The following is from the AMA…
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the list of nominees for the Class of 2024, and that voting is now open.
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame selection committees have put forward 13 nominees from eight areas of influence: Ambassadors & Industry, Design & Engineering, Dirt Track, Leadership & Rights, Motocross & Supercross, Off-Road, Road Racing and Specialty Competition.
Nominees include:
Competition
Dave Zanotti – Dirt Track
With four AMA Grand National Championships and 31 AMA Grand National dirt track event wins as a tuner, Dave Zanotti has a resume that few have replicated.
Using Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM and Indian engines, Zanotti elevated himself into the record books — capturing the third-most AMA Grand National championships and fourth-most AMA Grand National dirt track wins.
Along with his father, Mario, Zanotti helped propel AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Steve Eklund to an AMA Grand National Championship in 1979. Mario and Dave remain the only father-son duo to win individual AMA Grand National championships.
Zanotti remains a steadfast supporter of motorcycle racing through his support of the AMA Bill Werner Fast Brain Award.
Kevin Windham – Motocross
Kevin Windham’s 19-year AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross career is one for the history books.
During his long, illustrious career, Windham raced to 47 total AMA Pro wins and collected the third-most starts (325), third-most points (9,070) and the seventh-most podiums (130). While Windham saw success domestically, he thrived in international competition, winning the 1999 FIM United States Grand Prix and 2005 Motocross of Nations as a member of the American team.
Windham retired from AMA Pro Racing in 2013, marking the end of a dominant career in the AMA and international circuits.
Mike Lafferty – Off Road
Mike Lafferty was bitten by the enduro racing bug in 1982 when he was 7 years old, and he turned this passion into one of the most successful off-road careers ever. Racing throughout the 1980s, Lafferty broke through when he won back-to-back East Coast Enduro Association championships as a teenager in 1993 and 1994.
Lafferty hit a launching point in 1997 when he claimed his first AMA National Enduro Championship. In total he tallied 71 wins — second all-time — and eight titles, which leaves him tied for the most all-time, while racing national enduros. Lafferty also raced AMA Grand National Cross Country and was a member of four U.S. ISDE teams.
Mat Mladin – Road Racing
In a 10-year span from 1999 to 2009 that continues to defy belief in hindsight, Mat Mladin notched seven AMA Superbike titles and won 82 AMA Superbike nationals in the process — each of those numbers more than anyone in history.
Mladin also won the legendary Daytona 200 three times during that period, achievements that have him tied for third all-time behind AMA Hall of Famers and multi-time D200 winners Scott Russell (5) and Miguel Duhamel (4). In 1999, he won his first of seven AMA Superbike titles — achievements that would make him, according to MotoAmerica, “the most dominant rider in the history of the AMA Superbike Championship.”
Billy Hamill – Specialty Competition
Nicknamed “The Bullet,” Billy Hamill began racing junior speedway in 1983, and he turned professional in 1986. Just 10 years after turning pro, Hamill became the fourth American to claim the FIM Speedway World Championship with his win in 1996.
Two years after his world title, Hamill raced alongside AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Greg Hancock to win the 1998 World Speedway Team Cup Championship for the United States. In 1999, Hamill claimed the AMA Speedway National Championship, which he went on to win five times.
During this impressive run racing AMA speedway, Hamill also collected four U.S. National Speedway titles. Hamill was named the 2012 AMA Sportsman of the Year.
Non-Competition
Sidney Biberman – Ambassadors & Industry
As one of Vincent Motorcycles’ greatest ambassadors, Sidney Biberman spent most of his life contributing to motorcycling culture in various ways.
Across his 60 years of involvement with the famed marque, Biberman elevated motorcycling as a drag racer, commercial engineer and overall advocate for motorcycle culture. As a drag racer, Biberman piloted “The Rattler”, widely regarded as one of the fastest bikes in the 1960s.
Biberman was also known for his prowess as a mechanic, dubbed a “motorcycle whisperer” by some of his biggest fans.
After Biberman passed away on June 23, 2013, the motorcycling community rallied around him and his family, honoring his contributions and commitment to furthering the lifestyle.
Gina Bovaird – Ambassadors & Industry
Gina Bovaird rose steadily through the ranks in the U.S. road racing scene, ultimately becoming the first woman to complete in the famed Daytona 200 at Daytona International Speedway in 1979. She reached 184 mph while qualifying, making her the fastest-qualifying rookie and fourth fastest overall.
As her career advanced, she attempted to qualify for the world’s premier class, the FIM 500cc Grand Prix Championships, achieving that goal in 1982 at the French GP at Nogaro.
Debbie Matthews – Ambassadors & Industry
Debbie Matthews has spent her life contributing to motorcycling, and has done so by serving in — and excelling in — almost every role the sport has to offer to increase opportunities for women riders. Known for her smooth and effortless racing style, Matthews set the record for longest consecutive pro and amateur career in women’s motocross when she raced for 27 years.
In 1996, she co-founded the Women’s Motocross League, and Matthews further worked on behalf of women riders when she met with AMA Congress and drove the change to give women “A” Rider classification for the first time in history. Recognizing Matthews’ work promoting women’s motocross, announcer Erv Braun described her as the “Godmother of Women’s MX.”
Bud Maimone – Design & Engineering
With the invention of the famed Cobra mini racer, Bud Maimone is considered one of the great innovators in the world of youth motocross.
Maimone’s creation of the Cobra prior to the 1994 AMA Amateur Motocross National Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch helped signal the end of more than a decade of dominance by the Yamaha PW50/Y-Zinger.
With a strong showing in the 51cc Stock Class that year, the Cobra quickly boomed as one of the most utilized motorcycles in youth motocross from that point forward. Despite the Cobra’s humble beginnings, Maimone’s efforts have cemented him as one of the sport’s great innovators.
Barry Willey – Design & Engineering
Barry Willey, a trailblazer with an eye for innovation, leaned on his upbringing in his family’s motorcycle accessory factory to help National Cycle greatly impact the motorcycle community.
With Willey at the helm, National Cycle became the first company to introduce and use General Electric’s MR4000 polycarbonate material — which came to be known as FMR hard-coated Lexan — for motorcycle windshields. In total, Willey’s pioneering nature gave the motorcycling industry many innovations and more than 25 mechanical patents.
Dana Bell – Leadership & Rights
A decade after her entrance into motorcycling, Dana Bell worked her way to being a nationally ranked enduro competitor. From 1992–1999, Bell shifted her focus to rights issues and worked as the western states representative for the AMA’s Government Relations Department. During this period, she also worked as a state partner for National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC).
For her role as one of the key voices for motorcyclists’ rights, the AMA Board of Directors presented Bell with the AMA Motorcycling Advocate Award, an honor created to recognize those who have been leaders in fighting for the rights of motorcyclists. Bell was just the third person to receive the award.
Rob Rasor – Leadership & Rights
For decades, Rob Rasor was instrumental in carrying out the AMA’s mission to promote motorcycling and protect the motorcycle lifestyle.
Hired in 1973 as part of the AMA’s Government Relations Department, Rasor helped ward off a federal “superbike” ban, helmet requirements and bike bans in several states and cities, and aided in the fight to ban healthcare discrimination against motorcyclists. Rasor was also a champion for off-road riding and assisted in the AMA’s efforts to accommodate off-road riders on public lands.
Rasor’s efforts extended beyond the United States, and he was awarded the FIM Nicolas Rodi Del Valle Gold Medal in 2019.
Gary Sellers – Leadership & Rights
Since the 1970s, Gary Sellers has given his life to motorcycle education and advocacy in his home state of Ohio and throughout the country. Sellers was one of the founding members of ABATE of Ohio, and he served as legislative agent for the organization for a decade. He was awarded the honorary Life Membership Award by ABATE of Ohio in 1997.
Alongside John “Farmer” Eggers, Sellers built a successful motorcycle safety training program in Ohio; it is estimated the program has saved thousands of lives over the years. Sellers is also a member of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Freedom Fighters halls of fame.
“The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame nominees for 2024 include an accomplished and diverse group of men and women who’ve demonstrated extraordinary achievements in advocacy, competition and promotion of the sport of motorcycling,” AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman said. “These individuals have contributed significantly to the advancement of motorcycling in many areas, from excellence in road racing, motocross and off-road competition, to tuning bikes to support champions, to creating innovative motorcycle designs, to advocating for motorcyclists’ rights. We’re honored to recognize this group of nominees and eagerly anticipate the announcement of the Class of 2024 soon.”
Voting for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2024 is now open. Eligible voters include previous Hall of Fame inductees, members of the AMA and AMHF Boards of Directors, and members of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Category Selection Commitees. AMA Life Members are also eligible to vote, but should update their contact information to receive the latest updates and announcements pertaining to the voting process.
Voting ends Thursday, June 13 at 11:59 p.m.
Voting results will be announced shortly after voting ends, and the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on Oct. 10, in Pickerington, Ohio.
To vote on this year’s nominees, visit https://americanmotorcyclist.com/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-members/current-class-and-voting/.
