IN
THE
WIND
P44
REMEMBERING VINNIE MANDZAK
T
he motorcycle community
mourns the loss of Vinnie
Mandzak, or "Cousin Vinnie"
as he was known to his close
friends. Mandzak tragically lost
his battle with brain cancer
on June 18, and passed away
peacefully in his home. He was
62 years old.
Mandzak was active in the
auto world, as he worked as the
sales manager at Mercedes-
Benz of Beverly Hills, and most
recently was an expert in the
collectible and exotic car market
for RM Auctions, but motorcycle
racing was his true passion. He
was an active member of the off-
road motorcycle community and
part of the AMA District 37 Pros-
pectors MC for nearly 20 years.
He was a fixture at the races,
particularly the Big 6 Grand Prix
Series where he regularly lent
a hand with announcing duties.
His voice—and his cheeky sense
of humor—was always recog-
nizable on the mic, where his
passion for racing, quick wit and
fun-loving nature truly shined.
Mandzak is probably most
notable in the world of motor-
cycle racing for bringing back
the Catalina Grand Prix. The
2010 resurgence of the classic
event proved to be a once-in-a-
lifetime event, and one that took
nothing short of a miracle to pull
off. Against all odds, (and the
Catalina Island Company, the
Catalina Conservancy, the city
of Avalon and even California
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
SCOTT
COX/RESMARKET
INC.
Vinnie Mandzak—
promoter of the
classic 2010 Red
Bull Catalina Grand
Prix—passed away
on June 18 after
a battle with brain
cancer.
