Barber: The Mecca

View of the track and scoring tower as seen from the Fan Zone.

BARBER

THE MECCA

WORDS: RICK PATROLIA #204 PHOTOS: KEVIN MCINTOSH, STEPH VETTERLY

After a year of shutdown from COVID-19 in 2020, this year seemed to find the masses trying to make up for lost time. Everyone and his brother were out and about to see the sights and sounds that were so sorely missed. Way down yonder, in a little hamlet known as Leeds, Alabama, just outside Birmingham, resides a Formula One Grand Prix racetrack known as Barber Motorsports Park. George Barber built this facility on a site of rolling hills and natural terrain that includes a museum with a pristine example of almost every motorcycle ever manufactured. A smattering of formula race cars from years gone by and exhibits that would have any enthusiast in awe. Every year for the past 16 seasons, the faithful have made the trek to the Barber Vintage Festival. With an eerie spectator-less slate of AHRMA vintage races last year, along with two days of rain to add to the mix, the 2021 event would prove to be a bumper year for everything motorcycle and perfect weather. The AHRMA racers started a procession into the paddock on Wednesday, getting set up and meeting old friends and new. The excitement was already in the air. As practice began on Thursday morning, the swap meet and countless vendors were setting up for the rush of folks from all over the country making their way to the motorcycling Mecca.

Jerry and Dee Wood were making preparations for the annual vintage motorcycle auction to be held on Sunday afternoon. The “swap meet” took up two large sections of ground as far as the eye could see. Everything you could imagine, from whole bikes to parts and pieces of every manner and description. You never know who you might bump into. One vendor had a Scott Russell replica helmet in his area, and who should walk by, but five-time Daytona 200 winner, Scott himself, who graciously autographed it for him. Just tripled the value of that helmet. George Barber does an incredible job of placing unique sculptures throughout the facility, from a giant spider to a blow-up church. A tram system is set up to take patrons all around the park with stops along the way. It’s like Disneyland for bikers. A stop at the “Wall of Death” or to take in a rock concert is a must, while the sights, sounds, and smells of vintage racing take center stage. All in all, it’s just sensory overload for four days. After the races, it was time to hook up the motor home and head south to Daytona Beach Florida. The CCS/ASRA Race of Champions happens the following week. The thoughts of hurtling around the high banks of DIS, flat out, on a 3.5-mile road course brings on a heightened sense of excitement. As we set up our bikes and equipment in the open-air garages, my new neighbor pulls out a T-150 from the back of his van. All decked out in bodywork and colors of the ‘70s Factory Triumph Triples. As he put it up on the race stand, in all its glory, I approached to meet the owner. His name was Al Charles, a name I knew from AHRMA racing for the past 30 years.

With a total collection over 1,600 machines, 900+ on display, the Barber Museum has enough unique machines to keep you wandering its five floors for days. The 2021 concert series, sponsored by ZYN, included Tim Dugger on Friday and John Elefante of Kansas featuring Six Wire on Saturday (pictured here). Patrons took full advantage of the free admission.

photo by steph vetterly

You can find just about anything at the giant swap meet, which runs every day of the event.

photo by kevin mcintosh

Rick, Kristy, and Al

photo courtesy of rick patrolia

photo by kevin mcintosh photo by kevin mcintosh

He had a sticker on his fairing with a picture of Dick Klamfoth, threetime winner of the Daytona 200, back in the days of racing on the beach. He beat those Harleys and Indians with his trusty Norton and started the British invasion. Al told me that Dick was his father-in-law, which meant that his wife, and pit crew, Kristy, was Dick’s daughter. Sadly, Dick passed away in 2019, but left behind a legacy that memorializes the Daytona 200. I sat with Kristy as she told me the story of how the idea of a Monument came to be, and how the “powers that be” in Daytona Beach found him a piece of property right on the beach to build his dream. Through hard work, his vision materialized, and is now a permanent part of the landscape on the boardwalk behind the Hilton Hotel overlooking the plaza with the half shell. Thousands come every year to look at the plaques of all the racers who won the 200 over the years, past to present. The brick walkway surrounding the granite slab, was paved by contributions from enthusiasts, and I stopped to see my brick emblazoned as a donor. Bob Coy, the founder of the USCRA (United States Classic Racing Association) in NH, and a member of the board for the Monument, as well as the Motorsports Museum in Loudon, NH, has a new plaque on the wall as well. At the track, when the time came to race the Triumph, it started with a sound only a triple can make. With its open megaphone, it was like music to my ear. Al took his place on the front row and got off to a great start. The sound of that 750 “stretching its legs” through the trioval, past start/finish, made a howl that puts fear in the hearts of mortal men. The ROC is a National Championship for more modern machinery, and the Triumph is slightly outdated, but none the less, it was the best sounding bike out there. Returning to the garage, Al had a grin from ear to ear. The bike ran like a watch, and rekindled a feeling not felt at Daytona in 50 years, and I was living it and loving it. AHRMA, the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association, has been able to procure a date to bring back the sights and sounds of vintage racing to the high banks of Daytona. January 7-9, 2022, kicks off the AHRMA season with a full slate of races including the everpopular sidecars. In March during Bike Week, and the 2022 “Daytona 200,” the annual “Over the Hill gang” breakfast is to be held, along with the unveiling of the new plaques at the Monument and a celebration of, I believe, 25 years since its inception.

The Daytona 200 monument became a reality thanks to the hard work of Dick and Beverly Klamfoth. It was dedicated in March 2002 and can be found near the beachfront site of the old Daytona 200 course. Featured on the monument are the 12 race winners from 1937 (Ed Kretz) to 1960 (Brad Andres).

photo courtesy of rick patrolia