AMA Grand National number 64 Aaron Creamer, 24, of Leominster, Massachusetts, died this morning as a result of inuries sustained while competing in an AMA Hot Shoe National in Sturgis, South Dakota, last night.
Creamer was running fourth on lap two of the 505cc Expert main event when a chain-reaction accident occurred, involving several riders. Creamer was transported to Rapid City Regional Hospital in Rapid City, South Dakota, and placed on life support. He was pronounced dead at 10:09 a.m. today, according to an official press release issued by AMA Pro Racing.
“All of us at AMA Pro Racing have Aaron and his family in our prayers right now,” AMA Pro Racing Flat Track Series Manager Bruce Bober said in the release. “Aaron was one of those kinds of people that always seemed to have a smile on his face. He will be missed by all of us as well as his fellow competitors.”
Creamer, who was sponsored by eastern regional newspaper Motorcyclist’s Post, campaigned as a GNC rookie during the 2002 AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championships, where he scored two points to finish 52nd in the series standings. In 2003, he joined forces with veteran tuner Eddie Adkins, improving to 27th. For 2004, Creamer and Motorcyclist’s Post owner Leo Castell put together a solid effort, recently announcing backing from Digatron, a developer of performance data acquisition systems. He had made two GNC main event starts thus far in the season, finishing 18th at the Springfield Mile and 15th at the Lima, Ohio, Half Mile.
“I’m devastated by this,” Castell, Creamer’s longtime sponsor, said. “When you sponsor someone for a long time, they become like a family member. It’s a shame that this happened. This was one of those deals where Aaron was doing everything right, and still it happened. Aaron was coming around, and he was getting faster and faster. He may not have been one of the fastest riders yet, but he was certainly one of the best-liked.”
That sentiment was shared by reigning AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Champion Chris Carr.
“Aaron was a really nice kid who was living his dream,” Carr said. “It’s a shame that this happened.”
Memorial service arrangements are pending and will be announced as soon as they are available.
