© copyright 2009-2011, Chase Ungerman Memorial Fund

Chase Ungerman was a Montana motocross racer from 2004-2007. As a member of HCMA he raced open beginner and then both 250 and Open Junior. In his final year of racing he placed in several events in the 250 and Open Junior class. But racing and winning were only part of the story.

Since the day he twisted the throttle of his first mini-bike Chase had been an active dirt-biker. Motocross racing demands great physical and even greater mental skills. Like any rider, he had to learn body positioning, cornering, jumping, passing and the secrets of the holeshot. Since he didn’t want to be an average racer, Chase had to devote many hours of practice, lap by lap, to perfect the techniques. Doing that helped him develop patience, endurance and self-discipline. Not only did that make him a better rider, it made him a better person.

Chase discovered that perhaps the most challenging part of motocross is the mental part. Over many months he practiced analyzing, visualizing and creating attitudes that would help him win. The results of his work became evident as he began to win more races. His career and life outside of racing also benefited from the new mental skills that he learned.

To Chase, motocross was not just about bikes and tracks; motocross events were like family reunions. He made friends with many riders of all classes. He was not above spending time with the younger riders, becoming a mentor and role model for some of them. He made friends with moms and dads as easily as he did other motocross riders. Motocross taught him to help others, to serve them and make them smile. With these social skills he made the world a better place.

Chase was killed in an automobile accident in December of 2007. Nearly 800 people attended his funeral, many of them were people directly influenced by the physical, mental and social skills that he developed through motocross. The Chase Ungerman Memorial Fund was created to honor Chase and the traits that he developed. The fund was established to encourage motocross riders to develop successful traits–traits that make a person successful beyond the events of a race day.