AHRMA MAG March 2024, Vol. No. 6, Issue No. 2

This month’s Stories

• off-road tech inspection Standard implementation

• rider responsibility with mark morrow

• the iron way with greg adomaitis

• potomac vintage riders’ york swap meet

• chat with sue fish“the flying fish”

Setting the standard of hypersport performance. Again.

The sensation you feel after a ride. That’s what really matters. With the innovations made on the Battlax Hypersport S23, we’ve set new standards in control, stability and grip.

welcome to the AHRMA Mag

EDITOR

Steph Vetterly ahrmamag@ahrma.org

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

Terry McPhillips, Greg Adomaitis, Joshua Schucker, Mark Morrow

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTORS

Lorena Walker, Paula Kyle-Stephens, Mark Morrow, Aaron Galloway @ Motorsportphoto, Kevin McIntosh, Ray Ermel, Sarah Lane, Brad Adell, Matt Benson

ADVERTISING advertising@ahrma.org

PUBLISHER

The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association

ADDRESS

8913 Town and Country Circle #1093 Knoxville, TN 37923

PHONE

888-41AHRMA

(888) 412-4762

COVER -

Greg Adomaitis at the 2023 White Rose motocross, where he took first place in both the Sportsman Novice and Next Gen Novice classes. Not bad for his first year!

AHRMA MAG is published ten times a year by the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association. All rights reserved under International and PanAmerican copyright conventions. Reproduction of this work in whole or in part without the written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited. AHRMA MAG is printed in the United States of America. The articles contained in this magazine are works of journalism and do not represent the opinions or ideas of AHRMA MAG. AHRMA MAG and the publisher assume no responsibility for the content of advertisements. While we welcome submissions, the magazine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Please do not send originals.

from the editor

This year, we’re trying something different with the magazine. Each quarter, we’ll be printing and shipping an issue, just like we used to. These issues will be full of stories, not race reports. I’m proud of our collection in this month’s issue, and look forward to even more content for our June issue.

Collect Memories, Not Things

Lately, I’ve been going through a lot of old family photos, and since a few of the articles in this issue are a look back at the ol’ days, I thought I would share a look back at where motorcycling started for me.

This is me and my dad with his 1988 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide. My mom and dad were big into biker rallys before I was born, and even after I came along, it was a regular occurrence in the summer for them to take the bike out for a long ride.

As soon as I was old enough, I got my own helmet (complete with a “Helmet Laws Suck” sticker on the back), and joined in on the rides, sometimes with both my parents, sometimes with just dad. We never had a destination in mind; the only goal was to enjoy being on two wheels.

Those were some fun times!

Now I have a set of wheels of my own, and my favorite thing to do is go for a ride in the summer... destination unknown.

see you on the track!

Steph Vetterly

Thanks to everyone who subscribes and looks forward to each issue.

We at AHRMA MAG want to hear from our readership. We’d like to know how we’re doing. Send us feedback and comments about your favorite stories and columns, likes and dislikes and what you’d enjoy seeing in future issues.

email: ahrmamag@ahrma.org

call: 888-41AHRMA (888-412-4762)

Photo by lorena walker

photo by TIM VECHIK

NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS

Daniel May, Executive Director

email: executive.director@ahrma.org

8913 Town and Country Circle #1093 Knoxville, TN 37923

Ed Roman, Special Committee Chairman

email: ed.roman@ahrma.org

MEMBERSHIP

email: membership@ahrma.org

8913 Town and Country Circle #1093 Knoxville, TN 37923

COMMUNICATIONS

Cindy McLean

email: communications@ahrma.org

RACE DIRECTORS

ROAD RACE DIRECTOR - Leasha Overturf

email: roadrace.director@ahrma.org

OFF-ROAD DIRECTOR - Terry McPhillips

email: offroad.director@ahrma.org

DIRT TRACK DIRECTOR - Richard Brodock

email: dirt.track@ahrma.org

RACE COORDINATORS

CROSS COUNTRY COORDINATOR - TBD

NATIONAL TRIALS COORDINATOR

Debbie Poole

email: pooleschl1@hotmail.com

EASTERN TRUSTEES

Carl Anderson - ahrma79@gmail.com

Mike Dixon - michael.dixon@ahrma.org

Jeff Hargis - jeffhargis@comcast.net

Bob Robbins - bobr@inter-techsupplies.com

David Rutherford - david.rutherford@ahrma.org

Tim Terrell - tim.terrell@ahrma.org

WESTERN TRUSTEES

Al Anderberg - al.anderberg@ahrma.org

Albert Newmann (Treasurer)newmann.albert@gmail.com

Wesley Poole - wes.ahrma@gmail.com

Luke Sayer (Secretary) - sayerlu@gmail.com

Kelly Shane - kelly.ahrma@gmail.com

Greg Tomlinson (Chairman) - chairman@ahrma.org

SHARING FISH TALES with Sue “Flying” Fish

THE IRON WAY Vintage Motocross with Greg Adomaitis

PHOTO BY PAUL ELLEDGE

Greetings from Roebling Road Raceway just outside of Savanah, GA. It has been several very busy weeks preparing for the Road Race season opener. We had a wonderful 2023 Road Race awards banquet last night (Friday, February 16th), and are halfway through an exciting weekend of Road Racing.

We often hear the question, “What is Vintage?” The terms “vintage,” “classic,” “antique,” etc. convey the idea of something old, but how old? Is it a relative term based on the age of the racer, or is it fixed in time around a specific or significant milestone in the sport? When does a machine migrate from old to vintage?

These are all good questions, and there is no “right” answer. The roots of AHRMA started in the late 1970’s, and the organization as we know it today was formally established as a not-for-profit in 1989. When you look at the demographics of our members, 80% are over the age of 50. A 50-year-old member was born in 1974, and if they started riding when they were 16, they would have bought a new bike on the showroom floor in 1990! On the other hand, a 70-year-old member was born in 1954, and at 16 years old would have seen a 1970 model

What is Vintage?

on the showroom floor. So is 1970 vintage? 1990? Or are you a fan of the machines from the ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s even if you never actually saw them race when they were new or in their prime?

Search the internet for the term “what is a vintage motorcycle?”, and you will get a wide variety of answers and opinions. Most states consider any vehicle over 35 years to be vintage or antique. But in the motorcycle racing world, the age of the machine may require a very different facility to compete. Road Racing and Dirt Track venues are somewhat agnostic to the age of the machine competing. Asphalt is asphalt, and other than really long tracks, the vintage bikes

can run the same venues as modern bikes. Dirt Track is the same, most facilities are suitable for bikes of any age. Motorcross is a different beast. Older bikes cannot handle the modern supercross style tracks as the suspension was just not designed for it.

So where am I going with all this? Let’s get a conversation going about where you want AHRMA to be in 10 or 20 years, and what machines you want to be racing.

Daniel May

DANIEL MAY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

At the time of this writing, we are still five days out from first 2024 race weekend at Roebling Road Raceway (RRR). I’m now six weeks into my new position and things are going well. As Roadrace Director, one must prioritize tasks and stay focused during the prep time while organizing everything for the upcoming race. Not only am I working on the event that is coming up, but I’m also jumping ahead to get things in place for the next one. I’m still learning the order of things but it’s all coming together. The logistics for the race at RRR are in place and I have moved forward with getting plans in place for our next stop at CMP in March.

All the ARHMA gear has been loaded and it’s ready to make the trip to the race track. The transition of loading all the containers for the different racing departments rather than my race bike created some mixed emotions for me. I sat with my thoughts for a few minutes and then I was back to my excitement and ready to embrace the new opportunities ahead. I can’t wait to get to the track and get our event underway!

Before I close, I thought I’d share a little bit about myself. If it was not for my stepdad, Jerry Hopper, I may never have gotten into motorcycles. When I first met him, I had no interest in even speaking to him! Then one day he showed up on a motorcycle and offered me a ride. That started one of the best relationships I’d have in life. You can see my enthusiasm from the old photo I’ve included. Though money was tight I arrived home from school one day to see a little Sears & Roebuck Minibike. I was thrilled and from there all I wanted to do was go riding! As I come across more photos, I’ll continue to share them in my column.

Speaking of riding…It’s almost RACE DAY!

Leasha Overturf

LEASHA OVERTURF ROAD RACE DIRECTOR

PHOTO

Positive Changes

For many of you, this has been a time to take a deep breath, relax and recuperate during the down season. Not so for those of us involved in working to make things better here at AHRMA! Here’s a quick rundown of things going on besides setting up and getting a schedule out.

We have updated MSR to combine disciplines into a single weekend event. No longer will you have to go into MSR and fill out, complete, and pay for, the same form multiple times for a single weekend. You now will be able to register for multiple events within a weekend before payment is made. This will eliminate paying the multiple MSR fees for each transaction. Now there will only be a single $2.00 fee for multiple disciplines over a single weekend event. This helps us to make things easier when setting up MSR events as well.

We have also updated MSR events for pre-registration to reflect the fact that these PVMX and NGMX are currently running on the same day. Combining these registrations will allow you to save money by allowing first and second entries to be combined over both series (i.e first class registration for PVMX and second-class registration for NGMX on the same day). Post registration forms have also been updated accordingly.

OFF-ROAD

Many thanks to Mindi Walker and Sharon Dray for all the time and effort they put into making this happen.

We have reconvened the Off-Road Planning Committee. This consists of 5 long-time members, along with myself. We are setting up a plan on where we need to take AHRMA Off-Road in the future. We will be bringing additional members in, as needed, to vet our ideas. Our objective is to come up with a plan that can be implemented, over a period of time, to grow our organization. We need to be able to visualize, communicate, and implement these plans in a methodic way. We will be communicating these ideas to membership in advance of implementation.

Tech inspectors from across the country are now meeting to bring more consistency to the tech inspection process. One objective is to bring cross country and motocross into alignment. We are looking at the many challenges AHRMA has in creating a consistent process with people who have a better understanding of what needs to be done and why. There will be some process changes that will be in place (see the article in this month’s issue on off-road tech inspection). Chris Todd and James Smith are heading up this effort.

Off-road is also involved in the recently formed Risk and Safety committee headed by Ed Roman and Bob Robbins. This committee is meeting weekly. This is a collaboration of all disciplines, and has been very successful at looking at safety and risk factors to reduce risk to the organization and to our members.

As in the past, the Regional Coordinators are working together to figure out ways to grow the regions. We meet bi-monthly to address the challenges and opportunities to grow the regions in an everchanging environment.

When you meet any of these people, please introduce yourself and let them know that you appreciate all the extra effort they put in to help improve and run the sport we all love. Without them, none of this would be possible.

As you can see, it’s been a busy time for us. But the fun stuff is ahead! Opening season for off-road is right around the corner!

See you at the track!

Be safe, have fun, and ride fast!

Terry McPhillips

TERRY MCPHILLIPS OFF-ROAD RACE DIRECTOR

PHOTO BY SHARON BEAN

Off-Road tech inspection

STATUS AND UPDATES

WORDS BY TERRY MCPHILLIPS, OFF-ROAD RACE DIRECTOR

PHOTOS BY KEVIN MCINTOSH

s most of you know, we have been looking at what does and doesn’t work in all areas of off-road (you’ll be hearing of a number of issues that we are trying to address as we move forward). Our objective is to take steps in identifying problem areas, finding solutions to address them and implementing these solutions. These improvements will make off-road more consistent and efficient. These articles are to help members understand what we are doing, why we are updating/changing things, and what to expect.

ATech Inspection is one of the many areas that we are looking at. Many of the folks who have been doing tech for the past several years are now meeting monthly. Using their input along with requirements set in the AHRMA Handbook is allowing us to develop training and to modify the tech inspection process to create more consistency.

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?

There are changes that need to be done based on insurance requirements and other common sense items from the newly formed Safety and Risk Committee, as well as items listed in the AHRMA Handbook. The items addressed are being integrated into our processes and will be updated in the AHRMA Handbook to provide guidance for our riders and tech folks alike. Providing consistency and an increased knowledge base for our inspectors are some of the driving motivators of this team.

We are making the tech inspection process consistent between the motocross and cross country disciplines. This will help us to train our inspection team in a single process so as not to confuse things. It also will create consistency between the disciplines.

The big change from a member perspective is to those who ride cross country. In the past, cross country members would go to tech prior to

registration while motocross riders would go to registration prior to tech. To make the process consistent, we are asking our cross country members to go to registration first. At registration you will receive a copy of your registration to take to tech.

This allows us to utilize our tech volunteers better, since there is no real difference in the tech process between cross country and motocross disciplines.

Here are several important things that you need to know going forward.

All riders need to go through tech. When you do, you need to bring your helmet, bike, lanyard/emergency health helmet sticker, and page 2 of your registration paperwork (yellow copy). Of note for cross country members is that the registration form is now a twopart form. The second page is specifically used for tech.

When you go through Tech, here are some of the things that are being checked:

• Emergency Information on the lanyard / Emergency Helmet sticker is up to date

• You are signed up for the correct class and skill level

• Your bike meets the class requirements

• Your number plates meet the requirements as per the AHRMA Handbook and your bike number matches the registration form

• Your helmet looks to be in good condition (note: we are not certifying that your helmet is good, but if we see that there are marks on it that look like it’s been used in a serious crash, we’re going to question it). You need have the correct skill level sticker on the helmet (if you don’t have one, we will give you one).

• A courtesy check of your bike will be done to see if there may be something obvious that needs to be addressed. Think of things like the kickstart removed and that your suspension travel is correct (see the AHRMA handbook for full details of class requirements). Remember that it is your responsibility to make sure your bike is safe to race.

In the past, we have used the honor system for members going through tech. Unfortunately, we found that this system has been abused by some riders. Per the AHRMA Handbook, we are reimplementing the process used in the past (It worked so well we stopped using it!).

If you skip practice as well as tech, the starter will be checking for the tech sticker as part of his duties at the line. No sticker, no race. Pretty simple, right?

Now you may think we’re being harsh on this. But this has been in the rule book for a long, long time. We have taken a look at our processes and it is time to reinstitute standards. Why?

Insurance requires us to adhere to the standards in our handbook. This is one of the reasons we get better rates for insurance. The insurance companies like that we have documented processes that need to be followed. If we don’t follow them, our insurance costs will go up or we may not be able to get coverage.

While this may sound harsh, remember that we WANT you to race and are willing to work with you, but we need your cooperation by having you go tech at each and every race. We truly appreciate your help in making this happen!

If you have questions, feel free to contact me or one of our dedicated tech team members. These folks are volunteers twho now meet monthly to train and support the sport we all love. If you are interested in joining their ranks, we would love to have you. Contact Chris Todd, James Smith, or myself for further information.

In 2024, we will be looking for tech stickers before you go out to practice. If you don’t have a sticker, you will be sent back to tech (bring your paperwork, helmet, etc.). You will not be allowed to ride practice without going through tech. This may mean that you will not get to see the track before the race.

MARK MORROW’S CORNER

TRider Responsibility

WORDS BY MARK MORROW PHOTOS BY MARK MORROW AND AARON GALLOWAY @ MOTORSPORTPHOTO

he 2024 race season has already started for some, while for others there are still a few weeks or even months of snow before they can make it to the track. Regardless of which category you fall into, it is a good time to talk about something that is very important for all AHRMA competitors:

Rider Responsibility.

Most of us don’t have any problem imagining what AHRMAs responsibility to US is… after all, we pay our membership fees and pay for entry fees with the understanding that in exchange,

AHRMA will provide a safe/low risk environment for us to pursue our hobby, provide safety crew and operational staff so that the event runs smoothly and also will keep track of points, provide trophies and a multitude of other tangible and intangible things.

But what about OUR responsibility as competitors? Not only to AHRMA, but also to our fellow racers? This topic was the source of a spirited discussion amongst the new Safety Committee recently and I volunteered to write an article about it. After we concluded the meeting, Bob Robbins

messaged me with a list of related topics he had been working on, so I’ve taken his list, my list and a few of the comments from the safety committee meeting to come up with this. As a roadracer, I am writing this with Roadracing in mind, but the majority of these points also apply to off road, so please continue to read on, regardless of which discipline(s) you compete in.

The top of everyone’s list was machine prep and it should also be the top of yours. If your bike is not prepared properly, you not only run the risk of missing out on

your race, but you also risk putting yourself and others lives in danger. It’s bad enough if your bike won’t pass tech or won’t start, but what about a failure out on the track that puts you in the hospital, or even worse: a failure that puts someone ELSE in the hospital? The time is now to go through your machine, disassemble parts, measure clearances, clean, replace worn/out of spec parts and generally verify that it will be in tip top shape for the upcoming abuses you intend to subject it to. “It ran just fine at the last race” is NOT a good game plan!

Insurance is another item that is best taken care of now, before the season starts. All competitors are required to carry personal health insurance and insurance companies are notorious for moving at whatever pace they feel like, so don’t get caught out without insurance when the race season starts.

One area of responsibility that is important at all times is social media presence. Yes, social media can be a very useful tool to give your sponsor a plug, share your race adventures from the weekend or communicate where changes may be needed, but it is important to realize how damaging even harmless appearing critiques of the organization can appear

when viewed by others. When I was growing up, both of my parents taught me to “praise publicly, criticize privately” in all situations where your voice would be heard by many. This of course, was before social media was even invented, but it is even more relevant now than it was 40 years ago when I learned it.

If you see a problem that needs fixing, going on social media and blasting AHRMA is not only not very effective, but also damages the reputation of both AHRMA and yourself. If you see something at a race that you think needs to be fixed or changed, the best course

of action is to seek out an official and share your observation with them, not write a flame post on FB. Social media can be very useful but can also be very damaging and we all owe it to ourselves and each other to try to present AHRMA in a positive light on social media.

Once at the track, there are a number of responsibilities that need to be addressed, starting with our responsibility to follow the rules of the facility. All tracks have their own rules and often they are different from each other, so always seek out the rules for

the facility before arriving and follow them once you get there. Pit lane speed limits, leash rules for pets, open container rules and loud generator usage are all easy ways to get yourself and/ or AHRMA not invited back if not followed. Setting up and maintaining your pit is equally important. Taking up too much space or having a messy pit just burdens everyone around you.

When it comes to being out on the track, the number one item on everyone’s list was passing etiquette. If you do not already know: it is the overtaking riders responsibility to ensure that a pass is made cleanly, period! There are no exceptions to this rule, so regardless of whether a pass is for position, another class, or even if you are lapping someone, if you cannot get by cleanly, you must back off and wait for an opportunity when you can.

Likewise, if there is any contact when attempting a pass, the right thing to do is for the rider that was making the pass to seek out the rider that was hit and apologize.

It doesn’t matter if the other rider changed their line, pinched you off or even if they panicked and hit the brakes, if you are passing someone and you hit them, it is your fault. Even if it’s debatable as to where the fault for the contact lies, it is far better to apologize

and say it won’t happen again than to pretend it didn’t happen, or even worse blame the person you hit for your mistake.

You should also always have a “plan b” in mind whenever attempting to overtake. If the rider in front of you is riding properly, they will be concentrating on what’s in front of them, not what’s behind them, so you need to anticipate their movements and have an escape plan if they do something you did not predict. If you are closing on them so fast that you haven’t had a chance to predict what they are going to do, you are probably closing too fast and should back off slightly to give both of you a safety margin.

The rider that’s being passed also has an obligation to hold their line and ride as predictably as possible. One thing you should NEVER do is look back and move over to make

room for faster riders. Although the intent is very generous, 9 times out of 10, this will lead to either contact with the other rider or someone getting run off the track. The safest thing to do if you know you are going to be lapped is to stay on the racing line and ride predictably. Any rider that is fast enough to lap another rider in a 6 or 8 lap race will have no problem getting around them safely, as long as the rider being lapped holds their line and rides predictably.

If you are a faster rider it may be frustrating to back off and follow for a corner or two when you come upon a slower rider, but they have just as much a right to the track as you do and EVERYBODY participating is contributing to the health and welfare of the club through their participation. Shaking your head, hand gestures or looking back and giving the “hairy

eyeball” to someone just because you had to back off for 3 seconds before you got around them is very poor form and also makes you look like a jerk.

If you are involved in another rider going down, regardless of whose

fault you think it was, you should always find them and check on their safety. If they went down due to contact with you, an apology is owed at a minimum. Roadracing is supposed to be a no contact sport. Yes, contact happens but it’s not supposed to, so when it does it’s important to remember that we are all human and for whatever reason, someone just went down and is possibly hurt. Regardless of whose fault it was, your first concern should be for the other riders safety, not trying to establish blame.

Also, any incident involving a crash or contact with another rider should be immediately brought to the race director and/or race referees attention if they haven’t been made aware already. Feel free to take a moment to calm down before you do if you are seeing red from the incident, but absolutely the best time to resolve these issues is at the track, with an official present. Dealing with the situation on your own is risky, especially if it’s a case of contact, because people have a tendency to get defensive and

argumentative when confronted. Go grab the race director or referee and get them involved. If you are practicing with multiple bikes and have to run a bike that’s faster than its group, remember to make your overtakes extra safe and clean. You are in the group more or less as a guest and the right of way should always be given to the bikes that actually belong in that group. You can easily wait for the next straight and just use your superior horsepower to get by. Also, don’t blast by on the straights with 20+ mph closing speeds. If you’re on a bike that goes 150+ and practicing in a group where bikes only go 125130, blasting by other riders at top speed is simply rude and potentially dangerous.

The final responsibility to discuss is your responsibility to follow the directions given to you by any AHRMA volunteer or official. Even if you do not understand the logic behind what they are asking you to do at that particular moment, they are telling you for a very specific reason and often have knowledge of what’s going on that you do not have. Being rude, disrespectful or ignoring any official and/or volunteer will not only see you getting penalized, but it could

also result in you or someone else getting hurt.

These are all some of the most important topics that we all discussed, but I am sure there are many more not on here. Do yourself and everyone around you a favor and think about what YOUR responsibility is to AHRMA and everyone you race with. It will for sure make things run smoother and it might even save someone’s life!

I’d like to thank the safety committee and especially Bob Robbins for all of the input for this. It’s been a while since I wrote for AHRMAMAG and this was a great way for me to get back into my game.

See y’all at the track soon!

Mark Morrow

The Iron Way

On Moby Dick and Motorcycle Racing

A rookie AHRMA vintage motocrosser bags his white whale

WORDS BY GREG ADOMAITIS

At Irish Valley, proof that practice and patience brings good things to those who wait.

INSET: A lot of fire power at White Rose for those days when one won’t fire under its own power.

“All my means are sane, my motive and my object mad.”

The author (#180) finds an inside line at Unadilla during his first-ever motocross race. Peter Marcin (#610). PHOTO CREDIT BRAD ADELL

At the last turn, on the last lap, in my last moto of the last race of the season, slowly reeling in the lead, the inevitable happened in a hurry. Yeah, the Maico suddenly sounded like a box of rocks but surely the old warhorse would survive a final push for position… right?

In the vast distances from the gate drop to glory are merciless lessons like the one above. It would take two years to achieve, but a concept concocted in early 2021 has been one helluva ride for this rookie: Give the fourbanger a break and try off-road riding with the primary – nay, sole – purpose of eventually going dirt bike racing. There would be the eventual highs of collecting a wireto-wire trophy and inevitable lows of being bandaged up by medical staff, with plenty of madness and monotony inbetween.

If I can try it, so can you… but that topic is as tired as my top end. I had this piece all wrapped up when the motives of Moby Dick washed ashore and were just too aligned to ignore. We won’t dive so deep into Herman Melville’s tome, not even the biology bits that can be as dense as the AHRMA handbook at times, but just keep it in mind as we search for the shortest path through uncontrollable curves.

• There’s Ishmael’s calling, a daring personal pilgrimage to a world he once knew. Others are drawn to the very edge of it as mere spectators. Our protagonist knows nothing short of signing on will scratch the itch.

• Enter Ahab, who’ll risk a world of wreckage in his wake to prove a prophecy. In other words from the brooding black cloud hunting his white whale: “All my means are sane, my motive and my object mad.”

Some visit Mystic, Connecticut, to climb aboard the last floating wooden whale boat, gaze upon a mock turn-ofthe-century Nantucket then pull up their pea coat collar against the New England tailwinds. Others mix precise amounts of oil and fuel to experience the vintage world’s similar sense of immersion: 1970s true grit, ‘80s Miami neon and ‘90s turn-of-the-other-century flair through the lens of, all things, motorcycle racing. The world is falling down around us, to paraphrase a certain fundamental flick, but all we see is the track.

With AHRMA’s 2023 Mid-Atlantic motocross season in the books, I write this in hopes of maybe, just maybe, convincing someone else to give chase, trust a 50-yearold deathtrap and, in turn, live a little.

heavy mettle

Having some skin in the game was how I first framed racing; a way to translate time spent fixing my old junk (read: a 1982 Yamaha street bike that mostly exists to infuriate) and finally have some fun. There’s likely loads of AHRMA members who’ve been battling on-track like the Hatfields and McCoys for decades now. Me? Hobbling around like the peg-legged Ahab with a bum ankle from a vindictive kick starter, forced to feed some innate need like Ishmael, astonished to discover you can buy corn-free blue gasoline from an airport and still having to convince dear ol’ dad that dragging all this baggage around and going back to the track would somehow be worth his while.

After all, that super trick “74-and-a-half” 250GP – born half-a-century ago in some old-world factory and hammered into a shape seen fit by the Maisch brothers – is his bike. It didn’t have the good looks or purpose-made pedigree of the first-year YZ, the exotica allure of bikes from Spain or Czechoslovakia, nor did it pull freight train-fast like the Husky but, test after test, I swore it rode on rails like none of the others... and so the die was cast. Discovering that period magazine reviews backed up the Maico’s handling merits was quite the kicker, considering I just learned the difference between “fouled” and “flooded.”

path to purpose “laid with iron rails whereon my soul is grooved to run.” Forged with hammer and tongs, this “iron way” toward bagging the white whale would be strewn with hoops, hurdles, gorges and mountains. An old budget dual-sport to test the waters? Sure. A van to haul this new toy around? Yup. Another bike so you can race two classes? Take my entry fees! Helmet, jerseys, boots, gas cans, tools, stands, ramps? Hold my beer! Slowly identifying with the crazed sea captain probably wasn’t the point of Moby Dick, and yet...

“...I swore it rode on the rails like none of the others...”

So why race?

“What I’ve dared, I’ve willed; and what I’ve willed, I’ll do,” the objective-obsessed Ahab taunted at the gods, his straight and narrow

While we’re at it, why vintage and why motocross specifically? There’s certainly more convenient and affordable ways to score some seat time, but this specific combination offers a straight shot down memory lane – whether you clung to the fence as a kid or bought one of these mean machines when they first hit U.S. shores. A season and change later, I still stand by the overarching concept at the onset: “That looks like fun.” With AHRMA, it is fun. There’s competition at all ends of the pack, but nobody’s riding with a factory contract on the line nor social media cloud clouding their mind. As for the highstrung machinery hauled out of the stable and sacrificed in battle, it’s this test of both mettle and machine that raises the stakes –and probably explains why we bring so many bikes to any given race.

Wringing out the loud handle on the equally loud bikes, dad here shows us at Allen’s Farm that age is just a number, and a dirt bike is just a chainsaw you can ride.

PHOTO CREDIT SARAH LANE

the pilgrim’s progress

A day at the races for those in the hunt requires plotting quite the course where GPS signals don’t always shine. From the lush landscapes of upstate New York to the dusty plains of Ohio and the bucolic small-town scenes of eastern Pennsylvania in-between, rural America is out there if you want it.

It’s here in the heartland where, to borrow another phrase, the brutal beauty of motocross makes the most sense:

• A surreal sense of satisfaction at Unadilla for, finally, my first race as “The StarSpangled Banner” signed off and the gate of bikes lit up. A white whale, some might say.

• A last glimpse around the gate at glistening aluminum tanks bearing badges of brands long since lost to history. You can’t hear a damn thing, but mix the sights with that one-of-a-kind acrid smell and there’s nothing else like it this side of 2000.

• The rhythm section at Irish Valley, where those who got into the flow of things could save some lap time, thanks to halfdecent suspension, and look half-talented in the process.

• The quagmire rain-soaked fields at Allen’s Farm, where a flat-out drag race to the finish on uncertain footing provided the season’s best nail-biter.

• The falling-off-a-mountain feeling at every White Rose drop-away. The hallmarks of the historic hill climb had seemingly migrated over to the motocross course – and it certainly kept you honest cresting over every jump.

For every action, there’s the equal and opposite intake stroke to keep things interesting: Back-to-back motos, ignitions that stop igniting, throttle cables that snap at the next-to-most inopportune time, bolts that are always backing out, carbs that are always loading up, new toys, old memories and knowing that a pre-race banana, good gate pick and fistful of bravado is the only way – the iron way – forward. When that rubber band finally lets go, age is just a number and a dirt bike is just a pissed-off chainsaw you can ride. Then the smoke suddenly clears and you’re at the bar watching professionals dive into Gravity Cavity. You tell your group of mixed company that you’ve kinda-sorta done that, too. They look up at the TV, then at you, then back at their drinks – mostly in disinterest or disbelief.

BELOW: “I hope I turned the gas on.” Nope. “I hope I remembered to bring the funnel.” Nope.

LEFT: Hobbling around with a mangled right foot, I put on my best Capt. Ahab and/or Dick Mann in “On Any Sunday” impression, jammed my swollen ankle into a boot and went racing. PHOTO CREDIT RAY ERMEL

giving up the ghost

So back to my initial problem: Did this twoyear-old top end have enough meat on the bone to survive 20 more seconds? After all, it had done 13 heats in 2023 (and lord knows how many hours the year prior) without complaint. Well, turns out that a death rattle doesn’t take long to go from concerning to catastrophe. So with the finish line just around the bend, all that West German engineering went kaput, the rear wheel locked up, the Maico fishtailed to a halt and my leviathan swam free of the harpoon line. The chase was over and the gold doubloon nailed to the mast was his. From hell’s heart, I stabbed at that kick starter, but all the cussin’ was for nothin’ and I pushed ‘er over the finish line.

That’s racing, they say. A rather unceremonious ending as the bike that gave all it could gives up the ghost when you needed it most. Angry? How? Rather than go down with the ship, I beached my Pequod at the checkered flag. Upon postmortem a month later, we could chalk my single-digit compression combustion chamber up to one tired old ring. Sort of anti-climatic, but a new piston and fresh hone after some micrometer magic saw the mighty Maico ready to rip once more in 2024. Pretty wild when, mid-job, you see a stamp on the head from exactly 50 years prior.

Vintage motocross: It’s a niche within a niche in the wide world of sports. When the agony of defeat usurps the thrill of victory, it keeps you hungry. More importantly for this thing of ours, it also keeps you coming back. Another drive at dawn and dusk, another snug-up of the swing arm bolt, another yank on the tiedown and another gallon of AvGas down the hatch chasing “the madness, the frenzy, the boiling blood and the smoking brow.”

Thar she blows... er, goes! A fresh piston pinned to the rod of the “ ‘74-and-a-half” Maico 250GP and ready to produce forward momentum once again. Nearly buttoned up; seeing a stamp on the head from exactly 50 years prior was a bit of a trip.

“You are ready to live a little... right?”

The old warhorse is coaxed to life as burnt blue clouds shroud the starting line. A white whale seemingly surfaces at turn one. Ahab beckons and blips the throttle. His way, the iron way, is the only way.

You are ready to live a little… right?

Sharing Fish Tales with Sue “Flying” Fish

PVR VINTAGE SWAP MEET – YORK, PA

WORDS BY JOSHUA SCHUCKER

PHOTOS BY LORENA WALKER & PAULA KYLE-STEPHENS

very January, an amazing off-season attraction takes place in York, Pennsylvania, where a tremendous collection of like-minded vintage motorcycle collectors, racers, and fans gather for a weekend they have been dreaming about since the last checkered flag waved, ending the 2023 season. For sure the main attraction of the weekend is Sunday’s long-running Potomac Vintage Riders (PVR) swap meet and bike show. This event has grown to become one of the

Elargest indoor vintage motorcycle events on the East Coast with nearly four hundred vendors covering 75,000 square feet of floor space.

The swap meet really is a sight to behold as there are rows upon rows of parts, projects, complete bikes, gear, memorabilia, random treasures, services, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. Add to that the glorious bouquet of bikes featured in the show field front and center in

the arena. Here is where all the dreams conjured by the array of parts, pieces, and hope that surround the bike show are formed into reality. And if all the wares inside the building aren’t enough to satisfy the deal-hungry shopper, the parking lot is often littered with motorcycles in all states and conditions, if you are willing to brave the bitter cold and lingering snowpack of a recent storm.

Historically, the public has strongly supported this event, and

2024 was no different, with hordes of prospective buyers lining the aisles adding to the eclectic visage of the room. That support is quite beneficial to the AHRMA family as the event is PVR’s primary source of income, and PVR is a longtime major sponsor of regional AHRMA racing throughout the Mid-Atlantic. On top of the huge contributions to the trials, cross-country, and motocross race action proper, the club also sponsors and operates the series’ year-end awards banquet for AHRMA’s MidAtlantic and Northeast regions. The racers and families from each region, along with many of the swap meet vendors, swarm the Wyndham Garden York hotel lobby at check-in time the Saturday before the swap meet. Here, the crowd gathers in the ballroom that evening for a celebration of the season past, complete with meal, raffles, generous door prizes, championship and special awards presentations, and the chance to do some offseason bench racing and potentially rub elbows with some motorcycling stardom. It’s easy to become star-struck throughout the weekend as the banquet and the swap meet tends to draw an admirable crowd of big names. You may catch a glimpse of motocross legends Don Kudalski and Barry Higgins enjoying the conversation during the banquet, overhear off-road royalty Jack Penton discussing the prior evening’s emotional supercross win by Aaron Plessinger with television icon Larry Maiers over breakfast, or bump into Blackwater 100 champion Kevin Lavoie or Dirt Bike and Trail Rider magazine influencer Paul Clipper. In each case, all of these folks, as has been my experiences with everyone that has ever enjoyed widespread success in any discipline of

professional motorcycle racing, is as approachable and humble as anyone who shares the common ground of a love for two-wheels.

That last statement could not be truer for the banquet’s featured guest speaker, Sue “Flying” Fish. Sue graciously took the stage in a gracious attempt to relay her amazing life and experiences to the eager crowd, and if you know anything about her successes,

TOP TO BOTTOM:

that is a tall order to complete in a limited-time speaking engagement. For Sue’s story, if you’re gonna start you might as well start from the beginning where her love of motorcycles was encouraged early on through her father and progressed from riding pillion with him through the California desert to her fearlessly trying to keep the pace twisting the throttle to its stop on her Hodaka. Living close to Indian Dunes, and being involved with a family that rode, provided endless opportunity to hone her skills on a dirt bike and win a few wheelie or jumping contests along the way. Once she started to race motocross in her early teens, often six times per week, she quickly made her presence known. Often the subject of off-handed remarks from competitor’s parents along the lines of “don’t let that girl beat you”, Sue relished in her ability to do just that…beat them…and often!

With the backing of Yamaha, Sue quickly rose to the top of the women’s motocross scene and capped her ascent off with back-to-back AMA Women’s Motocross Championships in 1976 and 1977. If not already considered a pioneer to women within the sport, Sue continued to challenge herself and the status quo by taking every opportunity to race against the men on the professional stage, something almost unheard of a few short years prior. And the familiar refrain followed her to this venue as well, “don’t let her beat you”, and again she was able to earn her place and respect in the sport by beating plenty of the men on their own turf.

Motocross was just the start for Sue as she would take on more

Larry Maiers, Don Kudalski, Barry Higgins

amazing roles in her early years. From participating in Evel Knievel’s stunt shows, where she could clearly exploit her love of jumping a motorcycle, to setting up shop in Hollywood as a stuntwoman, where she would famously perform as Linda Hamilton’s double in The Terminator. Of course, Sue’s speech wouldn’t be complete without humbly mentioning that she would go on become a member of the AMA Hall of Fame in 2012 for her success in the sport and also as a role model for women and would also be named an FIM Legend the following year.

That was most of what Sue was able to fit into her allotted time, which is certainly more than many folks can claim to have accomplished in a lifetime. But sensing there was more to the story, I jumped at the opportunity to talk to Sue a few weeks after the swap meet to dig deeper into her past and to get her impressions on the PVR event, the people, and her outlook on what’s next for “The Flying Fish”.

Jumping back into the storyline following her championship seasons, Sue continued to battle in both the men’s and women’s motocross arenas with plenty of success despite some time missed due to injury. In fact, after a hard crash down the “Freeway” at Carlsbad in ’78, she returned triumphantly to battle her way to the women’s class victory at the same track in front the entire nation as shown during 1979’s ABC Wide World of Sports coverage of the event. The competitive motocross career would come to an end by 1985, and Sue’s memories of that last AMA Women’s Motocross Championship race is vivid, not for the victory, but the tremendous battle between her and rising women’s star Mercedes Gonzalez. Both racers had moments of adversity throughout the race, with Sue’s Yamaha suffering from a stuck float causing her to leak

gas and Mercedes taking an up-close look at the dirt after an ill-timed spill. The two went down to the wire in an epic battle with Mercedes ultimately coming out the victor. Fittingly this seemed to be an unofficial passing of the torch to Mercedes, who is both a great friend to Sue Fish to this day and would go on to carry the unofficial title as the face of women’s motocross well into the nineties, just as Sue had through the seventies and early eighties.

But leaving motocross was not the end of motorcycles or competition for Sue, throughout the next decades she took part in nearly every type of two-wheeled racing there is. Well, that is except for hill climbing and freestyle motocross. Despite professing her love of jumping, from which she earned her “Flying” moniker, she indicated that the aerial antics of the freestyle crowd is one step beyond her fearlessness quota. Sue also spent a great deal of time competing in mountain bike racing, in particular downhill racing, where she missed a World Championship by threeone-thousandths of a second! With plenty of experiences in flat track, speedway, off-road, mountain bikes, and a significant stint in road racing, Sue always comes back to motocross when asked about her favorite discipline. Downhill mountain

biking was as close as she got to thrill of motocross, but racing a clock lacked that head-to-head competition she craved. To her, racing isn’t so much adrenaline rush, even that that surely plays a part. For Sue, the ability to focus own’s energy, concentration, and physical prowess so intensely into

the moment in time when you are controlling that motorcycle is the ultimate reward. She was known for her fierceness and physical conditioning, her race face, and relishing the mind games that go into intimidating the competition through her intense focus and determination. Her mind is still there, still feeling she’s as fast as she ever was despite not competing in years. When asked if she would consider lining up behind the gate at an AHRMA event, the hesitation was obvious. You see, her body has seen plenty of injury, even taking a seemingly never-ending tumble in a road race at one-hundred-thirty mile-perhour, and it wears plenty of scars and contains enough screws, plates, and other metal bits to stock a small hardware store. But as we talked further, I could hear her hesitation fading into the background as her subliminal mind began chanting “you can do it!”. I’m not going to say you’ll see her out there…but I’m not going to eliminate the possibility she could be convinced.

Apart from the competitive side of Sue’s life, there was quite a bit of time where she was isolated from the sport as she focused on her career. She spent years fostering a solid reputation as a personal trainer and parlayed that into starting a successful physical training facility in 1987. Additionally, she spent time working in the motorcycle industry. However, her isolation from the sport would begin to get chipped away as the sport she was so influential in just wouldn’t let her go.

Little by little she was pulled back in, starting with being inducted into Legends and Heroes in conjunction with AMA Supercross in 2010. Certainly an honor, but after industry magnate Tom White began a hardcore push, she would gain an even greater honor by joining the exclusive membership of the AMA Hall of Fame in 2012. As if that weren’t enough to grab

her attention and demonstrate the sport needed Sue Fish, the following year, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme would name her an FIM Legend. All of this brings us to today, at a racing banquet in Pennsylvania, and a renewed enthusiasm to engage in the sport where she made her mark years before.

These days Sue Fish has retired from the “real world” responsibilities, moved her home closer to her roots near Indian Dunes after forty years on the coast in Santa Barbara. She stills rides every day, in fair weather of course, where the twisting roads of the foothills around her new

home are a perfect place to stretch the legs on her Kawasaki Z400. Without a real job to tie her down, Sue had the time to travel to York to present her story at the banquet and sign posters at the following day’s swap meet. And her retelling of her experience meeting the PVR and AHRMA gang focuses on the wonderful people that she met, the new friends she so effortlessly made, the enthralling atmosphere, camaraderie, shared passion, and good morals of all the attendees. These people are “her kind” and connecting with new and old friends is so very rewarding. In fact, the experience in total has reinforced Sue’s ideas of what she envisions her future to be. She

feels that she has come full circle, back into the sport she loves and loves her, and aims to influence others through her extraordinary experiences, tapping into the sensation that was motocross in its early years and sharing the joyous “feeling of riding motorcycles”. Sue’s hope is to

spend more time inspiring women riders through motivational speaking engagements, leading adventure rides, skills training, and showing what it takes to hone oneself through focus and dedication and the personal reward and inspiration that can come from engaging in the sport

of motorcycling. If she tackles this new outlook with the same approach as her collective life to this point, I see many more people getting the opportunity to befriend and be inspired by Sue “Flying” Fish…as I’ve been!

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MT1 TWIN CLASSICS

MT3 TWIN PIGGYBACKS

MX - CROSS COUNTRY - ENDURO - ROADRACE - DIRT TRACK

2024 AHRMA NATIONAL SERIES SCHEDULES

2024 Bridgestone Tires AHRMA Roadracing Series

AAR: Academy of Roadracing SRS: Sidecar Racing School

Date Venue

2/16-18 Roebling Road Raceway; Bloomingdale, GA (AAR & SRS)

3/15-17 Carolina Motorsports Park; Kershaw, SC (AAR & SRS)

4/19-21 †Buttonwillow Raceway Park; Buttonwillow, CA (AAR & SRS tentative)

5/10-12 Talladega GP Raceway; Munford, AL (AAR & SRS)

5/24-26 Nelson Ledges Road Course; Garrettsville, OH (AAR & SRS)

6/21-23 New Jersey Motorsports Park; Millville, NJ (AAR & SRS)

7/18-21 *†WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (AHRMA Classic Motofest™); Salinas, CA (AAR & SRS)

8/2-4 Blackhawk Farms Raceway; South Beloit, IL (AAR & SRS)

9/6-8 Pittsburgh International Race Complex; Wampum, PA (AAR & SRS)

10/10-13 Barber Motorsports Park; Birmingham, AL (no AAR or SRS)

* all events, except Barber Motorsports Park, are hosting both the AAR and SRS

2024 Bridgestone Tires AHRMA Vintage Motocross Series

Date Venue

3/16 Wildwood MX Park; Kentwood, LA

3/23 Farm 14 MX; Centreville, MS

4/7 Burrows Ranch; Chrome, CA

4/20 South of the Border MX (SOBMX); Hamer, SC

4/27 Irish Valley MX Park; Paxinos, PA

5/4 Freestone MX; Wortham, TX

5/18 Chaney Ranch; Warner Springs, CA

5/25 Thunder Valley; Lakewood, CO

7/6 Shady Acres Motorsports; Friendsville, MD

7/20 Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca; Salinas CA* (tentative - contract pending)

7/20 Honda Hills MX; Thornville, OH

8/10 Muddy Creek Raceway; Blountville, TN

8/17 Motomasters; Mexico, NY

9/7 Field of Dreams MX Farm; Greensburg, PA

9/14 Rattlers Run; Fairfield, WA

9/21 Johnsonville MX Farm; Yantis, TX

9/29 Bushey Ranch; Canby, CA

10/26 Mill Creek Motorsports Park; Combs AR

11/9 T&S Racing; Henryetta, OK

2024 Bridgestone Tires AHRMA Post Vintage Motocross Series & 2024 Bridgestone Tires AHRMA NextGen Motocross Series

Date Venue

3/17 Wildwood MX Park; Kentwood, LA

3/24 Farm 14 MX; Centreville, MS

4/21 South of the Border MX (SOBMX); Hamer, SC

4/28 Irish Valley MX Park; Paxinos, PA

5/5 Freestone MX; Wortham, TX

5/19 Chaney Ranch; Warner Springs, CA

5/26 Thunder Valley; Lakewood, CO

7/7 Shady Acres Motorsports; Friendsville, MD

7/21 Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca (AHRMA Classic Motofest™); Salinas CA *

7/21 Honda Hills; Thornville, OH

8/11 Muddy Creek Raceway; Blountville, TN

8/18 Motomasters; Mexico, NY

9/8 Field of Dreams MX Farm; Greensburg, PA

9/15 Rattlers Run; Fairfield, WA

9/22 Johnsonville MX Farm; Yantis, TX

10/27 Mill Creek Motorsports Park; Combs AR 11/10 T&S Racing; Henryetta, OK

2024 Bridgestone Tires AHRMA Cross Country Series

Date Venue

3/16-17 Wildwood MX Park; Kentwood, LA

3/23-24 Farm 14 MX; Centreville, MS

4/6 Burrows Ranch; Chrome, CA

4/6-7 Sugar Hill; Whiteville TN

4/19 South of the Border MX (SOBMX); Hamer, SC

4/27-28 Irish Valley MX Park Paxinos, PA

5/4-5 Freestone MX; Wortham, TX

5/18 Chaney Ranch; Warner Springs, CA

5/18-19 Reynlow Park; Reyoldsville, PA

6/15-16 Tennessee Ridge Runners; Bybee, TN

7/6-7 Shady Acres Motocross; Friendsville, MD

7/21 Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca; Salinas CA *

8/9 Muddy Creek Raceway; Blountville, TN

9/21-22 Johnsonville MX Farm; Yantis, TX

9/28 Bushey Ranch; Canby, CA

10/12-13 Barber Morotsports Park; Leeds AL

10/25-26 Mill Creek Motorsports Park; Combs AR

11/8-9-10 T&S Racing; Henryetta, OK

Date Venue

3/9-10 Chirtpit Trials, Ringold, GA

4/6 Burrows Ranch, Chrome, CA

4/6 Sugar Hill, Whiteville TN

5/19 Chaney Ranch, Warner Springs, CA

6/15-16 Tennessee Ridge Runners, Bybee, TN

7/21 Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, Salinas CA *

9/14 Rattlers Run, Fairfield, WA

9/28 Bushey Ranch; Canby, CA

10/12-13 Barber Motorsports Park, Leeds AL

11/8 T&S Racing; Henryetta, OK

2024 AHRMA

REGIONAL SCHEDULES

2024 AHRMA Northeast Schedule

4/27-28 Irish Valley MX Park; Paxinos, PA National/Regional CC & V, PV, NG MX

5/18-19 Lamoka; Bradford, NY Cross Country and Motocross

6/7-9 Unadilla; New Berlin, NY Cross Country and Motocross

6/22-23 Ashcraft Run; Bellefonte, PA Cross Country and Motocross

6/29-30 Allen's Farm; Lawton, PA Cross Country and Motocross

7/13-14 State Line Riders; N. Pownal, VT Cross Country and Motocross

8/3-4 Irish Valley MX Park; Paxinos, PA Cross Country and Motocross

8/17-18 Moto-Masters MX; Mexico, NY National & Regional Motocross Regional Cross Country

8/31-9/1 Bear Creek Sportsmen; Hancock, NY Cross Country and Motocross

9/14-15 Kelso Creek Classic; Minerva, NY Cross Country and Motocross

9/28 Zoar MX Park; Springville, NY Motocross Practice, 8AM-5PM

9/29 Zoar MX Park; Springville, NY Motocross

10/5-6 French Woods; Hancock, NY Cross Country and Motocross

10/13 Cayuga County Riders; King Ferry, NY Cross Country and Motocross

10/26-27 White Rose; Spring Grove, PA Cross Country and Motocross

Championship Criteria for Cross Country and Motocross are:

• Six (6) events minimum to qualify for regional championship and year-end awards.

• Best seven (7) events count toward points championship.

2024 4SR AHRMA Vintage Dirt Track Series

Date Venue

3/23 Beaver Creek Speedway; Toney, AL - ST

4/6 CrossRoads Motoplex; Jasper, FL - ST

4/27 Baton Rouge Speedway; Baton Rouge, LA - 3/8 Mile

5/24 Lodi Cycle Bowl: Dick Mann Memorial Championships; Lodi, CA - ST

5/25 Lodi Cycle Bowl: Dick Mann Memorial Championships; Lodi, CA - TT

5/25 Lodi Cycle Bowl: Dick Mann Memorial Championships; Lodi, CA - ST

5/26 Lodi Cycle Bowl: Dick Mann Memorial Championships; Lodi, CA - ST

6/8 Georgia Karting Komplex; Carnesville, GA - ST

8/23 Athens County Fairgrounds; Athens, OH - ST

8/24 Athens County Fairgrounds; Athens, OH - 1/2 Mile

9/21 Beaver Creek Speedway; Toney, AL - ST

10/12 Barber Vintage Fest; Leeds, AL - ST

10/13 Barber Vintage Fest; Leeds, AL - ST

11/2 Baton Rouge Speedway: Season Finale; Baton Rouge, LA - 3/8 Mile

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Schedules and venues are subject to change, Visit regional websites for up to date information

2024 AHRMA Mid-Atlantic Schedule

Date Event Disciplines

4/13-14 Rocket Run; Three Springs, PA Cross Country and Motocross

4/27-28 Irish Valley; Paxinos, PA National/Regional Cross Country and Motocross

5/4-5 Blacks Hollow Recreation; Spring Church, PA Cross Country and Motocross

5/18-19 Reynlow Park 1; Reynoldsville, PA National Cross Country

6/22-23 Ashcraft Run; Bellefonte, PA Cross Country and Motocross

6/29 Allens Farm; Lawton, PA Motocross

7/6-7 Shady Acres; Friendsville, MD National/Regional Cross Country and Motocross

7/20-21 Quiet Oaks; Cross Fork, PA Cross Country and Motocross

8/24-25 Coyote Run; Ebensburg, PA Cross Country

9/7-8 Field Of Dreams; Greensburg, PA National/Regional Cross Country and Motocross

9/21-22 Sutton Station; Summerville, PA Cross Country and Motocross

10/12-13 Reynlow Park 2; Reynoldsville, PA Cross Country and Motocross

10/26-27 White Rose; Spring Grove, PA Cross Country and Motocross

All MX events will host Vintage, Post Vintage, and Next Gen (up to 1999) competition.

All Regional CC events will host Vintage, Post Vintage, and Disc Brake (up to 1999) competition.

Mid-Atlantic Championship criteria for Cross Country and Motocross are:

• Rider must be an active AHRMA member.

• Minimum six (6) class placings required to qualify for series championship and yearend awards.

• Best six (6) cross country class placings/points count toward CC series championship.

• Best six (6) motocross class placings/points count toward MX series championship.

5/19

6/23

8/25 Misfits MX; Amoret, MO V, PV, NG MX

TBD Razors Edge MX; Farragut, IA V, PV, NG MX

10/25-27 Mill Creek; Combs, AR V, PV, NG MX & CC

2024 Redwood Engineering AHRMA Vintage Trials Series

2024 AHRMA Heartland Schedule

Date Event Disciplines

3/2-3 Fingerlake; Red Bluff, CA Cross Country, VMX, PVMX

4/6-7 Burrows Ranch; Chrome, CA * National Trials, Cross Country, VMX

4/21 Leapfrog Classic Trials; Frong Pond Motoranch; Vacaville, CA Trials

5/4-5 Steel Stampede, Deschutes County Fairgrounds; Redmond, OR Trials, VMX

6/8-9 Grizzly Trials and Cross Country; Grizzly Flats, CA Trials, Cross Country

6/22-23 Golf Course Classic; Ontario, OR * Trials, Cross Country, VMX, PVMX

7/20-21 Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca (AHRMA Classic Motofest™); Salinas CA * National Trials, CC & V, PV, NG MX

8/10-11 Pomeroy Memorial; Yakima, WA * Trials, Cross Country, VMX

8/24-25 Tea Cup Trials & Scott Trials; Point Arena, CA Trials

9/14-15 Rattlers Run Ranch; Fairfield, WA National Trials, VMX

9/28-29 Bushey Ranch; Canby, CA * National Trials, Cross Country, VMX

10/20 Original Standard MX, MMX Racing; Marysville, CA V, PV, NG MX

2024 AHRMA Northwest Regional Championship Series

• all Northwest events count for 2024 Northwest Championships

• VMX - 9 events, 4 to qualify, best 7

• Trials - 10 events, 5 to qualify, best 7

• Cross Country - 7 events, 4 to qualify, best 5

• Regional points awarded at National events on Northwest’s schedule

• PVMX, NGMX - support only - no season points

You must be an AHRMA member to receive Regional AHRMA Championship Awards and Points. Non-member points will be removed and rescored for members.

* denotes Iron Butt Weekend

• complete 2 motos in the same class

• 3 trials loops

• finish cross country in all 5 scheduled events

2/11 Sunshine State; Waldo, FL V, PV, NG MX 3/16 Wildsville; Reynolds, GA V, PV, NG MX & CC 3/12-14 Farm 14; Centerville, MS National CC & V, PV, NG MX

4/6-7 Sugar Hill; Whiteville, TN National Trials & CC

4/13-14 Chirt Pit; Ringold, GA National Trials

4/19-21 S. of the Border; Hamer, SC National CC & V, PV, NG MX

5/11 Fannin Cnty MX; Fannin County, GA PV, NG MX

6/1-2 Aonia Pass; Washington, GA Trials, CC, V, PV, NG MX

6/15-16 Tennessee Ridge Runner; Bybee, TN National Trials & CC

7/13 Acres Above; Lookout Mountaun, GA Trials

8/9-11 Muddy Creek; Blountville, TN National V, PV, NG MX

8/17 Henry’s Hills; Cornelia, GA Trials

9/14-15 Hickory Hills; Lenoir City, TN Trials

9/21 Aonia Pass; Washington, GA Trials, CC, V, PV, NG MX

10/11-13 Barber Motorsports Park; Leeds, AL Trials, CC, V, PV, NG MX

2024 AHRMA South Central Schedule

Date Event Disciplines

3/15-17 Wildwood MX; Kentwood, LA National CC & V, PV, NG MX

3/22-24 Farn 14; Centreville, MS National CC & V, PV, NG MX

4/13-14 Swan MX; Tyler, TX V, PV, NG MX

5/3-5 Freestone County Raceway; Wortham, TX National CC & V, PV, NG MX

6/8-9 3 Palms Action Sports Park; Conroe, TX CC & V, PV, NG MX

9/21-22 Johnsonville MX; Yantis, TX National CC & V, PV, NG MX

10/5-6 Waco Eagles; Waco, TX CC & V, PV, NG MX

10/25-27 Mill Creek Motorsports; Combs, AR National CC & V, PV, NG MX

11/8-10 T&S Racing Final; Henryetta, OK National CC, Trials, V, PV, NG MX

Regional Championship Requirements to Qualify

• You must be an AHRMA member to receive Regional AHRMA Championship Awards and Points. Non-member points will be removed and rescored for members.

Motocross Regional Championship

• Must score points in 7 of 9 races of which 2 must be a regional-only race

Cross Country Regional Championship

• Must score points in 10 of 14 races of which 1 must be a regional-only race.

All race points count toward a regional championship

2024 AHRMA Great Lakes Schedule

Date Event

Disciplines

4/13-14 Lightning Raceway; Tippecanoe, OH V, PV, NG MX, Trials

5/25 TBD V, PV, NG MX

TBD Renoe Raceway; Marietta, OH V, PV, NG MX

7/8-9 Shady Acres; Friendsville, MD National CC & V, PV, NG MX

7/19-21 Honda Hills; Thornville, OH Swap Meet, National V, PV, NG MX

9/7-8 Field of Dreams; Greensburg, PA National CC & V, PV MX

9/21 COCR; Sugar Grove, OH V, PV, NG MX

10/5-6 TV Land; Pierpont, OH Modern Support & V, PV NG MX

Date Event Disciplines

2/4 Duel in the Desert; Shorty’s Cycle Park; Blythe, CA Trials & V, PV, NG MX

Resch. Glen Helen Raceway; San Bernardino, CA V, PV, NG MX

3/24 Shorty’s Cycle Park; Blythe, CA V, PV, NG MX

4/13 Willow Springs Raceway, CA Trials

4/21 Motoland; Casa Grande, AZ V, PV, NG MX

4/27 Pasha GP, Glen Helen Raceway; San Bernardino, CA CC (Grand Prix)

5/18-19 Chaney Ranch; Warner Springs, CA National CC, Trials, V, PV, NG MX

6/23 Bull Hollow Stampede, Bull Hollow Raceway; Monticello, UT V, PV, NG MX

TBD 11 Mile Corner V, PV, NG MX

7/20-21 Weathertech Raceway (Laguna Seca); Salinas, CA National CC, Trials, V, PV, NG MX

10/27 Octoberfast Grand Prix, Glen Helen Raceway; San Bernardino, CA CC (Grand Prix)

12/8 Shorty’s Cycle Park; Blythe, CA V, PV, NG MX

12/15 Glen Helen Raceway; San Bernardino, CA V, PV, NG MX

10/5

2024 AHRMA Southeast Schedule

2024 AHRMA Rocky Mountain Schedule

2024 AHRMA Southwest Schedule

MARKETPLACE

1979 yamaha daytona special rd-400

9138 Miles – I bought the motorcycle in 2017 with the intent of casual / special occasion use or possible collectible. I purchased the bike from a seller in the San Fernando (Northridge) area of Southern California who had the original Georgia Title. I have an appointment with CA DMV to convert the title and settle any fees on Feb 1st however, leave on Feb 3rd for a trip and wanted to get this on a marketplace before that. Was running however, life got in the way so it just ended up sitting in my garage / motorcycle building – always indoors/protected. Overall, this is a really good condition, clean motorcycle.

PRICE: $6,500

LOCATION: Hemet, CA

CONTACT: Trent Ferris - (951) 265-9284

SWAP MEET

suzuki sv650 track bike

Immaculate 2000 SV prepped by former AMA Superbike Tech Inspector. Penske Shock, RaceTech Springs, ProTech Damper, SPA Tach, New Lithium Battery, ChickenHawk Warmers, PitBull Stands, Spares including front and rear Springs & 4 Sets final gearing.

PRICE: $3,900

LOCATION: Spartanburg, SC

CONTACT: Wes Robinson - (864) 978-0368

1973 cz 250

Ready to race, new Mikuni Carb, new electronic ignition, new Michelin tire, Starts easy, fast.

PRICE: $4,800

LOCATION: Santa Rosa, CA

CONTACT: Don Graham - (707) 217-9076

WHERE AHRMA MEMBERS BUY, SELL, AND TRADE

rickman metisse mk III scrambler, 500cc triumph

Originally purchased 2002 from Adrian Moss. Mk III chassis #R4193, Triumph Daytona 500cc, PVL ignition, single carb, close-ration transmission. In storage 9 years until I purchased in 2020. I never rode it due injuries (on anther bike) and current cancer battle. Race bike, not garage queen – has few scrapes.

PRICE: $8,500

LOCATION: Nampa, ID

CONTACT: Michael McCowan - (208) 340-7044

motorcycle transportation

Will transport bikes and gear to road race and/or multi-discipline events, Florida to California, and all events in between.

LOCATION: Port Orange, Florida

CONTACT: Ralph Wessell - (386) 760-0932

trials cub

Triumph trials cub built by Speed and Sport. Matt’s Dad did the motor, and Matt did just about everything else to make a competitive AHRMA trials bike.

PRICE: $4,500

LOCATION: San Rafael, CA

CONTACT: Kevin Burrell - (415) 518-8066

Have You Updated Your MotorsportReg Profile?

AHRMA is working toward having our race results published in other magazines and online publications. To make this happen we need your help! Please complete your MotorsportReg profile with the following info for all of your race bikes: your name, bike, make, model, and year.

This is a great chance for AHRMA to shine, so please log into your account and make these updates.

SWAP MEET & MARKETPLACE AD GUIDELINES

SWAP MEET ADS: AHRMA members may submit two free Swap Meet, non-commercial, motorcycle-related ads of up to 50 words each, per issue. Each ad will run only once, but you are welcome to renew monthly. All ads will also be placed on www.ahrma.org for at least one month.

MARKETPLACE ADS: The Marketplace plan is specifically designed for small business owners. Members or nonmembers may submit an ad of up to 50 words and may include 1 photo. This ad will appear both on ahrma.org’s AHRMA Swap Meet page, and in AHRMA MAG’s Marketplace section for 2 issues, with photo. Marketplace ads cost $25 for 60 days and may be renewed as many times as you like. Please include: name, address, phone number and AHRMA membership number with your ad.

Go to: www.ahrma.org/ classifieds-etc/

LAST FRAME REFRAME

DIRT TRACK

September 1996 Steamboat Springs vintage weekend at Steamboat Springs, CO

photographer: Matt Benson

We’ve been able to get our hands on some photos showcasing the history of AHRMA racing throughout the ages, even back as far as 1989 and the inception of the not-forprofit organization we know and love today.

Sometimes we’ll be able to accompany the photo with some race results or rider IDs and other interesting information. Other times, this will just be a moment to reflect back and enjoy some photos long forgotten.

If you happen to see yourself or someone you know in the photo, reach out and let us know! Better yet, if you were there, tell us how the racing was, what the track was like, what bike you were on. Help us relive the “glory days.”

Get in touch: ahrmamag@ahrma.org