Guest: Ray Sommo
A top privateer for a long time in the 80’s and 90’s, Sommo talks about winning LL’s, his long pro career all over the world, his time with Honda helping with production bikes, JMB and Lechien stories, going to jail, riding at Day in the Dirt and more.
I started racing in 1983 in 125 Amateur and Ray was pulling 1-2 bike length hole shots at Raceway park on a Kawasaki, he went on to win at LL and not long after left for California. He was awesome to watch in the Pro Expert class, and I was bummed when he left. He was a great source of pride in NJ.
I followed his career after that and was always rooting for him. Years later I met him walking the track at Sleepy Hollow and he was really cool to talk to, I was a top open amateur and I was shocked when he was asking me about lines around the track.
When I started racing Pro nationals on a KX 500, I again met him on the track at Unadilla, same really cool guy and was genuinely trying to help me with lines at Unadilla and I was a nobody, the KX500 is my favorite bike so I was stoked to hear he loves that bike too, I still have one with the frame band on it from my last national….very cool guy!