SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE - A 45-year-old man died after suffering a heart attack and falling off a dirt bike during a race Friday at Joliet Motorsports in southwest suburban Wilmington.
Kenneth Vandevelde was at Joliet Motorsports, 27950 Kelly Rd. in Wilmington, with his son Ryan Friday night when he suffered a heart attack. He was the driver of a motorized dirt bike in a race and was seen falling off the bike, according to the Will County coroner’s office.
Vandevelde, of Mazon, was pronounced dead at 9:22 p.m. at Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, according to the coroner’s office.
Preliminary autopsy results Saturday did not reveal any injuries, but did reveal a heart condition, according to the coroner’s office. Final cause and manner of death will be determined on later date, pending police, autopsy and toxicological reports.
According to GoFundMe page set by for Vandevelde’s family, he was a U.S. Navy veteran with a passion for motorcycles and dirt bikes.
Joliet Motorsports will be closed Tuesday “so that our entire staff, riders, and moto families can pay respects,” according to a statement posted on their Facebook page.
“We at JMX continue to pray and ask for our entire MX community to pray for the Vandevelde family (especially his son Ryan who is also one of our riders) during this very difficult time,” according to the statement.