In honor of his accomplishments as an athlete and for his extensive community service, Traveler’s Rest, South Carolina, will present Team Am-Pro Yamaha’s Randy Hawkins with a Key to the City on Friday, April 11, the same weekend as the Big Buck AMA Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) in nearby Union, South Carolina. Hawkins is a six-time AMA National Enduro Champion who hails from Traveler’s Rest. Besides his on-track successes, Hawkins is known for visiting the local schools and the YMCA to meet families in the Traveler’s Rest community.
“We’re proud to have an athlete like Randy call Traveler’s Rest home,” said Mayor Roy Reynolds, who will present Hawkins with the key. “Randy is constantly reaching out into the community to give something back. We honor him for his commitment to Traveler’s Rest.”
The ceremony is open to the public and will run from 5 – 7 p.m. The local YMCA will host the event, and a small motocross track will be built across the street. The top GNCC racers, including Hawkins, his Am-Pro Yamaha Teammates Jason Raines and Barry Hawk, as well as Team Green’s Fred Andrews and Chuck Woodford, KTM’s Mike Lafferty and Shane Watts, and SCR Yamaha’s Robbie Jenks plan to ride the track to demonstrate their skills.
“I’m honored to receive this award,” says Hawkins. “I haven’t forgotten where I came from. But the real focus for this event isn’t just me, it’s on the fun of motorcycling in general.”
Food and vendors will be on hand, and there will also be face painting, a band, and the riders will hold autograph sessions. ESPN2’s MotoWorld and Speedvision’s Bike Week will be on hand to cover the event. On Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13, the top riders will compete in the Big Buck GNCC event in nearby Union, South Carolina. The Big Buck is the fourth round of the 13-stop GNCC off-road racing series.
The ceremony runs from 5 – 7 p.m. on Friday April 11. To get there, take route 276 from Greenville, South Carolina, to Traveler’s Rest, proceed to the third light and look for the YMCA.
