Duhamel, Oliver First AMA Riders to be Inducted into Infineon Raceway Wall of Fame SONOMA, Calif. (Friday, March 17, 2006) “” Legendary riders Miguel Duhamel and Rich Oliver will be honored as the first AMA motorcycle riders to be inducted into the Infineon Raceway Wall of Fame, raceway officials announced today. Construction of the Wall of Fame was announced at the 2005 Dodge/Save Mart 350 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup weekend, with drivers Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin selected as the first inductees. The two drivers, along with the NHRA’s Warren Johnson, will now have company as Duhamel and Oliver will be officially enshrined during a public ceremony at the Kawasaki AMA Superbike Showdown weekend, presented by Supercuts, May 19-21. The announcement was made during a Yamaha-sponsored test session on Friday at Infineon Raceway. Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki, Ducati, Attack Kawasaki and Mat Mladin Motorsports also attended the test session. “Our objective in creating the Wall of Fame was to recognize those individuals whose legacy and accomplishments have helped shape the history of this raceway,” said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway. “Miguel and Rich have had so many dominant performances here and provided our fans so many thrills, it is fitting that they should be our first inductees from the motorcycle world.” Duhamel (Honda) has built the most prolific career of any AMA rider at Infineon Raceway “” the AMA has visited the Sonoma Valley for 24 years, including the last 12. Duhamel has a record nine victories at Infineon Raceway, including five in Superbike, three in Supersport and one in Formula Xtreme. Duhamel has won both Superbike and Supersport in the same weekend a record three times (1993, 95, 98), and he won Superbike and Formula Xtreme on the same weekend in 2004. Moreover, Duhamel is a five-time AMA Supersport national champion and he won the Superbike national title in 1995. “This has always been one of my favorite tracks, and this is a great honor for me,” Duhamel said. “I’ve always had a lot of success here, and I’m really looking forward to coming back in May for the ceremony.” Oliver, a resident of Auberry near Fresno, dominated the 250 Grand Prix class in Sonoma, taking the checkered flag four consecutive years (1994-97). He is the only AMA rider in history to win a feature race four consecutive years at Infineon Raceway. Moreover, he won the Grand Prix title a fifth time in Sonoma in 2003 before eventually retiring from AMA competition. Oliver is also a five-time AMA 250 Grand Prix national champion. He joins Duhamel as the only riders with five class victories over their careers in Sonoma. “I was surprised and honored when Steve (Page) called me,” said Oliver, who primarily rode a Yamaha during his career. “It’s sort of a sign that retirement from active racing has set in and seeing the awards come down is real special. It’s also neat to have it happen where it all started, in Sonoma. I started my career there in 1976 with the AFM (American Federation of Motorcyclists) and to go back there for this honor is incredible.” Both Duhamel and Oliver will be presented with granite plaques etched with each rider’s likeness during the ceremony in May. The plaques will be on display as part of the Wall of Fame, which will be constructed behind the main grandstand and accessible to the public. The Wall of Fame will include competitors from all forms of motor racing at Infineon Raceway, including NASCAR, NHRA POWERade Drag Racing, American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), open-wheel cars, sports cars, and more. It will also include those who have made significant contributions to the raceway over the years. A raceway committee will oversee the selection process on an annual basis.
Infineon Raceway Wall Of Fame To Honor Rich Oliver, Miguel Duhamel
Infineon Raceway Wall Of Fame To Honor Rich Oliver, Miguel Duhamel
© 2006, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
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