# Subject: Finlay Make A Wish Gift at Daytona



## Jon Shafer (Dec 15, 2001)

*A RACER'S GIFT*

Finlay Motorsports Fulfilled Its Promise To Make A Wish Child Robby Duke At 
The Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona On June 30 By Presenting The 
7-Year Old Motocross Racer With A Featherlite Trailer 
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As one racer to another, Finlay Motorsports owner/driver Rob Finlay felt an 
immediate connection with Robby Duke when they met for the first time at the 
Rolex 24 at Daytona earlier this year. 
In an adventure arranged by the Make A Wish Foundation, a Finlay Motorsports 
team sponsor, the 7 year-old budding motocross champion and his family 
attended the race as guests of the team and Robby's enthusiasm for all forms of 
motorsports proved an inspiration to Finlay and the entire team. 
When Finlay found out that what Robby really needed to help move his 
motocross career forward was a trailer to haul his bikes and gear to the race, he 
promised the youngster that he'd get one - and on Thursday, June 30, just 
prior to the Grand American Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona, that promise was 
fulfilled. With assistance from Featherlite Trailers, the team presented Robby 
with a 12-ft. enclosed trailer fitted out for transporting motorcycles. 
"I'm so happy and surprised to get this gift from the team," says Robby. "
They were so nice to me and my family when we met them at the race, and they 
were really interested in my racing. This trailer will be a big help to me 
and my dad when we go to my races, and the next time I win, it will be my 
present back to the team." 
Robby began his riding career at the age of 5 with a BMX bike he got for 
Christmas. He then graduated to a Honda 50 mini motocross bike but his budding 
career suffered a setback when his epileptic seizures became so frequent he 
was unable to do the thing he loved most. In an effort to control the 
problem, an electronic device about the size of a hockey puck called a VGN (vagal 
nerve stimulator) was implanted in his chest just above his heart. The VNS 
sends electrical impulses to his brain via the vagal nerve, and Robby's response 
to the device has been little short of miraculous. 
Two weeks after his surgery he was back on his bike practicing and tearing 
it up like never before. About six months after his surgery, Robby returned 
to the track for his first race on a Kawasaki KX 65; now, with nine races 
under his belt, he has several podium finishes, regularly finishes in the top-10 
and is currently 10th in his championship. 
"Robby was such a great kid, and he obviously loved racing so much, that I 
felt a real connection and wanted to do something for him beyond just having 
him and his family at the race," says Finlay, who's passion for racing extends 
back into his own childhood. "They were struggling to get his bikes and 
equipment to the track, and with the assistance of the people from Featherlite 
Trailers, we were able to help out. We'll be keeping an interested eye on 
his progress." 
Robby was born on September 10, 1997, and his favorite forms of racing are 
AMA SuperCross, NASCAR Nextel Cup and Grand American. His favorite racers 
include James Stewart, Ricky Carmichael and Rusty Wallace, as well as Finlay 
Motorsports drivers Michael McDowell and Memo Gidley. His favorite music is 
alternative rock, and his interests outside of motorcycle and car racing include 
skateboarding, the X-Games, playing games on his X-Box, and doing fundraising 
projects for Make A Wish and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Fans can 
follow his racing exploits at this web site: _www.robbyduke.com_ 
(http://www.robbyduke.com/) . 
After presenting Robby Duke with his new Featherlite trailer, the Finlay 
Motorsports driving duo of Michael McDowell and Memo Gidley went on to compete 
in the Brumos Porsche 250 event and scored the third straight 4th-place Rolex 
series finish for the team's #19 Air Force Reserve / Make- A-Wish Foundation 
/ Commercial Defeasance Dinan-Powered BMW Riley Daytona Prototype. The 
Finlay Motorsports team is currently in 6th place in the extremely tight 
championship battle, with seven races left in the 2005 season. 
The Grand American teams get a few weeks off before the next event on the 
schedule, the Porsche 250 Presented by Bradley Arant at the 2.3-mile Barber 
Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, July 28 - 31.


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