Today in motorcycle history, July 8, 1922

 


                                        

  Bobby Hill is born in the small town of Triadelphia, West Virginia.  Population 811.

 

  After  the frustration of consecutive second place finishes, on a sweltering, shirt-soaking Atlanta afternoon, on August 8, 1948, Bobby Hill finally wins his first race but, alas, he has to share it.  In one of the most memorable races ever, Hill and Billy Huber crossed the line in a dead heat and both were declared winner, the only time that has happened in AMA racing history.

 

  He would eventually win the AMA Grand National Championship in 1951 and 1952 by his victories on the Springfield Mile.  By no means taking away from his feats but, from 1946 to 1953, the AMA Grand National Champion was crowned based solely on the results of the Springfield Mile held at the Illinois State Fairground racetrack. 

 

  After winning the national title in 1951 and 1952 riding an Indian,  he won the Daytona 200 in 1954 while piloting a BSA. 

  Hill won a total of 12 AMA nationals during his professional racing career between the years 1947 to 1959.

 

  Bobby Hill was inducted to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.