Love Ride 25 CD

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25^TH ANNUAL LOVE RIDE RALLIED TO RAISE OVER $1,000,000 FOR CHARITY,  WITH FESTIVITIES AT POMONA FAIRPLEX CAPPED BY FOO FIGHTERS AND ZZ TOP SHOW 

Glendale/Pomona, CA, November 10, 2008: 20,000 motorcyclists from across the U.S. and around the world rode in the 25^th Annual Love Ride, which convoyed from Harley-Davidson^®/Buell of Glendale to the Pomona Fairplex on October 26. With Jay Leno as Grand Marshall, their efforts raised over $1,000,000 to benefit Southern California-based charities. Since first revving up in 1984, Love Ride has become the world’s largest one-day motorcycle fundraising event, donating over $21 million to non-profit organizations. Following the 2008 Glendale kickoff with the Georgia Satellites, Cydney Robinson and Magda Hiller, festivities rolled to the Fairplex in Pomona, CA for a concert with the Tubes, Foo Fighters and ZZ Top. Highlights included an all-star jam with the Foo’s Dave Grohl and Velvet Revolver’s Duff McKagan joining ZZ Top for classics including “Tush” and “La Grange.”  

Love Ride Founder & Chairman Oliver Shokouh, owner of Harley-Davidson of Glendale, said, “Love Ride is all about helping those less fortunate – and having a good time while doing it. I am so grateful to all of our 25^th Annual participants. During truly challenging times, having such a strong year really demonstrates the heart and commitment of everyone that makes Love Ride possible. We’re looking forward to the next 25 years.” 

In addition to Jay Leno – who’s presided over almost every Love Ride – celebrity riders for ’08 also included: Harley-Davidson legend Willie G. Davidson – along with wife Nancy, son Bill Davidson and daughter Karen Davidson – Neile Adams  (the former Mrs. Steve McQueen); two-time X-Games Gold Medalist and action sports standout Mike Metzger; Kiss’s Gene Simmons (Family Jewels); musicians  Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan (both Velvet Revolver and Guns N’ Roses); Miss USA Runner Up and Miss Indiana Nicole Rash; actors Peter Fonda, Robert Patrick, Rutger Hauer, Larry Hagman, Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar, Michael Trucco (Battlestar Galactica), Carmine Giovinazzo (CSI: NY); cast members from FX’s outlaw biker club drama Sons Of Anarchy including Charlie Hunnam, Mark Boone Junior, Tommy Flanagan, Johnny Lewis, Kim Coates and Theo Rossi; and Cassandra Hepburn, star of the forthcoming Quentin Tarantino-produced motorcycle gang film Hell Ride.  

At a post-concert ceremony, the Top 10 Love Ride fundraisers were awarded prizes. Eric Schmoranzer, scoring #1 with a $31,025.00 bounty for charity, won a trip for two to the Swiss Love Ride 17 in Zurich, May ’09. #2 fundraiser, Rick Roussin ($6,017) won “Grant 50,” an original silkscreen/painting by former Andy Warhol assistant Steve Kaufman, and #3 winners Jim and Kitti Carnes ($4,445.00) took home a Stand-up 1 Bike Trailer by Kendon. The other Top 10 fundraisers are: Kirby Yale ($3,246), Melanie Postell ($3,035), Scott Siegel ($2,960), Rick Young ($2,935), Rodney Houle ($2,751), William Speeg ($2,725) and Gerard McKenzie ($2,576.00). The top three fundraisers also received travel prizes from Southwest Airlines, and all ten received a signed & numbered limited edition artwork by Vinc and a FairChild Sports leather backpack.  

Raffle winners were also awarded prizes, with Muscular Dystrophy Goodwill Ambassador Jared Schultz selecting the ticket for the top prize – a 2009 Harley-Davidson Softail Crossbones motorcycle – which went to Rachel Olmos of Arleta, CA. Other  winners included: a 2009 Ducati Monster motorcycle going to Paul Reeves of Stanhope, NJ; a Vanson “Captain America” jacket signed by Peter Fonda to Ami Schenck of Little Rock, AK; and a Duane Ballard-designed Love Ride  belt and silver and diamond belt buckle to Steve Cohan of Henderson, NV. The Best Buy Musical Instruments raffle raised additional funds for Love Ride and awarded a Fender guitar signed by both Foo Fighters and ZZ Top to Frank Jordan.   

Beneficiaries of funds raised by the 25^th Annual Love Ride include: Muscular Dystrophy Association, Autism Speaks, Children's Hospital of L.A., Reading By 9 Child Literacy Initiative, Providence Saint Joseph Foundation, Catholic Big Brothers/Big Sisters,  Special Olympics of Southern California, Frostig Center, Scleroderma Foundation, Glendale Community College, Rett Syndrome Foundation, Optimist Youth Homes & Family Centers, Diabetes Institute for Immunology and Transplantation, Friends of Castaic Lake and the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. 2008 Sponsors included: Harley-Davidson Southern California Dealers Association, Harley-Davidson Corporation, Best Buy Musical Instruments, Sparkletts Water, Coca Cola, Anheuser-Busch, Spyder, Southwest Airlines, 95.5 KLOS-FM, 106.7 KROQ-FM, Thunder Press, FM94.9, LA Weekly, OC Weekly, Event 360 and 101 KGB.  

Love Ride is also the climactic event of California Bike Week (CBW), a 3-day rally and motorcycle lifestyle event that enjoyed its second annual year in 2008 (Oct. 24-26). CBW is jointly presented by the Love Ride Foundation and the Southern California Harley-Davidson Dealers Association, and is on track to become the West Coast’s answer to legendary bike events such as Daytona Bike Week and the Sturgis Bike Rally.

Oliver Shokouh
Founder & Chairman

Peter Fonda
Honorary Grand Marshal


Jay Leno
Grand Marshal

Robert Patrick
Honorary Grand Marshal


Willie G Davidson
Honorary Chairman