The Rider Files

(News Release)

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — On Saturday, July 10, attendees of the American Motorcyclist Association’s (AMA) Vintage Motorcycle Days will have a rare opportunity to witness several racing legends on the vintage motocross track in the Husqvarna Legends Exhibition Race.

The July 9-11 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, which raises funds for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, is the country’s largest celebration of motorcycling’s heritage. Held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, this year’s event features Husqvarna as Marque of the Year, while the 2010 grand marshal is off-road racing legend Malcolm Smith.

The Husqvarna Legends Exhibition Race will include several racers who made their names on the Husqvarna brand, including Smith, Dick Burleson, Mark Blackwell, Terry Cunningham, Mike Melton, Scot Harden, Mike Guerra, Bob Popiel and Gunnar Lindstrom. They will ride vintage Husqvarna motorcycles that are part of Alex Moroz’s Legends and Heroes Tour.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see real legends who built the sport, mounted on bikes from the period back on the track doing what they do best: Ride!” said Harden, national sales and marketing manager for Husqvarna Motorcycles NA. “I personally can’t wait to see Dick Burleson, Malcolm Smith, Terry Cunningham, Mike Melton, Mike Guerra and the rest back on their Husqvarnas, reliving the glory of the past. The fact that I get to take a few laps with them is almost unbelievable for me to even consider. Everyone will need to bring their cameras as history will truly be made at this event.”

The Husqvarna Legends Exhibition Race will run at approximately 12:45 p.m. during the Saturday intermission in the AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships’ vintage motocross program. The AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships feature AMA national championship racing in motocross, hare scrambles, trials, road racing and dirt track.

“Once again, we’re shown how vintage motocross can bring together everyday racers and some of the biggest legends of the sport,” said AMA Director of Racing Joe Bromley. “The Husqvarna Legends Exhibition Race will be a major highlight for all of the AMA racers vying for AMA Racing National No. 1 plates at this event. I know I’ll be right there with them, watching these heroes circulate the motocross course on vintage Husqvarnas.”

In addition to vintage racing, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days also includes North America’s largest motorcycle swap meet, educational seminars, bike shows, demo rides of current production bikes, the Federal Companies/Allied Used Bike Corral, motorcycling seminars, the new product Manufacturers’ Midway, and club corrals featuring marque and regional clubs.

Proceeds from AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days benefit the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. The goal of the Hall of Fame, on the campus of the AMA in Pickerington, Ohio, is to honor the distinguished men and women whose competitive spirit, passion, vision and entrepreneurship have played a vital role in shaping the sport, lifestyle and business of motorcycling. For more information, call (614) 856-2222, or visit the Hall of Fame’s website at MotorcycleMuseum.org.

For tickets to AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, see MidOhio.com. For more information about the event, visit AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.com.

(News Release)

RedBud Celebrates Three Decades of American Motocross
Michigan Mafia Reunion and Fan Fest Highlight Race Festivities

RedBud celebrates three decades this weekend with the Michigan Mafia Reunion (Steve Cox photo)

MORGANTOWN, W.V. (June 30, 2010) – Just a few days remain before the 2010 Rockstar Energy RedBud National, round six of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, kicks off with the longstanding 4th of July tradition of American motocross. For four decades, the world’s greatest riders and most well known personalities have battle it out on the rich Michigan soil and to celebrate the illustrious history of the facility, RedBud is hosting a pair of festivities to help build the excitement of the event.

Since 1974, motocross has been a summer institution in Buchanan and throughout the last 36 years, the Michigan Mafia has been a staple of that tradition. The Great Lakes State is a longtime hotbed of motocross that produced one of the most iconic groups of riders in history: Jeff Stanton, Mike Hartwig, Todd DeHoop, Brian Swink, Alan King, Eddie Warren, Keith and Greg Bowen, Kelly Smith, Dave Hollis, Denny Bentley, John Grewe, Jimmy Wilson, the Bigelow brothers, the Hinkle boys, Lisa Akin-Wagner and more. There was also the legendary Team Dynamic amateur juggernaut that ruled the circuit through the seventies and early eighties.

The Michigan Mafia tradition still lives on through today with DeWitt native and Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Nick Wey, not to mention WMX stars Sarah Whitmore and Ashley Fiolek (now a transplant to St. Augustine, FL) among others.

Josh Grant took the win during last year's inaugural NBC broadcast from RedBud. (Steve Cox photo)

To honor the men and women that put Michigan motocross on the map, RedBud is hosting the Michigan Mafia Reunion. Throughout the weekend, several members of the Mafia will be on hand to bench race and celebrate Independence Day with the fans while nostalgic photos and bikes from the ’70s and ’80s era adorn the facility. Fans can also expect to see “honorary” members of the Michigan Mafia like Mike LaRocco, Connie Fiest and Larry Witmer, all of who were from next-door Indiana but lifelong Red Bud regulars.

On Friday evening, RedBud will host the second annual Fan Fest at the track, centering around the Michigan Mafia Reunion. Former champion and Coldwater native Stanton, Cheboygan’s Whitmore and current Michigan Mafia flag bearer Wey will sign autographs for the fans and take part in the pre-race celebration before the world’s best take to the track and attack LaRocco’s Leap on Saturday afternoon. The festivities run from 6-8 p.m. EST.

Additionally, RedBud will be eco-friendly in 2010 by going green in a concentrated effort to promote recycling at the track. Every disposal site throughout the entire facility will be accompanied by a recycling bin designated for the thousands of glass, aluminum and plastic containers that will be used throughout the weekend. Recycling banks will also be located at high traffic areas in an effort to provide ample opportunities to help the environment.

The Rockstar Energy RedBud National will also be the second of three live events broadcast exclusively on NBC Sports. This marks the second year that NBC has brought RedBud to the millions watching at home and last season, Muscle Milk/Toyota/JGR’s Josh Grant was able to break through for his first career win and instantly become a household name. The NBC broadcasts are a groundbreaking opportunity for the sport of American motocross to enter the mainstream, reaching millions of households throughout the country. After a successful debut season on the network, the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship has returned, hosting its NBC premiere from High Point Raceway on June 12, introducing breakout rookie sensation and Rockstar/Makita Suzuki rider Ryan Dungey who captured the win on that day.

The gates drop at RedBud beginning at 1 p.m. EST on Saturday, July 3. NBC Sports coverage of the second 450 Class moto begins at 3:30 p.m. EST. Next-day coverage of the 250 Class can be seen on Sunday at 4 p.m. EST on SPEED. As always, live internet stream of the first motos of each class can be seen at www.allisports.com/motocross.

For tickets and fan and racing information on the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, log on to www.allisports.com/motocross.