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Bud McKay is the co-owner and co-driver of Namron Racing Team's 5-Litre hydroplane. Bud, among the world's tallest hydroplane drivers at 6-foot-5, has held a life-long passion for hydroplanes. He spent 1984 on the limited hydroplane circuit as a crew member for limited hydroplane veteran the late Jack Philpott in the 2.5 Litre modified's Voodoo VI. Occasionally, Bud helped another Seattle hydroplane veteran, Bud Burns in the then, 5-Litre (now National Modified class) Shady Lady IV. After learning the ropes of hydroplane racing from these two, long-time and successful racers, Bud decided that he would join the world of hydroplane racing and bought a 2.5 Litre stock hydroplane at the end of the 1984 season. But the boat had to be sold as Bud entered the active-duty Air Force in 1985. Bud made a career as a journalist for the Air Force. After serving six years on active duty, Bud joined the Air Force Reserve at McChord Air Force Base, Wash., in 1991. He retires from the Air Force Reserve in August 2005. He continues to work for the Air Force as a civilian at McChord. He's earned more than 50 major public affairs awards including four Thomas Jefferson awards -- the highest news writing award for the entire Department of Defense. For the Air Force Reserve, Bud wrote a couple of stories about cancer-related topics. Bud wrote all of the news releases about the emergency airdrop of medical supplies for a doctor at the South Pole who was isolated and self diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999. In 2003, Bud meet a young woman who was discovered she had cervical cancer when she was pregnant and risked her own life by delaying any treatment until after the baby was born. Click here to read the story from the Air Force Reserve Command's official magazine -- Citizen Airman. You'll notice Namron Racing Team features the MIA/POW symbol on the hull. Bud's passion for Missing in Action Americans from Southeast Asia started in 1995 when he went on his first repatriation mission into Hanoi, Vietnam, to return the remains of 10 missing American servicemen to their familiy. In 2001, Bud returned to Vietnam and helped deliver a search and recovery team to Hanoi. In 2004, Bud was invited by the family members of Col. Lester Holmes, listed as MIA since 1967, to cover the repatriation and burial services after Colonel Holmes' remains were identified and returned to the family for burial. Click here to read the story from the Air Force Reserve Command's official magazine -- Citizen Airman. Bud wrote another MIA-related story about a member from McChord's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight who left March 13, 2005, for North Korea to help in the search of MIA American servicemen. Click here to read the national story on the Air Force Reserve Command's offical website. Throughout his Air Force career, Bud has tried to keep his hands in hydroplane racing. From 1992 through 1995, Bud was a member of the Tacoma Inboard Racing Association and editor of its newsletter. Finally in the winter of 2004, Bud bought his second limited hydroplane and started the Namron Racing Team. "For me, the goal for the team is not to set the world on fire," Bud said. "I want to be competitive and field a first-class and professional team. More than anything, I just want to be an ambassador for what has to be the most beautiful motor sports event in the world - hydroplane racing."
Gigi McKay is Namron Racing Team's co-owner and co-driver. This is Gigi's first experience with hydroplanes. Gigi, who spent many years as a cop in Houston, is the speed demon in the family. She has raced and won several races on her other Harley -- a 1999 Sportster 1200 that she customized, lowered and chromed herself to race. You'll see her pull into some of the race sites on her customized 1998 Harley-Davidson Road King Classic. Like Gigi, it's a real eye catcher. Gigi
will often share her personal stories of surviving cancer four times.
Gigi enhanced her chemo therapies and radiation treatments with spiritual
meditation and holistic approaches and beat the cancers. However,
with all of the treatments, she was told eight years ago that she'd
never be able to have children again. Gigi's the type of person who
doesn't like to be told what she can't do - in March of 2004, she
gave birth to a lovely, healthy and rowdy baby girl - Harley Amber
McKay. Changing
Gears 2005 - The Global run, has recently chosen Gigi to be one
of the riders in the United States leg of this Unique Event. The goal
of this unique event is to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer
support programs in all three countries. All official riders and support
van drivers selected in Changing
Gears are young breast cancer survivors.
Changing Gears
is a global motorcycle relay where young breast cancer survivors from
across the world will take part in one-week rides in the United Kingdom,
United States and Australia. Applications for the ride were recruited through publicity and email campaigns and women’s motorcycling groups. The standard of applications was very high, and the personal experiences shared were all compelling, said Changing Gears officials. Final selections were based on motorcycling experience, geographic distribution and diversity of participants and logistical consider-ations. Harley-Davidson
loans brand new motorcycles for the ride in each Country. But Gigi
plans to ride her own motorcycle – a customized 1998 Harley-Davidson
Road King Classic. “This is the bike my Uncle Floyd Burks rode
when he set out on an 11,000-mile adventure across America when he
first learned that he had inoperable brain cancer,” Gigi said.
“He passed away in the summer of 2003. He left me his bike, as
he knew I would cherish it and keep it in the wind in his honor. Each
time I pull the throttle and hear the roar of the engine, I know Uncle
is riding along with me.” On the Changing Gears 2005 official website – www.changinggears.org/gigimckay.htm – donations can be made directly toward Gigi's contribution online. Donations through this site are fully tax-deductible, made through Amazon Heart, a nonprofit project of The National Heritage Foundation. Also, Gigi said that she would look for sponsors to help pay for the cost of travel and shipping her bike to Los Angeles and then back home from San Francisco. "I always have loved a challenge and getting the oppportunity to race a hydro this summer then ride with Changing Gears in September is a dream come true! To be able to have this much fun and raise funds for cancer research is awesome." Said Gigi |
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 Web design by Gigi McKay |
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