Today in motorcycle history, June 9, 1949

    

  Englishman Reuben Thomas "Ben" Drinkwater is killed after crashing his Excelsior at the 1949 Isle of Man Junior TT. 

  After competing in the first post-war event on the Snaefell Mountain Course, the 1946 Manx Grand Prix,  Ben Drinkwater returned to race in the 1947 Isle of Man 250cc Lightweight TT and finished in 3rd place in one of the most controversial races in TT history won by the Irishman, Manliff Barrington.

  Despite Maurice Cann lapping consistently the entire race at an average speed of just over 74 mph and fellow Moto-Guzzi rider Barrington at a hair over 73 mph the race was awarded to Manliff. Despite a protest to the ACU, the result was allowed to stand as "....in those days of wind-up watches and hand-written records, the officials had under-estimated Barrington's time by a minute." WTF.




  While racing in the 1949 350cc Junior TT Race, the first ever race of the new FIM World Championship, Ben Drinkwater collided with a bank trying to avoid a fellow competitor near Cronk Bane farm near the 11th milestone marker post and was killed instantly. The distinctive S-bend corner on the Isle of Man Mountain Course near to where the accident occurred was renamed "Drinkwater's Bend".

  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD).      www.nabd.org.edu

Today in motorcycle history, June 6, 2007

  

  

  

  Americade, the world's largest touring-bike rally, celebrates it's 25th anniversary.

  "It doesn't seem like 25 years," rally founder Bill Dutcher said. "I can still remember the anxiety of trying to get the first year off the ground. I never expected it to grow like this. I thought it would be just a little fun."



   What began as a small rally that attracted fewer than 3,000 people to this idyllic lake setting in upstate New York has morphed into the world's largest rally for touring motorcycles. Upward of 60,000 motorcycle enthusiasts will ride into town and transform this village of fewer than 1,000 full-time residents into motorcycle fairing heaven.



  The rally, which once filled the economic void between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, is now the mainstay of the whole year. Past estimates of Americade's economic impact, according to research conducted by Plattsburgh State University, have been pegged at anywhere from $20 million to $40 million.

  "It is our largest single week economically," longtime Lake George Mayor Robert M. Blais said. "It takes up every road and byway. People have come to accept it."


  And to think it was the brainchild of a guy with a degree in psychology from Harvard.



  Bill Dutcher worked for Bultaco for a decade, at first racing their bikes and then traveling around the country from trials races to moto-cross to demonstrate them at various circuits. Then, in 1975, he took a gig with AMF. During his time there, he was sent to attend a rally called Aspencade in Ruidoso, New Mexico. The experience left a lasting impression on him.


  In 1981, Dutcher moved to Lake George and took a job as a marketing services manager with a valve company in nearby Glens Falls and that's when the idea for a rally struck his head like a ball peen hammer. Lake George, on the southern fringe of vast Adirondack Park, had just what he needed: motels, camp grounds, lots of beef jerky, great roads, and a fairly substantial population center in nearby Albany. Plus, there had never been anything like it.  

  Americade was born.



  Here, it wouldn't matter if they came on a Harley or a Honda, Yamaha or Kawasaki, two-wheels or three, as long as they rode. Bikes aren't trailered here. The Americade crowd gathers for one reason - their  love of riding. People like George Brown, who once rode 3,842 miles from his Alaska home. Or Borden Fawcett, who one year came solo aboard his Honda Gold Wing, riding 3,441 miles from British Columbia at age 82.





  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk

Today in motorcycle history, June 4, 2002

    
         

  

  Aprilia USA announces the introduction of two limited edition motorcycles, the RSV 1000 R Tuono Limited and the RSV 1000 Mille R – Haga Replica. The bikes were available in extremely limited numbers in the United States, only 50 Tuono's and 60 Haga Replica's.

   The Haga Replica has the same livery as the bike used by Noriyuki Haga at the Superbike World Championship and came with it's own circuit kit, which included a full Akrapovic titanium exhaust system and an Eprom injection unit. And as an added bonus it came with a blue anodized Ergal top triple tree with “Noriyuki Haga” inscribed signature, PLUS a production identification serial number, PLUS the inscription “SBK REPLICA RSV 1000 R”.  Relax, take a deep breath. 



   If you were interested in snagging one of these special edition bad boys, you needed to find a local Aprilia dealer to place an order. The RSV 1000 Mille R – Haga Replica had a U.S. MSRP of $18,999 with a delivery date, if you were lucky, of maybe July, 2002; the RSV 1000 R Tuono Limited had a U.S. MSRP tag of $17,299 and it's pace-the-floor wait time was November, 2002.  Just think, World Superbike technology and imagery, irreplaceable performance packages parked in your garage.  





  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD).  www.nabd.org.uk

Today in motorcycle history, June 3, 1978

  

  

  

  

  Aboard a specially prepared Ducati 900SS, Mike “The Bike” Hailwood stuns the motorcycling world when he emerges from 11 years of self-imposed retirement to win the Formula One TT at the Isle of Man.

  A race he had first ridden as an 18 year-old in 1958, he was told he was out of touch with the sport and its developments, an "out of shape, pot-bellied" 38 year-old, they said he was wasting his time, he no longer belonged there.  They said wrong.  His victorious return to 'The Island' has been described as one of the most emotional moments in motorcycling history.

   Mike Hailwood won nine motorcycle World Championships between 1961 and 1967, then turned to Formula 1 car racing, following in the tracks of John Surtees, with whose cars he became European Formula 2 Champion and began his Formula 1 career.  In time he might well have added a Formula 1 World Championship to his list of achievements, but his motor racing career ended abruptly in 1974 when he crashed his McLaren on Germany's daunting Nurburgring.

  Disabled by his leg injuries, he retired to New Zealand, where he eventually grew bored of the quiet, slow-paced life, and in 1978, he was back at the Isle of Man, the scene of so many of his earlier triumphs.

  Mike Hailwood won nine World Championships, including four 500cc titles in succession.  In six years he won a fairly unprecedented seventy-four Grand Prix's.  He won in each of the 250cc/350cc/500cc classes, including winning GP's in all three classes in the same season, a record five times.  Five times he won all three classes in one day!  He won the Isle of Man fourteen times.  He set the one hour top speed world record in 1964 at Daytona.  He came out of retirement at the age of 38 and won the Isle of Man two years in succession.  Called by many, "The greatest motorcycle racer ever."








  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD).  www.nabd.org.uk

Today in motorcycle history, June 2, 1974

  


  

  


  

  California motorcycle racing legend Kenny Roberts wins his first national road race at Road Atlanta (home of the famous "esses") on June 2, 1974. 

  In 13 years of professional racing, Kenny Roberts won two Grand National Championships and three 500cc World Championships including 32 Grand Nationals and 24 Grand Prix road races. He also won the Daytona 200 three times and took the checkered at the Laguna Seca 200 an amazing six times. He was the second AMA rider after  Dick Mann to accomplish what is known as the "Grand Slam" of bike racing, winning all five events of the Grand National Championship with wins at a mile, half-mile, short-track, TT Steeplechase and road race.




  Kenneth Leroy Roberts was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1990, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1992, AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998 and in 2000 the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) named him a Grand Prix "Legend".

Today in motorcycle history, May 23, 1933

   

  

  

  The Speedway legend known as Ove Fundin is born in Tranas, Sweden. 

  Nicknamed "The Fox" because of his flaming red hair and his hot temperament. A ruthless and fearless rider once he climbed aboard his bike, hell-bent to win every race. Nothing and no one got in his way.

“I hated losing...”

 Ove Fundin stood on the World Final rostrum for ten consecutive years following his first title win in 1956. No other rider in the history of the sport has yet been able to match that.

  Prodded by Australian Speedway Champion Aub Lawson he went to Britain and joined the Norwich Stars, riding for them from 1955 until 1964 when the Firs stadium closed. Then he rode for Long Eaton Archers in 1966, Belle Vue Ace's in '67 and the Wembley Lions in 1970, but he will always be remembered for the glory days riding for the Norwich Stars where he was worshiped by the home fans. 

  Norwich reporter, Derek James, on Fundin, "Thousands of men, women and children would raise the rooftops as Ove raced around The Firs stadium where he ruled the roost – on his day nobody could catch him. He was our very own world champion. Simply the best."


  He made a total of 15 World Final appearances coming runner-up three times and third three times as well as his five wins. He also helped Sweden win the World Team Cup in 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967 and 1970 as well as the Speedway World Pairs Championship in 1968. He is considered by many to be the greatest rider of all time.

  One of the greatest sporting idols ever to represent Norwich, he was honored as a Freeman of the City of Norwich in 2006, only the second non-English person to be awarded this honor. The ceremony was held at Norwich City Hall Council chamber by the Lord Mayor of Norwich on October 30, 2006.



  Fundin's combination of tenacity, temperament and talent carried him to the very top of the sport he loved. The Speedway World Cup trophy was renamed the Ove Fundin Trophy. The trophy itself was designed by Asprey and Garrard, House of the Crown Jeweller since 1843, who also created and supplied trophies for the US Masters, Volvo, PGA Golf Championship, Cisco World Matchplay Championships, the Rugby World Cup and the Heineken Cup. The trophy itself stands two feet high and is made from sterling silver and gilt. The design incorporates the traditional with modern elements, the main feature is a gilt globe surrounded by a silver sprocket in authentic speedway style.

   A bronze statue of Ove Fundin by Richard Brixel was unveiled in his hometown of Tranas in the summer of  2012.

  Look at this list...

  World Champion: 1956, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1967

  World Championship Runner-up: 1957, 1958, 1959

  World Championship Third: 1962, 1964, 1965

  World Best Pairs Champion: 1968 (with Torbjorn Harryson),

  International Champion: 1961, 1962, 1963

  Member of Swedish World Team Championship Winning Team:  1960, 1962, 1963, 1964,1967, 1970

  Swedish Champion: Ten times

  European Champion: Five times


  No brakes, no gears, no fears.

  Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk

Today in motorcycle history, May 22, 1966

  

  



 

  Driver Fritz Scheidegger and passenger John Robinson defend their 1965 World 500cc Sidecar Championship title with a victory at the West German Grand Prix.

  Swiss sidecar racer, Max Friedrich "Fritz" Scheidegger with Englishman John Robinson as crewman, win the West German Sidecar GP aboard their 500cc BMW RS54.  They would go on to dominate the 1966 Sidecar Grand Prix.

  Starting the season off by winning at Hockenheimring (West German GP), they then wheeled themselves to victory at the French Grand Prix, the Dutch GP, Belgian GP and, finally, capping the 1966 Sidecar GP season off by winning the 500cc World Championship at the Isle of Man TT.

  Sadly, tragedy would strike the team the following season, while leading a sidecar race on March 26, 1967 at Mallory Park, Leicestershire, UK, they crashed heavily at the Hairpin, killing Fritz Scheidegger.  John Robinson would break his leg and suffer severe head trauma, forcing him retire from racing.



  There is an old saying,"once you're in the sidecar family - you can stop racing but you can never, ever leave."

 

   Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD).  www.nabd.org.uk