Funds Raised To Replace RIVA Racing’s Stolen Generator in 12 Hours


Sometimes, when bad things happen, it’s solely for good people to gather and show their true colors. When the bright red Honda EU2000i generator was stolen from the RIVA Racing booth at this past final round of the HydroDrags, moods were soured pretty quickly. RIVA does quite a bit to support the industry – particularly in the realm of racing, and for such a petty theft to occur was a pretty low moment.

That was when Adam Barbanell stood up and started rousing the HyroDrag racing community to help either locate the missing generator and/or raise the funds necessary for it to be replaced. While the whereabouts of the little red Honda generator remained a mystery, the online community quickly gathered the moneys through a separate PayPal account to replace the generator within a breakneck speed of 12 hours!

RIVA Racing Marketing Director Mike Hodges wrote, “I can’t thank everyone enough for coming together to help replace the stolen generator. We are very fortunate to have such a close-knit and supportive group. Proud to be a part of the HydroDrag family!”

It’s reassuring to know that while there are some who would take advantage of others, there’s so many more who are wiling to give of their own to help another. It’s just another reminder of the quality of people within the PWC community.

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Kevin Shaw

Editor-in-Chief – kevin.shaw@shawgroupmedia.com Kevin Shaw is a decade-long powersports and automotive journalist whose love for things that go too fast has led him to launching The Watercraft Journal. Almost always found with stained hands and dirt under his fingernails, Kevin has an eye for the technical while keeping a eye out for beautiful photography and a great story.

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  1. Adam Barbanell 14 November, 2013 at 18:45 Reply

    Thank you for writing about it. I’m glad we were able to pull together and make things right. I hope the person who stole this item needed it to sell to feed his family. I feel we are a tight community and we shouldn’t feel threatened of our personal items at these events. But there is always a few bad apples in the crowd.

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