September 13, 2006

Erik Kehoe
American Honda Motor Co.
Factory Motocross Race Department

Dear Mr. Kehoe:

I am writing to you in regard to an addiction that has affected my life for more than 20 years.

Within that span, this addiction has cost me thousands of dollars, put stress on my family life, and even landed me in the hospital at times. Today it continues to consume much of my daily life, and create distance between myself and those who do not understand it.

Worse yet, I fear that I am beyond treatment. Each time I’ve tried to quit, I find myself in the same place within weeks: back on the starting gate, breathlessly calculating my chances at the holeshot.

It seems that motocross and I will be linked until the end.

That is why I need your help. Having lost the chance for reform many years ago, I now seek to manage my condition, which includes its tremendous costs. Should you be willing to provide a means of support, I would gladly represent you in a positive and professional manner while indulging this habit.

I realize it may seem odd for a man of my qualifications to ask for factory support. Yet I must stress that, given the terminal nature of my condition, attainment of a factory ride is the only path of dignity that I have left. Without a factory ride, I will only inch further in the grim direction of becoming another concussion-addled, financially ruined and likely divorced vet pro.

I am determined to avoid this fate.

As for the benefits you would receive, try to understand that the public is tired of tip-top athlete types getting all the good rides. The world is now hungry for an Everyman type of factory rider: a man who doesn't win every race, or even any races--he might not even make the show. But, dammit, he has heart, and he would be there doing the same thing even if it meant sacrificing all the rest of the good in his life.

I am that man. I eagerly await your prompt reply.

Sincerely,

Robert Beaupre

P.S. I am a 450 rider, so please don't insult me with any 250F offers. But I will gladly forward those, if you wish, to my kid sister.

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