The recent MOA National Rally held at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond, Oregon, was my tenth as BMW Owners News editor. I continue to be as awestruck with what I saw there as I was ten years ago in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The Deschutes County Fairgrounds offered the MOA a beautiful facility with more than 300 acres of lush, green space for tents and the entertainment stage and more square feet of meeting space for seminars, meetings, and meals than we could use. Most amazing
of all were the distant panoramic views of the Cascade Mountain range, including the seven snow-covered mountain peaks of Mt. Bachelor, the Three Sisters, Broken Top, and Mt. Jefferson.
I arrived in Redmond on the Sunday before the rally was set to begin to help with setup and preparation. I expected to be one of the first to arrive, but soon discovered I wasn’t. Already there were Rally Chairs Sam Garst and Reece Mullins, along with
a platoon of volunteers all eagerly looking for an opportunity to lend a hand. As opening day approached, the once empty spaces filled with the tents; their colors reminded me of an Easter basket filled with colorful jellybeans sitting upon a lush
bed of green.
By Thursday, 125 vendors lined the walkways and filled the arena as motorcycles continued to roll in. By the end of the week, nearly 5,000 rally attendees passed through the gates. All told, more than 200 riders advanced their skills through training
offered by the BMW Rider Academy, Touratech-USA, ChampU, Ben Dragoo, and Team Oregon. Over 80 seminars informed and entertained, while generous MOA rally attendees donated more than $12,500 in Karol Patzer’s name to the Mountain Star Children’s Relief
Fund.
As is always the case with our National Rally, old friends got reacquainted and new friendships were forged. Lucky MOA members Cory Ziegler, Timothy Murphy, and Tony Clasen won new M 1000-series motorcycles, while 18 others took home impressive grand
prizes. Even first-time rallygoers Lynn Chadwick and Kendra Summers took home a new set of tires! But don’t take my word for what a great experience the Ridin’ to Redmond National Rally was, here are some of the comments posted on the Rally app:
“Wonderful rally. Heartfelt gratitude to the organizers and volunteers. For the first time, I felt welcomed, took courses and got tips to be a safe rider, made friends, and got inspired to ride long,” said Dheeraj Manghnani.
Ronald Gregory described his time in Redmond by saying, “Enjoyed my time at the rally and getting there was part of the fun, as always. Nice to spend time with Beemer folks. (I) met new people, had random conversations with others, spent too much money, saw new places, and had a blast. Safe travels and see you in Lebanon next year!”
“A truly magnificent rally! Thanks to the rally chairs, volunteers, vendors, and participants. MOA is a great place to meet friends you never knew you had,” -Paul Novak
“Thanks for a great rally. Only my second in 29 years! The world may have changed quite a bit since 1995, but the BMW MOA community continues to be something special,” said Rick Pannemann.
A sampling of images from the 2024 National Rally can be found beginning on page 32 of the August issue of BMW Owners News, while a complete Rally report will be available in our October issue.
Still kicking yourself for missing our annual get-together? Registration is already open for the 2025 MOA National Rally slated for Lebanon, Tennessee. Visit rally.bmwmoa.org to sign up.
The next big event for the MOA comes in early September when Motorrad Fest gives spectators the opportunity to watch the best law enforcement motor officers in the country compete on Friday and Saturday in the Authority Bike Shootout for Law Enforcement
Agencies riding BMW motorcycles. At M’Fest, spectators can take their own Authority training provided by the BMW Performance Center, and even “Compete Against the Pros” on Saturday afternoon. For more information, visit bmwmoa.org/events.
I look forward to seeing you down the road.
