MotoAmerica’s Medical Director since the series inception in 2015, Dr. Raymond Rossi, passed away on Tuesday, March 22 in Greenwood Village, Colorado, after suffering cardiac arrest. Rossi was 67 years old.
A longtime fixture in the paddock, Rossi was a familiar face when MotoAmerica riders were injured or needed basic medical care while at the racetrack. In addition to helping MotoAmerica’s racers, Rossi was also an FIM-accredited medical officer and served as FIM Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for FIM World Superbike and MotoGP events when those series came to the U.S.
Rossi earned his Doctor of Medicine (MD) at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and did his sports medicine rotations at another racer’s practice, Gem City Bone and Joint, which was owned and operated by the late Dr. David Kieffer.
Prior to working in what was his first love, motorcycle racing, Rossi had his own practice in Colorado. He also served as medical director at Pikes Peak International Raceway and Miller Motorsports Park and worked as a physician for the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo, where he cared for rodeo athletes.
“I have been committed to motorcycle medical care for over 20 years,” said Rossi in a MotoAmerica press release introducing him as its medical director in 2015. “It is a privilege to be given an opportunity to serve this very noble group of athletes. It will be my goal to bring the highest level of medical care to the MotoAmerica riders, both trackside and in the paddock. I am grateful to be a part of a new direction for American road racing led by KRAVE, and I applaud their vision.”
“It was essential for us to have a medical director when we started MotoAmerica and Dr. Rossi was the perfect choice,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “He served our series well, giving our racers a doctor they knew and trusted. His passing saddens us, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
Rossi is survived by his wife, Loris Smith, of Greenwood Village, Colorado; and daughter, Shelby Ray Rossi, of Laguna Beach, California.
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