Oh man, how sad. Ralph was a cool dude, friendly, smart, and an aggressive racer, rode AMA pro back in the late 60's early 70's. Met him in AHRMA and raced with him a lot, shared a garage at Daytona with him one year. I am heartbroken, what sad news.
After reading a bit more, it sounds like 252 was just getting going for him! He holds a 284 record and was trying to break 300. He did actually go over 300, but not in "official record" conditions (two-way pass, etc.). What an amazing individual. It's people like him that make me proud to ride a bike. RIP.
