Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127740
.VINTAGE··.. '. . Round 12: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course ..AIIA VIntage we DIyIIAHRIIA HIslorIc CUpISoSmoTIBEARSt'BMW BaltIe Of U18 ~. By Matt Benson LEXINGTON, OH, JULY 21-23 ack in July 1992, the AMA threw a party and called it Vintage Motorcycle Days. Held at AMA headquarters and the adjacent Motorcycle Heritage Museum in Westerville, the weekend featured a bike show, swap meet, a,uction, displays, rides and other fun stuff for more than 6000 enthusiasts who braved the muddy conditions. Since Vintage Motorcycle Days was obviously too large for that site, it moved for the next two years to a nearby private park. And it got bigger, with demo rides by motorcycle manufacturers, camping and just 'more of everything. Vintage Motorcycle Days still wanted to grow, so organizers found themselves wond-ering what might happen if the weekend moved an hour away to Mid-Dhio Sports Car Course and added a couple days of AHRMA road racing to the mix. The result was proof that enthusiasm for old motorcycles shows no signs of waning. Attendance was big: 15,500 people paid to come through the gates, forcing Mid-Dhio to quickly print more tickets; the AHRMA National attracted 530 entries, second in numbers only to Daytona; and J. Wood &. Co. put approximately 200 motorcycles· and other items on the auction block in a tent packed with bidders. Mid-Ohio's roads and pathways were crowded, as was the swap-meet area. One had to line up bright and early for demo rides on new Triumphs, BMWs, Harley-Davidsons, Kawasakis and Yamahas. The bike show attracted nearly ISO entries over two days, up by nearly half over 1994. There was a barbecue emceed by B (AIIoft) FuI grIcIa and - . . . 15,500 spec1atora madlI thla yMr'a Vintage Motarcycle Days fMtIvalllt Ihe _. MIcI-OhIo Sports C8reour..one or Ihe b8lIt- aa.llded vlntage gIItherIrIga of Ihe (Right) S18ph8n M.e-_ both Ihe Prwm.... 500cc .-It and IheSound or SlngIea Fonnula Twoevenl8 aboard the Barber RlIcIng 1I8IctI..... Don Emde, observed trials demonstrations, parade laps by famous riders on exotic motorcycles, a vintage ride to nearby Mansfield, a display of bikes to whet the appetite for a visit to the museum, a seminar by "Investment Biker" author Jim Rogers, and the Penguin Road Racing School was in session. "Things were super, a huge success. That's what I've heard from everybody," said the AMA's Bruce TruxalL. "I think people were pretty much amazed. We assumed it was going to be bigger than last year, and it was." In racing action, the BMW Battle of the Legends saw Yvon DuHamel emerge victorious from the usual eightway battle for the lead. The FrenchCanadian didn't capture either of the two legs - Roger Reiman won on Saturday and Emde crossed the line first on Sunday - but his 3-2 finishes were close enough. . Barber Vintage Motorsports' Stephen Mathews used the same 1962 Matchless GSO to run away with both the vintage 500cc Premier and modem Sound of Singles Formula Two races. DuHamel, on a Team Obsolete Ducati, took a close Formula 750cc race over Chris Stobaugh, but Big D Triumphmounted Stobaugh prevailed in the tough Sportsman 750cc class. The Battle of Twins and BEARS were dominated by Les White, who took three wins on his MCC Ducati 900SS. WANDERING THE GROUNDS Friday evening's ba.rbecue included a "practice" session for Saturday's auction, as Jerry Wood gave instructions on how to bid on a jacket awarded by the AMA to Gary Nixon for his 1970 top-10 finish in the A~A Grand