P22
IN
THE
WIND
GOING BACK IN TIME... SIDEWAYS
W
hen it comes to
America's motorcycle racing history, the story
of the AMA Grand National
Championship is one of
the prized jewels. Now
thanks to the vision of Greg
Pearson, the exhibit author
and creator, the story of
American Dirt Track racing
is on display at the National Motorcycle Museum in
Anamosa, Iowa.
The Dirt Track Heroes
exhibit showcases the 60year history of the championship nicely. It features over 30
Class C and short-track bikes,
as well as some road race bikes
that were brought in on loan from
private collectors across the
country. To further complement
the display there are leathers,
helmets, artwork, and a collec-
tion of photographs from the series' well-known photographers
over the years.
"It's very important to give
these riders, and tuners credit
for the hard work, and the risks
they took to try and earn the #1
plate," Pearson said when asked
(Above) Plenty of bikes are on
display from a variety of manufacturers to illustrate American dirt track
history at the National Motorcycle
Museum. (Below) Dirt track legends:
Jay Springsteen, Rich King, Bubba
Shobert, Chris Carr, Bill Tuman,
Bobby Hill, Bill Baird and Dick Klamfoth sign autographs for their fans.
about the challenge of putting
together a display that would
capture the essence of American dirt track. "Judging from the
smiles and positive comments at
the opening this weekend, I think
we pretty much nailed it."
The exhibit opened to the public on June 8 during this year's
Vintage Rally and will be around
until April of next year. For more
information on the National Motorcycle Museum go to its website at www.nationalmcmuseum.
org.
