought out Best Deal, a parts business in Stanton, California. We puzzled over the logistics of moving a 20,000 sq. ft. business, with 40 complete cars over a thousand miles to Oregon. Out of the blue, I received a phone call from Chris. After an absence of 10 years we talked like it was like old times. He called to ask for some advice about starting an auto transport business. He felt that it was a good transitional business to get into while he getting his body back in shape. I gave him some advice, then became one of his first customers.

When we first reunited after a decade, I saw both the pain Chris was in and the determination he had to overcome it. I knew at that moment I would do everything I could to get him racing again. At this time he was hobbling around with a spacer on the bottom of his shoe because the left leg was shorter than the other. He had a hard time getting around, but he determined to persevere.

In 2002, the pain from his ankle fusion was so intense, he elected for another surgery. At its conclusion, doctors determined the best alternative was to amputate his leg from below the knee. Chris didn’t want to lose the leg, but he could no longer stand the pain and the means to subdue it. Amputation was his first step toward being able to race again.

My wife and I decided that we would design a program that would allow him to pursue his passion for racing, but in a different form than he was used to. Chris is one of the most talented and determined racers I know and we figured with the right program we knew he would naturally rise to the top, allowing him to be an inspiration to other amputees.

In 2003, I decided to give Emory Motorsports a new direction. From both a business and a personal perspective, a professional, modern racing program was just the thing. One of my first tasks was to map out the long-term goals of the program and to determine the venue that we ultimately wanted to compete in. After much research, I concluded that the Rolex Grand American Series paralleled our own goals in automotive racing. This series was exactly what we were looking for. Endurance racing allows Chris and I to be co-drivers and teammates, and to develop a program with value.

Our first goal would be to help Chris find a replacement for the temporary prosthetic that he had been using for a year. With the cost of a new and durable unit as much as $50 thousand, Chris couldn’t afford to get a new leg.

Phil Olsen, a good friend of mine, came on board to help find a solution. Phil’s first project was to develop a relationship with a prosthetic manufacturer, and to get Chris the best hardware available. Endolite, an Ohio-based company, supplied a top-of-the-line, high-performance prosthetic to Chris at absolutely no charge.

Phil then went on to develop a partnership with the Limbs for Life Foundation, a non-profit organization that improves the lives of amputees nationwide. Emory Motorsports will have the opportunity to increase exposure to the LFL Foundation, and through our efforts, we hope to inspire other limbless persons and raise funds for this very worthy cause.

We are currently working on the driver development phase of our program. NIKE is developing pieces for Chris’ prosthetic, as well as shoes that will aid him in foot-on-pedal placement while driving the race car. Gold’s Gym has the team on a physical and nutritional regimen, and Chris and I are working with a driver coach Dirk Layer. We are building a program for the long term and are focusing our efforts on the fundamentals.

– Rod Emory