Say it ain’t so! After more than 50 years of service to rider education, Dr. Ray Ochs, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Vice President of Training Systems, is preparing to ride (safely) off into the sunset. “Dr. Ray has played an extraordinary role in shaping rider education in America, guiding the evolution of MSF’s curricula into a lifelong learning approach, and setting the standard for the industry,” said Rob Gladden, MSF Vice President of Training Operations.
“I’ve had the privilege of working closely with him for more than two decades and have seen firsthand the academic rigor he brings to developing and evaluating our programs. His work has helped MSF continually advance how we prepare riders and the RiderCoaches who teach them, and his influence reaches throughout the training community” adds Gladden. “Have seen people switch career paths after catching the teaching bug from Ray. He has changed many lives.”
Ochs became an MSF-certified Instructor in 1973, the year MSF was founded, and in 1980 became a Chief Instructor. In 2002, he joined MSF full time. Throughout his tenure, he has helped shape the curricula, training systems, certification programs, and educational philosophy that continue to serve riders and the training community today.
“Dr. Ray has always led with the work, putting riders and the people around him ahead of himself,” said Christy LaCurelle, MSF President and CEO. “He approaches everything with humility, focused on why we’re here and how we can help riders be safer, and that brings out the best in the entire team. His commitment to understanding how people learn and translating that into effective rider education has shaped the programs we have today. MSF will carry those lessons forward as we continue developing training that meets the needs of current and future riders.”
Dealernews did a deep dive into Dr. Ray’s lifelong learning and teaching back in the December 2023 issue:
