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Written by:
AMA Communications
American Motorcyclist Association
American Motorcyclist Association
07/08/2008 - 01:43 PM
Pickerington, OH
For many of the thousands who trek to the American Motorcyclist Association's (AMA) Vintage Motorcycle Days each summer, the allure of old bikes going fast is a powerful one. In fact, it's not unusual to discover that many fans are racers themselves. A case in point is Will Harding, one of scores whose passion for vintage racing will be on display at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, July 25-27.
Harding is co-founder of the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) and one of the more active racers in the paddock. He's often spotted pushing his own race bike to the grid and this year he's campaigning a Vintage Superbike BMW and a sidecar rig in a sport that is experiencing a surge in popularity.
"The people who are taking interest now grew up in what I think of as the great motorcycle boom, the end of the '60s, when stuff started to come out that was reasonably priced and reliable," said Harding. "Maybe they're getting back into it, finding their first bike again. We're also seeing people who never had motorcycles take it up. Probably a lot of guys can spend the money now when they couldn't then."
While vintage racing attracts past AMA champions like Jay Springsteen and Gary Nixon, there are few barriers to vintage motorcycle racing newcomers. "We have novice classes, so there's
One of the big attractions of AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is that all forms of racing are on display at Mid-Ohio's modern complex and the nearby Ashland County Fairgrounds, including road racing, motocross, cross-country, trials and dirt track.
"The dirt side has been growing very, very well," said Harding. "I think one reason is that it's fairly inexpensive to get into. A lot of people have those old bikes in their garage or barn, and they're easy to get going. We've added cross-country to the program this year, and that will be popular. Then there's trials, the simplest form of racing we have-just get on a bike and try not to fall down!"
Harding's love is road racing, and he's been an AHRMA national road-race referee for many years. "I try to make it run smoothly, so some guy can get from the pits to the grid, and never knows anything about all the work that went into it. He's just having a good time and finds that his scoring sheet is correct. If we're doing our job, the average racers don't even know we're there."
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