NATIONAL - road race Brian and Tammy Rammer (#46x, 1972 Yamaha XC650), Jim Jowers and Ellen Yampolsky (#37, 1972 Norton Sidecar), Daniel May and Chloe Maddrill (#93, 1972 BMW Sidecar 750cc). PHOTO CREDIT LARRY MAYO
BARBER 2023 WORDS BY AL CHARLES PHOTOS BY LARRY MAYO, CATHY DREXLER
T
he Annual Barber Vintage Festival is AHRMAâs premier event at the end of the season that everyone plans for, and our 2023 event lived up to expectations. The four-day festival hosted vintage and modern motorcycle racing, sidecar racing, AHRMA dirt track racing, a swap meet with hundreds of vendors selling vintage motorcycles and parts, demo rides, parade laps at
lunch time, and of course, the world-famous Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. The Barber racetrack is a challenging 2.38mile road course with 17 turns and several elevation changes. Fantastic racing and lots to do. Our seasoned volunteers and new volunteers contributed immensely to the success of the weekend with AHRMA-sponsored
merchandise sales, a motorcycle to raffle, a 50/50 raffle, and a silent auction for a Larry Poonâs original painting netted AHRMA substantial revenue for our benevolent fund and operating costs. Move-in on Wednesday went off without a hitch and we opened tech inspection in the afternoon, so Thursday morning practice groups could be ready for hot track at 8am. Two days of practice and two days of racing begin each morning promptly at 8am. On Saturday and Sunday, we were honored to have members of the Birmingham Air National Guard, Honor Guard present our flags and Maria Keener sing the National Anthem in honor of our country. Our race grids were mixed with several classes of bikes per race; we had seventeen races on Saturday and sixteen on Sunday.
Mikayla Moore (#78, 2021 Royal Enfield Continental GT650) PHOTO CREDIT CATHY DREXLER 22
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AMERICAN HISTORIC RACING MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION
A highlight of Friday practice was the timed session for the 4SR Pro Challenge racers. Our Pro Challenge race this year was sponsored by 4SR Leathers and DECEMBER 2023