KEEPING THE PAST FAST!
This month’s Stories
• 2025 vintage cup preview - 500 premier
• 2024 barber pro challenge
• interview with rob hall
• pomeroy cup
• ... and much more
welcome to the AHRMA Mag
EDITOR
Steph Vetterly ahrmamag@ahrma.org
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS
Dan May, Greg Tomlinson, Leasha Overturf, Terry McPhillips, Kenny Cummings, Dave Roper, Joshua Schucker, Jim Doyle, Rick Doughty, Bob Close, Kate Jorgenson, Pete Jorgenson
PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTORS
Paul Elledge, Steph Vetterly, Mark Glenn, Sharon Bean, Bobby Hedge, Etechphoto.com, Lost in a Photograph, Dave Rutherford, Craig Chawla, Rob Hall, Lorena Walker, Paula Kyle-Stephens, Kate Jorgenson, Casey Binz
ADVERTISING advertising@ahrma.org
PUBLISHER
The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association
ADDRESS 8913 Town and Country Circle #1093 Knoxville, TN 37923
PHONE
888-41AHRMA (888) 412-4762
COVER -
Rob Hall took home the 2024 AHRMA Vintage Cup Championship win in the 350 Grand Prix class.
from the editor
Welcome to 2025 everybody!
This is always an exciting time of year, when everyone is getting bikes ready, buying new gear, and mapping out the thousands of miles they plan on driving to do what they love best.
We have plenty of racing to catch up on in preparation for the new season, so I hope you enjoy this month's content.
We have an interview with the 2024 AHRMA Vintage Cup Champion, Rob Hall, a preview of the 2025 Vintage Cup class (the 500 Premier), as well as some awesome race stories from the offroad disciplines.
Here's to a successful (and safe) 2025 race season!
see you on the track!
Steph Vetterly
PHOTO BY BOBBY HEDGE
AHRMA MAG Publication Schedule 2025 AHRMA MAG Proposed Content Schedule
Hello Everyone,
AHRMA MAG is published ten times a year by the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American copyright conventions. Reproduction of this work in whole or in part without the written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited. AHRMA MAG is printed in the United States of America. The articles contained in this magazine are works of journalism and do not represent the opinions or ideas of AHRMA MAG. AHRMA MAG and the publisher assume no responsibility for the content of advertisements. While we welcome submissions, the magazine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Please do not send originals.
This document is to help provide guidance on the AHRMA MAG publication schedule, as well as estimation on which National events are planned to be showcased in each issue. This will be updated as the year progresses and as race schedules are available. Reports for races more than 3 months in the past will not be utilized. We are trying to keep the magazine as relevant as possible. (i.e. a report for an April event submitted August 10th will not be used)
AHRMA MAG is published ten times a year and is available to read online for free at www.ahrma.org/ahrmamagazine. Members who subscribe for $10 will be mailed four issues per year.
If there is additional non-race content that you would like to submit and it is not listed, please reach out to me so I can plan accordingly.
DIRECTORS: Please shoot for 400-500 words max; the column should be something relevant to your position. If you would like to update the photo accompanying your column, please provide with photo credits. The Director is the only position required to write in each issue.
COORDINATORS: Regional schedules will not be shown on this document. If you would like to showcase a race, please plan accordingly. Submit all content through the submission portal. If you have more than 10 photos to submit, please utilize WeTransfer and send to ahrmamag@ahrma.org
Thank you, Steph Vetterly Steph Vetterly, AHRMA MAG Publications stephanie.vetterly@ahrma.org // ahrmamag@ahrma.org
Thanks to everyone who subscribes and looks forward to each issue. We at AHRMA MAG want to hear from our readership. We’d like to know how we’re doing. Send us feedback and comments about your favorite stories and columns, likes and dislikes and what you’d enjoy seeing in future issues.
email: ahrmamag@ahrma.org call: 888-41AHRMA (888-412-4762)
Photo by craig chawla
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
Daniel May, Executive Director
email: executive.director@ahrma.org
8913 Town and Country Circle #1093 Knoxville, TN 37923
Ed Roman, Special Committee Chairman email: ed.roman@ahrma.org
MEMBERSHIP
email: membership@ahrma.org
8913 Town and Country Circle #1093 Knoxville, TN 37923
COMMUNICATIONS
Cindy McLean
email: communications@ahrma.org
RACE DIRECTORS
ROAD RACE DIRECTOR - Leasha Overturf email: roadrace.director@ahrma.org
OFF-ROAD DIRECTOR - Terry McPhillips email: offroad.director@ahrma.org
RACE COORDINATORS
CROSS COUNTRY COORDINATORJeff Oakley email: jeffoakley325@gmail.com
NATIONAL TRIALS COORDINATOR
Debbie Poole email: pooleschl1@hotmail.com
EASTERN TRUSTEES
Mike Dixon - michael.dixon@ahrma.org
Jeff Hargis - jeffhargis@comcast.net
Bob Robbins - bobr@inter-techsupplies.com
David Rutherford - david.rutherford@ahrma.org
Tim Terrell (Treasurer) - tim.terrell@ahrma.org
Colton Roberts (interim) - coltonroberts3065@hotmail.com
WESTERN TRUSTEES
Al Anderberg - al.anderberg@ahrma.org
Kerri Kress (interim) - kerrikress@gmail.com
Wesley Poole - wes.ahrma@gmail.com
Luke Sayer (Secretary) - sayerlu@gmail.com
Kelly Shane - kelly.ahrma@gmail.com
Greg Tomlinson (Chairman) - chairman@ahrma.org
BY
A New Season Brings New Sponsors
The 2025 season brings back many of our loyal sponsors along with a new AHRMA National Series Title Sponsor, Motobilia.com. Sponsorship is an important part of the AHRMA ecosystem, contributing to over 10% of the annual operating budget. Sponsors not only supply financial support to keep racing costs as low as possible, they are also valuable partners in providing products and solutions to enhance your overall race experience. Try to make an effort to support the sponsors that support our club.
At the top level, Motobilia.com is the National Series Title Sponsor for 2025-27. Motobilia.com is the premier online destination for motorcycle enthusiasts, offering a curated collection of high-end bikes of all eras. Check them out and let them know you are an AHRMA member and racer. Hagerty Insurance is back in the mix for 2025 as the National Insurance Provider,
and Redwood Engineering is once again our National Trials Sponsor.
Overall, we have 45 sponsors at the National Level, and many more who support the individual regions. I want to especially thank the generous individual sponsors who simply want to support AHRMA. They have nothing to “sell” but see sponsorship as an avenue to further support the club they love. A club is only as strong as their members, and these individual sponsors find value in what AHRMA has to offer.
Finally, we cannot forget the individual benefactors that continue to support AHRMA through generous, unrestricted “grants." These are a clear sign of support for the work Ed Roman and I are doing to build a better club for all members. If you have a chance, check out Alta Futures (www.altafutures.com). Alta Futures made a considerable grant to AHRMA to support the “Community” that we have developed in the past
35 years. Robert Blakey continues to show his generosity by supporting the sport he has been passionate about his whole life.
So, a big “Thank You” to all our sponsors. While I cannot mention each sponsor individually, we do appreciate and value the smallest to the largest. If you are considering becoming a sponsor, it is not too late, or if there is a business you think might benefit by partnering with AHRMA, reach out to myself (daniel.may@ahrma.org) or Brandi Martinez (brandi@thekc.agency).
Looking forward to seeing you all at a track in 2025!
Daniel May
DANIEL MAY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
PHOTO
PAUL ELLEDGE
CHAIRMAN
Revving Up for an Exciting 2025 Racing Season
Hey AHRMA Family,
I’m still buzzing from the incredible 2024 season, and yet here we are, already looking ahead to an even more thrilling and unforgettable 2025! As we roll into the new year, the anticipation is building for what’s sure to be an incredible season of racing. Whether you’re into the gate drops and charge of motocross, the hard core endurance of crosscountry, the balance and precision of trials, the fast-paced action of dirt track, or the explicit speed of road racing, there’s something for every one of our members this year.
The green flag is going to drop before we know it, so the time is now to get those bikes tuned up, gear ready, and your calendar locked in. Each type of racing has its own kind of magic, but the best part is the community we share—there’s nothing quite like the competition, friendships and memories that we build at every event.
Motocross riders, get ready to hammer off the gates and conquer some challenging courses. Crosscountry racers, brace yourselves for epic terrain that’ll test your stamina. Trials riders, sharpen up your skills to handle those tricky sections with style. Dirt trackers, the oval’s calling for speed and glory. And road racers, it’s time to dive into those curves and shred the pavement.
This season isn’t just about the races—it’s about the people who make it all happen. Huge thanks to our amazing staff, our volunteers who go above and beyond, and the sponsors who keep this dream alive. We couldn’t do it without you.
To our members—you’re the heart and soul of AHRMA. Whether you’re a seasoned Vet or just starting out, your passion and energy make this community what it is. This season is for you, and I can’t wait to see everyone out there giving it their all.
So let’s make 2025 a season to remember. Mark those calendars, get your machines ready, and let’s create some amazing memories together. The spirit of historic motorcycle racing is alive and firing, and I’m looking forward to lining up with all of you.
See you at the track!
Ride safe and have fun,
Greg “GT“ Tomlinson
GREG “GT” TOMLINSON
AHRMA CHAIRPERSON
Member #14562
RR / DT #5
MX / CC #50
email: chairman@ahrma.org
BY
PHOTO
CHARLENE CAMPBELL
Welcome to the 2025 Race Season!
Happy New Year to everyone!
I hope you all enjoyed your holidays. Many people have asked what I’ve been doing during the winter break. Though securing tracks for 2025 started back in June/ July, finalizing all the details and going through contracts takes a lot of time and has been my biggest project since closing out Barber. I’ve also been working on streamlining my organization, getting AAR and SRS set up and ordering all the National and Regional trophies from 2024. That is just a few of the items that have been keeping me busy.
On a fun note, the Timing and Scoring Team came for visits in December. First it was Marcia Heck and her husband Tom. I was quite busy the week they were here, and Marcia stepped up and helped me with some AHRMA tasks and taught me a couple of tricks too. Then a couple of weeks later Sharon Dray visited. Sharon gave me lessons on MSR, event set-up, and we went through the new gear that arrived. Road racing really needed a technology refresh and Executive Director Dan May made it happen!
BY
At our Roebling Road Raceway event we are hosting an AHRMA 2-Wheel Test & Tune Day on Thursday 2/13/25. It will be a great way to blow off the cobwebs and get limbered up for race practice the following day. I’m very thankful for the support and help from Jack Abbott at RRR, Dereck “Stickboy” Bennett, Faynisha Pentecost and Sharon Dray with getting it set up. We have a great day planned to get 6+ sessions in for each group. If you have not signed up, best do it soon since it is capped at 120 attendees. We are offering a discounted membership for racers of other organizations to join us. Spread the word! Also important to know is that the 2024 Awards Banquet will be
PHOTO
MARK GLENN ROAD
Mark, Marcia, and Leasha showing off the signed checkered flag Leasha received from her team at close of the season. PHOTO CREDIT TOM HECK
"Getting a good laugh with Sharon before she hits the road." PHOTO CREDIT LEASHA OVERTURF
held on 2/14/25 at Roebling Road Raceway. Trustee Tim Terrell has been working hard to put together a fantastic banquet. The theme and details will be shared soon so keep an eye out.
I’m looking forward to our 2025 season and hope that you are too. We have a great mix of tracks. I personally can’t wait to check out Inde Motorsports Ranch. It’s been a few years since AHRMA has been to Willow Springs and with the partnership of Brady Walker of Classic Enterprises this is sure to be a fun event. I’ll also share that all the track managers I’ve been dealing with are very excited to have AHRMA coming. So, please get those bikes ready and come and race as many weekends that you can in 2025!
Speaking of starting the 2025 race season, I’m excited to announce that Ed Bargy will attend all of our races. Ed was first asked to be the starter for AHRMA by Beno Rodi in 1985! This is Ed’s 40th year keeping AHRMA racers happy and safe at the start and finish of each race. Many thanks to Ed Bargy! Be safe on your travels to Roebling Road Raceway! See you all soon!
Leasha Overturf
LEASHA OVERTURF ROAD RACE DIRECTOR
Ed Bargy, 40 years of starting for AHRMA and still going strong. PHOTO CREDIT LEASHA OVERTURF
Let the fun begin!
The off season is a great time for all our members to work on their bikes and get ready for the start of the season. For those of us working to get events ready, this is anything but a slow time of year! We are working to get contracts out and signed as well as setting up scheduled events. This includes putting together the checklists to make sure things are in place, and organizing and assigning roles for events. The regional coordinators have been working hard to bring more and improved regional events to give you more local races! There are many challenges that these people have overcome to give you these events. When you see them, make sure you thank them for all their hard work. I think this is going to be a great season for both National and Regional events!
Two of the events this year are AHRMA self-promoted events. These two events (Chaney Ranch, Warner Springs, CA, in May, and Barber Motorsports, Leeds, AL, in October) require volunteers in the
OFF-ROAD
planning and setup stages, as well as for volunteers to support the day of the events. If you’ve ever wanted to get a better idea of what is involved in creating, setting up and running an event, this would be a great opportunity to see what it takes. We need volunteers to set up, help with registration, camping, flagging and more. Contact me if you have an interest in volunteering for either of these events. We could definitely use the help.
As you will see in the article on “Skill Level Upgrades,” the rider grading committees have gone through the process of identifying riders who have successfully increased their riding skills to qualify for the next higher skill level this season. The rider grading committees have identified these riders through observation, lap times, and race results. No one individual had the ability to approve the rider’s status. These committees met, discussed and approved each rider before selecting them for advancement. I really appreciate the time and effort
that these volunteers put in to help us put riders in the proper skill levels. This makes for safer, more competitive racing.
When you see the folks listed in the article, make sure that you congratulate them on this awesome achievement! They have worked hard to improve their riding skills!
The season starts next month with a race at Shorty’s MX in Blythe, CA. This is a well-prepared track that I believe our members will really enjoy. If you want to get out of the snow and cold, this is a great way to do it!
So, get your bikes ready and we’ll see you at the races!
Have Fun, Be Safe, and Go Fast!
Terry McPhillips
TERRY MCPHILLIPS OFF-ROAD RACE DIRECTOR
BY
PHOTO
SHARON BEAN
Off-Road skill level upgrades
WORDS BY TERRY MCPHILLIPS, OFF-ROAD RACE DIRECTOR
n December, a National Grading Committee was formed from members of the Regional Grading Committees. This committee met and reviewed results from the 2024 season for MX and Cross Country. During the year, individuals were observed and lap times were observed and recorded at multiple races. Lap times at each event were then compared with lap times of the next higher skill levels at the same track (i.e. Novice lap times were compared to Intermediate lap times, Intermediate lap times were compared to Expert lap times at the
ICorey Bennett
Tony Edwards
Tracy Gibbens
Carey Hunt
Mark Leimbeck
Lance Maddux
Mike McIntosh
same track). When the intermediate riders were on the track at the same time as the expert riders, their finish positions were considered as well.
Taking all of this into consideration, a list of people to potentially move up in skill levels was created. This list was sent to the Regional Coordinators to review along with their regional grading committees for approval or rejection.
In addition, several riders requested that they be moved up to the next higher skill level. These folks were
also considered for upgrade by the appropriate committees.
We would like to congratulate those that have put in the time, effort, and devotion to increase their skill level, helping them to become much better riders! This is a significant achievement! The following people are being moved to the next level!
When you see these folks, take a moment to congratulate them on this momentous achievement!
MOTOCROSS CROSS COUNTRY
INTERMEDIATE
Terry Murphey
John Nelson
Philip Prinz
Calvin Sartain
Skeet Taylor
Dave Wessling
Karnie Wessling
Chance Blackwell
Justin Buttrill
Charlene Campbell
Zach Colson
Claude Cutshaw
Gary Davis
Larry Decker
Cameron East
John Fedor
Terry Frohnapfel
Mike Hance
Kurt Hansen
Laci Horvath
Thomas Johnson
Iain Johnstone
Sean Knaack
Blake Lawson
Carlos Mayo
Scott McClellan
Danny Moore
David Pendry
Anthony Pupillo
James Radcliff
Kimbo Rutledge
Mike Spisak
Richard Stephens
Rich Thurman
Mark White
Steve McWhorter
Neal Raggett
TRIALS
David Greenland
Christian Otero
Michael Zesiger
Charlie Poole
Eddie Poole
Road Atlanta circa 1994 - Stephen Mathews (81), Dave Roper (1), Chuck Hunnicutt (82)
PHOTO CREDIT ETECHPHOTO.COM
500 PREMIER
2025 VINTAGE CUP
WORDS: KENNY CUMMINGS WITH SUPPORT FROM DAVE ROPER
Iattended my first AHRMA race as a spectator at Mid-Ohio in the late ‘90s. I rode in on my Commando to attend the bike show and the swap meet, and to kick tires with other riders. Racing wasn’t entirely on my radar yet. But while seeking shelter from the summer sun, I spent a good amount of time in the covered viewing area atop the paddock garages, observing the different classes motoring around the track throughout the day, and quickly the seed was planted. As I watched, I tried to imagine where I would place if I were out there myself—at the back, as I would find out a few short years later. I was immediately struck by how fast the 500s were going in the Premier class. Back then I didn’t know many riders by name, except for Dave Roper, whom I’d met in passing around NYC, but it was clear that this was the big, fast class with the top-tier competitors always on the throttle. The bikes at full gas sounded different than the bikes in other classes. With their big single 500cc engines
revving to 8k rpm, they made cacophonous music akin to that of a British Spitfire in full dogfight mode. And the closeness of racing, particularly as they flew under the Mid-Ohio pedestrian bridge and into turn one, almost leaning on each other, was absolutely mind-blowing to me.
I spent a lot of time wandering the paddock that weekend and watching as the riders, owners, and hangerson (myself included) filled the garages after the bikes came back in, eavesdropping on riders’ debriefings about how to overcome whatever gremlin may have arisen, and how to be certain to
get the victory in the next race. Being a Norton guy, I had always dreamed of owning a Manx, but I had never actually been around one when it was on the track. So hearing (and smelling) all the Premier bikes fire up at third call as they got ready to go out was a sensory overload I wasn’t entirely prepared for. I was anxious, but
Kenny Cummings (17) and Helmut Niederer (80R)
Photo courtEsy KEnny cummings
in heaven. I have a vivid memory of a Manx rider coming in from a practice with a problem, shutting down and hopping off, quickly tightening whatever was loose on his bike, then looking back at me and shouting through his helmet, “Hey! Give me a push!” Who? Me? Of course I did, and the bike lit up with a perfect roar, and back out he went. Wow! This was it. I had arrived. These were my people. I wanted in.
So . . . here we are. Twenty-fiveplus years later. I’m honored to be writing about the importance of preserving this Featured Class, and supporting all the vintage classes in our club.
Something I’ve often said as context: When AHRMA was incorporated in 1989, a lastyear 1962 Manx Norton or Matchless G50 was 27 years old—the equivalent of bikes like Ducati's 996 in today's world. Outdated? Sure. But relic? Hardly. The mission of AHRMA in 1989, which remains true today, was to preserve vintage racing by providing a place for forgotten, mothballed bikes to campaign in a national series. It’s no accident that AHRMA’s 500 Grand Prix class was immediately given the moniker “Premier,” as it was established to historically align with the senior classic postwar “Golden Era” of 500cc Grand Prix Racing, and had a rule structure that fit that of the FIM Grand Prix World Championship from its onset in 1949 right through to the end of the 1968 season. All while the FIM 500cc Grand
Prix championship was running concurrently—and still is, having evolved into “MotoGP” as we know it.
As I started putting down my thoughts I knew I’d need to compare notes with everyone's friend, Dave Roper, for some hard history and a little color. During one of our chats, Roper pulled out the Mike Hailwood 500 Premier trophy, currently in his custody since he won the 2024 500 Premier championship (on his Aermacchi 350 Sprint, mind you). In 1992, Mike Hailwood’s widow, Pauline Hailwood, donated one of Mike’s trophies for AHRMA to repurpose as a perpetual championship award. And it is indeed the one we all aspire to have on our shelf for a year (or more). Each champion’s plaque affixed to its stained wooden sides tells an indelible story of AHRMA heavies who put in their fast laps to get to the top of the box. Roper and I discussed who had been riding what, and what drama had happened behind the scenes
during each year’s championship (there are enough colourful stories there for several articles). He sent me an email an hour later, after drilling down on some of the high points. His analysis shows that between 1992 and 2024 there were 10 different 500 Premier Champions: Tim Joyce (9 times), Dave Roper (7 times), Pat Mooney (4 times), Stephen Mathews (3 times), Andrew Mauk (3 times), Larry Poons (2 times), Stu Carter (2 times), Rusty Lowery (1 time), John Rickard (1 time), Ron Melton (1 time).
Tim won 9 times riding Maurice Candy’s Manxes—clearly a combination of rider and owner that will be almost impossible to top. Roper won on a multitude of Team Obsolete bikes, including MVs, a Benelli 4 350, and G50s, but also on one of Maurice Candy’s Manxes, in addition to his own trusted Aermacchi. Mooney always rode hard on his Petty Manx, with Bob and Marie Barker’s support. Andrew Mauk won his championships on Keith Leighty’s Honda 450 twin. Rusty Lowery on a Harley KR. John Rickard on his 500 Triton.
The remaining champions came in on Manx Nortons and Matchless/ Seeley G50s. Stephen Mathews rode a G50 for George Barber and was the Roper/Team Obsolete arch-nemesis for many of the
Dave Roper, Daytona 1992 Photo crEDit EtEchPhoto.com
Kenny Cummings on Bob McKeever's bike (Alex McLean's ride)
Photo courtEsy KEnny cummings
early years of AHRMA. And how about Larry Poons? Two-time champion on his original Seeley Condor, which he bought new, riding it off the showroom floor of Colin’s London shop.
The reality of all these wonderful memories is that they are just that—memories of a time past. I’ve been doing this long enough now to see a trend. These bikes aren’t 27 years old anymore, and it’s becoming harder and harder to entice folks to bring them out of their dens, tune them up, and get them back onto the track. Yes, the era of replica bikes came in hard and fast in the new century, allowing unobtainable components to be removed and put on shelves, thereby increasing attendance, while giving a bump in performance and competition level. But the sheer cost of building, campaigning, and maintaining these machines— including the replicas—is very high. I speak from authority here: it’s hard to entice new racers to get excited about campaigning something so expensive when they can put together a fast, top-tier bike that could podium in many other classes, all for a fraction (yes, a serious fraction) of the cost of a GP-spec machine. So how do we, as members of our club, keep our historical-era machines from going the way of the Board Trackers? The first line is to continue what we’ve been doing: promoting these classes using the Vintage Cup concept, making them the exception, talking them up, and generating excitement with press releases and race reports. This method has proof of concept now. We’ve seen surges of involvement during the course of each Vintage Cup season, and several of these machines continue to come out even after the Vintage Cup moves on to the next season’s class. But it’s still not enough to sustain the health of these classes in cemented permanence. So what next? Many ideas get tossed around in the paddock, in meetings, and on social media. Perhaps we could consider taking on the Goodwood approach: team owners put up their bikes with two riders—often a pro and
an amateur— trading off during the race. This is a one-off kind of race that could manifest itself as the star of the big Barber show at the season’s end. But what do we do to get interest and larger grids for the rest of the season? This is the eternal question.
I know the AHRMA establishment is eager to keep these historic classes healthy, as their existence and strength were part of the mission of the club all those years ago. Allowing them to slip away to make room for cheaper racing isn’t AHRMA’s way.
I do understand evolution and forward thinking. What constitutes “Vintage” is a moving target. I would be excited to see a big grid of Ducati 996s out there. That sound and excitement would probably inspire some younger “vintage” enthusiasts to come join the fun with us, as the Manxes
and G50s did for me more than 25 years ago. It’s easy to see this in the Next Gen classes that are so well-attended now. I admit, my dream days of Agostini, Read, Duke, Surtees, et al, battling it out at Barber may be fuzzy feelings in my own grey matter. But I’m here with foot planted firmly in the belief that there are many good years left to foster a healthy historic Grand Prix Program (250, 350, 500) within AHRMA. I’m not giving up. So tune them up. Bring them out, people. We’re aging out. But not without a good fight.
Kenny Cummings at Lukey Heights (in Australia) on his Seeley G50. PHOTO COURTESY KENNY CUMMINGS
Pat Mooney (11x), Joe Brenner (529), Daytona 2001. Photo crEDit EtEchPhoto.com
Echoes of Steel City
AHRMA'S NATIONAL AND REGIONAL SERIES BACK-TO-BACK IN WESTERN PA
WORDS BY JOSHUA SCHUCKER
The first weekend of September would begin a pseudo-residency for the AHRMA Mid-Atlantic (MA) gang in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, aka the “Steel City.” For two of the first three weeks of the month, the region would host an event within a short drive of Pennsylvania’s second largest city, in a historical hot bed of moto lore. Just miles from each of the facilities on the schedule sits the former site of famed Steel City Raceway. Taking its name from the colloquialism applied to the nearby metropolitan era, this spectacular motocross track spent nearly a quarter century as one of, if not the, final round of the AMA Nationals. Plenty of legendary battles
between any number of MX heroes have taken place here as hotly contested season-long championship battles end in jubilation for the victor and defeat for the challenger. Sadly, the track’s driveway now leads to little more than farm fields as only memories remain. In the dozen years since Ryan Dungey and Eli Tomac captured the
final overall victories at Steel City in 2012, this local area’s championship motocross legacy has been sidelined. But that all
PHOTOS BY LOST IN A PHOTOGRAPH
"Freeway"
changed in 2024 as AHRMA brought its Bridgestone National Championship series to Field of Dreams (FOD) MX Farm, within earshot of Steel City and interestingly on the same Fall weekend as many of those past events.
FIELD OF DREAMS MX FARM
National Motocross
September 7 & 8
After a much-heralded debut on the MA regional schedule in 2023, the FOD event has quickly ascended to AHRMA’s National circuit. It is easy to see why after witnessing the inaugural event. The course layout was designed from the start with vintage racing in mind. The execution of that design by brain-child Mick Spisak and family and the landowners Mike and Stephanie Sgambati, was flawless. And the attention to detail, visuals, and experience created an atmosphere suited to a national championship venue. The crew certainly nailed down those details in 2024 as well. The course prep was spot on and the intangibles were in place for a special event. Mike added a couple well-thought-out elements to the course design, with an approachable tabletop and a sweet section of travel-limited friendly roller whoops.
But all the preparation and pomp and circumstance would be for naught if the series’ regulars with championship aspirations didn’t show up to race. Show up they did! Nearly three hundred entries were on site throughout the weekend, and while the MA region was strongly represented as expected, the national crowd showed up in droves as well. As expected with a course this delightful, the racing action was excellent, and the accolades were tossed about with abandon. This is truly an excellent vintage motocross venue and the collective rider’s experiences echo that sentiment. The layout covers the gamut of MX obstacles one would expect with wide sweeping turns, esses, a few g-out elevation drops, bowls and berms, alternate lines, and jumps meant for maintaining speed and low altitude flight versus shooting the pilot skyward. All wrapped
in a quaint and picturesque backdrop of the region’s beautiful rolling hills and the backdrop of a working family farm.
As if the riding experience isn’t enough to look forward to, Mick pulled another rabbit out of his hat by landing a big-name Grand Marshal for the second year in a row. This time, Gary Semics made the short trip from eastern Ohio to hang out, tell stories, wave some flags, and enjoy the camaraderie. Gary has a long list of accomplishments in the professional motocross ranks. In his career, Gary landed factory rides with all the BigFour Japanese brands as well as Husqvarna and Can Am, bringing Husky the 500cc Supercross
Championship in 1974, as well as taking the overall at multiple Nationals throughout the years. Gary even scored national points at his only Pro event at Steel City in a one-off appearance there in 1990, nearly a full decade after his heyday. In addition to his racing successes, Gary has his own motocross school and through the years has trained countless well-known racers…you may have heard of a guy named McGrath a time or two. Word is that despite all these accomplishments, no one had asked him to be a Grand Marshal before, but Mick fixed that resumé deficiency in ’24. Gary had a great time, and rumor is he may be on the look-out for a suitable vintage bike to participate in next year’s event and there’s potential
Multiple lines forming at FOD
James Work (11X), John Fedor (56J), Aaron Walker (179), Ken Stern (29M)
to add a MX school date at FOD prior to that event…no promises, but stay tuned.
BLACKS HOLLOW RECREATION AREA
MA Regional MX and CC September 21 & 22
After wearing the national event promotions hat, the MA posse moved a dozen miles north and reverted to promoting the region’s event schedule at a new venue for the series. Similar to last year’s FOD event, this is a new spot for the series, and one that was also uncovered by Mick. In fact, this land was initially the back-up plan to FOD, but it took until this season to get it added to the schedule. Another newbuild MX circuit was in order and Mick enlisted the help of local earth-moving pro Jeff Snyder to help clear a ton of brush and other debris from the hillside to liberate the ground and paint his vision upon the landscape. Luckily, landowners Joel and Brock Winger had previously held some cross country (CC) races on the property and were eager to return racing to the site. The preexisting trails and general CC layout from those past events were quite helpful to MA trail boss extraordinaire Mike Zdybak when he was tasked with creating a suitable loop for Sunday’s CC action. If you remember from earlier race reports this season, the Blacks Hollow event was originally
scheduled for far earlier in the season but flipped dates with Sutton Station to allow more time for course work. This is just an indication of the level of effort that was placed into the property and the results were typical of Mick’s approach. Unique and interesting layout with a tasteful bit of added flare to set it off.
The facility covers approximately 140 acres of reclaimed strip mine and the elevation change is extraordinary. With the reclamation efforts in decades
past, the area cleared for the MX course is dominated by a large hillside that is tiered in nature, similar to many landfills seen across the country, where the slope is interrupted routinely by a flat stepped area resembling a roadway carved into the terrain or think of a layer cake with each successive layer smaller in diameter. Mick's course design utilized this feature to great effect, tackling the ascent three separate times, twice fully to the summit in a straight shot climbing over one hundred feet in elevation over the length of a couple football fields. The centerpiece of the course was the climb directly up the center of the mound with a large white lettered “Blacks Hollow” sign silhouetted against the blue sky above. Conjuring thoughts of Glen Helen and its prominent signage and many ascents, the tiered rise also pays significant homage to the epic “Suicide Mountain” of Saddleback days past. The one-eighty turn and descent another flashback to Carlsbad’s “Freeway” with a high speed run filled with multiple bumps and kickers. A spectator’s delight and a racer’s thrill ride, the newly constructed loop was a blast. The only downside was an intense battle with dust after many weeks of dry weather, Thankfully, because the venues were so close, Mike Sgambati was able to bring
Mason Grove (702)
Denny Swartz (31), Tom McPeek (59)
the FOD water truck to Blacks Hollow and try to take the edge off the dust. A blessing of nature intervened during the intermission between motos one and two as a soaking twenty-minute deluge was unleashed from the clouds above and defeated the dust’s hold over the event for the remainder of the day.
Sunday’s CC action would utilize the entire motocross track and add to it with a continuation of the tiered theme the property affords. From the ample parking area at the base of the MX track, the course would wind through a grass track of sorts to a drop into another layer of the “cake”. The drop in here was a visually arresting affair with a sharp and steep entry leading to a turn below forcing a constant reminder to let the bike roll a bit to make the turn rather than lock the brakes and overshoot the berm. Skirting the edges, the course followed many off-camber routes toward another tier. Up and down the variety of levels was a constant and super enjoyable aspect of the circuit using all types of trail –stone road, singletrack, two-track, dirt road, and grassy hills. Mix in a couple creek crossings, and some low-lying muddy areas and this course checked about every box in the CC course catalog. At one point, near the end of the loop, the riders follow a switchbacked fourhundred-foot climb from the lowest point on the property clear to the “Blacks Hollow” sign atop the hill. Kudos to Mike Z for the creativity involved in creating this course!
Two races in three weeks, over two separate series, on two separate custom crafted properties is a lot of work to pull off, and the people involved made it look simple. They deserve many props for the effort and success – Thanks to the Spisak family, Mick, Lori, Josh and Laci (Horvath) for the vision and execution, to the landowners Mike and Stephanie Sgambati and Joel and Brock Winger, to Jessi Reichart and the rest of the scoring, registration, and support team of the MA region for juggling the National and Regional population in short order, and to Jeff Snyder for the heavy equipment expertise and operation. Please patronize the sponsors of both AHRMA’s
National and Regional offroad series for their continued support of the sport; nationally Bridgestone Tires and regionally Potomac Vintage Riders, Preston Petty Products, Stainless Cycle, Grove Printing, KMI Printing, Horizon Homes, and M3One. Also, thanks to A&K Motors for stepping in as an event sponsor.
Dave Light (975), Brian Haney (307)
2024 AHRMA Barber Pro Challenge is in the Books
Bridgestone Tires AHRMA Roadracing Series
WORDS JIM DOYLE PHOTO ETECHPHOTO.COM
The 2024 AHRMA Pro Challenge Feature Race at the 20thth Annual Barber Vintage Festival was sponsored by Real Steel Motorsport, Southern Honda Powersports, and Fast by Ferracci.
This year was a special event featuring Formula Thunder bikes vs MotoAmerica SuperSport machines and riders. With 25 entries, the racing was close and exciting within the entire grid. For the 2024 running, MotoAmerica legal SuperSport machines and riders were invited to compete in the Pro Challenge. This provided greater availability of machines similar in performance to the Formula Thunder bikes. Thus, greater opportunity for additional
current pros to enter. That and the $35,000 purse bought new major teams to the Vintage Fest for the very first time.
On October 12, 2024, the AHRMA Pro Challenge took place immediately following lunchtime activities on Saturday afternoon.
Stefano Mesa, starting from the pole, won the Saturday afternoon 12-lap Pro Challenge race riding his Boulder MotorSports Pierobon X80R fitted with a Ducati 1198cc V-twin Superbike Spec engine with a 5.7 second lead at the finish.
Hayden Gillim on his Real Steel Vesrah Suzuki GSXR750 and Tyler Scott riding his Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR GSXR750 had an exciting battle from the start to a
near photo finish at the line with Gillim crossing in second followed by Scott in third. Danny Eslick brought his TOBC Triumph 675 to the finish for fourth and Gus Rodio finished fifth on his MotoAmerica Spec Ducati V2 Pinagle, rounding out the top five.
The racing was close and fast everywhere. Every section of the track had battles lap after lap. The racing was exciting, fun to watch, and had no lapped riders during the 12-lap race with only one red flag.
The thirty-five-thousand-dollar purse was split between the top five pro finishers and the top 5 AHRMA qualified non-pro racers. There was also a special $750 award for the top non-
Hayden Gillim (95x), Stefano Mesa (37x), Tyler Scott (70)
pro AHRMA racer to finish on a Ducati to Honor Fast by Ferracci Ducati’s 1994 AMA Superbike Championship.
As was true in the previous events, the annual AHRMA Pro Challenge running at the Barber Vintage Festival allows pro riders and top talent from around the world to bring added attention and prestige to an already world-renowned event. This years’ program delivered again!
Again, a very special thanks to Jerry Nickell, Real Steel Motorsports, Southern Honda Powersports, and Bob RobbinsFast by Ferracci for your valuable support of AHRMA and your generosity to our membership!
RACE RESULTS
Pro Challenge Race Finishers
1. Stefano Mesa 2010 Pierobon x80r
2. Hayden Gillim 2023 Suzuki GSXR 750
3. Tyler Scott 2022 Suzuki GSXR 750
4. Danny Eslick 2022 Triumph 765
5. Gus Rodio 2022 Ducati Panigale V2
6. Kyle Ohnsorg 2024 Suzuki GSXR 750
7. Dalton Dimick 2023 Ducati Panigale V2
8. Eli Block 2024 Yamaha R6
9. Nate Kern 2023 BMW R nineT
10. Drew Jankord 2015 Ducati Panigale
11. Francis Martin 2022 Ducati V2 Panigale
12. Robert Mclendon 2013 Triumph Daytona 675R
13. Matthew Crabtree 2020 Triumph 765
14. Kevin Wiater 2023 690R Kramer
15. Tommy Ryan 2010 Ducati 848
16. Kyle Kearcher 2013 Triumph Daytona
17. Tim Nelson 2014 Triumph Daytona 675R
18. Kole King 2024 Triumph Street Triple 765RS
19. Jeremy Maddrill 2019 KTM 890R
It's About Time
A 25-Year Self-Imposed Exile Ends
Who says you can’t go back in time? Hell, isn’t that what vintage racing is all about? Turning back the clock to our favorite time in motorcycle racing. For me, it runs a little deeper. Okay, a lot deeper and farther back. I realize that after 25 years, many members, understandably, have no idea who I am. Some who do know me probably thought I would never return. The significance of my return to AHRMA is in knowing my history.
Set the way back machine to the ‘80s
In 1980, I got lapped by then-factory Yamaha-star Rex Staten in the 500 Pro class at a Golden State Series race in Northern California. The Golden State Series was run in the off-season in California and was attended by virtually all the factory riders and teams. It was a very big deal in the ‘70s and early ‘80s. I had never been lapped by anyone before, so it was a sobering moment. I saw it as the beginning of the end of racing for me. The very next week I sold my race bike. Cold turkey might be okay after Thanksgiving, but this was not a taste I enjoyed.
I remained “motorcycle-less” (which, as it turns out, is the two-wheeled version of “rudderless”) for six long years. In the
meantime, I focused my time on building a contracting business, getting married, buying a house, and having a first kid on the way. All the things “normal people” do. Life was good, but there was still something missing.
Perusing the newspaper classifieds (remember those?) one day, I saw an ad for an old Yamaha trials bike: a 1974 TY250. It was cheap and I always wanted to have a trials bike to plonk around on. Luckily a 10-year-old trials bike didn’t bring much in Fresno, California, back then, so I came home with it. Within a week, it was completely apart and I was going through it. Painted the frame, polished the cases by hand, rebuilt the motor and so on. I was restoring a dirt bike before that was a thing and it felt right.
With the TY back together, I finally got to ride it. To my surprise, I realized I enjoyed working on it as much as I did riding it. It was not long before I was back to the classified ads hunting for the next project. Back in those days, it was a target-rich environment. Decent old dirt bikes for under $500 bucks were in plentiful supply and I was having a ball.
In 1988, I heard about, and attended, the Dick Mann Vintage Motorcycle Rally in Northern California. I may have forgotten a few of the details of the day but what I haven’t forgotten was the indelible impression that day had on me and my future in motorcycling.
Dick Mann had been over to England to participate in some Pre-‘65 scrambles events. Dick had a strong appreciation with the machines and natural terrain tracks of that era. He was determined to bring this newfound trend to the US fans. The problem was there were virtually no scrambles/motocross events in the U.S. prior to 1965. Reluctantly, he included motorcycles up to 1974 to make the events viable. The year 1974 was chosen because it was the dividing line between “conventional suspension” and the “suspension revolution” for dirt bikes. It was also the year I graduated from high school. I was smack dab in the middle of the target demographic. It may have been a reluctant decision, but it was the right one. By including that era, it also included me and tens of thousands other guys who were part of the boom of motocross in America.
What Dick Mann experienced in England, I experienced in Northern California. It was a same sense of belonging. The sense
of being in the right place. At the ripe old age of 32, I was too old to be competitive in the Pro class anymore, and the bikes were growing more complex by the day. Add to that double and triple jumps that looked more like dirt walls than anything that belonged on a motocross track. There were so many reasons to bow out of racing. At least that was what I thought, until that day.
Within a very short period of time, my garage gave way to a new shop, my hobby turned into a side business, and Vintage Iron was born. We were a bit like the General Motors of the vintage motorcycle racing world, offering parts for as many brands and models as we could. Periodcorrect gear, race bikes for sale, and restoration services followed. I was “all in” and then some.
AHRMA Evolves
AHRMA was initially a road race-oriented organization started by Rob Ianucci of Team Obsolete. California Vintage Racing Group was created by Dick Mann and friends, and it focused on dirt disciplines. The two organizations merged under the AHRMA banner, to create the organization that exists today.
What had been a local/regional series now had the potential to grow nationwide. That is when I stepped in and agreed to be the title sponsor and coordinator of the new national motocross series. For
the next 5-6 years we took the “Johnny Appleseed” approach of crisscrossing the country to establish the sport. Driving an average of 40-60K miles a year to find the right venues was just part of the gig. What was even more important was finding the right people. We needed folks to keep the ball rolling while growing the interest and creating ongoing events. Ed Roman, who is still within the leadership of AHRMA, was one of the early recruits. It’s been amazing to see his tenacity and dedication over the decades.
Once the fire was lit, vintage motorcycle racing and restoring took off. Some of the races/events we had during the ’90s were huge. Membership was booming, and times were good. I was asked to run for a position on the Board of Trustees, for the west coast region. Once elected, I realized what a daunting task it was. First off, you aren’t going to make everyone happy no matter what position you take. Secondly, you are charged with the responsibility of having to make decisions for all aspects/ disciplines within the organization. Being a Trustee requires more than common sense. It requires empirical knowledge and, when it came to road racing, that was something I was lacking. I had at least participated in motocross, trials, and flat track events, but was never a knee dragger on asphalt. Within a few months, I was restoring a Yamaha TD3C and a Drixton Honda I bought from Alex McClean. I
wanted to learn as much as I could about everything that had anything to do with the organization.
Boy did I…
The Great Divide
I was about as plugged in and switched on as I could get with AHRMA when I was given the “Sportsman of the Year” award. It was then, as I imagine it is now, the organization’s highest honor. It is not so much about your race results, as it is about who you are as a person and what you bring to the organization. It was, and always will be, a big damn deal in my life.
The problem with making it to the top is there is only one way to go from there; a truism I would soon learn. To be fair, they say that perspective is everything, and mine was very different from many of the other trustees back then. My approach was more business-oriented, while others saw it as a hobby. They were correct that it was a hobby for most of the membership, but running the organization was all business. I evaluated the state of the organization through a business lens. How many members do we have? How many sponsors do we have? How much money do we have in the bank? How can we best use that money to make the organization
stronger and better? How can we create a road map for AHRMA to continue into the future? That last part is what got me on the “10 Most Unwanted List.”
I tried to convey the need to create a thoughtful progression from where we started to where we were going. I thought we needed to look ahead as well as behind. My example was my two young sons, who were 5 and 7 at the time. They came to all the races and loved motorcycle racing. It would stand to reason that they would one day want to restore a bike just like the one they had or like one they may have wanted to have. No different from the average AHRMA member. The problem was those bikes had not been invented or produced yet. Think about it; we all want to relive a portion of our younger years, which typically spans the period from the mid-teenage years to our early thirties. For my kids and kids of their generation, it would be the bikes from late ‘90s to the mid-2000s.
I raced a ’62 BSA Gold Star and a ’66 Rickman Triumph, so it wasn’t that I didn’t like old bikes. That was fine for me and my generation, but as Trustees, I felt we were all obligated to protect the future of AHRMA. I wasn’t smarter than anyone else, but I also wasn’t sticking my head in the sand or just following the lead of a few folks. I could deal with a difference of opinion.
Exit Stage Left
After all we had done together, I finished out my term as Trustee and eventually left AHRMA almost a quarter of a century ago.
Thereafter, I launched the Evolution of Motocross series, which created and defined classes for motocross bikes built after 1974. Those classes were defined by technical advancements in design and performance. They have, in various forms garnered international acceptance. Yes, even with AHRMA. The Evo classes, as they have come to be known, have been the saving grace for many, if not all vintage racing clubs. Without the support and revenue of the later model machines and riders, Pre-75/Vintage motocross would have become extinct.
What is vintage today will eventually become antique, along with the people that restore and race them. You can’t base
a racing organization on antiquity. We might be able to go back in time with the bikes, but we have to recognize we can’t stop time from moving forward. What people consider “vintage” will always be a moving target. From what I can tell, the AHRMA brass like Daniel May, Ed Roman, GT Tomlinson, and Terry McPhillips are clear eyed about that reality. If that is the case, AHRMA should have a promising future and I feel good about that.
Back to the ‘80s
In 1980, Don Henley of The Eagles was asked if the band would ever get back together again. His legendary response was, “When hell freezes over.” I felt that way about ever returning to AHRMA 25 years ago, but not anymore. I guess time does heal all wounds...
Hope to see you all at the track before I become antique!
Rick Doughty/ Motobilia
MARCH 14-16 16
Vintage Cup Champion
WORDS
LEASHA OVERTURF
PHOTOS ETECHPHOTO.COM, DAVE RUTHERFORD, CRAIG CHAWLA, ROB HALL
The 2024 Vintage Cup – 350 Grand Prix – provided some of the best, closest, most exciting racing AHRMA has seen in years. Every race weekend, spectators and competitors came away saying it was simply great racing. Rob Hall on an under-powered but goodhandling Seeley 7R, Alex McLean on his well-developed and fast Drixton Aermacchi, Chris Spargo on a wicked fast Yamaha TD2, Dave Roper on his Harley Davidson ERTT and Aermacchi Special and a variety of Team Obsolete machines, Craig Light on his beautiful Bultaco 250 and a host of other AHRMA racers consistently provided exciting racing on well-turned out machines at road race tracks
around the country. At the end of the season, it was Rob Hall, riding Stu Carter’s Seeley 7R tuned and maintained by AHRMA Trustee Dave Rutherford, who prevailed and won the 2024 Vintage Cup. I wanted to take the opportunity to get to know Rob a bit better, so I caught up with him in the postseason and Rob provided the following insights.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU RACED WITH AHRMA AND HOW DID YOU GET STARTED RACING?
I started racing with AHRMA in about 2007-8. My dad raced with AHRMA and had a bunch of vintage motorcycles, so my older brother, Jake, and I grew up fixing and being around old motorcycles.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST MOTORCYCLE?
My first bike was a 1981 YZ60. I started out with a clutch at 6 years old.
Rob at PITT RACE Photo by EtEchPhoto.com
Young Rob Photo courtEsy rob hall
TELL ME ABOUT THE BIKE YOU RACED IN 350GP THIS YEAR.
It was a 1965 AJS 7R short stroke engine in a Seeley Mk II chassis owned by Stu Carter. I built the engine, and Dave prepared the chassis and put the bike together. It was good to get one of Stu’s bikes back on the track and fortunately it worked out. Despite being down on power, it was a good handling bike, and I was able to get Alex and Chris in the corners.
WHAT WERE YOUR BEST AND WORST RACES OF THE 2024 SEASON?
I’ve never been one to chase points or a championship. I just want to go out and do the best I can. So, committing to the season for a championship run was a bit different for me. We had a good start to the season at Roebling Road, winning both of those races. That was a good start, and it was like, “well, let’s see what we can do!” The Sunday race at Blackhawk was my favorite of the season even though I did not win that race. I had won on Saturday, but I finished second to Chris Spargo on Sunday in an exciting race with a lot of close calls.
For me, Blackhawk Farms is such a great place – it is a small, tight track, with bumps and cracks in the surface – a lot of “character”, and it has a friendly family style atmosphere. Perhaps the worst race of the season was the Sunday race at Talladega. I won on Saturday in a close race with Chris Spargo. He got out front on Sunday and he is tough to get around. Unfortunately, the exhaust roller rocker broke on lap 3, so I was a DNF for that race. It was a disappointment because Talladega is a small, tight track and I hoped to stay close to Chris and not let him get away on that very fast Yamaha.
YOU WORK ON A LOT OF AHRMA COMPETITORS' RACE BIKES. WHAT IS IT LIKE RACING WITH FOLKS WHOSE BIKES YOU’VE WORKED ON?
I do work on several competitor’s bikes, and I always try to give the owner the best build possible. I want a good, fair fight at the
racetrack. For instance, I do the engine for Alex’s bike every two seasons or so, and it is well developed, so I had an idea of what I was up against, and Alex always gets the hole shot on the start. I know he’s got power and he’s a good rider that is tough to get around. So, like at New Jersey, where he got the start both days, I knew I had my work cut out for me to get around him. Prior to the
season, John Turner, the owner of the Yamaha TD2 Chris Spargo rode, gave me his bike to tune and get ready for the season. That bike made significantly more power, so, again, at the start of the season, I had some idea of what I was up against. Chris is an excellent rider and all season long, he fought the hardest to get up front and stay in front. Once Chris would get out front, it was difficult to get around
Rob with Dave Rutherford at NJMP
Photo by DaVE ruthErForD
Alex McLean (122) and Rob Hall (270) at Roebling Road.
Photo by EtEchPhoto.com
him. My bike handled better, but his bike made better power. It made for some challenging racing all season long.
DO YOU WORK ON THE BIKE AT THE TRACK?
Generally, Dave would have everything ready to go when we got to the track. Dave has his own way of doing things, so I’d generally stay out of his way unless something was needed. He’d ask my thoughts about gearing, jetting, and handling, and we’d work together on those things at the track. At New Jersey, the bike slowed on the last lap Saturday, and I coasted across the finish line to win. I thought I was out of gas. We looked the bike over, but we were baffled as to
what had caused the power loss. We ultimately discovered a broken exhaust rocker shaft. Fortunately, Dave had brought along a spare engine. So, Saturday night, with a bit of filing and grinding, we were able to replace the exhaust rocker shaft. I marked the rocker adjuster with a Sharpie to see if it moved. The bike ran well in practice Sunday morning, and the rocker shaft had not moved, so we ran it in the race. New Jersey has a long straight. After I got around Alex, mid-race, I looked down at the rocker shaft and the Sharpie mark, and nothing had moved, so I felt pretty good. We won Sunday.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE ON THE GRID AT THE START OF A RACE AND DURING THE RACE?
I just think about running hard but not running so hard that mistakes happen. I try to make as few mistakes as possible. I really try to not get into my own head, because that’s when mistakes will happen. During the race, I just try to get into a rhythm, and I try to be easy on the equipment. Once I’m comfortable, then I’m at my fastest and it is easy to stay there. I try to put everything aside and just focus on the riding, particularly if someone is ahead of me. Once I’m ahead, I don’t think about blocking or defensive riding –that is slow. I just focus on getting ahead and going.
YOU AND YOUR BROTHER OFTEN HAVE YOUR DYNO AT THE TRACK. TELL US ABOUT THAT AND DO YOU EVER RACE AGAINST EACH OTHER?
Jake and I bring the Hall’s Custom Vintage mobile dynamometer to a couple of events each year, usually Carolina Motorsports Park and Barber. It is very popular and we are usually very busy running and tuning folks’ bikes. It puts a lot more stress on us at the track. Jake and I don’t usually race against each other. He will race Classic 60’s 650 and I’ll race 200GP or maybe 350 Sportsman. We probably have about 10 or so vintage bikes we can run from time to time. One thing we are thinking of doing is riding Classic 60’s bikes to the track at CMP, taking the street-necessary stuff off the bikes, racing them, and then riding them home after the races. That’s what folks did back in the day and that would be fun to do again.
DO YOU RIDE MODERN BIKES?
No, nothing in the 1980’s or later. My street bike is a 1961 BSA Super Rocket. In the dirt, I ride a 1978 390 Husqvarna and a BSA Trackmaster 650. I also have a Triumph 650 Trackmaster street tracker that I sometimes ride.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE RACER?
Not really. I guess my favorite motorsports person would be Steve
Rob Hall (270) and Chris Spargo (I9) at Blackhawk. Photo by craig chawla
The Hall Family Photo courtEsy rob hall
McQueen. He did it all: he raced motorcycles and cars. I do the same: I race motorcycles, cars and sometimes sidecars, when asked.
WHAT SORT OF WORK DO YOU DO OUTSIDE OF RACING?
I work at Andrews Motorsports, and we build scale race cars – race cars that use modern motorcycle engines. It keeps me up to date on the latest technology in modern engines and helps me stay informed about what works and how that technology may be applied to vintage motorcycles. And as many know, I also operate Hall’s Custom Vintage with my brother Jake Hall, where we focus on vintage race engines and restorations.
WHAT ARE YOUR RACING PLANS FOR 2025?
I have a very busy winter working on stuff for other people. I’ll probably run my 200GP bike at the East Coast events. Also, Stu, Dave, and I plan to put a G50 engine in the same Seeley Mk II chassis and run it in the 2025 Vintage Cup –500 Premier – for several events. I probably will run that at Roebling Road, Carolina Motorsports Park, and Barber. As we experienced in 2024, it takes a lot to run the entire season and not sure it’s feasible in 2025.
ANY CLOSING THOUGHTS?
First off, I want to thank AHRMA and Kenny Cummings for putting the Vintage Cup together to bring some of these spectacular bikes back to the track!! We have had such a great year working through issues and making the best of it! It’s certainly not easy!! I want to thank my dad, Stuart Hall, for getting us into vintage bikes from the start, we always had stuff to work on and build into what we wanted! A big thank you and sorry to my mom, Virginia Wilkinson, for all the good times and bad times experienced on bikes! She put up with a lot growing up and probably didn’t really want us on bikes… but she always showed us 100% support on whatever we wanted to do!!
To my brother Jake and HCV
Motorsports, I couldn’t do any of this without you! We have had some incredible adventures, and you are always there ready for more and ready to find more power along the way!! To my wife Caitlin and kids, your support means more than you know, running for a championship means lots of time away, hours in the shop and preparation. (Such as a flight getting cancelled and you finding me a flight to another airport and driving there to get me) Thanks for helping me get thru it!!!
To Curt and Andrews Motorsports thanks for all the support and help with all my racing endeavors over the last 20 years. Couldn’t have run so well without you!! To
Dave Rutherford and Stu Carter, Thank you guys so much for this opportunity!! You guys set out with a goal, and we hit it!! Wasn’t always pretty but we got it done!! Thanks for doing all this the right way!!
Thanks to everyone who has been in my corner over the years and helped me along the way! I can’t name you all but know that I’m truly thankful for each one of you!! Last but not least, thank you to Alex McLean and Chris Spargo for being the excellent folks you are and pushing all year long to keep us all on our toes!! Racing isn’t fun without good competition!!"
Set 'Em Up & Knock 'Em Down
CHAMPIONS PUSH TOWARD SEASON SUCCESS IN AHRMA'S MID-ATLANTIC REGION
he calendar’s flip from September to October signals beginnings and ends to many annual traditions. Although the official transition from summer to fall occurs in the prior month, October really drives the point home as the weather cools and the metamorphosis of leaves from brilliant green to the opposite side of the color wheel accelerates. In sports, we look forward to the start of professional basketball and hockey leagues kicking into gear and big-game hunting seasons have already or nearly begun. Anticipation builds as Major League Baseball hurdles into its playoff schedule and, at least in the four-season section of these United States, racing season
Tis nearing its conclusion. But just as MLB seeks to determine its champion through October, there is still much excitement to be found within the AHRMA Mid-Atlantic season with just two rounds left to lock up those number one plates for 2024.
Of course, many factors contribute to a successful baseball season, but teams with
a strong set-up man and closer on the pitching staff often find themselves in contention each year. In the last few seasons, the
WORDS BY JOSHUA SCHUCKER PHOTOS BY LORENA WALKER AND PAULA KYLE-STEPHENS
Mason Grove (702)
Photo by lorEna walKEr
Mason Grove gets the jump on Anthony Lowery (929) and the field. Photo by lorEna walKEr
Mid-Atlantic region has similarly settled on a consistent, strong, one-two punch to cap off a successful series. Reynlow Park sets thing up and White Rose Motorcycle Club closes it out. Despite being nearly two hundred miles apart, the two venues share similar attributes that lend themselves to being solid year end choices: ample parking, beautiful scenery, motorcycle-oriented host organizations, competitive and spectator friendly motocross course, and diverse woods terrain for cross country racing. And, the broad geographical spread brackets many of the series regular’s homes giving equal opportunity to get those needed final points. Taking place on the second and fourth weekends of the month respectively, there was plenty of action and just enough of time to recuperate, repair, and repeat.
Reynlow Park in Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania, has long been a staple of the Mid-Atlantic schedule and had hosted an AHRMA National Cross Country earlier in the 2024 season. But since the last time the regional series visited the picturesque county park for motocross competition, the course has been reconfigured significantly. Still laid out on the meadow between the pit area and the forest to the north, the course began in nearly the same spot and broadly followed a similar early route as before. The changes here were more subtle and involved slight adjustments to the location of corners and angle of the straightaways ostensibly meant to avoid some of the areas that had become excessively rough or rutted on the hard terra firma of this reclaimed strip mine. Once you reached the far west section, the alterations became clearer. Replacing the single jump at the far end of the course were four tabletops beginning with a successive pair on what had previously been a slightly chattery whooped backstretch followed by a one-eighty lefthand turn and another pair of tabletops. The return toward the finish line modeled the approach of the first half of the track with mild reconfiguration of the layout.
A general similarity to the old course remained before a new left near end of the lap sent you toward another newly constructed tabletop bypassing the old twojump step up combo on the far east end. Despite some dust, as has become commonplace in the latter part of the season, all accounts of the day’s motocross action were positive and competitive.
The cross-country loop was subject to a revamp as well following a well-attended modern bike series using the property earlier in the year. After a reasonably consistent layout in the past few years, the 2024 iteration was laid out with an effort to avoid the trails that
were heavily used in the past and afford them some time to “heal”. Thankfully, the available ground has so much to offer in terms of untouched or rarely used area that trailboss Mike Zdybak had no problem configuring an enjoyable and challenging circuit. As stated earlier, the property’s prior life as a strip mine offers an unrivaled variety of unique terrain that can make a woods rider drool like a dog staring at a porterhouse. As typical, the layout tackled just a bit of everything there is to offer. Grass tracks, dirt roads, flowing singletrack, ups, downs, off cambers, roots, rocks, and ridges. It’s no wonder that this property has a near permanent place on the schedule. A mid-day downpour added some intrigue to the racing
Hunter Orser (47), Brett Zofchak (322), Sylas Merrell (185) Photo by lorEna walKEr
Joey Spayd II (216), Randy Grove (38), Fred Handel (486) Photo by lorEna walKEr
and from a casual perspective was a welcome sight in this year’s extended dry spell, but from the rider’s seat it was an added challenge as the powdered piles of dust lining the trail system turned to exceedingly slick mud quicker than a spoonful of Sanka makes a cup of coffee.
Closing things out with a onetwo-three “inning” of motorcross, celebration, and cross-country is the fine handiwork of the White Rose Motorcycle Club (WRMC) near Jefferson, Pennsylvania, and its members, and the Reichart and Kemp families. Grant, Jessi, Brett, and Emily Reichart, along with Geoff and Dewey Kemp are all members of the Mid-Atlantic team and WRMC, and pretty much handle the complete logistics of executing the longstanding year end race and Halloween celebration at their awesome club grounds.
The motocross course continues to be improved each year. Often cited as one of the fastest layouts encountered throughout the season, this year’s configuration sought to take a bit of the speed out of the equation with the addition of a few more established corners. The former front stretch was a long sweeper to the left, which often found riders searching for that elusive sixth or seventh gear and bracing for the sharp hit of a slight g-out gully near the end of the stretch. Now this distance has been bisected by
a wide chicane to slow things down and add another passing opportunity. The remainder of the course follows the “GP-Style” the club is known for with a vast majority traversing natural terrain variations with only the slightest of machine interventions enhancing or creating jumps. Plenty of braking and acceleration bumps are created through out the day and a constant battle with dust led to extensive watering of the course, even during the heat of battle, which kept you “on your toes” as corner to corner the conditions could change.
The evening following the motocross action kept with tradition as a celebration of the successful season and of the
upcoming Halloween holiday. A catered meal is provided for all to enjoy following the afternoon’s awards ceremony. Costumed racers and their children prowl the grounds and collect trick-or-treat goodies from all throughout the pits. And there is always plenty of impromptu fireside fun, parties, and bench racing into the evening. The perpetrator of the legendary gate shaking Sasquatch that has tormented the event for several years was finally revealed in a Scooby Doo style unmasking during the evening’s festivities… I’m still not telling; you’ll have to attend next year to find out for yourself. But as one Halloween legend ends, another begins, with the spine-tingling shrieks of a helmet wearing “streaker” heard echoing across the landscape as an unnaturally white figure flashed through the pits never to be seen again. Only his helmet remained, found discarded in the woods with no trace of the ghoul himself.
Sunday’s cross-country action began on the motorcross course for several corners before careening into the woods at the corner of the property. Here the loop begins a couple miles worth of excellent single track that is very familiar to those that have been to this event in the past. This cache of trail is nestled in the thirty acres of woodland that lies atop the club’s famed hill climb course. While I’m not aware that the hill itself has any particular
Nancy Lisey (273). Photo by Paula KylE-stEPhEns
Bob Sauerhoefer (39), Joe Spayd (007).
Photo by lorEna walKEr
name, knowing what is at the top leads me to believe that it should be called Jacob’s Ladder, because what lies beyond is a heavenly, nearly perfect, section of fun-filled flowing enduro-style trail. A short interlude through a moto section of doubles and tabletops leads to more trail that crosses the face of the hillside (Jacob’s Ladder) twice in a descent to the pit area elevation before quickly turning back uphill and into the course finale which is a rollercoasteresque rip through the adjacent ravine replete with switchbacks, off cambers, and roots. Once you survive the final ascent from the ravine up a loose root-covered climb, the course returns to the open expanse of the moto course and the scoring tent. While the ravine was challenging, the dust was perhaps the biggest challenge of all as it hung stubbornly in the air like a fog. The southern part of the state wasn’t fortunate enough to take part in the Reynlow rain event two weeks prior. Sadly, the drought conditions in the region and the corresponding dust have become a theme in the later part of the 2024 season much as rain was the overwhelming narrative of the prior season. Next year we’re shooting for a happy medium between the two, and you can enjoy with us as the “set-up man” and the “closer” return in 2025 along with a host of other great events setting the stage.
Of course, the Mid-Atlantic team is successful for more reasons than it’s closer and set-up man, and much of that success is owed to the competitors themselves and the way they approach the sport, their peers, and the history of vintage motorcycling. Many thanks to each person that races with the series, it is an amazing family. Also, the region’s volunteers are top-notch and work tremendously hard throughout the year to maintain the quality experience that the Mid-Atlantic strives to provide…thank you! Please patronize the sponsors of the 2024 season and tell them you appreciate the support of the series: Potomac Vintage Riders, Preston Petty Products, Stainless Cycle, Grove Printing, KMI Printing, Horizon Homes, and M3One.
Kyle Warner (725). Photo by Paula KylE-stEPhEns
Terry Koziara (33), Jacob Ritorto (R69). Photo by lorEna walKEr
Cole Orser (46D), Brock Kutskel (11C). Photo by lorEna walKEr
New York State Vintage Championship
WORDS BY BOB CLOSE
PHOTOS BY PAULA KYLE-STEPHENS
The year was 1974 and the location a sandy MotoMasters MX track just outside of Mexico, New York. On August 18th an AMA 500 National (with 250 Support) was held there and many of the original legends of our sport were there –DiStefano, Staten, Semics, Stackable, Tripes, Karsmaker, Jones…and a guy known as The
Jammer – Jimmy Wienert! Jimmy Wienert and his works Kawasaki grabbed the 500 win that day and ultimately the AMA championship that year.
Fifty years later, Rich and Grace Bristol - the current MotoMasters MX Park owners - wanted to celebrate the anniversary of that historic event and AHRMA helped them host a National MX event. Because they love this sport so much and happen to have a bunch of great trail in the woods along the track, the Northeast Vintage Riders Club also organized some regional XC races on Saturday morning.
Over the years, the MotoMasters MX track has morphed a bit from that mid-70’s layout – modern times require modern solutions, right? But this two mile plus layout in a big sandy “pit” is still an amazingly Vintage-friendly track, and the 20+ track and kitchen staff helped Rich and his bulldozer
make it even friendlier and safer for this mid-August celebration. One significant challenge was almost two inches of rain received earlier in the week, requiring the MMX team to head out and work the track AGAIN even as racers and their families started pulling in on Friday afternoon. The threat of rain on the weekend (which didn’t happen) kept some of those racers away, and too bad for them. The AHRMA National traveling gang, along with a good contingent of AHRMA Northeast racers, AND a bunch of the local modern crowd (who found some great Next Gen bikes!) had nothing but praise for the unique racing experience that is sand racing. With maybe the exception of a couple tracks down in Florida, the MotoMasters national provided the only opportunity for AHRMA racers to tackle this kind of surface east of the Mississippi River.
A few words about the Saturday morning XC racing. First of all,
Bring it on! Keith Williams (22) and his RM show everyone the way into Turn 2. Josh Schneider (709), Steve King (238), Daniel Gosson (th eother 709), and John Fedor (56) give chase.
Mike Ferguson (52B) and his Penton Hare Scrambler were the fastest in the Vintage Cross Country action; the mud and ruts did not slow this guy down.
the rain and run-off earlier in the week had to end up somewhere and it founds it way onto the lower areas of the three-mile trail, with serious mud and ruts challenging just about all riders at some point. Mike Ferguson (+50 Expert) grabbed the Overall win in the Vintage XC and Rich Bristol (yep, the track owner and mastermind at Bristol Racing services just down the road) thoroughly thrashed his big bore Yamaha IT to the overall win in the Post-Vintage/Next Gen XC race. Sure – maybe there was a home court advantage, but do not underestimate the racing skills of this - he considers Winter Hare Scrambles on studded knobby tires in upstate New York a good time. Finally, Cole Orser and his YZ grabbed the win in the third Disc Brake race.
The Saturday and Sunday weather ended up being fantastic. Sunny and warm both days, with the challenging sandy surfaces changing character as the moisture slowly wicked it’s way out.
Saturday’s Vintage MX racing was organized into a dozen races, including some Promoter “specials” – junior MX (under 16), a couple of modern Support classes, and an air-cooled 230 4 stroke class. The hottest racing action in Vintage classes happened in Sportsman 500 Intermediate, with Rokon racer Richard Stephens grabbing the win with two second places, after Dave Salmen and his Maico won the first moto and Kevin Guernsey (the OTHER Rokon racer) taking the second moto win. The other crowded house class was Vintage 60+ Intermediate, where Stevens grabbed another overall 1-2 win using a Maico, but not before Richard Bennett’s Maico bested him for the second moto win. If there is an honorable mention for racing action it was watching traveling Nationals Expert Jerry Mattox (“I love this track”) and our Northeast fast guy (and Expert) Craig Curry on his beeutiful Phantom have at it in the Vintage displacement motos, sort of David and Goliath thing if you will. Jerry’s 125 Elsinore chased down Craig both times to take the
“overall” win, but in Craig’s defense his Ossa would not shift into 5th (“he kept passing me on the straights!”). Yes, they both won their individual classesCraig took Sportsman 250 Expert as well as Vintage 60+ Expert while Jerry grabbed another National win in Sportsman 125 Expert.
Jana Schneider (802) loved the sand, grabbing two class wins on her Next Gen 125.
Sunday’s action was just as much fun as Saturday’s. There’s a reason why Rich and Grace draw up to 500 entries at their modern events each season –sweeping turns, the famous Devil’s Drop, and a great table-top (your option as to how fast you hit it). Some special shout outs: Micheal Murphy and his Rokon grabbed the Ultima 250 Intermediate win over three other racers. Daniel Gosson’s Kawasaki beat four other guys in PV Open Age Intermediate, and Steve King’s Suzuki RM beat four contenders for PV 60+ Intermediate. One of our Northeast favorites - Jana Schneider - showed up to win two classes - Women’s PV Expert and Next Gen 125 Intermediate. Good on ya!
Finally – the Bristol family and their staff are about charity and the “New York State Vintage Championship” put that on display. $1000 was raised selling raffle tickets
Fast, faster, fastest - Expert Cole Orser (716) and his Yamaha YZ were the best in the disc brake racing, winning Next Gen 1 250 and Millenium 2-Stroke 250.
to a “Jammin” Jimmy Wienert signed replica jersey, just like the one he wore in the 1974 AMA 500 National at MotoMasters MX. And the beneficiary was Jordan’s Guardian Angels (jordansguddardianangels.org), whose funding and efforts fight Jordan’s Syndrome, a neurological disorder that affects children.
owners Rich and Grace
Thanks for hosting us!
Track
Bristol - their dedicated crew absolutely adores them.
Pomeroy Cup
On the weekend of October 26-27, 2024, two vintage motorcycle organizations came together for a good time!
The Vintage Motorcycle Enthusiasts (VME) and American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) brought volunteers, vintage motorcycles, and comradery to a small town in Eastern Washington. This event was rescheduled due to the fire danger and excessive heat in the summer, so on a crisp autumn weekend this event took place because of many volunteers and some excited motorcycle enthusiasts.
In the days leading up to the event, the neighboring apple processing
plant had pumped excess waste water onto the track. Although most of the water had evaporated, low lying areas were quite muddy! A team of volunteers including Pete Jorgenson, Sidney Mocke, Sean Chase, Dan Schutter and David Stanton channeled their inner Richard Mann and devised a motocross track that avoided the worst of the mud. Todd Stanley coordinated and laid out eight trials sections. Judy Jorgenson helped with trials sign-up and scoring, also serving as the sole motocross lap checker. Cheryl Long did an awesome job with motocross and cross country scoring and sign-up. Several folks stepped up to help as needed with the starting gate and whatever else needed to get done all while munching on the cookie lady’s homemade treats. David Stanton handled the referee position and helped on the starting gate, Mark Baer handled tech inspection. The weather cooperated and the weekend was enjoyed by all. A special thank you to all
the volunteers, trials checkers, flaggers, and cross country lap checkers too!
Saturday was the trials and cross country day. Todd Stanley took on the role for the second time as the trials master, thank you Todd. There were 15 competitors.
The winners of the trials included: Todd Glass won the Premier Heavyweight Novice class. Sean Chase won the Premier Lightweight Expert class. Jerry Holola won the Premier Lightweight Intermediate class. Todd Stanley earned first in the Modern Classic Expert class. The
Tieton, Washington
WORDS BY KATE & PETE JORGENSON
PHOTOS BY KATE JORGENSON, CASEY BINZ
Mark Baer and Kevin Mulligan Photo crEDit KatE jorgEnson
Bob Combs playing the bagpipes.
Photo crEDit casEy binz
Sean Chase Photo crEDit casEy binz
Modern Classic Intermediate class was the largest class of the day, Sidney Mocke edged out the four competitors and captured the win with only 18 points the entire day. The second largest class was won by Greg Houchin over two other competitors, Greg earned first in the Modern Classic Novice class earning the fewest points of the day, 16 points. Eric Hayes won the Modern Twinshock Expert class. Scott Stewart won the Air Cooled Mono Masters class. Eric Stoothoff edged out Craig Scheibner in the Beginner class.
Saturday afternoon riders waited with anticipation to see if there would be a cross country course. There were 11 racers in the cross country. With some modifications to the motocross track and adding in some of the jumps and all the original mud holes from the former track, racers took to the starting line for the timed cross country. Sidney Mocke was off the starting line first, leaving his competition in the dust!
The winners for the cross country included: Rose won overall with 27 laps completed and won the Post Vintage 60+ class over Maguire and Chase. Sidney Mocke captured second place with 26 laps completed and first place in the PV 200 class. Scheibner earned first in the Post Vintage Open. Combs captured the win over Glass and Earle in the Premier class. In the Sportsman class R. Stanton took the win over Sergeant who had some mechanical issues early on.
Sunday morning, brisk as usual for an Eastern Washington autumn day, registration and preparation came for the motocross. Cheryl Long and some of the VME members worked diligently to get the races started. There were 49 entries in the motocross. A special touch to the Tieton event was the playing of Amazing Grace on the bagpipes performed by Bob Combs.
The winners for the motocross included in race one Vint Whitman won the Classic 250 Intermediate class and Marty Ness captured the win in the Vintage 60+ Intermediate class over Rick
Eaton and Thomas Chapple. Race two featured the Vintage Open Age Novice where Brett Schulz and Reed Stanton had a great battle each winning a moto with Schulz coming out on top. Dan Schutter earned first place over Leland Long, both Schutter and Leland won a moto too. Race three featured the Classic 125 Intermediate class with Marty Ness edging out Vint Whitman for the win. Mickey Sergeant won the Sportsman 250 Expert class over Brett Giboney. Race four showcased four VME riders in the Classic 500 Intermediate class, the green jerseys swept through the track with Todd Glass edging out Sean Chase, Jeff Earle, and Kevin Mulligan. A battle of CZs in the Vintage Open Age Expert class between Rob Maguire and Mark Baer, Maguire came out on top to win the class. Race 5 featured the largest class of the day with five competitors in the Sportsman Novice class, Brett Schulz captured the win over Reed Stanton, Leland Long, Dan Schutter, and Casey Binz. Race six had three winners: Pete Jorgenson won the Premier 350 Intermediate class, Mark Hector won the Early Sportsman Stock 250 Intermediate class, and Mark Baer won the Early Sportsman Stock 250 Expert class. In race seven David Stanton captured the win in the Vintage Open Age Intermediate
class, Jordan Woodworth edged out JD Mcgeary in the Vintage 40+ Intermediate class, and Sidney Mocke took the win in the Vintage 50+ Expert class over Rob Maguire and Mickey Sergeant. In race eight, it was another battle of VME riders, Sean Chase captured the win over Jeff Earle, Todd Glass, JD Mcgeary, and Kevin Mulligan. Brett Giboney took the win in the Premier 500 Expert class and Mark Hector won the Early Sportsman Stock 500 Intermediate class. In Race nine, Jordan Woodworth edged out Rick Eaton in the Sportsman 500 Intermediate class. Sidney Mocke took the win in the Sportsman 500 Expert class. Brett Schulz edged out Alexander Sohn in the Vintage 50+ Intermediate class. Peter Jorgenson won the Vintage 70+ Intermediate class.
A special thank you to everyone who helped make this event possible!
The VME crew Photo crEDit casEy binz
Jeff Earle Photo crEDit KatE jorgEnson
2025 AHRMA NATIONAL SERIES SCHEDULES
2025 AHRMA Roadracing Series Presented by Motobilia AAR: Academy of Roadracing SRS: Sidecar Racing School
Date Venue
2/13-16
Roebling Road Raceway; Bloomingdale, GA (AAR & SRS)
3/14-16 Carolina Motorsports Park; Kershaw, SC (AAR & SRS)
4/18-20 Big Willow, Willow Springs Raceway; Rosamond, CA (AAR & SRS)
4/25-27 Inde Motorsports Ranch; Willcox, AZ (AAR & SRS)
5/30-6/1 Motorsports Park Hastings; Hastings, NE (AAR & SRS)
6/20-22 New Jersey Motorsports Park; Millville, NJ (AAR & SRS)
8/1-3 Blackhawk Farms Raceway; South Beloit, IL (AAR & SRS)
8/15-17 Pittsburgh International Race Complex; Wampum, PA (AAR & SRS)
9/5-7 Nelson Ledges; Garrettsville, OH (AAR & SRS)
10/2-5 Barber Motorsports Park; Birmingham, AL
* all events, except Barber Motorsports Park, are hosting both the AAR and SRS
3/7 White Lightning; Buffalo, SC
4/5 Burrows Ranch; Chrome, CA
5/17 Chaney Ranch; Warner Springs, CA
6/7-8 Tennessee Ridge Runners; Bybee, TN
8/2-3 Donner Ranch; Nordon, CA
8/9 BSA Club; Toronto, OH
9/13 Rattlers Run; Fiarfield, WA
9/27 Bushy Ranch; Canby, CA
10/3 Barber Motorsports Park; Leeds, AL 11/7 T&S Racing; Henryetta, OK
Date Venue
3/1-2
Shorty's MX; Blythe, CA - VMX, PVMX, NGMX
3/29-30 Farm 14; Centreville, MS - VMX, PVMX, NGMX
4/6 Burrows Ranch; Chrome, CA - VMX only
4/12-13 Freestone MX; Wortham, TX - VMX, PVMX, NGMX
4/26-27 Gateway MX; Lebanon, MO - VMX, PVMX, NGMX
5/24-25 Thunder Valley; Lakewood, CA - VMX, PVMX, NGMX
6/8 Chaney Ranch; Warner Springs, CA - VMX, PVMX, NGMX
6/21-22 Muddy Creek Raceway; Blountville, TN - VMX, PVMX, NGMX
7/19-20 Honda Hills; Thornville, OH - VMX, PVMX, NGMX
9/6-7 Johnsonville; Yantis, TX - VMX, PVMX, NGMX
9/14 Rattlers Run; Fairfield, WA - VMX, PVMX
9/20-21 Field of Dreams; Greensburg, PA - VMX, PVMX, NGMX
9/28 Bushy Ranch; Canby, CA - VMX only
10/4-5 Barber Motorsports Park; Leeds, AL - VMX, PVMX, NGMX 11/8-9 T&S Racing; Henryetta, OK - VMX, PVMX, NGMX
2025 AHRMA National Cross Country Series Presented by Motobilia
Date Venue
3/8-9
White Lightning; Buffalo, SC
3/28-30 Farm 14; Centreville, MS
4/5 Burrows Ranch; Chrome, CA
4/5-6 Brush Buster's Bonanza; Marceline, MO
5/17-18 Rocket Raceway; 3 Springs, PA
5/31 Old Desmond Ranch; Burney, CA
6/7 Chaney Ranch; Warner Springs, CA
6/7-8 Tennessee Ridge Runners; Bybee, TN
8/9-10 BSA Club; Toronto, OH
9/27 Bushey Ranch; Canby, CA
10/3 Barber Motorsports Park; Leeds, AL
11/7-9 T&S Racing; Henryetta, OK
2025 AHRMA
REGIONAL SCHEDULES
2025 AHRMA Northeast Schedule visit www.ahrma.org/northeast
Date Event Disciplines
3/8-9
Carolinas White Lightning; Silver Hawk Plantation; Buffalo, SC CC, Trials
4/26-27 Irish Valley MX Park; Paxinos, PA CC, MX
5/17-18 Lamoka Motocross; Bradford, NY CC, MX
6/6-8 Unadilla MX; New Berlin, NY CC, MX (including PV Pre 1978, PV Post 1977, and NG-1999)
6/21-22 Ashcraft Run; Bellefonte, PA CC, MX
6/28-29 Allen's Farm MX; Lawton, PA CC, MX
7/19-20 Quiet Oaks; Cross Fork, PA CC, MX
8/16-17 State Line Riders; N. Pownal, VT CC, MX
8/30-31 Bear Creek Sportsmen; Hancock, NY CC, MX
9/6-7 Wentz Training Facility; Pennsburg, PA CC, MX
9/13-14 Kelso Creek Classic; Minerva, NY CC, MX
9/27-28 Zoar MX Park; Springville, NY MX (including NG-2004)
10/4-5 French Woods; Hancock, NY CC, MX
10/25-26 White Rose MC; Spring Grove, PA CC, MX Championship Criteria for Cross Country and Motocross are:
• Six (6) events minimum to qualify for regional championship and year-end awards.
• Best seven (7) events count toward points championship.
AHRMA Heartland Schedule visit www.ahrma.org/heartland
4/26-27 Gateway MX; Lebanon, MO MX
5/18 Thies Compound; Pleasanton, KS MX
6/22 TonyLand; Jonesburg, MO MX
10/19 Possum Hollow; Halltown, MO MX
TBD TBD CC, MX
Regional MX Championship Qualifying Requirements:
• Three (3) stand alone regional events minimum to qualify for regional championship and year end awards
• All five (5) events count towards points championships.
• You must be an AHRMA member to receive Regional AHRMA Championship Awards and Points. Non members points will be removed and rescored for members
Schedules and venues are subject to change, Visit regional websites for up to date information
2025 AHRMA Mid-Atlantic Schedule visit www.ahrma.org/mid-atlantic
Date Event Disciplines
3/8-9
4/12-13
Carolinas White Lightning; Silver Hawk Plantation; Buffalo, SC CC, Trials
Shady Acres; Friendsville, MD CC, MX
4/26-27 Irish Valley MX Park; Paxinos, PA CC, MX
5/3-4
Blacks Hollow Rec; Spring Church, PA CC, MX
5/17-18 Rocket Raceway; Three Springs, PA CC
5/31-6/1 Sutton Station; Summerville, PA CC, MX
6/21-22 Ashcraft Run; Bellefonte, PA CC, MX
6/29 Allen's Farm; Montrose/Lawton, PA MX
7/19-20 Quiet Oaks Camp; Cross Fork, PA CC, MX
8/23-24 Coyote Run; Ebensburg, PA CC
9/6-7
9/20-21
10/11-12
10/25-26
Wentz Training Facility; Pennsburg, PA CC, MX
Field of Dreams Farm; Greensburg, PA MX
Reynlow Park; Reynoldsville, PA CC, MX
White Rose MC; Spring Grove, PA CC, MX
All MX events will host Vintage, Post Vintage, and Next Gen (up to 1999) competition.
All Regional CC events will host Vintage, Post Vintage, and Disc Brake (up to 1999) competition.
Mid-Atlantic Championship criteria for Cross Country and Motocross are:
• Rider must be an active AHRMA member
• Minimum six (6) class placings required to qualify for MX championship and year-end awards.
• Minimum seven (7) class placings required to qualify for CC championship and yearend awards.
• Best six (6) MX class placings/points count toward MX series championship.
• Best seven (7) CC class placings/points count toward CC series championship.
2025 AHRMA Northwest Schedule
Date Event Disciplines
3/9 Fingerlake; Red Bluff, CA *If weather delay 3/16 VMX, CC
4/5-6 Burrows Ranch; Chrome, CA *If weather delay 4/12-13 CC, VMX, Trials
4/26 Leapfrog Classic Trials, Frog Pond Motoranch; Vacaville, CA Trials
5/3-4 Steel Stampede, Deshutes County Fairgrounds; Redmond, OR VMX, Trials
5/31-6/1 Old Desmond Ranch; Burney, CA CC, VMX, Trials, Iron Butt Weekend* 7/? TBA VMX, Trials
8/2-3 Donner Ski Ranch; Norden, CA Trials
8/23-24 Tea Cup Trials & Tea Cup Scott Trials; Point Arena, CA Trials
9/13-14 Rattlers Run Ranch; Fairfield, WA MX, Trials
9/27-28 Bushey Ranch; Canby, CA VMX, CC, Trials, Iron Butt Weekend* 10/? TBA VMX
2025 AHRMA Northwest Regional Championship Series
• All Northwest events count for 2025 Northwest Championships.
• All events count
• VMX – 4 to qualify
• Trials – 5 to qualify
• Cross Country – 3 to qualify
• Regional points awarded at National events on Northwest’s schedule.
• PVMX, NGMX – support only – no season points
You must be an AHRMA member to receive Regional AHRMA Championship Awards and Points. Non-member points will be removed and rescored for members.
* denotes Iron Butt Weekend
• Complete 2 motos in the same class
• 3 Trials loops
• Finish Cross Country in all 4 scheduled events
2025
Date Event Disciplines
1/26
3/7-9
3/15
Southern Roots Race Series (AMA) 2-Hour Race; Lincolnton, GA CC
White Lightning; Buffalo, SC CC, Trials
Dogtown Challenge - North Georgia Vintage Trials; Mount Airy, GA Trials
3/28-30 Farm 14; Centreville, MS CC, MX
4/5 Barber Motorsports Park; Leeds, AL MX
4/19
4/27
5/3
5/24
6/7
6/14
6/21
8/2
8/30
Top-of-the-Rock; Lookout Mountain, GA Trials
Sunshine State Vintage Motocross Club; Waldo, FL MX
Southeastern Vintage Motocross (SEVMX); Fannin Co., GA MX
Whooping Creek, 2-Day Trial; Carrolton, GA Trials
Tennessee Ridge Runner; Bybee, TN, 2ea CC & Trial CC, Trials
Henry's Hills, North GA Vintage Trials; Cornelia, GA Trials
Muddy Creek MX Park; Blountville, TN MX
Southern Roots Race Series, (AMA) 2-Hour Race; Location TBD CC
Tennessee 2-Step, 2each CC & Trials; Crossville, TN CC, Trials
9/13 Wildsville; Roberta, GA CC, MX
10/3-5
Barber Motorsports Park, Vintage Fest; Leeds, AL CC, MX, Trials
10/25 Elizabeth City, FL MX
2025 Southeast Regional Championship Requirements
• Regional points awarded at National events located in the Southeast Region.
• You must be an AHRMA member to receive regional points and end-of-year Championship Awards.
• For each discipline, 50% of all events offered plus 1 event is the minimum to qualify for a regional championship. Of those events 50% must be regional. More than the minimum regionals may be used to make the required total for a championship. If 50% does not fall on an even number that number is rounded up to the next whole.
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LOCATION: Canada
CONTACT: (780) 910-4114
WHERE AHRMA MEMBERS BUY, SELL, AND TRADE
Triumph trials cub built by Speed and Sport. Matt’s Dad did the motor, and Matt did just about everything else to make a competitive AHRMA trials bike.
PRICE: $4,500
LOCATION: San Rafael, CA
CONTACT: Kevin Burrell - (415) 518-8066
motorcycle transportation
Will transport bikes and gear to road race and/or multi-discipline events, Florida to California, and all events in between.
LOCATION: Port Orange, Florida
CONTACT: Ralph Wessell - (386) 760-0932
'73 cz400, race ready
1973 CZ400 w/ all the best mods. 36 mm Mikuni w/ reed valve conversion & CD ignition for easy starting. Enquire for detailed list of top quality modifications. Delivery to AHRMA NW event possible.
PRICE: $4,100
LOCATION: NW
CONTACT: Mark Roler - (778) 700-7193
boston to roebling or atlanta
I’m looking for someone to transport a Norton road racer to the Roebling Road race next month. It could also be delivered to Atlanta. Please quote fees. Thanks
LOCATION: Boston Area
CONTACT: David Kaufman - (770) 713-2254
Magnum
PRICE: $7,000
LOCATION: Jackson Hole, WY
CONTACT: (307) 733-3626
kramer 690
Injury forces sale and retirement, sad days indeed! 2016 Kramer I bought from previous owner with fresh engine, I only got about 5 rides on it, has the complete JF Top End, complete AIM dash kit in the box just not installed yet, carbon wheels and zero issues with the bike, love riding this bike but not able to race anymore so no sense looking at it! Bike will be at Roebling with some of my others all for sale. Bike will be prepped and ready to race at Roebling.
PRICE: $20,000
LOCATION: Garaged in NJ
CONTACT: Chris Jensen - (732) 690-4523
vintage views magazines
I have almost all Vintage views magazines from 2001( i think) til present. Wife kept a few where I made the print. Free to anyone who wants, have to free up space and don’t want to toss in recycle bin.
PRICE: FREE
LOCATION: Richland, MI
CONTACT: Mick McCauley - (269) 312-6004
ducati paul smart
Ducati Paul Smart as built by Chris Boy/MotoCorse Performance, has a 1200 EVO motor very well built to about 130HP, fuel cel tank, lots of custom parts, Ohlins suspension set up very well, bike has no issues and is ready to go, I just can’t race any more so has to go, too good a bike to just look at it! Bike and I will be at Roebling in February.
PRICE: $16,000
LOCATION: Garaged in NJ
CONTACT: Chris Jensen - (732) 690-4523
SWAP MEET & MARKETPLACE AD GUIDELINES
SWAP MEET ADS: AHRMA members may submit two free Swap Meet, non-commercial, motorcycle-related ads of up to 50 words each, per issue. Each ad will run only once, but you are welcome to renew monthly. All ads will also be placed on www.ahrma.org for at least one month.
MARKETPLACE ADS: The Marketplace plan is specifically designed for small business owners. Members or nonmembers may submit an ad of up to 50 words and may include 1 photo. This ad will appear both on ahrma.org’s AHRMA Swap Meet page, and in AHRMA MAG’s Marketplace section for 2 issues, with photo. Marketplace ads cost $25 for 60 days and may be renewed as many times as you like. Please include: name, address, phone number and AHRMA membership number with your ad.
Go to: www.ahrma.org/classifieds-etc/
AHRMAMAG
Need Old Parts?
Need a source of service?
Need Free Advice on your current or future project?
Then the AMCA Forum is the place for you.
AMCA members enjoy free access to thousands of members who are eager to share information with fellow old motorcycle enthusiast.
AHRMA members and fans get a 15% Discount for “First-time members”
For the discounted price of $39 you get the greatest Antique Motorcycle magazine in the world and access to the Forum, Virtual Library and more.
ADVERTISE WITH AHRMA!
AHRMA members invest a lot of money in their sport. In addition to owning 19 motorcycles, the average member spends over $10,000 each year on new and used motorcycles, parts, accessories, publications, race fuel, lubricants, safety gear, tools and other related items. In other words, the association's members represent nearly $60 million in spending power! Advertising opportunities include
Sponsorships, the AHRMA Handbook, AHRMA MAG, the AHRMA website, Special Events, Barber Program and more.
Contact AHRMA and let us build an advertising package that works for you!
For more information, contact advertising@ahrma.org
AHRMA BENEVOLENT FUND
The Benevolent Fund was created in 1992 as a means of helping AHRMA members in need. AHRMA offers a variety of raffles and other fundraisers benefitting the Benevolent Fund. Members also are encouraged to contribute directly.
Members in good standing for at least one year may take advantage of the fund. All applications for assistance are kept confidential. Requirements are listed in the AHRMA Handbook.
Contact: Bob Goodpaster 219.942.2401 norton80_1@msn.com
Have You Updated Your MotorsportReg Profile?
AHRMA is working toward having our race results published in other magazines and online publications. To make this happen we need your help! Please complete your MotorsportReg profile with the following info for all of your race bikes: your name, bike, make, model, and year. This is a great chance for AHRMA to shine, so please log into your account and make these updates.
