Yvonne Cote was a legend in New England. He owned the Yvon Track ‘N Trail dealership but was also responsible for one of the best tracks in the Northeast, Bull Run, in Greene, Maine. Cote was born in 1934 and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War of the early 1950s. Upon his return from active duty, he married his wife Nancy, became a motorcycle policeman, and started a family of six children. He was soon racing motocross in the Expert classes of the New England Sports Committee (NESC), as well as snowmobiles in the winter. Soon he was building tracks like Lisbon Falls, Leeds Junction, and Bull Run. In 2000, he crashed while testing a motorcycle and suffered a traumatic brain injury. That led Cote to back it down a notch and enjoy the rest of his life focused on his kids and their seven grandkids. When he passed in January at the ripe old age of 90, another icon of the New England moto scene, photographer/publisher Paul Buckley, said of Cote, “Yvon was a great rider, track builder, and the toughest guy I’ve ever met. I was glad we got along and I was able to call him a friend. I thought he’d live forever.”

Stanley Tipton was a longtime motorcycle dealer who became the first sponsor of a young Damon Bradshaw in the Carolinas. He was a regular presence at big southeastern events, as he and his wife Ina enjoyed cooking for everyone at events like the Mini O’s and Loretta Lynn’s. Stanley was born in 1937 and proudly served in the U.S. Army from 1960 to 1968 as an aircraft mechanic. During his service, he earned several awards, including the Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. It was during his first tour that he met the love of his life, Ina, and spent an additional six years serving in the military.

A motorcycle enthusiast, Tip was also the owner of Yamaha of Fayetteville, which is where he came into the orbit of the Bradshaws in the 1980s. As Damon moved up through the ranks, the Stanleys were there to support him. They eventually became a big part of event hospitality, cooking at the track for Team Yamaha, Parts Unlimited, track promoters, and more.

Tip also had a passion for golfing and traveling. He was well-known in the paddock of both professional and amateur motocross and made a lasting impact on many lives.

Philo Jefferson Harvey was born in North Hollywood, California, and went into the military at a young age. He honorably served in the U.S. Army as a Green Beret in the Special Forces before going to college in Phoenix and Tempe, and then the University of Southern California. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, he founded his own company, PJ Brands/PJH Brands/PJ1, for motorcycle products, aerosol paints, and TrackBite compound for drag strips. His business philosophy was simple yet profound: “I love what I do, so I’ve never worked a day in my life.”

By now, you probably realize that Philo Jefferson Harvey was the mastermind behind PJ1 Lubricants, which produced its first chain lube in 1973, followed by a huge line of motorsports products. PJ Harvey himself became a longtime sponsor of the National Arenacross Series, as well as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), AMA Pro Racing, the NHRA, and more. He helped countless competitors over the years through sponsorship, including a young Johnny O’Mara when he was riding that exotic Mugen Honda in 1980. He was a successful business entrepreneur who also loved golf, travel, and attending motorcycle events all over the world.

He was finally slowed down late in life after developing Alzheimer’s. Harvey was in Iris Memory Care in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he passed away peacefully at the age of 82.