Renamed in honor of former AMA Board Member and longtime volunteer Jim Viverito in 2020, this award acknowledges individuals or organizations in the motorcycling community who have strongly supported the AMA mission and its programs. This award is chosen by the AMA president at his discretion and is presented by the AMA president or his representative.
- 2012: Robert Althoff—Althoff is the dealer principal of A.D. Farrow Co. Harley-Davidson, America’s Oldest Harley Dealer with locations in Columbus, Sunbury and Pataskala, Ohio. Altoff’s Columbus dealership is celebrating its 100th year selling Harley-Davidsons in 2012. In addition to providing each owner of a Harley-Davidson as well as each student that takes a Riders Edge course an AMA membership, Althoff has been the driving force behind a number of strategic partnerships and key initiatives to promote the AMA mission, and grow the AMA membership ranks.
- 2013: Port Stockton Motorcycle Club—The Port Stockton Motorcycle Club received the Friend of the AMA Award for its longstanding support of the AMA mission. The PSMC has been an AMA club from its founding in 1937 and all club members are AMA members as well. The men and women of PSMC participate in numerous AMA-sanctioned activities each year including recreational and philanthropic events.
- 2014: Roy Garrett—Plainfield, Indiana’s Roy Garrett, an AMA Life Member and member of ABATE of Indiana DIRT, has been a fixture in the off-highway riding community for his many years of promoting responsible off-highway recreation. In acknowledging Garrett with this award, the AMA was impressed by the ability of Indiana’s on- and off-highway clubs and organizations to work together to protect the riding freedoms of all of the state’s riders.
- 2015: Ken Wahlster—Wahlster, founder of BikeBandit.com, has been a strong partner and supporter of the AMA for many years and is the recipient of the association’s 2015 Friend of the AMA Award. The award recognizes one or more in the motorcycling community, including clubs, companies, sponsors and/or partners that have strongly supported the AMA mission and programs.
- 2016: Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative GRANT program, Oakland Motorcycle Club, Brad Baumert
- The Yamaha Outdoor Access Initiative, Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation’s Trails (GRANT), is a program that provides funds to clubs and organizations to support motorized trails. Each quarter, the program accepts applications from organizations, such as nonprofit or tax exempt OHV riding groups, public riding areas, outdoor enthusiast associations and land conservation organizations, with an interest in protecting, improving, expanding and/or maintaining access for safe, responsible and sustainable use by motorized off-road vehicles. A committee then reviews each application and awards GRANTs to deserving projects. Since 2008, the program has awarded hundreds of GRANTs and millions in funding and equipment throughout the United States.
- In 2007, the Oakland Motorcycle Club, AMA charter No.72, celebrated 100 years of continuous operation as an organization dedicated to supporting the sport of motorcycle riding. The OMC’s members are a diverse group of men and women who own a wide variety of motorcycles, including street, dual-sport and dirt bikes. The club has a long tradition of organizing and participating in all types of motorcycle events, including enduros, hillclimbs, track racing, and long-distance tours. The club is also known for its outreach to other clubs and riding organizations.
- Brad Baumert is a lifelong motorcyclist, trials rider and an enthusiastic booster of the AMA. As CEO for the North American Trials Council and a principal of Trials Inc., he has been a longtime volunteer and supporter of the sport of trials and was instrumental in organizing events at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days and the AMA campus. In so doing, Baumert has encouraged new riders, young and old, to discover motorcycling.
- 2017: Perry King, Louisville Vintage Motorworks, Nitro Circus, Kelly Inman, David O. DeWitt
- Within the motorcycling community, few are more passionate about riding than Perry King. A well-known actor of stage, screen and television for more than 40 years, King is a longtime AMA member and enthusiast. For years, King has given his time and talent to both the AMA and the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. He is a past member of the AMA Board of Directors and has also provided voiceover for numerous AMA public service announcements.
- Louisville Vintage Motorworks is an open community of self-described gear-heads and enthusiasts. Established in 2008, the group has become a broad-based collection of riders driven simply by participation. Its followers are part of the nationwide, organic motorcycle movement that loves to modify older, less expensive motorcycles that become a visual statement for the builder.
- Nitro Circus has become one of the most popular displays of riding skill anywhere in the world, showcasing the thrill of motorcycling to riders and nonriders of all ages in an exciting, yet safe, environment. It arose from humble beginnings in 2003, with co-founders Jeremy Rawle, Gregg Godfrey and action sports superstar Travis Pastrana producing DVDs from a garage in Utah.
- Kelly Inman is a longtime promoter of speedway racing who is equally avid in his support of the AMA and its mission. His company, Industry Racing, won the 2014 AMA Track Racing Organizer of the Year. Inman recognizes that the sport needs new, young talent to survive and has done an exemplary job putting together races for the younger riders.
- AMA Charter Life Member David. O. “Skip” DeWitt joined the AMA in 1962 and has worked tirelessly in his AMA-chartered club, Old Fort Motorcycle Club of Columbia City, Ind., to promote responsible riding. Now 86, he looks back with fondness on the many people who touched his life as a motorcyclist.
- 2018: Don Amador, Kurt Caselli Foundation, Bryan Much, Pennsylvania Trail Riders Association, Robert “Robbie” Robinson
- Don Amador is well known in the motorcycling community as the western representative of the Blue Ribbon Coalition, a position he accepted in 1995. In 2010, he started an OHV consulting business, Quiet Warrior Racing. His advocacy often parallels the interests of the AMA, and he has been an AMA booster for many years.
- The Kurt Caselli Foundation, established in 2013, focuses on the safety of riders and racers in the world of off-road motorcycling. The nonprofit’s three-part mission encompasses safety precautions for riders before, during and after a racing career. In addition, the foundation is a significant donor to the International Six Days Enduro rider support fund.
- AMA member Bryan Much has been riding for 40 years, off- and on-road, and currently logs many miles on his bikes while providing GPS routes for others to go on their own adventures at Cannonshot.net. Much is serious about protecting motorcyclists’ rights, helping create trails and serving on the Wisconsin Governor’s State Trails Council and Off- Road Vehicle Council. In 2017, Much earned his AMA EAGLES certification and has been named state coordinator for AMA of Wisconsin, a volunteer position in the AMA State Chapters Program.
- PATRAThe Pennsylvania Trail Riders Association dedicates its time and effort to sponsoring four annual dual sport events in the state. PATRA’s mission is to ensure that the Seven Mountains and Shade Mountain motorcycle trails remain a legal trail system. Their work requires close coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, state forestry officials, the state legislature and recreational, environmental and community stakeholders.
- AMA Charter Life Member Robert “Robbie” Robinson was a lifelong rider who enjoyed motorcycling until his death in October 2017 at age 79, when he succumbed to a medical emergency while riding his Suzuki in Blackwater State Park near his home in Milton, Fla. In his youth, Robinson converted street bikes into dirt bikes before purpose-built off-road motorcycles existed. Later he competed in enduros, hare scrambles and motocross. His favorite event was the Gobbler Getter Enduro in Maplesville, Ala., in which he competed or attended every year since 1968. Along the way he had a bike shop and two sons that both raced. It was a way of life, according to his son Troy Robinson.
- 2019: Tom and Karen Umphress, Liza Miller, Scot Harden
- AMA members Tom and Karen Umphress have been active riders and advocates for the riding community in Minnesota since the late 1990s, working with other on-road motorcycle organizations, such as ABATE of Minnesota and the Christian Motorcycle Association. Karen also worked for the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council from 2008 to 2017. The couple became AMA State Chapter Coordinators for Minnesota in 2018, volunteering to support AMA recreational riding activity and promote the fun of motorcycling.
- Liza Miller founded the Re-Cycle Garage in Santa Cruz, Calif., in 2009, one of the nation’s first “do it yourself” community motorcycle repair and restoration cooperatives. She also started the weekly podcast, “Motorcycles & Misfits,” about all things motorcycling. Miller and her crew have been enthusiastic AMA supporters, have attended and promoted AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days and provide the AMA with a monthly 60-second PSA slot on “Motorcycles & Misfits.”
- AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Scot Harden’s multi-decade career includes off-road racing championships, numerous motorcycle industry executive positions and service as an industry consultant. In the January 2018 issue of “American Motorcyclist,” Harden launched the Plus 1 campaign to bring more people into motorcycling, have a positive impact on the sport and drive the next generation of enthusiasts forward. Harden also featured prominently in the 2018 appeal for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
- MotoVentures was founded in 1998 in Southern California by motorcycle industry veteran and AMA Life Member Gary LaPlante with the goal of sharing his passion for riding and providing expert knowledge about how to ride. MotoVentures’ programs reach individuals of all ages, ranging from beginners to experts, and deliver training for trials, motocross, dual sport and adventure riders.