BRAINERD — A 50-year-old Hannacroix, New York, man died Friday, July 29, after his motorcycle struck a retaining wall at Brainerd International Raceway.
The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash, reported at 3:45 p.m. at BIR, north of Baxter. According to the sheriff’s office, the motorcyclist was participating in a qualifying race as part of the MotoAmerica Superbikes event when he lost control and struck a retaining wall.
On its website, MotoAmerica announced the driver of the motorcycle was Scott Briody. Briody was a competitor in MotoAmerica’s Stock 1000 class and the accident occurred during the first qualifying session. The sheriff's office reported Briody was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was transported to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office.
All on-track activity was canceled for the remainder of Friday at BIR out of respect for Briody, MotoAmerica reported. Assisting at the scene were North Memorial Health Ambulance and North Memorial Health Air Care.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Scott Briody,” stated Chuck Aksland, chief operating officer of MotoAmerica in the release. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, his team and the MotoAmerica paddock.”
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A Friday night Facebook post from Disrupt Racing, one of the teams participating in the MotoAmerica event at BIR, memorialized Briody.
“Scott had a major influence on our team, he was the first person to ever help me out when we came into MotoAmerica, he continued to and will always be a big influence on me and this team and was always cheering us on,” the post stated.
Bison Track, a motorcycle clothing and accessories company, shared a tribute to Briody on Saturday.
“It has taken us almost 24 hours to find the words. Scott Briody was our friend first, he just happened to become a customer. He was an exceptional personality in the paddock adored by all because of his hilarious demeanor, willingness (nay, insistence) to help anyone, and his big heart,” the Bison Track post stated.
Bison Track co-founder Robert Lackey also posted a blog post in memory of Briody on the company’s website.
“Let’s all take a moment, regain our composure and remember: Scott passed away quickly doing something he truly loved. He wouldn’t want us to change our course or alter our lives due to his passing,” Lackey wrote.
TIM SPEIER, staff writer, can be reached on Twitter @timmy2thyme , call 218-855-5859 or email tim.speier@brainerddispatch.com .
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