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#54 Brent Hansen

I started riding motorcycles in 1968, and bought (with lots of saved newspaper money) my first bike in 1971 – a used Honda SL70. I started wrenching for BMW in 1979 in Medford, Oregon, and remained there for 6 years. I then attended graduate school and became a registered nurse, and put 150,000+ miles on a 1967 R60/2. I met my wife Sue in 1994 and we moved to Yosemite where I worked as a heavy equipment mechanic and paramedic for the National Park Service. Since then, I’ve returned to my prior profession of BMW mechanic, starting up my own BMW vintage repair and restoration shop. I participated in the 2016 Cannonball on a 1913 Shaw Motorbicycle, putting miles on every day with the Shaw’s mighty 1.5 horsepower engine and my legs over every hill. Not being one to rest, I rode a vintage bike from California to Alaska in 2017, and am looking forward to using the 12 horsepower engine of my 1926 R42 to its full capacity. This is the oldest BMW to ever participate in a long-distance race – should be fun!