American Motorcyclist Association thanks those who contributed to the success of 2018 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Royal Enfield

PICKERINGTON, OH – July 11, 2018 – (Motor Sports Newswire) –  Motorcycle enthusiasts from across the country enjoyed three days of vintage motorcycle racing, product displays and demo rides, bike shows, seminars, entertainment, a bustling swap meet and camaraderie at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, during AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Royal Enfield, July 6-8.

The annual event — organized and promoted by the American Motorcyclist Association — raises funds for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame to support its mission to promote the heritage of motorcycling in America.

With the support of Royal Enfield North America, this year’s event highlighted the excitement, challenge and competition of adventure motorcycle riding. Royal Enfield’s new Himalayan adventure motorcycle model, with its “Built for All Roads, Built for No Roads” purpose, is the culmination of the company’s 116 years of history chasing two-wheeled adventure.

The grand marshal for the event was AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Scot Harden, who excelled competing in arguably motorcycling’s greatest adventure — multi-day, thousand-mile rallies such as Dakar. Harden presented a seminar about what it takes to compete and win at Dakar, as well as his vision, shared with the AMA, for increasing the reach of motorcycling in America, which he calls Plus 1.

AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman expressed appreciation for all those who helped make the event possible.

“The weather was perfect throughout the weekend, which contributed to a very large and enthusiastic turnout,” Dingman said. “Tens of thousands of vintage motorcycle owners converged on Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to celebrate motorcycling’s history, learn about where motorcycling is heading and immerse themselves in motorcycling’s strong sense of community.”

Dingman said the AMA takes pride in organizing this event, where people from all walks of life share a common passion for motorcycles in a fun, relaxing and energetic atmosphere.

“We would like to thank everyone whose hard work made the event a success and supported the continued preservation of motorcycling’s heritage through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame,” he said. “At the top of that list is 2018 Grand Marshal and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Scot Harden, whose accomplishments in motorcycle rally racing are legendary.”

Dingman also thanked those companies that provided financial support for the event.

“Old Bike Barn, Royal Enfield North America, Skidmark Garage, Federal Motorcycle Transport, Biltwell, Metal Rescue and MotoArmory all played an important role this year in supporting AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, as well as the Hall of Fame,” Dingman said.

Many AMA promoters and clubs assisted in the operation of racing activities throughout the weekend.

“AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days would not be the hugely successful event it is without the support of our partners,” said AMA Chief Operations Officer Jeff Massey. “All of the individuals involved with race operations played a pivotal role in the overall success of the event.”

Massey thanked WERA Motorcycle Roadracing Inc. for organizing the road racing activities; Trials Inc. for planning and scoring the AMA Vintage Trials event; Jason Hooper and his Full Gas crew, along with Mandi Mastin and her family, for running the AMA Vintage Hare Scrambles; Baja Acres MX and Log Road MX for all of the motocross operations; the Dayton Motorcycle Club for assisting with motocross; and Kevin Kelly for announcing multiple events and award ceremonies.

Massey also thanked Steve Nace Racing for assisting with AMA Vintage Flat Track racing and the Ashland County Fairgrounds for hosting the flat track event during AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days weekend.

In addition, Massey thanked AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer John Ulrich and the Roadracing World Action Fund for providing the soft barriers for road racing events and MotoAmerica for assisting in the coordination of the use of the soft barriers.

Massey also thanked KTM North America for providing demo rides to attendees.

“I would like to thank all of our speakers for providing educational and entertaining seminars for attendees of this event through our seminar program,” Massey said. “The talented musicians that performed onstage in the Old Bike Barn Crossroads also did an outstanding job.”

Other organizations Massey thanked were Ryan Young Products for performing in the Xtreme Trials Exhibition, JCR Studio for assisting in infield and off-road audio, Nationwide for sponsoring of the Water Station, Green Savoree Mid-Ohio LLC and North High Brewing.

“I would also like to thank the many vendors who filled the Old Bike Barn Crossroads and those who set up at the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Swap Meet, brought to you by Federal Motorcycle Transport,” Massey said.

Other partners included American Motor Drome Wall of Death and Mark and Dawn Merical.

Motorcycle Classics magazine sponsored the Motorcycle Classics Vintage Ride and Show.

Custom bike building partners were Analog Motorcycles, Loaded Gun Customs, Flying Tiger Moto, Jesse Spade Designs and Austin Martin Originals.

Thanks also go to Bear Haughton, David Uhl, Ellis Holman, Tom Heil and Chris Heck for judging the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Bike Show, presented by Old Bike Barn.

The Christian Motorcyclists Association and Motorcycle Ohio provided many hours of volunteer effort. The AMA also thanks its many member volunteers.

Participating clubs: British Motorcycle Club of Cincinnati, Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club and the Ton Up Club North America.

AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is the country’s premier celebration of vintage motorcycles and motorcycling heritage. To learn more about AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, see photos and read stories from the event, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.

To ensure you get information about the 2019 event as early as possible, sign up for the official AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days e-newsletter here: www.americanmotorcyclist.com/For-Members/AMA-Social-Media-Channels.

View event information on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AMAVintageMotorcycleDays and also search Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #AMAVMD.

About the American Motorcyclist Association

Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.

Not a member? Join the AMA today.

Source: American Motorcyclist Association

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