Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Motorcycle Hall of Famer George Roeder died Thursday, May 8 from an apparent heart attack, reported Paul James, Harley-Davidson/Buell Communications Manager, in an e-mail to Roadracingworld.com.

According to his bio on the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame website, www.ama-cycle.org/museum/index.asp, Roeder was born August 16, 1936 in Monroeville, Ohio and started racing motorcycles as a professional at age 17. He took his first Grand National dirt track race win at the Springfield Mile in 1963; won a total of eight GNC races; and finished second in the Grand National Championship twice, by one point to Dick Mann in 1963 and runner-up to Gary Nixon in 1967.

Roeder also road raced, taking four podium finishes in the Daytona 200, and set a land speed record of 177.225 mph on a Harley-Davidson 250cc Sprint-powered streamliner in 1965 at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

Two of Roeder’s sons, George “Geo” Roeder, II and Jess Roeder are both accomplished professional motorcycle racers. George Roeder’s oldest son, Will, runs the Harley-Davidson dealership George opened many years ago in Monroeville.

No memorial information was available at post time.