On October 1, 2016 the motorsports family lost one of the greatest advocates for safety and a true pioneer of race track incident response in a boating accident while fishing in Southern Oregon.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Lon worked for Wally Dallenbach in Basalt, Colorado as his ranch manager and eventually ran the rescue unit in town before moving to Rawlins, Wyoming as the EMS director at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County. Wally was also a proponent for racing safety and along with drivers like Johnny Rutherford, pushed hard for increased safety and rescue procedures in open wheel racing. Wally, with Doctors Steve Olvey and Terry Trammell and other supporters of motor sport safety started the Horton Safety Team in the early 1980’s and brought Bromley into the discipline of auto racing.

Lon started with the Safety Team in 1985 and then served as the CART and Champ Car World Series Director of Safety from 1988 until 2008. He coordinated and trained a team of twenty-seven EMT/Paramedic/Fire Fighters for specific on track medical extrication, fire suppression and recovery. Lon coordinated events, not only with the track promoters and operations staff in the United States, but also in Australia, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, and Brazil.

He also provided specialized test coverage for speed runs at the Bonneville Salt Flats and was involved in private testing coverage for the U.S. open wheel series, Formula One, sedans, karts, motorcycles, off-road racing and sports cars. Lon provided expert opinion in legal cases involving motorsport track and driver’s safety through his consulting company, Safety 1 Motorsports and was serving as the Director of Safety for the Circuit of the Americas at Austin, Texas.

Lon joined the International Council of Motorsport Sciences (ICMS) in the mid-90’s where he delivered numerous presentations and demonstrations at Annual Congress meetings and was a vital resource to the new Race Track Safety Program (RTSP). It would be understated to say that his life and teachings have led to the saving of hundreds of lives, and his practice and input have molded what is best practice in our realm of specialty.

He was a tremendous asset to the ICMS and to motorsports safety around the world. The industry has lost a tremendous resource and teacher, and all around great man. Lon will be dearly missed. Our condolences go out to Toni, his family, and to everyone who had the pleasure of working with and knowing Lon.

Donations may be made to Toni Bromley for the benefit of the Lon J. Bromley Memorial Account at Evergreen Federal Bank, 969 S.E. Sixth Street, Grants Pass, OR 97526.