THE STUNTWOMAN
Debbie Evans Makes Movie Magic On Motorcycles
SUN DAY DRIVING
NAVIGATION
Cover Motorcycle Hall of Famer Debbie Evans has been performing amazing motorcycle stunts in Hollywood movies for more than 34 years, and she shows no signs of slowing down. Read about it beginning on page 34. Photo: Holly Carlyle.
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AMA Member Shayna Texter continued to pursue her dream despite suffering a crushing loss. She succeeded, making AMA Pro Flat Track history. See story on page 18. Photo: James Thomas Long
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 2011. Printed in USA. Subscription rate: Magazine subscription fee of $10 covered in membership dues; $15 a year for non-members.
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December 2011
Volume 65, Number 12
Published by the American Motorcyclist Association 13515 Yarmouth Dr. Pickerington, OH 43147 (800) AMA-JOIN (262-5646) AmericanMotorcyclist.com
8. LETTERS
You write, we read.
10. ROB DINGMAN
Mile markers.
12. RIGHTS
Responsible off-highway riding under attack, and distracted driving out of control.
18. RIDING
Dirt-tracker Shayna Texter realizes her dream, and a motorcycle dolly is tested.
24. RACING
Jake Lewis wins AMA Roadrace Horizon Award, Russell Bobbit earns enduro title.
30. HALL OF FAME
Bruce Ogilvie’s 1985 Honda XR600R racer, and Hall of Famer Tony DiStefano.
34. THE STUNTWOMAN
Debbie Evans turned a love of motorcycling and her championships in observed trials into a career performing some of Hollywood’s most memorable stunts.
40. STRIKING GOLD
A great ride doesn’t have to be half the country away. AMA Member Philip Buonpastore finds a short-but-spectaculor loop in his own Washington state.
46. GO RIDE
What to do, where to go.
50. CHRIS BITHELL
It’s all good.
EDITORIAL OFFICES
American Motorcyclist 13515 Yarmouth Drive Pickerington, OH 43147 (614) 856-1900 submissions@ama-cycle.org
Grant Parsons, Director of Communications
James Holter, Managing Editor
Bill Kresnak, Government Affairs Editor
Mark Lapid, Creative Director
Jen Muecke, Designer Jeff Guciardo, Production Manager/Designer
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All trademarks used herein (unless otherwise noted) are owned by the AMA and may only be used with the express, written permission of the AMA. American Motorcyclist is the monthly publication of the American Motorcyclist Association, which represents motorcyclists nationwide. For information on AMA membership benefits, call (800) AMA-JOIN or visit AmericanMotorcyclist.com. Manuscripts, photos, drawings and other editorial contributions must be accompanied by return postage. No responsibility is assumed for loss or damage to unsolicited material. Copyright© American Motorcyclist Association, 2011.
CONTRIBUTORS AND STAFF
JAMES LONG, Photographer James is a wedding and portrait photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area where he lives with his wife and 3-year-old daughter. While James does not own a motorcycle right now, he did own a few dirtbikes growing up. He says that photographing Shayna Texter brought back a flood of memories and a sense of awe for what she does.
SETH WILLIAMS, Photographer Seth, who shot Chris Bithell’s portrait for this month’s Guest Column, is a portrait and wedding photographer based in North Huntingdon, Pa. He specializes in client-focused photography ranging from hard urban to soft countrylike styling and typically services the Pittsburgh area.
GRANT PARSONS, Director of Communications
You know your motorcycle portfolio has gotten away from you when the phrase that comes to mind when you visit your garage after two weeks is “oh, yeah, that.”
BILL KRESNAK, Government Affairs Editor Krez won the coin flip and got to cover the AMA Roadrace Grand Championships this fall, where he had the pleasure of interviewing racers far more talented than him—guys like Youth Roadracer of the Year Nick McFadden, 14.
AMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Contact any member of the AMA Board of Directors at www.AmericanMotorcyclist. com/about/board
Stan Simpson, Chairman Cibolo, Texas
Jon-Erik Burleson, Assistant Treasurer Murrietta, Calif.
Perry King, Assistant Secretary Northern California
John Ulrich, Executive Committee Member Lake Elsinore, Calif.
Dwight Conant, Kearsarge, N.H.
Charles Goman, Winder, Ga.
Maggie McNally, Albany, N.Y.
Scott Miller, Milwaukee, Wis.
Art More, Surprise, Ariz.
Jim Viverito, Chicago, Ill.
AMA PRESIDENT AND CEO
Rob Dingman, Pickerington, Ohio
AMA-JOIN (262-5646) AmericanMotorcyclist.com
JAMES HOLTER, Managing Editor You know your motorcycle portfolio needs some rebalancing when your holdings include nine dirtbikes and one Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic.
MARK LAPID, Creative Director Mark was so close to pulling the trigger on a new BMW G 650 GS when the sales guy—yes, the sales guy!—talked him out of it. Needless to say, the enablers who drove him to the dealership and worked foolishly hard to push him up to the edge were apoplectic.
JEN MUECKE, Designer You know your motorcycle portfolio is on the aggressive side when the supermoto is the “slow bike.”
JEFF GUCIARDO, Production Manager/Designer Jeff had his mind made up. He was going to drop some coin on Kawasaki’s new ZX-10R when he looked at page 21 of this issue. “I will have a Lean Mean Green Machine,” he said, as he pulled out his Amex.
Other contributors include: Shayna Texter, Chris Bithell, Jeff Kardas, Kurt Bauer, Jesse Thomas, Al Shermo, Shan Moore, Motorcycle Safety Foundation
MILE MARKERS Change Often Starts Small
By Rob Dingman
The subject of this issue’s cover story, stuntwoman and Hall of Famer Debbie Evans, played a significant role in the creation of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame exhibit we enjoy today on the campus of the AMA.
The funny thing is that she probably doesn’t realize it.
Shortly after I became AMA president, Debbie was on hand for the dedication of a previous exhibit called “MotoStars: Celebrities + Motorcycles,” a collection of motorcycles associated with a wide variety of famous people. Debbie was kind enough to loan us some bikes from her collection for the exhibit.
While at the event, Debbie wanted to have her picture taken in front of her Hall of Fame plaque with her friend, actor and current AMA Board member Perry King. I was happy to oblige, and I took Debbie’s camera to get the shot for her. At the time, the Hall of Fame existed in a small section on the bottom floor of the building.
Debbie’s plaque was Velcroed about 2 feet off the ground to a carpeted wall alongside other plaques honoring Hall of Famers. I had to climb over a barricade protecting the bikes in the exhibit, wedge myself between two bikes, squat down and invite Perry and Debbie to do the same so that I could get the two of them and her plaque in the shot.
To say that this was an embarrassing situation would be a big understatement. From that moment, I knew we had to elevate this remarkable resource—both figuratively and literally—to the main exhibit hall of the Museum where it now resides.
The Hall of Fame exhibit as it exists today is a major step forward. Over the years, the main exhibit hall of the Museum has hosted some terrific exhibits, from “A Century of Indian,” to “Heroes of Harley-Davidson,” to “Motocross America.” Now, fittingly, the Museum’s entire main floor pays tribute to the men and women who built the foundation upon which motorcycling now stands.
Another positive change is taking place at the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation (AMHF). As you know, the AMHF was established nearly 30 years ago to raise money for the Museum. For years, the Foundation Board of Directors operated as a governing body, not always in sync with the wishes of the AMA Board. These days, thanks to its members’ vision, hard work and dedication, the AMHF Board is doing truly impressive work and now functions as the fundraising body it should be.
One area of success brought about by the AMHF’s renewed focus is a significantly enhanced annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony. It’s now a part of the AMA Visa Card from Capital One Legends & Champions Weekend—which also includes the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Dave Mungenast Memorial Concours d’Elegance and the AMA Visa Card Racing Championship Banquet—taking place Nov. 18-20 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Where the ceremony was once held in a tent outside the Museum, the gala weekend event now attracts icons from the sport, lifestyle and business of motorcycling—and hundreds of fans—every year to bear witness to the induction of some of the
greatest contributors to motorcycling. Today, the ceremony is befitting of the achievements commensurate with induction into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
Just as the Hall of Fame has changed for the better, there are several ways the AMA has seen positive change. Most notable among them is the Association’s re-dedication to its mission of advocacy and the dedication of greater resources to that effort. With the recent passage of legislation to fix the “lead law”—a ridiculous federal law that banned the sale of youth-model motorcycles and ATVs—we demonstrated that the AMA represents a powerful grassroots force that can protect motorcycling.
AMA Board Chairman Stan Simpson frequently talks about the potential for what he calls a “meteor strike”—governmental action that would devastate motorcycling. The lead law could have been that meteor strike. If kids weren’t able to enjoy riding motorcycles, and grow up to become both off-road and street riders, the loss of an entire generation of motorcyclists would have been a crushing blow. This misguided law had the potential to negatively impact both road and off-road motorcycling because so many street riders got their start in the dirt.
Make no mistake, getting out from under the lead law was a major legislative victory, and your efforts played a significant role in making that happen. If you doubt that, consider one simple fact: There were many industries that spent millions of dollars in an attempt to get out from under provisions of the lead law, and the only categorical exemption granted was for motorcycles and ATVs.
In the end, other industries were trying to piggyback onto the support you had generated in Congress for fixing this dumb law.
The improvements in our government relations capabilities are beginning to snowball. Over the last few years, we have been able to attract some very talented staff to our Government Relations Department, including the most recent addition, former two-term U.S. Senator Wayne Allard. Sen. Allard now heads up our effort as vice president for government relations.
Many of the recent improvements at the AMA have largely been behind-the-scenes. In the same manner as that chance realization that started with Debbie Evans and resulted in an enhanced Motorcycle Hall of Fame, these kinds of changes tend to go unnoticed until they bear fruit.
During my tenure at the AMA, it has been my strongest desire to continue to strengthen and improve this organization. There’s no question that there is a long road ahead of us, but mile markers such as these are clear indications that progress is being made.
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THE STUNTWOMAN
Debbie Evans turned a love of motorcycling and her championships in observed trials into a career performing some of Hollywood’s most memorable motorcycle stunts. And she shows no signs of slowing down.
WORDS: Grant Parsons
PHOTOS: Holly Carlyle
STUNTWOMAN W
ith cameras rolling, stuntwoman and Motorcycle Hall of Famer Debbie Evans was blasting down the freeway emergency lane aboard a Ducati beside a speeding semi-truck for the movie “Matrix Reloaded.”
Then things quickly went very wrong.
“It was the scene where Agent Smith is supposed to morph into the truck driver, then swerve as if he’s going to hit CarrieAnne Moss, who I’m doubling,” Evans says. “We had rehearsed it several times, and I had asked the driver to use the brakes and swerve exactly like he would do it in the shoot.
“I had counted the timing several times, and it was always four beats, four seconds every single time,” she says. “But when we’re doing it for real, I’m on the bike and I’m almost up to the cab, when he starts to move over on me. I start to hit the brakes, and right when that happens, I can hear the screeching wheels behind me— it’s the trailer brakes coming on. He had cut the time in half!
“There’s nothing to do but get out of that situation,” she says. “I get on the brakes as hard as I can. The bike is fish-tailing. I’m veering to the side—hard—but there’s only so far I can go because there’s a barrier there. Just as I clear the back of the trailer, the trailer swings over and smacks the wall, right above my front wheel. It was so close.”
Debbie Evans, Lane Leavitt and son Daniel
The shot was awesome, and it makes for an amazing scene in the movie. But it was far too close for comfort for the former national observed trials champion, Motorcycle Hall of Famer and stuntwoman with more than 200 film, TV and commercial credits. She prides herself on bringing to her stunt work the same methodical, careful approach that made her a top national and international trials competitor.
“That was the only time I’ve ever gotten off a motorcycle after a stunt and started shaking and thought I was going to throw up,” she says. “It was that close.”
a stunt career that spans three decades without that kind of approach. He attributes Debbie’s longevity and success to her unique combination of hyper-focus, precise timing and electric reflexes.
And for her part, Debbie says none of that would have been possible without growing up on motorcycles.
“IT NEVER CROSSED MY MIND THAT I WASN’T A COMPETITOR”
It all started with a shift lever.
“I got my first trophy, and I was hooked,” she says now, sitting at her home just north of the greater Los Angeles area, which also serves as the office for her and her husband’s stunt business, Leavittation, Inc. “I actually found some of the old results sheets from those days recently, and I was shocked to see some of the names on them. I was riding against, and beating, guys like motocrosser Brian Myerscough, motocrosser and Hall of Famer Danny LaPorte and motocrosser and Hall of Famer Jeff Ward. Sure, it wasn’t motocross, it was trials, but it was pretty funny.”
From the start, Evans realized she had good balance. Even at 10 or 11 years old, she could balance a motorcycle upright, and move from sitting forward to sitting backward, without ever putting a foot down, and standing on the seat. When her dad showed her a picture of a rider doing a headstand on a stationary motorcycle when she was 14, she was able to do it on her first try.
In fact, by her own estimation, most of Evans’ stunts are more exacting, more calculated than the hairball save in “Matrix Reloaded.”
As her husband, Lane Leavitt, a threetime national trials champion and stunt business owner, notes, you don’t have
“When I was 9, for Christmas, I got a shift lever in a box,” Evans says. “Then we went out in the garage, and here was this giant box of parts. My dad had bought me a Honda 50 that someone had painted blue, including the wheels, but it was all apart. It was months and months of putting it together and buffing that paint off.”
Along the way, she earned a factory ride from Yamaha, which hired her as a rider, and sent her to motorcycle races around the country to give demonstrations of her skills.
Her father, Dave Evans, a trials and enduro rider who appeared doing a long wheelie in the movie “On Any Sunday,” started teaching her motorcycle skills by focusing on observed trials, which requires riders to traverse seemingly impossible obstacles without ever putting a foot down. She loved it, and was soon winning against other kids in California.
“It was kind of cool,” Evans says. “I was this senior in high school, and I’d get on a plane on Friday to fly to some race, where I’d show up and get a motorcycle from a local dealer to do my shows. I’d balance my bike and do the headstand, and stand on the seat and wheelie around the track. Then I’d fly back home. It was amazing, really.”
Her skills even took her, at age 19, to France’s Bol d’or endurance motorcycle race, where she did a show for thousands of French fans. It was great fun, and through
Photos: Brian P. Dettor
it all, Evans never saw herself as unusual because she was a woman in a sport dominated by men.
“It never crossed my mind that I wasn’t a competitor,” she says. “If there were certain riders who beat me, men or women, I’d get upset, because I knew I could beat them. I guess I got teased a bit, and I think a lot of it was jealousy, but it all disappeared when I’d get on my motorcycle and ride across the desert.”
She met her husband when she went to teach at his trials school at Donner Pass in California, and the two competed at nationals and trail-rode together.
Then, thanks to the movie “Death Sport” Evans’s life took an amazing turn.
“I CAME BACK FROM THAT, AND I JUST KNEW THAT’S WHAT I WANTED TO DO FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.”
thing—only more amazing—with the “Death Sport” jump.
Working with Gene Hartline, they built a ramp over solid ground and measured out how far they had to go, she says. “Of course, we weren’t making the distance at first, but we worked up to it. The only trick was there wasn’t a speedometer. I had to get in the right gear and listen to the rpms to make sure we were going the right speed.”
“One of my dad’s enduro sponsors, Art Barda, was involved in this movie, and it called for a girl who was pretty small to ride a motorcycle, so they called my dad, and I went out to see what they wanted,” Evans says. “David Carradine was in the movie, and they had these Yamaha DT500s with about 50 pounds of stuff welded on them to make them look like choppers. They asked me if I’d ever jumped a bike 30 feet across a ravine. Well, I hadn’t, but they said, ‘We’ll work up to it.’ And I was instantly comfortable with that.”
“My first job was to ride a motorcycle down a bridge railing in the TV series “Fall Guy,” he says. “And I got the job because every other motorcycle stuntman was doing this movie called ‘Death Sport.’
She nailed the jump. And she wound up working for 30 days on the movie—a long time for one job in the stunt business.
Leavitt’s response to the business was different.
In fact, that approach appealed strongly to her due to the methodical approach that drives observed trials. In that sport, you walk the tricky obstacle sections, evaluating the rocks, the logs, the turns, and work through the run mentally, all before ever riding it on a motorcycle. It was the same
“I came back from that, and I just knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Evans says. “I realized that I could ride motorcycles and get paid. More than that, I thought, ‘This is what I was meant to do.’ I went on to do a stunt competition, and I finished well, even winning the cardriving competition against some of the top stunt guys in the business. That was from motorcycling, too. The knowledge of motorcycle riding transfers to cars—things like traction, unweighting, lines through a corner, all those things.” Leavitt, too, did some stunt work—also breaking into the business because of “Death Sport,” but in a different way.
“I knew it was a hairy job,” he says. “I made more money in one day than I probably had in the previous year, but I knew it wasn’t for me. Instead, I focused on engineering better ways to do stunts behind the scenes with technology.” His first product was an “air ramp,” designed to propel a stuntman through the air in a convincing manner. The design came directly from motorcycling—essentially a motorcycle swingarm and shocks, designed to mimic a trampoline’s action but deliver a more predictable and progressive spring. Now, 34 years later, Leavittation produces about 50 different products of Leavitt’s design, giving both former champions a life in the movie business.
Photo: Holly Carlyle
“WHEN PEOPLE CALL ME A DAREDEVIL, IT’S KIND OF AN INSULT. TO ME IT’S A CALCULATED RISK.”
Of course, getting a start in the stunt business is different than making a long career of it. But Evans learned early on that the key to safety was in the same methodical approach she had learned from walking an observed trials section.
“I was working on a cliff about 300 feet up, and I had a rigging that would allow me to fall, and then catch me,” she says. “It was secured to the cliff, and we did the stunt a bunch of times. We were going to do it one final time, and then we decided not to.
“When I looked over the cable after that, I realized that if we had climbed
up and done it that last time, the cable would have come off its hook. I thought right there, ‘OK, I’m never going to let that happen again.’ I realized I had to watch everything.”
Her careful approach is very different from someone who succeeds on bravado.
“When people call me a daredevil, it’s kind of an insult,” she says. “To me it’s a calculated risk. I dissect everything on a stunt. Little things like how porous the asphalt is, is there any oil on the road, does the street have a crown? Is the motorcycle in good shape? How are the tires? Is the engine going to sputter? There’s so much to consider before you even start the stunt.”
Safety may mean something as simple as specifying a roll cage for a car jump from a pier to a ferry across open water—just in case the car doesn’t make the distance—or making sure the roadway is clear of the screws dropped on the street by another unit for driving shots in “The Muppets.”
us killed! I pulled over and told him “bury your head in my back and don’t look.” And that’s the way it appears in the movie.
Then there are the limitations of the equipment.
“Sometimes you have great bikes, but sometimes you have mega-crappy bikes. And it’s usually mega crappy,” Leavitt says. “They expect you to do magic with something like a 1950s Vespa. Debbie can do that, but not everyone can.”
Case in point: A high-speed mph reverse 180-degree turn in a badly maintained microvan for the movie “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” with Evans doubling Angelia Jolie.
“ADRENALINE IS YOUR FRIEND, IN THAT IT HELPS YOU FOCUS, AND IT GIVES YOU THE KIND OF FOCUS YOU DON’T GET ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.”
Still, there is always some risk to manage. On the set of “Matrix Reloaded,” Evans was piloting the Ducati with a passenger on the back, as she weaved between moving lanes of oncoming traffic and made a move left to thread between two semis.
“I lined up, and as soon as I started to correct, my passenger leaned to the left, and the entire bike heaved in that direction,” she says. “I had to force the bike back into line hard. It was extremely scary—he almost got
“That one was fun,” she says. “I was backing up at over 40 mph with two BMW M3s coming at me, pitching sideways, with explosions to launch them in the air toward me. All the mirrors in the van were blown out, so I can’t see anything behind me, and there’s a camera in the car, so it’s impossible for me to turn around.”
She practiced the move a few times, finding a stationary camera on the side of the route to use as her cue for the 180. “It was a tight one,” she says. “I knew if I didn’t go fast enough, I wouldn’t get out of the way of the two projectile cars coming at me, and if I went too fast, I’d blow the shot. In the end, I hit it just right. It was the coolest thing to see those two cars
up in the air coming at me!”
It all makes for a great adrenaline rush, but even that must be managed.
“Adrenaline is your friend, in that it helps you focus, and it gives you the kind of focus you don’t get on a day-to-day basis,” Evans says. “When they say, ‘Rolling!’ everything falls away and that adrenaline allows you to perform at a peak level.”
Fear, too, can be an issue. Some is good; too much is bad.
“I do everything I can to be as safe as possible,” she says. “But people also get killed crossing the street. I’d rather live my life to the fullest than not do anything.”
“I’VE NEVER BEEN GOOD ABOUT HEARING PEOPLE SAY WHAT I SHOULDN’T BE ABLE TO DO.”
Agustas, Ducatis—how many people get to do that?”
The secret, she says, has been simply following her dream.
“If you don’t have a healthy sense of fear while you’re doing stunts, you’re going to get hurt,” she says. “You have to have respect for what you do.”
For her part, Evans says she’s comfortable with the work.
In the end, Evans says she’s thankful most for the fact that she can make a living doing what she loves to do: ride motorcycles.
“I’ve never been good about hearing people say what I shouldn’t be able to do,” she says. “People said I couldn’t be married and work in this business, and I am. People said you can’t have a kid and be in the business—I have three. In motorcycling, I wanted to ride in the Scottish Six Days— and I did. People said I couldn’t go back to competition, and I finished as the eighth best woman in the world.”
Riding has always been a huge part of my life, starting when I was really young,” she says. “I have a job where I’m riding pocket bikes, Harley-Davidsons, MV
“You see so many people living their lives doing less than what they could accomplish if they didn’t listen to people say what they couldn’t do,” she says. “That’s wrong. You shouldn’t listen to that stuff.”
Riding Fast, Taking Chances, Capturing Them On Film
A Brief Look At Some of Debbie Evans’ Stunt Work
Debbie Evans has appeared as a stuntwoman in more than 200 films, TV shows and commercials since 1977, and she’s still going strong. Here are just a few of the movies and TV shows in which Debbie has done motorcycle or car stunts.
“Date Night” (2010)
“Pineapple Express” (2008) double for Rosie Perez
“Wanted” (2008) double for Angelina Jolie
“The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” (2006) double for Nathalie Kelley
“Superman Returns” (2006) double for Parker Posey
“Crank” (2006)
“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (2005)
“Herbie Fully Loaded” (2005)
“Spider-Man 2” (2004)
“Torque” (2004)
“Demolition Man” (2003) double for Sandra Bullock
“The Matrix Reloaded” (2003)
“Cradle 2 the Grave” (2003)
“2 Fast 2 Furious” (2003)
“Laurel Canyon” (2002)
“The Fast and the Furious” (2001)
“Gone in Sixty Seconds” (2000)
“Mission: Impossible II” (2000)
“Deep Impact” (1998)
“Batman & Robin” (1997) double for Alicia Silverstone
“Barb Wire” (1996)
“Strange Days” (1995)
“Showgirls” (1995)
“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991)
“Cobra” (1986)
“Tomboy” (1985)
“Max Dugan Returns” (1983)
“CHiPs”
“Take It to the Limit” (1980)
“The Jerk” (1979)
“Death Sport” (1978)
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A few of the hundreds of AMA-sanctioned events this month, detailed on the following pages.
1
One of the most prestigious event weekends in motorcycling—the AMA Visa Card from Capital One Legends & Champions Weekend—is set for Nov. 18-20 in Las Vegas, Nev. The weekend features the 2011 AMA Visa Card Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by KTM, the AMA Visa Card Championship Banquet and the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Dave Mungenast Memorial Concourse d’Elegance bike show. Info: AmericanMotorcyclist.com/Events/ LegendsAndChampions.aspx.
2
Have some fun and help out those less fortunate by taking part in a toy run. There are several to choose from, including the toy run hosted by the San Jacinto High Rollers NW Chapter in Houston on Dec. 4 and the Motorcycle Riders Association toy run in Loma Linda, Calif., on Dec. 18. Find other toy runs by searching the events calendar at AmericanMotorcyclist.com.
3
Get out your map and get rolling, because the AMA Grand Tours with KOA Along the Way will be wrapping up soon. These include the USA Four Corners Tour, the Ride For Your Rights Grand Tour, the Travel the USA with KOA Grand Tour, California Parks Adventure, California Mission Tour and the Three Flags Classic. See the schedule on page 47.
5
Check out the latest motorcycles and gear at the Progressive International Motorcycle Shows in San Mateo, Calif., Nov. 18-20; Dallas, Dec. 2-4; Long Beach, Calif., Dec. 9-11, Seattle, Dec. 16-18 and other cities next year. Info: MotorcycleShows.com.
6
4 Catch the high-flying action of AMA Arenacross Dec. 9-11 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes Barre, Pa. The 12-stop AMA Arenacross Series includes three new venues: the Cedar Park Center in Cedar Park, Texas; the SRC Arena in Syracuse, N.Y.; and the Target Center in Minneapolis. Info: Arenacross. com.
There’s some exciting amateur motocross happening in Texas. See some of the state’s best MXers Dec. 3-4 and Dec. 10-11 in Conroe, and Dec. 31-Jan. 1 in Wortham. Info: ThreePalmsesp. com and FreestoneMX.com.
COMING UP
Don’t miss the opportunity to see the greatest Supercross racers on the planet compete in the 2012 AMA Supercross Series. The series kicks off Jan. 7 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. See the full schedule on page 47. 6 3 5 3 4 4 3 5 2 4 5 3 2 1 5 4
ARIZONA COMPETITION
HARE SCRAMBLES
DEC 10: WIKIEUP: 2-DAY EVENT, ARIZONA TRAIL RIDERS, (602) 692-9382, ARIZONATRAILRIDERS.ORG CALIFORNIA
RECREATIONAL
TOY RUN
DEC 11: GLENDALE: ABATE-CA LOCAL 1, (818) 244-9898
COMPETITION
EUROPEAN SCRAMBLES
DEC 11: PLASTER CITY: ROADRUNNER OFF-ROAD RACING CLUB INC, (760) 275-9852, AMAD38.COM
OBSERVED TRIALS
DEC 4: ROMOLAND: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRIALS ASSOCIATION, (909) 224-3375, SOCALTRIALS.COM
NEW MEXICO
COMPETITION
OBSERVED TRIALS
DEC 4: SAN YSIDRO: NEW MEXICO TRIALS ASSOCIATION, (505) 332-3172
HALL OF FAME EXHIBITS
MOTORCYCLE HALL OF FAME MOTORCYCLEMUSEUM.ORG
The 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: 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.
30-Year Ride: Honda’s Ohio-made Motorcycles: Gold Wings aren’t the only bikes that Honda produced at its plant in Marysville, Ohio. This exhibit showcases the 30 years of production, from the CR250 to the Rune.
Founder’s Hall: Honoring the Hall of Fame’s generous contributors.
AMA PRO RACING
2012 MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS SERIES AMASUPERCROSS.COM
Jan. 7: Anaheim, Calif.: Angel Stadium
Jan. 14: Phoenix, Ariz.: Chase Field
NEW YORK
COMPETITION
HARE SCRAMBLES
DEC 4: HARPURSVILLE: SQUARE
DEAL RIDERS M/C, (607) 693-2634, SQUAREDEALRIDERS.COM
DEC 18: HARPURSVILLE: SQUARE DEAL RIDERS M/C, (607) 693-2634, SQUAREDEALRIDERS.COM
NORTH CAROLINA
COMPETITION
MOTOCROSS
DEC 30-31: FLETCHER: VICTORY SPORTS INC, (423) 323-5497, VICTORYSPORTSRACING.COM
OHIO
COMPETITION
MOTOCROSS
DEC 2-3: COLUMBUS: AMERICAN MOTOSPORTS LLC, (937) 358-2427, AMERICANMX.COM
PENNSYLVANIA
COMPETITION
ARENACROSS
DEC 9: WILKES BARRE: FELD MOTOR
Jan. 21: Los Angeles: Dodger Stadium
Jan. 28: Oakland, Calif.: Overstock.com Stadium
Feb. 4: Anaheim, Calif.: Angel Stadium
Feb. 11: San Diego: Qualcomm Stadium
Feb. 18: Arlington, Texas: Cowboys Stadium
Feb. 25: Atlanta: Georgia Dome
March 3: St. Louis: Edward Jones Dome
March 10: Daytona Beach, Fla.: Daytona Int’l Speedway
March 17: Indianapolis: Lucas Oil Stadium
March 24: Toronto, Canada: Rogers Centre
March 31: Houston: Reliant Stadium
April 14: New Orleans: Louisiana Superdome
April 21: Seattle: Qwest Field
April 28: Salt Lake City: Rice-Eccles Stadium
May 5: Las Vegas, Nev.: Sam Boyd Stadium
AMA ARENACROSS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES ARENACROSS.COM
Dec. 9-11: Wilkes Barre, Pa.: Mohegan Sun Arena
Jan. 6-8: Grand Rapids, Mich.: VanAndel Arena
SPORTS, (800) 216-7482, ARENACROSS. COM
SOUTH CAROLINA
COMPETITION
HARE SCRAMBLES
DEC 4: LAURENS: GREENVILLE ENDURO RIDERS, (864) 908-6109, GREENVILLEENDURORIDERS.COM
TENNESSEE
COMPETITION
MOTOCROSS
DEC 9-10: WHITE PINE: VICTORY SPORTS INC, (423) 323-5497, VICTORYSPORTSRACING.COM
TEXAS
RECREATIONAL TOY RUN
DEC 4: HOUSTON: SAN JACINTO HIGH ROLLERS NW CHAPTER, NWSJHR.COM
COMPETITION
MOTOCROSS
DEC 31: WORTHAM: 2-DAY EVENT, FREESTONE COUNTY RACEWAY LLC, (903) 599-1888, FREESTONEMX.COM
Jan. 13-15: Topeka, Kan.: KS Expo Centre Arena
Jan. 21-22: Dayton, Ohio: Nutter Center
Jan. 27-29: Cedar Park, Texas: Cedar Park Center
Feb. 3-5: Syracuse, N.Y.: SRC Arena
Feb. 11-12: Fresno, Calif.: Save Mart Center
Feb. 17-19: Reno, Nev.: Livestock Events Center
Feb. 25-26: Minneapolis, Minn.: Target Center
GRAND TOURS
Jan. 1 - Dec. 31: USA Four Corners Tour, SCMA, (909) 271-0137, USA4Corners.org
April 1 - Nov. 30: Ride For Your Rights Grand Tour, AMA, Dave Hembroff, (614) 8561900 ext. 1202, AmericanMotorcyclist.com/ Roadride/Touring.com
April 1 - Nov. 30: Travel the USA with KOA, Midnight Riders MC, (765) 566-3807, Midnight-Riders-MC.com
Jan. 1 - Dec. 31: California Parks Adventure, SCMA, (760) 985-7660, SC-MA. com
Jan. 1 - Dec. 31: California Mission Tour, SCMA, (760) 985-7660, SC-MA.com
Jan. 1 - Dec. 31: Three Flags Classic, SCMA, (626) 274-2237, SC-MA.com
STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION
1. Title of publication: American Motorcyclist
2. Publication No. 020820
3. Date of filing: October 1, 2011
4. Frequency of issue: monthly
5. No. of issues published annually: 12
6. Annual subscription price: $15.00
7. Location of known office of publication: 13515 Yarmouth Dr., Pickerington Fairfield County, OH 43147-8273
8. Location of headquarters or general business office of the publishers: 13515 Yarmouth Dr., Pickerington, Fairfield County, OH 43147-8273
9. Name and complete address of Publishers: American Motorcyclist Association, 13515 Yarmouth Dr., Pickerington Fairfield County, OH 43147-8273 Managing Editor: James Holter
10. Owner: American Motorcyclist Association 13515 Yarmouth Dr., Pickerington Fairfield County, OH 43147-8273
11. Known bond holder, mortgages and other securities: none
12. Tax Status (For completion by non-profit organizations authorized to mail nonprofit rates). Has not changed during preceding 12 months
13. Publication name: American Motorcyclist
14. Issue date for circulation data: November 2011
Extent and nature of circulation:
Column A: Average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months
Column B: Average number of copies of single issue publicatished nearest to filling date
A. Total no. copies (Net press run) 193,374 190,666
B. Paid and/or requested circulation
1. Paid/Requested Outside County Mail, subscriptions stated on Form 3541246,177 192,860 189,985
2. Paid in-county subscriptions 0 0
3. Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales & others 0 0
4. Oher classes mailed through USPS
C. Total paid distribution 192,860 189,985
D. Free or nominal rate distribution by mail 514 681
E. Total free or nominal rate distribution 514 681
F. Total distribution: 193,374 190,666
G.Copies not distributed
Total: 193,374 190,666
Percent paid and /or requested circulation 99.9% 99.9%
I certify that the statement made by me is correct and complete. Grant Parsons, Director of Communications
