The motorcycle drag racing community was dealt a crushing blow when the founder of APE (American Performance Engineering) Raceparts passed away this past Friday.
Eshbach built a motorcycle drag racing empire in the Mohave Desert, right across from legendary Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, Calif.
Along with his lovely wife Dianne and team, Eshbach built his business into one of the most successful in the motorcycle drag racing industry. As one loyal follower commented, “Every drag bike build needed at least a few APE Raceparts.”
For “APE” Jay it was a labor of love.
Eshbach discovered drag racing when he was just fourteen years old and was hooked for life. Later he crewed on various Top Fuel cars in the Southern Calif. racing scene. This lasted even after he married his high school sweetheart Dianne. They would spend every Saturday night at the now legendary Lions, Irwindale or Orange County drag strips.
Eshbach went on to work with some of the all-time greats of the sport like Russ Collins and Elmer Trett.
APE continued to grow and forge ahead by offering the finest, heavy-duty racing products in the sport.
I will always appreciate how Eshbach was a big Cycledrag supporter because he greatly enjoyed watching all of his customers compete all over the world. He would often approach various race promoters and ask them to bring me in.
When were were restoring my 1977 KZ 1000 at Larry “Spiderman” McBride’s shop as a promotional project Eshbach sent us a ton of important engine components and joked with us that his morning routine was to get his coffee and get out his phone to see what were doing on the bike.
APE’s sponsorship and support program was unparalleled. Eshbach loved to give back to the racers and was very proud of his company.
Eshbach was even more proud of his strong Christian faith and successful, long-standing marriage.
The last time I had the pleasure of seeing Eshbach, it was after serval weeks of him telling me he needed to speak with me, but needed to do so in person. I was a little nervous as we regularly spoke openly on the phone. When I finally traveled up to the High Desert, Jay and his wife took me out to a wonderful lunch.
I figured the conversation would be about a new product APE was launching. Instead it was Jay asking me if I would like to buy into the company. Jay said he liked the way I marketed the sport and wanted me to be a part of APE. I gave Eshbach a hug and told him I was never so flattered.
It was a lunch I will always hold dear.
I received a text from Jay just one day before his passing as he was expressing his sympathy and concern over the passing of XDA’s Chris Miller.
Eshbach’s kindness and love for others was a reflection of his strong Christian faith. The successes of his company was a reflection of his intelligence, innovation and strong work ethic.
The secret ingredient was passion.
Eshbach loved the sport and everyone involved.
Godspeed “APE” Jay, you will be missed dearly.
Enjoy some of our live videos from APE.
