Career
Born and raised in San Diego, California, Rayborn began riding motorcycles at an early age. He began his racing career in dirt track events in Southern California and in 1964, he began racing professionally in the American Medical Association. Grand National Championship, a series which encompassed events in four distinctive dirt track disciplines plus road racing. Rayborn excelled at road racing, winning his first American Medical Association national at Carlsbad, California in 1966.
His prowess on road courses earned him a place on the Harley-Davidson factory racing team
He also set two 1970 motorcycle land speed records. The Transport-Atlantic Match Races pitted the best British riders against the top American road racers.
Towards the end of 1973, it was apparent that the Harley-Davidson team could no longer provide him with a competitive motorcycle for road racing, so Rayborn accepted an offer to race for the Suzuki factory. In December 1973, Rayborn travelled to New Zealand to compete in an auto racing event.
He also accepted an offer to race a Suzuki motorcycle at the Pukekohe Park Raceway outside of Auckland.
Rayborn"s bike was short of power and top speed so the bike was hurriedly converted to burn Methanol fuel. Rayborn started the race and was up with the leaders when the bike"s engine seized. In the ensuing crash he slammed into a wall close to the edge of the track and was killed.
Rayborn was inducted into the American Medical Association Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.