VOL. 51 ISSUE 26 JULY 1, 2014 P33
PHOTOGRAPHY
COURTESY
OF
BSB
BARBER TO HALL
G
eorge Barber, the founder
of the Barber Vintage Mo-
torsports Museum and the Bar-
ber Motorsports Park in Leeds,
Alabama, has been elected to
the AMA Motorcycle Hall Of
Fame Class of 2014 in the Am-
bassador/Industry category.
"George Barber's incredible
collection of motorcycles at his
museum, as well as his world-
class racing facility, are evidence
of a love for the history of motor-
cycling and an appreciation for
the passion we all share," said
Ken Ford, a member of the Hall
of Fame executive committee
and treasurer of the American
Motorcyclist Association board
of directors. "His significant in-
vestment of time, energy and
money has produced a world-
class shrine to the design, man-
ufacture and enjoyment of
motorcycles."
Barber said his first reac-
tion on learning of his Hall of
Fame election was "disbe-
lief."
"I know that there are so
many great people in the Hall
of Fame that I wondered,
'How in the hell did I get in?'"
Barber said. "It truly is an
honor."
Barber began collecting
motorcycles and decided to
open a museum when the
collection reached about 60,
he said. Today, the world-re-
nowned Barber Vintage Motors-
ports Museum holds a collection
of more than 1400 motorcycles,
with more than 700 on display at
any given time, Barber said. The
museum also houses a collec-
tion of vintage racecars, includ-
ing 43 Lotuses.
Barber Motorsports Park owner
George Barber will be inducted in the
AMA Hall of Fame with the rest of the
class of 2014 in October.
first year as an expert. He at-
tempted a comeback a few
years later, but never found
the speed he'd had as an am-
ateur.
"He rode my bike when he
won the amateur nationals,"
Dick Mann explained. "He was
just one of the kids who rode in
the hills, one of the Richmond
Rambler guys. I took him back
East with me and he was a very
talented and dedicated rider. It
was a shame when he got hurt
because he had a lot of poten-
tial."
Both of Plain's older broth-
ers, Ken and Joey, were also
expert riders who raced on
the west coast.
Mann said Plain went on
to run a successful Bay Area
BSA and later Yamaha dealer-
ship.
"He was highly respected
in the industry," Gregory said.
"During his racing career he
became known as Jimmy
"Jet" Plain. He was a husband
and father of two. He worked
in the industry for Webco,
Tanner Distributing and retired
in 1998 as a Yamaha dealer."
Larry Lawrence
Former flat tracker Jimmy Plain
passed away last week.
