From an press release issued by CMRA President Brooks Gremmels: The CMRA is inducting its second Hall of Fame class at the Awards Banquet on December 6th. I thought maybe this would be of interest to your readers. Last year’s inaugural class of Kevin Schwantz and Colin Edwards is being joined at this year’s Awards Banquet by three new CMRA Hall of Fame members. Lou Linden, Sam McDonald and Freddie Spencer are the 2003 inductees. Lou founded the CMRA. Lou had been racing with the Central Road Racing Club, a loosely organized predecessor to the organization he incorporated in 1995 as the Central Motorcycle Roadracing Association. Lou’s racing career ended in the first turn at TWS, aboard his TZ250. He crashed and was hit by another machine, breaking several bones in the process. Today Lou lives in Baltimore where he practices law as a consultant to nonprofit organizations (sounds like the CMRA could use some more help from Lou). Sam won the 1982 AMA 250cc championship, rode for a Honda support program in 1983 to develop the Interceptor, won the AMA Superbike National at Loudon in 1984, finishing second to Fred Merkel in the championship that season, rode in the Suzuka 8-Hours with John Bettencourt in ’85, rode for Yamaha in ’85 when he put their new FZ750 on the front row at Daytona (in its first ever race!). Sam started riding in the CMRA in 1985 and he and his brother Phil began endurance racing together in 1988. Sam has won numerous CMRA championships. Today Sam teaches our New Rider’s school and races with and coaches his son, Tyler McDonald. Freddie Spencer began racing motorcycles at age four, racing in short track and dirt track events. He got into road racing in 1972, racing a 100cc Yamaha in the 250cc production class. By 1977 he’d won 12 national road racing championships. “Fast” Freddie turned pro in ’78 at the age of 18. As a first year Novice, Freddie won every race in the AMA 250cc Grand Prix class, clinching his first National Championship. He signed with Honda in 1980. In 1984, Freddie became the youngest rider ever to win a 500cc World Championship, beating Kenny Roberts in the final race of the season, by only 2 points. The topper was Freddie’s capture of both the 250cc and 500cc World Championships in 1985. In 1988, with three World Championships to his credit, Freddie Spencer retired from GP racing. Just to show he could still do the business, Freddie came back to win the 1995 Superbike race at Laguna Seca. Today Freddie operates perhaps the most successful motorcycle school in the country, in Las Vegas. Congratulations to these three outstanding inductees. Their election to the CMRA Hall of Fame is well deserved. Brooks Gremmels President CMRA Ft. Worth, Texas And now some reader reaction: Mr. Brooks Gremmels, President of the CMRA in his news release about the CMRA Hall of Fame was largely accurate in his assessment of Freddie Spencer’s career with one minor exception: In 1978 Freddie Spencer won every 250cc Grand Prix Novice national he finished. The one he didn’t, Sears Point, was won by Mark Homchick. A minor nit, but one of my few moments of glory… But, that aside, having known both Freddie Spencer and Sam McDonald I congratulate them on the honor being bestowed upon them. Mark Homchick Trabuco Canyon, California