AMA INSIDER

H Donna’s grandpa Andrew

“Andy” Liscano (top left); brother Andy #4f (top right), grandson Austin (bottom left); Donna and her brother Tony (bottom right).

AMA IN MY BLOOD

By Donna Perry

Editor’s Note: After chatting with Donna Perry — Executive Assistant to AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman — about this issue and discovering her family’s long history within the AMA, it became clear that she’s definitely an AMA insider. “Donna’s generational connection to the AMA,” Dingman told us, “makes her so much more connected to the important work we do as an organization for our members. For this reason she has a very member-centric view of her work for the association.” We convinced her to share her story.

My family has been in the AMA since the late 1930s when my grandpa joined so he could race. Grandpa Andrew “Andy” Liscano — who everyone called “Peg” because he had a wooden leg — raced flat track into the mid 1950s. He won several AMA awards; his club won the AMA safety award in 1938, and he won the AMA Patriotic Award in 1944 and the TT amateur state championship in 1947.

Grandpa had a 1948 Indian Chief with a sidecar, and my brothers and I would ride everywhere with him. My brother Andy would get on the bike behind Grandpa, and then my little brother Tony and I squeezed into the sidecar, and off we’d go. We had a Honda 50 at my grandparent’s house too, so we were constantly riding from the time we were about four years old. We grew up riding with him, heading to the track, and hanging out in the garage with him. He brought us up around AMA racing and riding, and rode well into his 70s.

My Uncle Steve Liscano raced flat track from 1969 to 1976 aboard a Harley-Davidson Sprint and a BSA. Andrew Heise, my brother, continues to compete in flat track and even took third in his age group at the 2019 AMA National Flat Track Championship. Cousins Scott Lowrey and Tyler and Marissa Tudor also raced flat track and, more recently, my grandson Austin Mann got into Strider racing at age three after watching them at a Trials competition at AMA HQ. Austin learned to ride from his uncle Andrew and my son, his dad Rob, and at age eight rides a Yamaha 80, and gets better every year.

Riding and racing…it’s just in my family’s blood. It’s pretty special to see how its transcended through five generations, from grandpa all the way down to Austin.

My family has been involved with the AMA for 83 years and counting. I’ve been working here for six years now, and it felt like home when I walked in the door. Rob [Dingman] is such a good guy, and I’ve found that he cares so much about the AMA and its members.

My favorite part of the job is the people — the staff and the members — and being around motorcycles all the time. How many places can say they have motorcycles parked in the office and a motorcycle museum right next door? Most importantly, I know my grandpa would be so proud that I work for the AMA.