Motorcycle Racing Legend
Dick Klamfoth Passes
T
hree-time Daytona 200 winner Dick Klam-
foth died at the age of 91. Born in Columbus,
Ohio in 1928, Dick Klamfoth began riding motor-
cycles at the age of 14. He won the Daytona 200
on a Norton in his first outing in 1949, following that
up with additional victories on the beach course in
1951 and 1952.
From 1954 to 1961, Klamfoth made his mark on
the AMA Grand National Championship, finishing in
the top 10 each year and scoring five national Half-
Mile wins on his BSA.
After retiring from racing, he was inducted into
the AMA Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Motorsports
Hall of Fame of America in 2017.
Klamfoth's record of three Daytona 200 victories
held for nearly 50 years but the "King of the Beach"
will be synonymous with America's most historic
motorcycle race forever. A perpetual promoter of
motorcycle racing, Klamfoth and his wife Bev led
the charge to create the Daytona 200 Monument
in 2002. Located on the beach near Main Street
in Daytona Beach, the monument is dedicated to
preserving the history of the legendary beach race
that birthed Daytona Bike Week. CN
IN
THE
WIND
P52
Three-time Daytona 200
Dick Klamfoth passed
away in December.
