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/1542396
The Class Of ZOOE The Motorcvcle Hall o{ Fame Huseum I "nnorn..i nine new members for induction into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, with ceremonies scheduled for Saturday evening, October 7- This year's inductees include racint champions, land-speed record holders, industry leadeE and innovators. Eill Werner, one of motorcyclnt's most suc- cessful race-bike tunint talents and a Motorcycle Hall of Fame member since 2000, will serve es master of ceremonies for the 2006 event. At the October 7 ceremony, each inductee will be honored with the disrin- guished Sold Motorcycle Hall of Fame medal. ln addition, the inductee's name will be featured on a permanen! plaque in the Museum's Hall of Fame gallery The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2006 includes the followint (bios provided by the AMA): Doug Chandler - During a career that spanned more than rwo decades, Doug Chandler earned numerous acco- lades for his skill as a dirt tracker and road racer, in.luding AMA Camel Pro Rookie of the Year in 1983 and AMA Superbike titles in 1990, 1996 and 1997. He is a.lso one of only five racers to complete a ''Grand Slam" in AMA National Championship radng, with wins in short track, T1 half mile, mile and road racing. Ever the competitor, Chandler has returned to the AMA Superbike Series ahis year as a privateer. Alfred Rich Child - As Harley- Davidson's first export r€p.esentative to Africa in 1922, Alfred Rich Child was used to breaking new ground. His career at Harley-Davidson also included serving as manaSing director of sales in pre-Wwll Japan. as well as nego(iating the contract thar would trye Sankyo Company exclu- sive rithts to manufacrure Harley- Davidson products in that country Following the war, Child founded the Rich Child Cycle Co., a distributor of BSA and Sunbeam motorrycles. Wally Dallenbach - While many know Wally Dallenbach as a charnpion ra(ecar driver, rt rs his parsion for motor- c/clin8 and helpinS others that resulted in the first Colorado 500 Chariq/ Dirt Eike Ride in 1975. These by-invitation-only tatherints of dedicated motorcycle enthusiasts not only advance the cause of environmentally sound land use, buL con- trnue to rarse sitnificant funds for commu- nities and charitable institutions in the Colorado Rockies. Denis ilanning - A supremely talen(- ed and sell-taught desrgner and fabricator, Denis Manning buil( lhe innovacive stream- liner that allowed Cal Rayborn to shatter Don Vesco s long-standing motorcycle land-speed record in 1970. Today, Manning, also the founder of aftermarket moaorcycle exhaust pipe company B.U.B. Enterprises, continues to build and com- pete in molorcycle land-speed record runs at the gonneville Salt Flats. Heikki Mikkola - The ''Flyin'Finn" was ooe of the most popular and feared motocross racers o{ the 1970s. During his illustrious career, Mikkola racked up four World l'4otocross Championship titles and 32 Grand Prix victories, includinS a win in the 500cc class at the prestitious 1978 U.S. GP at Carlsbad, California. Burt Munro - New Zealand native Bun l"lunro devoted his entire l,fe to pur- surnS his dream of setfint a world land- sp€ed record with his 1920 lndian Scour, A humble do-ir-yourselfer, l"lunro raced independent of corporate sponsorship, preferrint to personally modify the lndian every step of the way. His so-year quest - and 1962 success at the Bonneville Salt Flats - were immortalized in the 2005 film fhe \lorld s Fostest lrdion, starring Anthony Hopkins as l4unro. Cook Neihon - As editor of cycle magazine durinS the 1970s, Cook Neilson set new standards for mororcycle iournal- ism. Under his direction, the matazine published the fi.st-ever head-to-head tests of individual bikes, a format used in every Doug Chondler will be inducted inro the AitA Holl of Fome lhis yeor. catetory ofenthusiast media today. Cycre's coverate of AMA Superbike ra.ing also helped establish the series as America's premier road-raaing championship. Neilson also walked the talk: He was a leading AMA Superbike racer in the 1970s and gave Oucati its first Al'1A Superbike victory at Daytona. Roger "Sodie" Soderstrom - The affable "Sodie" Soderstrom not only knew how to win races, he knew how to .apture the hearts of fans, topping th€ ALIAS "l.4ost Popular Rider" lists for many years. His racing career spanned 20 years and included five National wins in Class C competition at Peoria. As a Harley-Davrdson dealer, Sodie was also an active supporter of the sport and helped numerous racers launch their careers. Mike Wilson - From his days as an expert dirt tracker to his role as a dealer and sponsor of notable racers such as Leo Payne, Mike Wilson has made motorcy- clint a maior pan of his life. Today, Wilson, alonS with his wife, I4argaret (induc(ed into the Hall of Fame in 2004), continue to serve as tireless ambassadors of the sport and active proponents for preservin8 motoraycling's history and heritase. For more anformation. call the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum at 6141856-2222 or visit wlvw.motor- cyclemuseum.org, P o For the l9th year in a row hundreds ofthou- sands of motorcyclists, including many veter- ans, showed their support for the POW-MIA issue by riding into WashinSton, D.C., on a very hot Memorial Day Weekend. From a stating area in the Pentaton park- ing lot, the mass of riders that made up "Rolling Thunder XIX ' crossed the Polomac River on the Memorial Bridge and roared into the nation's capitol for the country's larSest annual one-day motorcycle rally. The event, which is overwhelminSiy dom- inated by Harley-Davidsons, draws riders from around the country and the world for the "Run ro the Wall," befter known as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The riders passed the Lincoln Memorial, then tumed right onto Conslitution Avenue, heading toward the Capitol, before turnint back to visi( the black Sranite wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memoaial. The annual ride highlights rhe POW-MIA issue. with ceremonies and speeches in front ofthe Lincoln lnlemorial. Amongthe speakers was Anre l*4uller, !he founder/executive director of Rolling Thunder lnc., who voiced his displeasure with the current administra- tion. l"'luller lamented the replacement of for- mer Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi with United States Ambassador to the Vatican Jim Nicholson. And he worried about the theft of a disk containing personal information, includint Social Security num- bers. for as many as 26.5 million veterans. But the day belonged to the veterans, most of whom served in Vietnam over 30 years ago. More recent veterans of the Gulf War and the current campaigns in lraq and Afghanistan also took pan. Henfiy Roy Abrdms CYCLE NEWS . .luNE 7,2006 9 ) I 7 Rolling Thunder XIX .,l t"' r ..- ,l ,l a