AHRMA 2024 Vintage Cup 350GP Season Opener dual wins by Rob Hall

(February 21, Knoxville, TN) – The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) kicked off the 2024 Vintage Cup series that highlights the 350 GP class February 17 and 18 at Roebling Road Raceway, in Bloomingdale, GA, as part of the 2024 Bridgestone Tires AHRMA Roadracing Series. 

The Vintage Cup series was inaugurated in 2019 with the 350 GP class, followed by 500 Premier in 2021, Vintage Superbike Heavyweight in 2022, and finally Formula 750 in 2023.  This series was intended to rotate in this order, so for 2024, 350 GP starts out the next round of Vintage Cup classes.

Sponsored by Hagerty Insurance, Roadracingworld.com, and NYC Norton (nycnorton.com), AHRMA’s 2024 Vintage Cup features the 350 GP class which includes 350cc four-stroke and 250cc two-stroke powered machines built up to and including 1968.  Featured bikes from this era would include bikes such as the AJS 7R “Boy Racer”, 350 Manx Norton, Benelli 350-Four, Aermacchi 350 Road Racer, Yamaha TD2, and more.  350 GP is a true Grand Prix class from the “golden era” up until the early 1980s and was won by such great racers such as Giacomo Agostini, Jim Redmon, Mike Hailwood, John Surtees, and Geoff Duke to name a few. 

“Thanks to modern technology, I was able to follow the racing remotely on live timing using Speedhive.  Despite his youthful appearance, Rob Hall is a veteran tuner, having worked on all three podium bikes, and a racer extraordinaire who really put the screws to multi 350 GP and Vintage Cup champion Alex McLean each day, no easy task,” said Kenny Cummings of NYC Norton (nycnorton.com).  “It’s incredible to see such beautiful vintage motorcycles piloted by highly skilled riders on Grand Prix machinery and once again proves that the Vintage Cup meets its intended purpose.”

The start of Saturday’s race saw Rob Hall aboard Stu Carter’s 1965 AJS 7R coming from the third row to out brake Alex McLean, who was riding Rob McKeever’s 1967 Harley-Davidson Aermacchi Drixton, into Turn One taking the hole shot. 

McLean and Hall battled fiercely, exchanging leads several times throughout the race.  McLean finally took the lead until the last lap when he hit a false neutral entering Turn One, losing his momentum and the lead. Hall took over, increased the gap with McLean, and took the win. Christopher Spargo, on John Turner’s 1967 Yamaha TD2, stalled at the start but once launched, worked his way through the field. He closed on the leaders and took third several bike lengths behind McLean.

The balance of the grid in order of finish included: Vincent Borbone in fourth, on a 1967 Kawasaki A1, Jerry Duke in fifth on a 1967 Ducati 350 Scrambler, Craig Light sixth on a 1973 Bultaco, Larry Watts seventh on a 1968 Ducati 350, Doug Bowie in eighth on a 1968 Ducati Mach 1, and David Roper in ninth on a 1962 Matchless G-50.

On Sunday, McLean was able to get the hole shot into Turn One and held the lead with Hall in pursuit for several laps. Spargo battled it out with Eric Watts on a 1972 Ducati 350 for third place.  Hall took the lead mid-way through the race and diced with Mclean, finally able to make it stick after slicing through traffic on the last lap for the win. McLean was second, Spargo third and Watts fourth.

The balance of the grid, in order of finish was Jerry Duke in fifth position, Craig Light, seventh, and in eighth place was David Roper.

“These middleweight road racers from the late 60s look cool, sound cool and are the epitome of our vintage road racing program,” said Greg “GT” Tomlinson, 2024 Chairman of the AHRMA Board of Trustees.  “Plus, the parity of the bikes and the racers really put on a great show as we saw during the opening rounds of our Vintage Cup.  I can’t wait for our next round of racing as the competition is going to be fierce!”

Rounds three and four of the AHRMA National Road Race Series will be March 16-17 at Carolina Motorsports Park, in Kershaw, SC.

The annual Vintage Cup spotlights one of AHRMA’s road racing classes with extra attention on competitors in the selected class during each race event. Enhanced awards for the Vintage Cup competitors are presented separately from other class trophies during the Saturday awards ceremony at each AHRMA National Road Race event. Highlights from each Vintage Cup race will be reported in RoadracingWorld.com’s online edition. At the conclusion of each season, the perpetual Vintage Cup trophy will be engraved with the national champion winner’s name and presented to the winner at the National Awards Banquet to keep for one year.

2024 Bridgestone Tires AHRMA Roadracing Series, 350GP – Vintage Cup Results

Saturday, February 17, 2024

1 – 270 Rob Hall, 1965 AJS 7R, Charlotte, NC

2 – 122 Alex McLean, 1967 Aermacchi Drixton, Jacksonville Beach, FL

3 – 19 Christopher Spargo, 1967 Yamaha TD2, Hopkins, MN

4 – 860 Vincent Borbone, 1967 Kawasaki A1, Hampstead, NH

5 – 9K Jerry Duke, 1967 Ducati 350 Scrambler, Florence, AL

6 – 79A Craig Light, 1973 Bultaco, Peachtree City, GA

7 – 141 Larry Watts, 1968 Ducati 350, Backlick, OH

8 – 350 Doug Bowie, 1968 Ducati Mach 1, Lilburn, GA

9 – 7 David Roper, 1962 Matchless G-50, Hicksville, NY

Sunday, February 18, 2024

1 – 270 Rob Hall, 1965 AJS 7R, Charlotte, NC

2 – 122 Alex McLean, 1967 Aermacchi Drixton, Jacksonville Beach, FL

3 – 19 Christopher Spargo, 1967 Yamaha TD2, Hopkins, MN

4 – 87 Eric Watts, 1972 Ducati 350, Blacklick, OH

5 – 9K Jerry Duke, 1967 Ducati 350 Scrambler, Florence, AL

6 – 79A Craig Light, 1973 Bultaco, Peachtree City, GA

7 – 7 David Roper, 1962 Matchless G-50, Hicksville, NY

About AHRMA:

The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to competing on fantastic classic and true vintage along with a wide range of modern motorcycles.  With over 3,000 members, AHRMA is the largest vintage racing group in North America and one of the biggest in the world. The association has grown steadily over the years, reflecting the increasing interest in classic bikes.

More, from a press release issued by Team Obsolete:

Team Obsolete attends AHRMA season opener at Roebling Raceway

Bloomingdale, GA,  February 16-18, 2024 – Team Obsolete is delighted to announce a successful weekend of racing at the AHRMA season opener hosted by Roebling Road Raceway in Bloomingdale, Georgia.

Our program for the weekend had two main objectives: Firstly, in support of the 2024 350 Premier class, we scheduled to run a different pedigree 350 Grand Prix machine at each event. These bikes span the entire classic era, from single-cylinder racers from the 50’s to the multi-cylinder bikes of the late 60’s.

For this event, we brought the most senior of the batch – a 1951 works AJS 7R piloted by Dave Roper.  This motorcycle exemplifies the cutting edge of British racing technology in the early years of the world championship. This weekend marked the first time this machine has been raced in six decades!  Our hope is that seeing and hearing bikes like this out on the track being used as intended inspires others to join the fray.  While certainly outgunned in the racing, Dave was out for every session, dicing it up and putting on a good show against much newer and faster machines.  Certainly, a good time was had by all.

The second part of our program for the weekend was something particularly special: returning Randy Hoffman to the grid after a five-year hiatus due to a spinal injury, aboard the amazing MJC Special – a TT pedigree sidecar outfit featuring an engine designed and built by Maurice Candy (the renowned tuner and former Isle of Man TT competitor) housed in a chassis built by none other than the legendary Colin Seeley. This machine has a long history racing the TT with results from the early 60’s right through to 1973. This event marked the first time this rig has been run since.  While there were certainly all the expected troubles of such an endeavor, our technicians Seth Rosko and Cliff Godard worked tirelessly through the weekend. In the end, Randy finished second in class for his first race back, helped in no small part by the spirit and enthusiasm of his passenger, Michelle LeClear-Fisher.   A huge thanks to everyone who attended for their support and enthusiasm throughout the weekend.  This wasn’t just a team effort; it was the whole racing community banding together to make the seemingly impossible a reality.  A fitting salute to Randy and his years of tenacious work to get here!

What a great way to start 2024! We are very excited for the rest of the season. See you in the paddock!

Many thanks to the Organizers, and to our sponsors: Vanson Leathers, Red Line Synthetic Oil, Buchanan’s Spoke & Rim, and Heidenau Tires.