Voting for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is now closed.
Eligible voters include:
- Past Hall of Fame inductees
- AMA and AMHF Boards of Directors
- Members of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Category Selection Committees
- AMA Life Members with at least 25 years of consecutive membership
Please review the biographical information below and vote for:
- Up to three candidates in the Competition Category
- Up to two candidates in the Non-Competition Category
Thank you for your vote. Results will be announced soon after voting ends, and the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held in Pickerington, Ohio.
This year’s ceremony will headline the new AMA Hall of Fame Days happening at the AMA campus in Pickerington, Ohio, Sept. 14-17. For more information on the event and how to be part of the celebration.
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Competition
Jim Belland | Dirt Track
A dirt-track tuner in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, Jim Belland’s impact can be found in the machines that captured three flat track titles and dozens of Grand National Championship wins. Despite stiff competition in the ’60s and ’70s, Belland’s hard work helped push AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers Mert Lawwill (1969), Mark Brelsford (1972) and Steve Eklund (1979) to their respective flat track titles.
Jim Belland operated mostly behind the scenes, but his impact can be found in the machines that outperformed the competition and captured three flat track titles and dozens of Grand National Championship event wins.
A dirt-track tuner in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, Belland worked with — and helped — some of the most prolific racers in the sport’s storied history, including AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers Mark Brelsford, Steve Eklund and Mert Lawwill.
Despite stiff competition in the ’60s and ’70s, Belland’s hard work appeared to make all the difference. And while Lawwill (1969), Brelsford (1972) and Eklund (1979) were the men twisting the throttles and riding their bikes to their respective flat track titles, Belland’s impact was all over their machines.
“I can honestly say that I would not have reached the same level of success without the exceptional skill and calm demeanor of Jim Belland,” Brelsford wrote in support of Belland.
Born Sept. 25, 1937, Belland got his start as a parts guy at Dudley Perkins Harley-Davidson before moving into sales. Eventually, Belland worked his way up to general manager of all three Perkins stores.
With an eye for innovation, Belland’s frame design put Harley’s signature torque to the ground more efficiently. Unbelievably, all Belland’s racers were built during his spare time and not while on company time.
“Dudley Perkins would fly [Belland] out to the races and fly him back in time to show up at work on Mondays,” Belland’s son Kris wrote. “Dad would strip down and rebuild the bikes nights and weekends after work, and do it with expertise, care and professionalism.”
Belland was named the Motorcycle Mechanic of the Year in 1972 and 1979.
Ryan Dungey | Motocross
From 2007 to 2017, Ryan Dungey forged great success in AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross, tallying four 450SX and three 450MX titles. Dungey is one of only seven riders to have more than thirty 450SX wins. His dominant run stateside was paired with three Motocross of Nations titles in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Dungey also won back-to-back ESPY Awards for Best Athlete in Men’s Action Sports (2015, 2016)Born Dec. 4, 1989, in Minnesota, Ryan Dungey burst onto the scene in 2005 when he won his sole AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship title in the 125cc Modified (12-15) class at Loretta Lynn’s.
While he could only capture a single title at the famed event, his transition to the professional ranks proved far more fruitful. A surprise offer from Team Suzuki in 2006 generated increased success, with Dungey following that up by earning 2007 AMA Motocross/Supercross Rookie of the Year honors.
Dungey’s promise turned to major success in 2008 when he tallied runner-up finishes in both the MX Lites and SX Lites West classes. In 2009, Dungey won the SX Lites West title and rode the momentum outdoors with an AMA 250 Pro Motocross title.
Dungey jumped to the top of the premier class in 2010 when he captured AMA 450 Supercross and AMA 450 Pro Motocross titles.
Dungey went on to capture a total of three motocross titles in the 450 class and four AMA Supercross championships in the premier class — with his last coming in 2017. Spanning the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Dungey set a record for 31 consecutive podium finishes in the 450SX class.
Besides being one of only seven riders to have more than 30 450SX wins, Dungey also notched 39 career AMA Pro Motocross Championship wins in the 450 class.
In 2015 and 2016, Dungey won back-to-back ESPY Awards for Best Athlete in Men’s Action Sports.
Beyond individual success, Dungey’s talent helped power Team USA to three consecutive Motocross of Nations titles (’09, ’10, ’11).
Off the track, the Ryan Dungey Foundation is dedicated to help fight childhood cancer and help youth lead healthy lives.
Eraldo Ferracci| Road Race
Born in 1938, Eraldo Ferracci spent decades going fast and building record-setting machinery. Ferracci founded Team Fast by Ferracci Ducati, which roared to two FIM World Superbike Championships (1991, 1992, with HOFer Doug Polen aboard) and two AMA Superbike Championships (1993 Polen, 1994 Troy Corser). Ferracci is a member of the FIM World Superbike Hall of Fame, as well as a founding member of Ducati North America Hall of Fame.
Bursting on the scene in Italy in the 1960s, multi-time Italian National Champion racer and mechanic Eraldo Ferracci brought his talents to the United States in 1967.
While he modernized a Benelli motorcycle plant near his home in Philadelphia, Ferracci’s nights were spent transforming his home into a workshop that produced unmatched racing machines and high-performance parts.
With a clear knack for generating speed, Ferracci set multiple drag racing records during the ’70s and ’80s, and also helped many road racers who brought their machines to him, his expertise providing the power to allow many of those bikes find success on race day. The high demand for his speed work led Ferracci to found Fast by Ferracci Inc. in 1980.
In 1988, Ducati approached Ferracci with the idea to create the first American-based Ducati factory race team. Team Fast by Ferracci Ducati quickly found success on the American and world stages, winning two FIM World Superbike Championships with AMA HOFer Doug Polen (1991, 1992) and two AMA Superbike Championships, with Polen in 1993 and Troy Corser in 1994. The team’s efforts helped establish Ducati as a leading performance player in North America.
In 2000, Ferracci spearheaded factory-supported Team Fast by Ferracci Husqvarna, which became the first non-Japanese manufacturer team to win an AMA 125cc Pro Motocross race. With Ferracci at the helm, the Husqvarna Supermoto team was invited to participate in the X Games on two occasions.
Along with his drag racing records, Ferracci held multiple FIM World Superbike and AMA Superbike records, some of which have stood the test of time.
Ferracci is a member of the FIM World Superbike Hall of Fame as well as a founding member of Ducati North America Hall of Fame.
Barry Hawk | Off Road
With 98 national championship event wins, Barry Hawk cemented himself as one of the most successful off-road riders ever. Showing his versatility, he stands alone as the only rider to ever win AMA GNCC national titles on both an ATV and a motorcycle. Retiring from racing in 2010 with eight AMA GNCC national championships, Hawk transitioned to team manager of the Coastal Racing GasGas Factory Racing team, where he has helped propel riders to numerous wins and championships.Barry Hawk is one of the greatest competitors in the history of AMA Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) racing, but his path to multiple national titles was not clear early in his childhood.
Growing up in Pennsylvania, Hawk learned to ride with his family for fun before discovering off-road racing in his late teens.
While it took Hawk some time to get into off-road racing, it did not take him long to find success as he became an AMA GNCC overall race winner in only his second full season of racing in 1991.
The taste of victory early-on sparked future success for Hawk, who took the next step in his career by claiming his first AMA GNCC ATV National Championship in 1993.
Standing atop the sport’s peak for the first time, Hawk did not relinquish his position as he defended his title for the next six years to bring his AMA GNCC ATV title tally to seven.
While Hawk was winning on an ATV throughout the 1990s, he was also competing in AMA GNCC’s bike division, where he captured 19 AMA GNCC event wins and a breakthrough AMA GNCC National Championship in 2003 to become the first rider to ever win AMA GNCC national championships on both an ATV and a motorcycle.
Beyond AMA GNCC, Hawk won AMA National Enduro and Reliability Enduro events and secured a spot on the 2003 U.S. ISDE Team as part of the GNCC club team. Hawk even earned points while riding motocross professionally to add to his well-rounded resume.
Following his retirement in 2010, Hawk spent five seasons setting up AMA GNCC courses. He then became team manager of the Coastal Racing GasGas Factory Racing team — which has seen riders capture AMA Sprint Enduro championships, AMA GNCC XC2 championships, and AMA GNCC eMTB championships under Hawk’s guidance.
Grant Langston| Motocross & Supercross
Grant Langston is the only rider to win a World Motocross Championship, an AMA Motocross Championship and both AMA Supercross Regional Championships — East and West — in the 125/250cc classification. Langston added both an AMA Supermoto title and an AMA 450cc Motocross title to his resume before retiring, at which point he launched two successful careers as a multi-line dealership owner and a race commentor for NBC Sports.From 2000 to 2007, Grant Langston was one of the most prolific competitors in the sport of motocross, and since his retirement has continued to work within the industry promoting two-wheeled recreation and competition.
In 1998, Langston and family moved from South Africa to Europe to pursue motocross racing at its highest level. In only his second full year, Langston won the 2000 125cc World Motocross Championship with KTM.
Langston parlayed that success into a deal to compete in AMA Supercross, becoming the first KTM rider to win an AMA 125 Supercross main event at Dallas in 2001. He followed that up with the 2003 AMA 125cc National Motocross title, and in 2003 won a title in the Unlimited category of a relatively new sport — AMA Supermoto.
In 2005, Langston got a factory ride with Kawasaki, switching to 250cc four-stroke machinery, and won the AMA 125/250cc East Region Supercross title. He followed that up the next year with the AMA 125/250cc West Region Championship, and in so doing became the first rider to win regional 125/250cc championships in the most competitive series in the world.
In 2007, Langston moved to Team Yamaha and the 450cc class. With a late-season surge he clinched the AMA 450cc Pro Motocross Championship, ending AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Ricky Carmichael’s streak of seven straight AMA 450 Pro Motocross wins. He capped that year by winning the prestigious U.S. Open of Supercross in Las Vegas.
Sadly, Langston’s career took an unexpected turn in 2008 when he began having vision problems. Doctors found a cancerous tumor, and although it was successfully removed, Langston’s vision would never fully recover.
With professional racing behind him, Langston began new chapters in motorcycling, opening Langston Motorsports in Perris, Calif., and starting a career doing race commentary for NBC Sports’ coverage of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
Brent Thompson| Dirt Track
Brent Thompson was one of the most prolific tuners of the 1970s and 1980s, capturing 13 AMA Grand National wins and two GNC titles. While he got his start with Triumph (where he worked with many AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers, including Dick Mann, Gary Scott and Mike Kidd), Thompson found his groove in the ’80s when he joined Harley-Davidson’s dirt track team and formed a dynamic duo with AMA Hall of Famer Randy Goss, the pair winning the Grand National title in 1980 and ’82.During the ’70s and ’80s, Brent Thompson tuned his way to 13 AMA Grand National wins and two titles, making him one of the most prolific tuners at the time in dirt track.
Thompson got his start with the Triumph race shop in 1971. There, he worked on Tommy Rockwood’s three-cylinder road race engines. Thompson quickly became involved with the decorated Triumph/BSA squad, which included AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers Don Emde, David Aldana, Dick Mann, Jim Rice, Gary Nixon, Don Castro and Gene Romero.
However, Triumph’s financial distress led to the elimination of its road race team in 1974, sending Thompson off to work with its dirt track team alongside AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Mike Kidd.
In Triumph’s waning moments, Thompson built the last British 750cc twin to win a Half-Mile or Mile national, when Kidd won the Columbus, Ohio, Half-Mile in ’74.
Following Triumph’s demise, Thompson spent a short time with Norton-Villiers before joining Harley-Davidson’s race team.
At first, Thompson worked on 250cc road race machines and 250cc motocross bikes for several Hall of Famers, but then transitioned to helping the dirt track team and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Randy Goss in 1980. Together, Thompson and Goss claimed the 1980 AMA Grand National Championship.
The duo would capture glory once again 1982.
Thompson and Goss captured two titles and 11 AMA Grand National wins before Harley-Davidson closed its factory racing department in 1985. The two continued to work together, capturing their last win at the 1986 Ascot Half-Mile.
Ryan Young| Specialty Competition
With a record-breaking six consecutive AMA/NATC Championships from 1988 to 1993, Ryan Young left an indelible stamp on the trials world. Young won the top class for the first time at age 21, and his success earned him a spot on eight consecutive USA Trial des Nations teams. Beyond competition, Young impacted the sport through his company Ryan Young Products, and by utilizing his knowledge to educate those learning the sport.
From the late 1980s to the early 1990s, Ryan Young dominated the AMA/NATC Championship scene to the tune of six consecutive AMA/NATC Championships.
Young, who began competing at age 8, found his footing in his teenage years when he won his first Pennsylvania state championship at age 16.
The following year, Young and his father Jerry became the first father-son combination to win championships in the same season, as Young won the AMA/NATC Sportsman class and his father won the AMA/NATC Senior 35 class.
Taking the leap to the top class of the AMA/NATC nationals, Young excelled early on with a second-place finish in just his second year of competition. Young also finished second in both the Canadian Championship and U.S. Bicycle Trials Championship.
In 1988, 21-year-old Young claimed his first of a record-breaking six consecutive titles in the top class of the AMA/NATC Championship. He also earned spots on eight consecutive USA Trial des Nations teams.
In 1995, Young began his business career when he formed Ryan Young Products, which imported trials-related items into the U.S.
Young tallied his 50th national victory at age 29, and then retired from AMA/NATC competition after 13 years of involvement.
Retirement brought about a heightened focus on business, and Young was able to secure a position for his company as the sole importer for Sherco Trials motorcycles.
Additionally, Young has continued to impact the sport of trials by organizing youth events at each round of the AMA/NATC Nationals, producing and distributing a series of advanced training videos, and focusing on training through his Ryan Young Trials Schools, offered throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Non-Competition
Rita Coombs| Ambassadors & Industry
Along with her husband (AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer) Dave Coombs and Paul Schlegel, Rita Coombs — one of the owners of MX Sports — was responsible for the creation of the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s in 1982. The event at Loretta’s has grown into the most prestigious and impactful amateur motocross race in the world over the last four decades. Rita Coombs was also instrumental in creating the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series — the premier off-road series.Born June 15, 1941, Rita Coombs’ path did not appear to be destined for a life full of motorcycle races.
However, On Any Sunday had a profound impact on Coombs and her husband and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Dave Coombs, and the married couple were promoting their own AMA amateur events a year after the film’s release. Soon, the duo opened their own track, Appalachia Lake MX Park, in Bruceton Mills, W. Va.
Less than a decade later, Dave and Rita Coombs — along with Paul Schlegel — were responsible for the creation of the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s in 1982.
The event at Loretta’s has grown into the most prestigious and impactful amateur motocross race in the world over the last four decades.
Rita Coombs — one of the owners of MX Sports — was instrumental in creating the AMA Grand National Cross Country Series — the country’s premier off-road series. With roots back to the Blackwater 100 in the late 1970s, the GNCC has grown to welcome thousands of racers on any given weekend during the season.
Coombs and her family also serve as promoters of the ATV National Motocross series, the top level in amateur and professional ATV racing in the world.
In the mid-1990s, Rita and Dave Coombs founded the National Promoters Group, which aimed to unify the various promoters of AMA Pro Motocross events and streamline the series to remain competitive against the growing AMA Supercross Championship.
Dave Coombs passed away in 1998, but Rita Coombs continued to run the family business along with her children. Whether it’s motorcycles, minicycles, ATVs, electric mountain bikes, or STAYCYC minis, Rita Coombs has organized races for countless racers over the decades.
Robert Coy| Ambassadors & Industry
Robert Coy is best known as a pioneering vintage racing organizer, racer, and vintage car and motorcycle collector. He dove into two-wheeled competition in 1965, and throughout his 45-plus year racing career competed in scrambles, flat track, roadracing, AMA Superbike, AMA National Sidecars and more. Coy helped organize the first vintage motorcycle road races in North America in the 1970s, and in 1980 founded the United States Classic Racing Association — which he continues to run today as Director. Additionally, Coy started the Vintage Sidecar Racing Series in 1990 and revived the AMA Gypsy Tour from Laconia to NHMS for vintage races.Born in 1945, Robert Coy grew up in racing family in Chappaqua, N.Y., first getting the racing bug when he attended his first sports car race in the back luggage well of his father’s 1949 MG TC at the age of five.
Coy began his competition career racing go-karts in 1958, and went on to race motorcycles beginning in 1965, getting started racing scrambles and flat track and, later, roadracing with the AAMRR organization. He progressed to professional status in the late 1960s, and through his 45-plus years of racing also raced AMA Superbikes, AMA National Sidecars, AMA Battle of the Twins, and more.
In 1976, Coy founded and organized the first vintage motorcycle road races in North America with fellow enthusiast Rob Ianucci, and later went on to found the United States Classic Racing Association (USCRA) in 1980, which he still runs today as Director. The USCRA conducts vintage roadracing, including the FIM/NAMU North American Vintage Road Race Championships.
Additionally, he started the Vintage Sidecar Racing Series in 1990, revived the old AMA National Gunstock Road Races, developed and administered the FIM Vintage Trials series, and revived the AMA Gypsy Tour from Laconia to NHMS for vintage races. Coy also founded, organized and promoted Motogiro USA, the Streets of Laconia Vintage Road Races, and organized and promoted the Vintage Invitational Tower Road Hill Climb revival.
Through his years as a race and event promoter Coy also sponsored several notable riders, including Todd Henning, Frank Camilliari, and even put Gary Nixon back on his Kawasaki KR750 a few times when the bike was part of his collection.
Coy was appointed to the AMA Track Racing Commission in 2019 and is an AMA Life Member.
In recent years Coy has focused on recording and maintaining the history of the sport. He served on the Board of Directors for the North East Motor Sports Museum, and is also a nominating and voting committee member for the Motorsports Hall of Fame in Daytona.
Michael Czysz | Design & Engineering
Architect and amateur roadracer Michael Czysz launched himself into motorcycling prominence when he designed and built an open-class MotoGP racebike featuring a thoroughly unique inline V4 engine, though it was his electric-bike racing exploits at the Isle of Man that cemented his legacy as a pioneer in motorcycle design and engineering. Czysz machines won all the 2010-2013 Isle of Man electric races, and his electric-vehicle innovations live on today through licensing agreements.Michael Czysz was a successful architect, businessman and amateur motorcycle road racer without any technical engineering background when he decided to build an American-made road racing motorcycle – in his mind the finest ever built.
It incorporated a unique, longitudinally arrayed, narrow-angle (15 degree) V4 tucked into a similarly unique chassis, one that pushed the boundaries of what was then well-established racebike orthodoxy. While MotoGP’s ultra-high level of competition and changing rules ultimately caused Czysz to abandon that effort, his energies were then focused on electric-powered motorcycles and, more specifically, the TTXGP/Moto Zero class at Isle of Man starting in 2009.
After designing most aspects of his e-racer’s chassis and electrical systems himself, Czysz’s e-bikes would go on to win at the Isle of Man four years in a row, from 2010 to 2013, with renowned riders such as Brit Michael Rutter and American Mark Miller in the saddle. Czysz and his e-machines evolved each year, and in 2012 and 2013 began a rivalry with Mugen Honda that remains legend today.
Despite a well-funded Mugen Honda team consisting of 20-plus people and IOM specialist John McGuiness aboard, the MotoCzysz team triumphed. “It was beautiful,” Czysz told Motorcycle.com. “All of a sudden, this [TT Zero] is the most technically advanced bikes at the IoM. Both Mugen and MotoCzysz were scrapping our bikes every year and coming back with ground-breaking technology. And we were just a team of five people. Unbelievable.”
Sadly, Czysz died far too young in 2016 of a rare cancer at age 52, in some ways like his contemporary designer influence John Britten. Still, some of his charging and electric-power delivery inventions have wide ranging applications for other electric vehicles today, through licensing agreements after his death.
Travis Pastrana | Ambassadors & Industry
A racer turned daredevil, Travis Pastrana used motorcycling to build himself into a mainstream star. At the competition level, Pastrana won the 2000 AMA 125cc National Motocross Championship, becoming the youngest rider (16 years, 10 months, 26 days) to win an AMA Pro Motocross title. He also added a 125cc East AMA Supercross Championship and 17 gold medals at the X Games to his resume.
With the help of two wheels, Travis Pastrana has captivated audiences for more than two decades.
The Annapolis, Md., native burst onto the scene as a racer, becoming a five-time class winner at the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn’s in the 1990s.
Turning professional in 2000, Pastrana captured the 2000 AMA 125cc National Motocross Championship, becoming the youngest rider (16 years, 10 months, 26 days) to win an AMA Pro Motocross title.
A year after shattering the motocross record that stood for 23 years, Pastrana won the 2001 125cc East AMA Supercross Championship.
Pastrana’s accomplishments were not bound to the United States, either, as he was a winning member of Team USA at the 2000 Motocross of Nations in Saint-Jean d’Angély, France.
The first rider to land a double backflip on a motorcycle in competition, Pastrana was an all-around talent and entertainer. Further showcasing his skill, Pastrana won 17 gold medals at the X Games.
Moving from racer to stuntman, Pastrana’s popularity extended beyond the bubble of motorcycle enthusiasts and into the mainstream. With a new focus, Pastrana spent two decades performing stunts and displaying healthy amounts of showmanship on two- and four-wheeled machines.
The lead personality behind the Nitro Circus brand, which spans a reality TV show, movie, live performance and competitions, Pastrana has built a tremendous amount of notoriety and served as an inspiration to many across the world.
Pastrana’s popularity earned him the distinction of Best Male Action Sports Athlete at the 2007 ESPY Awards.
In 2018, Pastrana was named the AMA Motorcyclist of the Year.
Rodney Roberts | Leadership & Rights
A political visionary and leader, Rodney Roberts’ activism in the state of Arkansas came at a time of change in the 1980s and 1990s. Roberts, who opened his Rodney’s Cycle House in 1970, became politically active once he realized the threat government posed to the motorcycling lifestyle. His crowning achievement came in 1997 when his state of Arkansas became the first state to repeal its helmet law after the federal law was repealed in 1995.Rodney Roberts’ love for two wheels began in the early 1960s when he received his first bike at age 13.
The next nine years would see Roberts work in a Honda shop, serve as a machinist and metal worker in the army, and go to college.
In 1970, Roberts decided against the path of a traditional higher education and opened Rodney’s Cycle House. Along with getting his business off the ground, Roberts spent much of his time racing and building custom motorcycles.
Roberts soon realized the government’s perception of motorcycling posed a threat, so he transitioned to a life of political activism.
Involved with ABATE in the mid-1980s, Roberts was a factor in starting ABATE of Arkansas. During a time of contention surrounding motorcycle rights in the ’80s, Roberts was active in the state legislature and used his diplomatic abilities to effectively promote legislation that had the best chance for passage.
While his efforts were based in Arkansas, Roberts traveled outside the state to attend Motorcycle Rights Foundation conferences. He served on the MRF’s board for multiple years.
Roberts supported the MRF’s efforts to actively lobby at the federal level, including its M.A.K.O. trip to Washington. The M.A.K.O group — consisting of members from Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and later Texas — was instrumental in moving forward activism in motorcyclists through the creation of the regional Mid-South M.I.L.E. motorcyclists rights conference.
Building relationships in Arkansas’ capital of Little Rock, Rodney kept his eye on the potential to repeal the state’s helmet law. When the federal helmet law was repealed in 1995, Arkansas became the first state to repeal its own helmet law two years later.
Paul Schlegel| Ambassadors & Industry
Paul Schlegel joined the AMA as a member of the Travelers Motorcycle Club in 1954 at the age of 16, and within two years hosted his first event. An extraordinarily creative and successful AMA race promoter, Schlegel has been part of more than 100 AMA National Championship events. Schlegel is also the co-founder of the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, the single biggest motocross program in the world.Paul Schlegel is a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast who has been an AMA member for more than 60 years. He was an AMA Congressman for 50 years, as well as a member of the AMA Board of Trustees for 15 years. He served several terms on the AMA Heritage Board and was a major donor.
Schlegel joined the AMA as a member of the Travelers Motorcycle Club in 1954 at age 16. Within two years he hosted his first event, an enduro in the woods around the club’s scrambles and short track circuits. Schlegel later started his own club, Toledo, Ohio’s Glass City Motorcycle Club, in 1960.
Schlegel was an extraordinarily creative, diverse and successful AMA race promoter, producing AMA National events across multiple racing disciplines. Schlegel has been part of more than 100 AMA National Championship events, including Trans-AMA and Inter-Am motocross races of the early days, more modern AMA Pro Motocross and AMA Supercross events, AMA Camel Pro Series Grand National Championship events like the Lima Half-Mile, the AMA Dirt Track National Championships, AMA National Enduro and AMA National Hare Scrambles events, the original AMA National Arenacross Series and more.
Finally, Paul Schlegel is the co-founder of the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., the single biggest motocross program in the world and the primary platform for the future stars of AMA Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross.
Schlegel suggested Loretta Lynn’s Ranch for this new concept of a centrally located championship finale that would offer an even playing field for athletes who qualified at various AMA Area and AMA Regional qualifiers across the country. For the first decade of the event’s creation, Schlegel shared in the promotion and organization of the AMA’s single biggest dirt bike event with his co-founder, the late Dave Coombs Sr., who himself was enshrined in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.
Rick Sieman| Rights and Leadership
A motorcycle journalist, advocate and racer, Rick “Super Hunky” Sieman promoted, fought for and enjoyed the motorcycle lifestyle. Involved with Dirt Bike magazine from its inception and all during the motorcycle boom of the 1970s, Sieman helped promote motorcycling during a critical time in the sport’s history. Sieman’s advocacy culminated in his fight to bring back the Barstow to Vegas desert race, and his efforts led to the national media covering the story.Rick Sieman’s passion for off-road motorcycling led to a career as a motorcycle journalist and innovator.
Ultimately, his passion led him toward advocacy as he took on the United States government over land use issues in the California and Nevada deserts.
Sieman’s first exposure to motorcycle advocacy came while working for Dirt Bike magazine. With California legislature aiming to outlaw extended, non-stock fork assemblies on motorcycles, Sieman and his friend Jim Connolly raced a Triumph chopper in the Mint 400 desert race as a publicity stunt. The pair finished 23rd.
During the motorcycling boom of the early 1970s, Sieman and the rest of those at Dirt Bike did their part in promoting the motorcycle lifestyle.
A key moment in Sieman’s motorcycle journey came in the mid 1970s when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) shut down the Barstow to Vegas desert race. Sieman, fellow riders and leader Louis McKey spent more than 20 years fighting to have the race reinstated. The efforts led Sieman to appear on 60 Minutes.
The confrontation came to a head in 1990 when Sieman was among a group of riders that rode past BLM rangers to gain access to the desert course. This action led to Sieman’s arrest and increased publicity from media outlets.
While the event never returned to its early form, the LA-Barstow to Vegas ride remains an annual tradition to this day.
While a wordsmith and advocate, Sieman’s life was also chalk-full of the thrilling side of motorcycling, as Sieman participated in over 1,500 dirt bike races.
Buddy Stubbs| Ambassadors & Industry
Showcasing a wide skillset, Buddy Stubbs earned podiums in several disciplines: road racing, desert racing, hillclimb and scrambles. In 1966, AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Walter Davidson called upon Stubbs to run a struggling Harley-Davidson dealership in Arizona, and Stubbs made the dealership a thriving place for those in the area. Adding a museum wing to the dealership and serving as a stunt rider in multiple movies, Stubbs promoted the motorcycling lifestyle to the public.Buddy Stubbs was born destined to impact the world of motorcycling in a variety of ways.
Growing up with his parents owning a Harley-Davidson dealership, Stubbs was exposed to motorcycling at a young age, and learned to ride when he was just 10 years old.
Winning his first racing trophy at age 11, Stubbs snagged his first professional win a decade later at a TT event in Peoria, Ill.
In 1963, Stubbs won the Dayton 100-mile road race and the 25-mile Windber, Pa., road race.
Showcasing a wide skillset, Stubbs earned podiums in several disciplines: road racing, desert racing, hillclimb and scrambles.
His racing career concluded in 2003 at the Baja 500.
In 1966, AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Walter Davidson called upon Stubbs to run a struggling Harley-Davidson dealership in Arizona, and Stubbs made the dealership a thriving place for those in the area.
Stubbs created a wing to the dealership to serve as the largest motorcycle museum in the Southwest. Aiming to celebrate the legacy of motorcycling, the museum offered free admission, and Stubbs was often seen walking around to give visitors free tours.
While Stubbs managed the dealership, he also promoted motorcycling through his role as a stunt rider in national Suzuki and Yamaha commercials. Stubbs also worked on movies such as Then Came Bronson, Cancel My Reservation and Electra Glide in Blue.
Stubbs’ involvement in the world of motorcycling was also evident in his friendship with AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Evel Knievel, who Stubbs assisted on many television shows that helped refine the perception of motorcycling.
Barry Willey| Design & Engineering
Barry Willey, a trailblazer with an eye for innovation, leaned on his upbringing in his family’s motorcycle accessory factory to help National Cycle greatly impact the motorcycle community. With Willey at the helm, National Cycle became the first company to introduce and use General Electric’s MR4000 polycarbonate material — which came to be known as FMR hard-coated Lexan — for motorcycle windshields. In total, Willey’s pioneering nature gave the motorcycling industry many innovations and more than 25 mechanical patents.Born in 1949, Barry Willey grew up next to the Nation’s Cycle Center, the family’s motorcycle accessory factory. There, he learned to make parts and sparked a fascination to innovate that continued into adulthood.
On his 16th birthday, Willey bought his first motorcycle — a 1966 Suzuki X-6 Hustler. The years that followed saw Willey go off to college, stay out on the West Coast and ultimately return to Illinois in 1974 to run the family business.
In 1975, Willey’s National Cycle became the first company to introduce and use General Electric’s MR4000 polycarbonate material — which came to be known as FMR hard coated Lexan — for motorcycle windshields. The design and material perfected the windshield’s optics, form and durability, creating a safer and modern-styled option.
Called the Heavy Duty, the custom windshield was packaged into mount kits for both Harley-Davidson and Japanese motorcycles.
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In 2000, National Cycle made strides with its exclusive Quantum hard-coated polycarbonate, which raised the bar worldwide for polycarbonate windshield scratch resistance. Four years later came a newly developed Quantum hard-coating, which won the Innovation Award at the Honda Suppliers Forum.
Willey also noticed the need for quick-release systems, which influenced the aftermarket OEM manufactures. Many of Willey’s innovations became the standard for windshields, backrests, luggage and other accessories.
Willey’s trailblazing nature gave the motorcycling industry many innovations and more than 25 mechanical patents.
Today, more than 20 OEM manufacturers work with National Cycle, a company that has been running for more than eight decades.