Attendees, volunteers, sponsors and partners support AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, a fundraiser for the AMHF
More than $1.5 million raised at annual AMA event since 2008
PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Thousands of motorcyclists converged on Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, July 11-13 to enjoy vintage racing, see some amazing classic bikes, learn from motorcycling experts, shop North America’s largest motorcycle swap meet, spend time with old friends, connect with new friends, and through it all contribute to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and its mission to promote the heritage of motorcycling in America.
BikeBandit.com AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Indian Motorcycle, wrapped up its 30th year — and 25th at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course — in grand fashion, with perfect weather and premier attractions thanks to event partners BikeBandit.com, Indian Motorcycle and more.
The American Motorcyclist Association, working with Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, organizes and promotes AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days. The AMA donates its portion of the proceeds to the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation. Those donated funds in turn help finance the yearly operations of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
According to financial reports audited by the accounting firm Plante Moran, contributions from the event have accelerated significantly since 2008, raising an average of $246,586 a year vs. an average of $106,141 from 2000 through 2007. Total contributions to the Hall of Fame from AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days top $2.3 million since 2000.
“In addition to the AMA staff time that is donated to planning and running AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, this event provides a significant amount of the capital necessary to operate the Hall of Fame,” said AMA CFO Bruce Moffat. “Although the financial contribution from this year’s event won’t be finalized for some time, we expect it to continue the general upward trend that we saw accelerate in the late 2000s when the AMA administration made a renewed commitment to financially support the AMHF. This is, of course, in addition to other fundraising activities that we do for the Hall of Fame, such as the annual raffle bike and the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony.”
AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman gave credit to the small army of AMA staff, volunteers and partners who contribute to the effort to organize AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.
“AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is an annual highlight for me, and this year was one of the best ever,” Dingman said. “Participation and activities were up in almost all categories, helping us in our mission to promote and preserve motorcycling’s heritage through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. This event is the primary fundraiser for the Hall of Fame, and everyone who comes through the gate joins AMA volunteers and staff whose time is contributed to this worthy goal.”
Dingman also thanked those companies that provided financial support to the event.
“BikeBandit.com, Indian Motorcycle, Federal Motorcycle Transport, Smarter Fuel Future, American International Motorcycle Expo, Moto Armory and Sam’s Club all stepped up to back this event,” Dingman said. “We extend our sincere gratitude for their support.”
In addition, several AMA clubs and partners participated in BikeBandit.com AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Indian Motorcycle, providing operational assistance in several areas.
“AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days couldn’t happen without a long list of partners,” said AMA Event Manager Connie Fleming. “I would like to thank Griff Allen for announcing the event, as well as recently elected AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Tom White for providing play-by-play of the motocross races.”
She added: “There are also our swap meet vendors; WERA for organizing the road racing activities; Don May and Trials Inc. for supporting the trials; Mandi Mastin and her family for laying out and scoring the harescrambles; and Baja MX, Log Road MX, Action Sports Promotions, Christian M/C and Dayton M/C for help in motocross.
“We also thank the Roadracing World Action Fund and AMA Pro Racing for providing air modules along the road race course; Ashland County Fairgrounds for providing a great facility for the dirt-track program; Polaris Industries and ValleyATV.com; Mid-Ohio Suzuki; and every individual volunteer who pitched in to help make this an amazing weekend for our attendees,” Fleming said.
In addition, Fleming thanked the Indian Motorcycle, KTM and Ural demo truck teams; Classic Clubs Café Racer magazine, Bridgestone MC, Louisville Vintage MotorWorks and the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club; and the Kawasaki ZL Owners Association and the Cincinnati Classic British Motorcycle Owners for participation in the Club Corrals.
BikeBandit.com AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Indian Motorcycle, is the country’s premier celebration of vintage motorcycles and motorcycling heritage.
For 2014, the event shined the spotlight on the famed Indian Wrecking Crew, which in the early 1950s made an indelible mark on the history books and solidified the reputation of Indian Motocycles, as the company was then known, as one of the 20th Century’s greatest marques. Bobby Hill and Bill Tuman, the surviving members of the Indian Wrecking Crew, which also included the late Ernie Beckman, served as grand marshals.
For coverage from this year’s BikeBandit.com AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Indian Motorcycle, see www.amavintagemotorcycledays.com.
About the American Motorcyclist Association
Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com.