Eric Bostrom (Photo: Kawasaki Racing)

The boys rode on all the brands and had a long run of either full-on factory- or heavily-supported rides over the years. Eric walked away from AMA Pro duty a couple of years ago. Ben ended his 2012 season by scoring second-place finishes in New Jersey and New Orleans.

If it came down to one outstanding race to remember for Ben, it would be the time he won Laguna World Superbike as a wild card entry in 1999 on the Vance and Hines Ducati. It was one thing for a WSBK refugee like Anthony Gobert to win on that bike, but Ben winning validated the series and proved the level of competition in the class in those days -- and did so before having even won his first AMA Superbike race.

For Eric, how could it not be one of the Pikes Peak wins? Eric probably could have won a Superbike race on a scooter at Pikes. Perhaps it was the mountain air, or more likely the nature of the circuit that was so much like a dirt oval. Maybe the best win was in one of the Ducati years, one that turned around a season of struggles.

Or it could be the 2002 season finale at VIR. Eric beat Mat Mladin to the line to keep Mladin winless that season. Given the rivalry between the two men over the years, that one had to be sweet for Eric.

The brothers, along with Aaron Yates, cut their teeth in the Harley 883 class. That’s an important factor to remember and it proves AMA Pro always needs to have a cheap class with simple bikes where riders can learn how to win.

Although the brothers are out of the AMA Pro paddock, they haven’t exactly quit racing. They are serious mountain bike races and there’s been talk of Ben becoming even more serious about it in recent years. Eric races electric bikes and reviews motorcycles for Cycle World.