On a fateful Sunday in September 1978 Al Roof, an almost 20-year-old member of the Polish Pathfinders Enduro Club of Raiford, Florida, was on a warmup ride for the upcoming Foggy Mountain Trials, a one-day trial in the 1978 AMA National Reliability Trials Series. Shortly into the ride, while attempting to chasing down Jimmy Thornton and Pat Horgan on their Penton 400 GS/6s, Al cross-rutted, causing an instant hard left turn into a patch of 4-inch planted pines, striking with such force to rip it out of the ground, with the whiplash snapping 7 or 8 feet out of the top. The impact bent the 35mm Marzocchi leading axle forks to the point the front tire was rubbing on the frame down tubes and broke a chunk out of the fork casting where the axle was clamped by pinch bolts.
At that very instant 1978 AMA 500cc Motocross Champion Rick Burgett’s nickname “The Lumberjack” became shared with Roof. There’s much more to the story, but you get the gest. (For the whole story, contact Al via private message on Facebook or Instagram)
Thankfully Roof survived, going on to create the Blue Ridge Pathfinders Motorcycle Club in 1991, presiding over it for over 22 consecutive years, produce the Honda Hoot Carolina Dual Sport Adventure Ride from 1998 through 2000, and co-produce the legendary Carolinas White Lightning Cross Country Classis for thirty years, from 2009 until 2021.
Now, 44 years after The Crash, Roof commissioned talented cartoonist and graphic artist Wally Hackensmith to capture the very moment he earned his nickname “The Lumberjack”, to share here on T-shirts for fans, family, and friends.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these T-shirts will go to the Roof family to assist in covering any unexpected expenses for their Autistic son, Elijah, and for donations to their favorite charities, such as Samaritan's Purse and the Road 2 Recovery Foundation.
