American Motorcyclist 11 2013 Street Version (preview)
Photo Jeff Kardas
Hall of Fame Class Of 2013
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JOIN OR RENEW your AMA membership in 2013 and you could win!
YAMAHA SUPER TÉNÉRÉ
As the proud sponsor of the AMA Yamaha Super Ténéré National Adventure Touring Series, Yamaha is awarding one lucky member a new 2013 Super Ténéré! Riders participating in the series will also be automatically entered.
TUCKER ROCKY CUSTOM ROAD GLIDE Or a
One lucky winner will take home this Tucker Rocky Custom Road Glide with high-end components from S&S, Progressive Suspension, Arlen Ness, PIAA and many other Tucker Rocky partner companies.
Every month, everyone who joins or renews a membership in the AMA is automatically entered in a drawing for a
The best part? You’re automatically entered when you join or renew between Jan. 30, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2013.
NAVIGATION
10. LETTERS
Navigation Photo Adventure motorcycling is about exploring wide open spaces, testing your limits and making the unknown familiar. Somewhere in northern Colorado this summer, this rider was doing all three at the 10th Annual KTM Adventure Rider Rally. Lucky for us, he paused long enough to capture this photo.
by Cole Kirkpatrick
American Motorcyclist magazine (ISSN 0277-9358) is published monthly by the American Motorcyclist Association, 13515 Yarmouth Dr., Pickerington, OH 43147. Copyright by the American Motorcyclist Association/American Motorcyclist 2013. Printed in USA. Subscription rate: Magazine subscription fee of $10 covered in membership dues; $15 a year for non-members.
Postmaster: Mail form 3579 to 13515 Yarmouth Dr., Pickerington, OH 43147. Periodical postage paid at Pickerington, Ohio, and at additional mailing offices.
November 2013
Volume 67, Number 11
Published by the American Motorcyclist Association 13515 Yarmouth Dr. Pickerington, OH 43147 (800) AMA-JOIN (262-5646) www.americanmotorcyclist.com
You write, we read.
12. ROB DINGMAN
The Very Boring Rally is anything but.
14. RIGHTS
$82.4 million for building trails, educating state legislators on motorcyclists’ rights and electric motorcycles come of age.
20. RIDING
The latest news, rides, interviews and more from the world of motorcycling.
34. HALL OF FAME
Dave Barr’s 1972 Harley-Davidson FX Super Glide and Hall of Famer Putt Mossman.
36. AMA MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2013
On Oct. 19, the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame will induct Ricky Carmichael, Danny Hamel, Norm McDonald, Randy Renfrow, and Mike and Dianne Traynor.
Sen. Wayne Allard, Vice President, Government Relations
Bob Chaddock, Vice President, Administration
Jeff Massey, Vice President, Operations
Jim Williams, Vice President, Industry Relations & Corporate Member Programs
Rob Rasor, Director of International Affairs
ACCOUNTING
Dawn Becker, Accounting Manager
Melanie Hise, HR Assistant/Payroll Coordinator
Ed Madden, System Support Specialist
Peg Tuvell, Member Fulfillment Specialist
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
Sean Maher, Director
AMHF/MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME
Connie Fleming, Manager of Events and AMHF Operations
Beth Owen, Donor Relations Specialist
Paula Schremser, Program Specialist
Katy Wood, Collections Manager
AMA RACING/ORGANIZER SERVICES
Kip Bigelow, Amateur MX Manager
Joe Bromley, District Relations Manager
Jacki Burris, Organizer Services Coordinator
Jane Caston, Racing Coordinator
Lana Cox, Administrative Assistant
Kevin Crowther, Director SX & Pro Racing Relations
Bill Cumbow, Director of Special Projects
Sandi Dunphy, Road Riding Coordinator
Dave Hembroff, Road Riding Manager
Alex Hunter, MX Operational Coordinator
Tamra Jones, Racing Coordinator
Ken Saillant, Track Racing Manager
AMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Contact any member of the AMA Board of Directors at AmericanMotorcyclist.com/ about/board
Maggie McNally, Chair Albany, N.Y.
Russ Brenan, Vice Chair Irvine, Calif.
Ken Ford, Assistant Treasurer Bartow, Fla.
Perry King, Executive Committee Member Northern California
John Ulrich, Executive Committee Member Lake Elsinore, Calif.
Sean Hilbert, Hillsdale, Mich.
Scott Miller, Milwaukee
Art More, Sun City West, Ariz.
Stan Simpson, Cibolo, Texas
Jim Viverito, Chicago (800) AMA-JOIN (262-5646) AmericanMotorcyclist.com
AMA RACING/ORGANIZER SERVICES (continued)
Cherie Schlatter, Organizer Services Manager
D’Andra Myers, Organizer Services Coordinator
Serena Van Dyke, Organizer Services Coordinator
Chuck Weir, Off Road Racing Manager
Conrad Young, Timing & Scoring Manager
COMMUNICATIONS
Grant Parsons, Director of Communications
DISTRIBUTION/FACILITIES SERVICES
John Bricker, Mailroom Manager
Heida Drake, Copy Center Operator
Bill Frasch, Mailroom Clerk
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Marie Esselstein, Government Affairs Assistant
Danielle Fowles, Grassroots Coordinator
Nick Haris, Western States Representative
Sean Hutson, Legislative Assistant
Sharon Long, Legislative Coordinator
Rick Podliska, Deputy Director
Steve Salisbury, Government Affairs Manager - Off-Highway
Imre Szauter, Government Affairs Manager - On-Highway
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Rob Baughman, Network Administrator
John Boker, Developer
Dave Coleman, Network Architect
Amy Hyman, Senior Programmer/Analyst
Bill Miller, Enterprise Architect
MEMBER SERVICES/DATA ENTRY
Lori Cavucci, Member Services Representative
Deb D’Andrea, Member Services Representative
Linda Hembroff, Member Services Representative
Darcel Higgins, Member Services Manager
Kimberly Jude, Member Services Representative
Tiffany Pound, Member Services Representative
Jessica Robinson, Member Services Representative
Angela Warren, Member Services Representative
October 18-19, 2013
Green Valley Ranch Resort, Spa and Casino • Las Vegas, Nevada
CLASS OF 2013:
Ricky Carmichael
Danny Hamel
Norm McDonald
Randy Renfrow
Diane Traynor
Mike Traynor
FEATURED LEGENDS:
Torsten Hallman
Mark Blackwell
2013 LEGENDS WEEKEND
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Friday night, Oct. 18, will see the Motorcycle Hall of Fame class of 2013 take to the stage to be inducted. The next morning will see the all-new Dave Mungenast Memorial Legends Reception, where the Class of 2013 and other Hall of Famers from previous years will be honored.
www.motorcyclemuseum.org
FROM THE PRESIDENT
THE VERY BORING RALLY WAS ANYTHING BUT
A Good Time With Friends By Rob Dingman
Having missed Aerostich’s Very Boring Rally (VBR) the last time it was held five years ago, I was determined to make it this year. The VBR is put on in Duluth, Minn., by Aerostich, which was founded by former AMA Board member Andy Goldfine, to commemorate the anniversary of Aerostich’s founding.
When the AMA Board of Directors was looking for an appropriate venue to present this year’s recipient with the AMA Dud Perkins Lifetime Achievement Award, the AMA’s highest recognition, it made perfect sense to present Andy Goldfine the award at his rally in front of hundreds of his most loyal customers and fans. This would be perfect. Not only would this be a great venue to present Andy his award, but I would get to go to the VBR as well.
The best laid plans, however, never seem to work out. Out of an overabundance of humility, and in typical Andy Goldfine-fashion, Andy didn’t want to receive the award at the VBR because, in his words, “the rally isn’t about me, it is about Aerostich customers.” This attitude is precisely why Andy was so deserving of the Lifetime Achievement Award in the first place.
As it turns out, Andy and his fiancée Shirah, along with a contingent from Aerostich, rode down from Duluth to Ohio for AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days this past July so that he could receive his award. The presentation was made at the AMA Life Member appreciation breakfast and there were several AMA Board members on hand to give their former board colleague his award.
While he was at Vintage Motorcycle Days, I told Andy that I was still going to try to make it to the VBR. Andy started telling me how I could travel from Ohio through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and given the curvature of the earth, it really wouldn’t be that much longer than going through Chicago. It seemed to me that any directions that included a discussion of the curvature of the earth were likely to provide a route for which I was not likely to have enough time.
I was really glad I made the trip. AMA Past President and current International Affairs Director Rob Rasor and I left Columbus on the Thursday morning before the rally and headed out for Duluth. I was riding my Gold Wing, and Rob was on his R1150RT. We decided that, despite Andy’s assurances about the curvature of the earth, we would take the route that required us to catch a ferry across Lake Michigan.
We rode the roughly 420 miles from Columbus, Ohio to Ludington, Mich., and caught a late ferry across the lake to Manitowoc, Wisc., where we stopped for the night. Taking the ferry was a great experience. As it turns out, the S.S. Badger that took us across the lake is the only coal-fired steamship in operation in the United States. The 6,650-ton ship is over 410 feet long and nearly 60 feet wide and has capacity for 600 passengers, 180 automobiles, tour buses, RVs, motorcycles, and commercial trucks. Traveling at 15.6 knots (18 mph), the trip took four hours.
We left Manitowoc early Friday morning because we still had roughly 370 miles to go to get to Duluth. We arrived in Duluth in time for a dinner cruise on Lake Superior hosted by Aerostich and Mr. Goldfine.
This was an enjoyable evening and a great opportunity to share
riding stories with fellow motorcyclists. We even got to go under the Aerial Lift Bridge that connects Duluth’s Canal Park and Park Point areas. (For being on a motorcycle trip, we spent a lot of time on the water.)
The next morning we rode from where we were staying in downtown Duluth to the rally site at Spirit Mountain ski area. There were some great seminars and a few vendors at the rally. Aerostich had set up a rally store and garment display with customer service associates ready to take orders.
Of course, no motorcycle trip to Duluth would be complete without a visit to the Aerostich factory and showroom.
Among the main attractions, however, were the final two rounds of the AMA/NATC AIReS MotoTrials National Championship Series that were held at Spirit Mountain in conjunction with the rally. We got to see some really talented trials riders, and I was able to present the AMA national No. 1 plate to series champion Patrick Smage.
Rob Rasor and I even took a little side trip in search of Betty’s Pies that we were told had the best pies in the area. Since my GPS didn’t exactly like the address I typed into it, it took us a little longer to get there than we planned, but we finally made it and the place lived up to its billing.
Riding out of the parking lot, we met a couple on an ST1100 that had run out of gas. After going to get some gas for them, I asked the rider if he was an AMA member. When he said he was, I told him that this was part of our roadside assistance program.
Sunday morning found us back on the road headed for Milwaukee, scheduled to catch a 7:00 p.m. ferry back across Lake Michigan. On the return trip, we opted for the faster, more modern Lake Express. This ferry is a 192-foot aluminum hulled catamaran that can accommodate 248 passengers, 46 passenger vehicles and 12 motorcycles and travels at 34 knots (40 mph). The return trip across to Muskegon, Mich., took only two-and-a-half hours.
After spending the night in Muskegon, we were on the road again early Monday morning headed for home with a quick detour to Ann Arbor for lunch with Rob Rasor’s son, Rob. The total mileage without the lake crossings was over 1750 miles, including local riding around Duluth and the trip to Betty’s Pies. It was a great trip that reminded me why we work so hard to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling.
Rob Dingman is the AMA president and CEO.
Welcome to Life Member Plus!
For more than 25 years, Al Holtsberry has supported the AMA. Now we’re offering something special for him and all other AMA Life Members.
We designed the new Life Member Plus program to stay connected with our Life Members and reward them for their years of dedication to the AMA. Offering up a package that includes American Motorcyclist magazine and AMA Roadside Assistance at a special discounted rate, Life Member Plus is a money-saving value.
The new program is 100 percent optional, so if you choose not to enroll, you still receive all the current benefits of life membership—a voice on behalf of motorcycling in the halls of government, the ability to sign up for AMA-sanctioned events, money-saving benefits and more.
With Life Member Plus, you get all that, plus AMA Roadside Assistance and American Motorcyclist magazine. And stay tuned for additional Life Member benefits to come.
AMA Life Member Plus Includes:
• FREE AMA Roadside Assistance
• 12 issues of
• AMA Life Member Plus Membership card, pin (first year), and decal with your renewal
• A voice protecting motorcyclists’ rights at the
state and local levels
• Continued access to AMA Rights, Riding, Racing and Rewards—including money-saving discounts
CLASS OF 2013
THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME, A DESERT RACING STANDOUT, AN INDUSTRY VETERAN, A MULTI-TALENTED AMA ROADRACER AND A VISIONARY COUPLE OF MOTORCYCLISTS WHO STARTED
THE RIDE FOR KIDS PROGRAM THAT HAS RAISED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. THEY ARE THIS YEAR’S BEST OF THE BEST. By Grant Parsons
See History In Person
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2013 will be inducted on Friday, Oct. 18, at Las Vegas’ Green Valley Resort & Casino. The star-studded gala kicks off the first of two must-see events during the AMA Legends Weekend.
In addition to featuring the newest inductees, the Friday evening induction ceremony spotlights two Hall of Fame Legends—existing members of the Hall of Fame whose lifetime accomplishments are highlighted. The 2013 Legends are: Mark Blackwell, a pioneering racer in American motocross, a six-time AMA championship race team manager and a well-respected executive in the
motorcycle industry; and Torsten Hallman, a four-time World Motocross champion who was instrumental in introducing the sport of motocross to America and founded the Thor brand.
Also part of the AMA Legends Weekend activities is the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Dave Mungenast Memorial Legends Reception on Saturday, Oct. 19, where the class of 2013, the 2013 Legends and AMA Motorcycle Hall of
Famers from previous years will be honored and interviewed on-stage in a relaxed setting that allows fans and friends to get up close and personal with motorcycling’s heroes.
Tickets are on sale now at www. motorcyclemuseum.org. The price is $140 for Friday night’s induction ceremony, and $20 for Saturday’s reception, which includes a continental breakfast. Rooms at the Green Valley Ranch can be reserved by calling (866) 782-9487 and using the code GCIAMHF.
The AMA Legends Weekend is a fundraiser for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, located on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio, and overseen by the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation.
Torsten Hallman
Mark Blackwell
RICKY CARMICHAEL
The G.O.A.T.
FEW PEOPLE in any endeavor—in sport, in business or in life—have ever earned that title: the Greatest Of All Time. Ricky Carmichael has. He is popularly acknowledged as the Greatest of All Time in AMA Motocross, and his nickname remains “The G.O.A.T.”
In 11 years as a professional, Carmichael became the most dominant rider ever in AMA Motocross. He was named AMA Motocross Rookie of the year in 1996, and logged his first full season in 1997, when he won the 125 Motocross Championship. Since then he won at least one championship every season he raced, and never failed to defend a title when he was able to ride the entire season (a knee injury sidelined him for part of 2004).
In total, he earned 15 National Championship titles in MX and SX, three team world championships (MXoN), and one individual world championship (SX1).
Also impressive: Carmichael has won on three brands—Kawasaki, then Honda, then Suzuki—and his dominance spans eras. He has won titles on the two-stroke machinery he grew up on, along with the four-stroke racebikes that came later.
Still, Carmichael says, induction into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame is a great
career high.
“Its definitely special,” Carmichael says. “When you think about all the great racers who have raced motorcycles through history, and about all the great racers still racing currently, it’s pretty cool to be associated with them.”
He was the first rider in AMA Motocross with an undefeated season at the top level, a feat he accomplished three times, in 2002 and 2004, when he won all 24 motos, and in 2005, when he won 22 of 24 motos, winning each overall. He was the AMA Pro Racing Athlete of the Year in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Though Carmichael was a fierce competitor, he was typically gracious and humble off-track. His attitude and work ethic won him fans.
The key to all that success, Carmichael says, was focus on all aspects of racing, not just at the track.
“I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve been able to surround myself with great people, at Kawasaki, Honda and Suzuki,” he
“I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve been able to surround myself with great people.”
says. “They all gave me a chance to do well. The Hall of Fame induction is really a celebration for them.”
Carmichael has earned a combined 150 pro overall national wins. He notched 76 AMA Motocross overalls, 48 AMA Supercross main events, 26 AMA Motocross Lites overalls and 12 AMA Supercross Lites regional main event wins.
Carmichael capped his impressive career with a winning performance at the X Games and a victory with the U.S. Team at the Motocross of Nations in Budds Creek, Maryland, his last race. He then retired and took up racing stock trucks and cars. By the time of his induction in 2013, Carmichael was running a successful AMA MX and SX race team, and teaching riders with his Ricky Carmichael Race School.
Life, he says, is good.
“I like the position I’m in now,” he says. “I may be retired from racing, but I’m still very active with team ownership, and as a spokesman for the sport in general. I’m just trying to help make the sport bigger and better for the guys coming up.
“I’m in a great position in that I can do the things I want to do, and not do the things I don’t want to do, which is a pretty good place to be.”
Desert Ace DANNY HAMEL
DANNY HAMEL accomplished much as an off-road racer: five-time AMA Hare and Hound National Champion, SCORE Baja 1000 and 500 overall winner and more. Between 1977 and 1995, Hamel was the only rider ever named both as the AMA Amateur Athlete of the Year and AMA Amateur Sportsman of the Year in the same year.
Before a crash took his life prematurely in June 1995 during the Baja 500 when a car strayed onto the road that was part of the course, Hamel had earned a reputation as an outgoing rider, a super-fast racer, and a master at getting the most out of what many considered to be one of desert racing’s most powerful and impressive-toride-to-its-fullest machines: the Kawasaki KX500.
A motorcyclist from an early age, Hamel took to the desert while growing up in Boulder City, Nev., a perfect spot to take advantage of the wide-open terrain. By the time he started racing in earnest, he had learned a lot, said his dad, Roger Hamel.
“I had raced, so I had a little bit of an
influence on him, but most of it came from between his own ears,” Roger says. “He had tried other sports, and was good at them, but he didn’t really like it when someone didn’t give 100 percent. With motorcycle racing, I think, he liked that it was just all him.”
Going fast came easy, Danny said in a 1993 interview.
“Reading the terrain just comes naturally for me,” he said. “A desert racer has to have the ability to recognize and adapt to different situations. Sometimes you’re going 80 or 90 miles an hour across the open desert, and sometimes your going two or three miles per hour through rocks. I live right here in the desert, so every time I go riding, I’m practicing those skills.”
A strong rider, Hamel became synonymous with the KX500, remembers his mechanic, Mike Hodges.
“It was amazing to watch him ride,” Hodges says. “Hamel was a big guy, and he handled that KX500 like other guys rode 125s. That was his kind of bike.”
Speed just came naturally to him, Hamel’s father says.
“He just had that knack,” Roger Hamel says. “He rode well within his limits, but if someone challenged him, he could always go faster.”
Off the bike, Hamel was as likeable as he was down-to-earth, and he made friends throughout the desert-racing community. Perhaps because of his easygoing outlook, Hamel didn’t let the wins go to his head, Hodges says.
“A lot of times, racers get too wrapped up in the dollar amount, or focus too much on the short career in racing,” Hodges says. “They don’t quite gel with the people paying their salaries, or think they’re above the fans. Danny never was that way. He always just considered himself lucky.”
You could see that, Hodges says, in Hamel’s trademark move on the podium.
“After he’d won, he’d just hand his trophy to a kid, or a fan,” Hodges says. “I think to him the win was the thing—it was there in the books. Having the trophy was less important. It gave him a better feeling about the win to hand it to the kid who wandered up for an autograph.”
He says Hamel would be floored by the honor of being in the Hall of Fame.
“I’m sure he’d be speechless,” he says. “All of us will be so proud to see him inducted. The thing was, he was so young, and he was so good, you legitimately feel that he could have continued to destroy every off-road record out there if he had more time to hang around with us.”
“It was amazing to watch him ride.”
—
Mike Hodges, Hamel’s mechanic
NORM McDONALD K&N Co-Founder
NORM MCDONALD is one of motorcycling’s Renaissance men, doing just about everything that’s possible with two wheels—from racing to product development to tuning to running a successful chain of dealerships.
McDonald has sponsored hundreds of racers from the late 1950s through today, but he’s perhaps best known for being the founding “N” in K&N engineering, a company he formed with AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Ken Johnson in 1957 and one that is now a well-known name in the motorsports world.
Growing up, McDonald’s parents wouldn’t allow him to have a motorcycle, so he satisfied his need for speed with hot rods and drag racing. He always wanted a bike, though, so when he was 17, he saved up his lawn-mowing money and bought a motorcycle that he kept at a friend’s house.
A stint in the Navy from 1952-55 slowed McDonald’s riding passion only slightly, and when he returned, he married Louise (Lucy) West, bought another bike and started racing motorcycles and growing a family.
He worked days as a surveyor for the County of San Bernardino, but motorcycling was in his blood. When he met Ken Johnson in 1957, they opened K&N Motorcycles in Loma Linda, Calif., as a service shop, with Johnson working days and McDonald working nights.
“We opened with $200 and three used
motorcycles,” McDonald remembers. “We took on Indian, which was Royal Enfield at the time, and in 1958, we took on Yamaha.”
As shop owners, Johnson and McDonald also happened to give an early job to a 17-year-old kid who would come to make quite a name for himself in motorcycling: Malcolm Smith.
“I knew him when I was about 12 years old,” McDonald says. “We watched him ride in the fields, and were impressed, and we when we opened up the shop, we got more acquainted with him, and I asked if he wanted to come work for me.”
Through the years, McDonald owned other motorcycle franchises as well, expanding to six locations and selling BSA, CZ, Jawa, Husky, Hodaka, Tahatsu, Marusho, Greeves and Harley-Davidsons at one time or another.
In 1965, Ken and Norm formed K&N engineering to expand even further, focusing on a line of handlebars, fenders and fork braces. The next year, the K&N air filter was introduced, and within five years the revolutionary filters could be found in virtually every form of racing.
“I just like motorcycles and motorcycle people.”
McDonald sponsored a number of racers. Besides his sons—Phil McDonald (1973 Daytona 100-mile Junior Champion); Sam McDonald (1982 250 National Champion and 1984 second-place Superbike Championship); son-in-law Ted Boody and grandson Tyler McDonald— Norm sponsored hundreds of others, with more than 30 competing nationally.
By 1971, McDonald decided to relocate. “By that time, we had five shops, and a beer bar, and an insurance agency,” McDonald says. “We sold everything off, and we moved.”
Johnson opted to keep K&N Engineering, and McDonald kept the dealership side of things and moved to Tulsa, Okla., opening up dealerships in Tulsa and Wichita, Kan.
“That was the best decision I ever made,” McDonald says. “I’ve always loved motorcycles and motorcycle people. I know the air cleaner thing is multi-multimulti million today, but if you’re not happy with what you’re doing, why do it?
McDonald still works every day at his dealerships, enjoying the company of sons and grandsons who work with him.
He says he was floored to learn that he was to be inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
“It’s amazing,” he says. “I’ve never put myself in that category. It’s overwhelming. There are so many riders who rode for me who are in the Hall of Fame, to be in there with them, I’m speechless.”
RANDY RENFROW
Versatile
Road Racer
RANDY RENFROW was known for his ability to be competitive on any type of machinery, from diminutive 250 Grand Prix bikes all the way up to AMA Superbikes, and he excelled in nearly every class of professional motorcycle road racing. Renfrow raced professionally more than 20 years, seven of which were self-sponsored.
He was one of the best-liked riders in the paddock. In all, Renfrow won a total of 17 AMA Nationals in four different classes, including a victory in an AMA Superbike race at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, California in 1990, as a member of the factory Honda team.
Renfrow grew up in his early years in San Diego, and on his ninth birthday, he got his first minibike.
“Our dad was in the Marine Corps,” remembers Randy’s brother, Shawn. “He always had scooters as a young man. Motorcycling was a big thing when we lived in San Diego, and my dad bought Randy a Briggs & Stratton minibike.”
A Sears 90cc followed. When he relocated to New Jersey with his family, he started riding motocross, and quickly stood out. “Randy was always the fastest kid in the neighborhood, no matter what he was riding,” Shawn says.
By 1981, Renfrow was road racing, and he earned his first AMA national points with a fifth-place finish at Pocono in the 250 Grand Prix class, then finished third in the 250GP final at Daytona. He began riding with Sure-Fire in 1983.
Shawn credits his brother’s success on
a wide variety of machinery to his early riding on varied surfaces.
“I think some of it was because we were military and moved a lot, so he rode a lot of different types of terrain,” he says. “And I’m going to give Randy special props that some of that was just heart. I don’t think it mattered to him what he was racing. He just wanted to do well.”
A consistent winner and finisher, Renfrow finished third in AMA Formula 1 in 1984; second in Formula 1 in 1985; won the Formula 1 Championship in 1986; won the Memphis and Road Atlanta AMA 250 GP races in 1987; and finished fifth in AMA Superbike in 1988. After nearly retiring at the end of 1988, Renfrow came back to win the AMA Pro Twins Series in 1989. He won a Superbike national in 1990 and earned three 600 SuperSport podium finishes. He continued racing and finishing well in various classes through 2000.
In March of 2002, Renfrow was caught in a crash at Daytona International Speedway and broke nine ribs, his right knee, his right ankle and foot. Tragically, five months later, while still on crutches, Renfrow fell down a flight of stairs and suffered head injuries from which he would never recover.
As much as Renfrow is remembered for winning, he was also widely considered one of the most popular racers in the paddock.
“He’d always be happy to take time for a fan, or to share race setups with others,” Shawn says. “Some riders would wind themselves up, but not Randy. He’d say, ‘That’s not how we play that game. We play to win, but we don’t have to hate anyone to play the game.’”
That attitude kept him down-to-earth, he says.
“Randy was always kind of shocked that people would ask for his autograph, because he never really acted like a great racer—he was really humble about his position,” Shawn says. “That’s why I think he’d be really humbled about being inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. He’d be really honored to think that existing Hall of Fame members thought enough of him to share a place with him by voting him in.”
“I don’t think it mattered to him what he was racing. He just wanted to do well.”
— Shawn Renfrow, Randy’s brother
MIKE and DIANNE TRAYNOR
Ride For Kids Founders
MIKE AND DIANNE TRAYNOR
are best known for their work organizing fund-raising rides that would become the Ride for Kids motorcycle charity program and later the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. They began the Ride for Kids in Atlanta in 1984 to raise funds for childhood brain tumor research. Today, the foundation is the the world’s largest non-governmental source of funding for childhood brain tumor research.
Mike Traynor died in 2009 and Dianne Traynor died in 2012.
Growing up, Mike loved motorcycles, riding as a teenager in Chicago. As a G.I. stationed in Japan, Mike raced with his daily rider—a slightly modified Honda Dream. He eventually became a locally recognized racer, winning a championship in 1961.
After the war, he started a family, continued racing as an amateur, sometimes racing endurance road races with his sons. He climbed the corporate ladder and became a vice president in the
newspaper-publishing world in Atlanta.
When a colleague’s daughter was stricken with a brain tumor, he found his true calling. Working with his wife, Dianne, herself a teacher and accountant, he started a local fundraising ride for the cause.
“As far back as I can remember, he was obsessed with motorcycling,” says Mike’s son, Brian Traynor. “He decided to use that love of motorcycling to raise a little money to help out a hospital in Georgia.”
The first event raised about $4,000 from local motorcyclists, Brian remembers. It became a yearly ride, and then expanded it into what would become the Ride for Kids events, and, ultimately, the creation of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, which has raised more than $70 million for the cause.
The Traynor’s success came from an amazing attitude, says Larry Little, Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation board member and vice president and general manager of the Marketplace Events Motorcycle Group.
“Once you were around Mike for even the smallest moments, you realized that he was a guy who couldn’t take no for an answer, and was so infectious in his positive attitude,” Little says. “That came from within, and it rubbed off on a lot of people. Once he had a vision, he didn’t let
it pass. He went firmly after it.”
One of the Ride For Kids’ secondary benefits was that it provided a rallying point for motorcyclists, Brian says.
“If my dad were alive today, he would say the things he’s most proud of would be not only be the medical research and the healing that came as a result of all of the work that he and Dianne did, but also what it’s done for motorcycling,” he says.
“When he’d tell people he rode a motorcycle, and they’d say, ‘Oh, you’re one of those,’ he would kind of cringe,” Brian says. “The Ride for Kids events were instrumental in helping out the image of motorcycling. Lots of riders were seen doing a lot of good.”
How would the Traynors have reacted to being elevated to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame? Little says they’d be honored.
“Knowing Mike and Dianne, I think they’d be very gracious, very honored,” Little says. “But it’s kind of neat that I know Mike would see it as one more way to get the publicity for the foundation to help find the cause, and cure the disease of childhood brain tumors. He would be appreciative, but he was definitely a salesman. It was hard not to be inspired by Mike and Dianne.”
“It was hard not to be inspired by Mike and Dianne.”
— Larry Little, PBTF board member
A few of the hundreds of AMA-sanctioned events this month, detailed on the following pages.
3
1
Catch the final round of the thrilling Virginia Championship Hare Scrambles Series, an AMA Featured Series, on Nov. 10 in Spring Grove, Va. Info: http:// vchss.org/vchss_flag_intro.htm.
2
If you love dual-sport or adventure riding and live in New Jersey or California you won’t want to miss the last events of the year in the AMA Husqvarna National Dual-Sport Series and the AMA Yamaha Super Ténéré National Adventure Riding Series. The Hammer Run hosted by the Tri-County Sportsmen will be held Nov. 2-3 in Port Elizabeth, N.J. The L.A.-Barstow-to-Vegas ride is set for Nov. 29-30 in Palmdale, Calif. They are both part of each series, meaning routes will be available for both dual-sport bikes and larger adventure models. For more information, see page 47.
Go for a great ride and help out a great cause at the same time. The March of Dimes Bikers for Babies charity ride is set for Nov. 17 in Fort Myers, Fla. Info: www. bikersforbabies.org.
4
The USA Four Corners Grand Tour organized by the Southern California Motorcycle Association is still going strong through Dec. 31. For more info on these and other AMA Grand Tours, see page 47.
5 The competitors who battle in the GEICO AMA EnduroCross National Championship Series wrap up their season on Nov. 23 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. Info: www.endurocross.com.
6
The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Tampa Bay Area Ride for Kids charity ride takes place in Lithia, Fla., Nov. 3. Info: www.curethekids.org/rideforkids/
COMING UP
The action is fast and furious in January in the 2014 battle for AMA Supercross supremacy. The season gets under way Jan. 4 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., and continues Jan. 11 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Jan. 18 back at Anaheim’s Angel Stadium and Jan. 25 at the O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif.
2013 AMA Championship Banquet, Jan. 18, 2014, at the Aladdin Shrine Center in Columbus, Ohio. Info: www. americanmotorcyclist.com.
ALABAMA
COMPETITION
MOTOCROSS
NOV 16: PELL CITY: 2 DAY EVENT, RPM SPORTS, (205) 699-8857, RPMSPORTSONLINE.COM
NOV 10: SPRING GROVE: VIRGINIA COMPETITION HARE SCRAMBLE SERVICES,
(757) 570-2839, VCHSS.ORG
MOTOCROSS
NOV 9: (Includes ATVs)
SUTHERLIN: BIRCH CREEK PROMOTIONS, LLC, (434) 8367629, BIRCHCREEKMXPARK.COM
NOV 10: (Includes ATVs)
SUTHERLIN: BIRCH CREEK PROMOTIONS, LLC, (434) 836-
7629, BRICHCREEKMXPARK.COM
WASHINGTON
MOTOCROSS
NOV 9: (Includes ATVs) WEST RICHLAND: HRMC, INC., (509) 953-5242, HORNRAPIDSMX.COM
NOV 10: (Includes ATVs) WEST RICHLAND: HRMC, INC., (509) 953-5242, HORNRAPIDSMX.COM
HALL OF FAME EXHIBITS AND EVENTS
AMA MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME MOTORCYCLEMUSEUM.ORG
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame is on the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio, and is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Closed: Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Main Hall: AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame: Recognizing those who have made significant contributions to all aspects of motorcycling.
Dirt-Track! All-American Motorcycle Racing: Celebrating the storied history of the men and machines who battle on the dirt oval.
2 Wheels + Motor, A Fine Art Exhibition: More than two dozen artists celebrate the spirit, excitement and adventure of motorcycling through fine art.
Founder’s Hall: Honoring the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame’s generous contributors.
Oct. 18-19, Las Vegas, Nev.: AMA Legends Weekend. Information: www.motorcyclemuseum.org.
2014 MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS AMASUPERCROSS.COM
Jan. 4: Anaheim, Calif.: Angel Stadium
Jan. 11: Phoenix: Chase Field
Jan. 18: Anaheim, Calif.: Angel Satium
Jan. 25: Oakland, Calif.: O.Co Coliseum
Feb. 1: Anaheim, Calif.: Angel Stadium
Feb. 8: San Diego: Qualcomm Stadium
Feb. 15: Arlington, Texas: Cowboys
Stadium
Feb. 22: Atlanta: Georgia Dome
Mar. 1: Indianapolis: Lucas Oil Stadium
Mar. 8: Daytona Beach, Fla.: Daytona International Speedway
Mar. 15: Detroit: Ford Field
Mar. 22: Toronto: Rogers Centre
Mar. 29: St. Louis: Edward Jones Dome
Apr. 5: Houston: Reliant Stadium
Apr. 12: Seattle: Century Link Field
Apr. 26: East Rtherford, N.J.: MetLife Stadium
AMA PRO RACING
May 3: Las Vegas: Sam Boyd Stadium
AMA PRO FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP AMAPRORACING.COM
Oct. 12: Pomona, Calif. Half-mile, LA County Fairplex
