A motorcycle crash on Friday night claimed the life of former NASCAR driverand owner of Tilley Harley Davidson, Don Tilley, 78, and left his wife, Robinette, in critical condition. News of the accident left people across Iredell County (NC) and the nation and throughout the motorcycle and NASCAR communities shaken. ‘God speed, @don_tilley. Don taught me how to ride long distance, love Harleys & most importantly how to be a friend,’ Kyle Petty wrote Saturday on Twitter. The motorcycle driven by the Tilleys, who own Tilley-Harley Davidson in Statesville, crashed near Mile Post 394 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Buncombe County, according to the U.S. Park Rangers office. Robinette Tilley was taken to Memorial Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC and was listed in critical condition on Friday evening with a spinal injury.(Statesville News & Landmark)(8-30-2014)
AND In the 1950s and 1960s, Don won many stock car races in Hickory and used local success to run several races on NASCAR’s Grand National Circuit, including two at Daytona. He also worked for Richard Petty before focusing on building motorcycles and opening Tilley Harley-Davidson in Statesville.(Statesville News & Landmark)(8-31-2014)
MEMORIAL: Hundreds of Harley riders will converge on Statesville Sunday to celebrate the life of Don Tilley, who died as he lived most of his 78 years: Riding a motorcycle with his wife. Tilley was a legend in racing and Harley-Davidson circles, having led all 20 of Kyle Petty’s ‘ Charity Ride Across America’ treks to raise money for seriously ill children. He died when he lost control of his motorcycle on the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville Friday evening. Robinette Tilley, his wife of 53 years, was riding with him. She remains hospitalized in Asheville with serious injuries, said Vickie Kress, a staffer at Tilley Harley-Davidson in Statesville. Sunday’s memorial service will be held in Statesville High School’s stadium to accommodate the crowds expected to turn out – many of them riding motorcycles from the Tilley dealerships in Salisbury and Statesville, thundering in with a police escort.(in part from the Charlotte Observer)
