The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has welcomed many noteworthy machines from motorcycling’s past to AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, including 1920s-era Scott Flying Squirrels and six-cylinder Laverdas. On July 24-26 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, BSA is being honored as the event’s 2009 Marque of the Year, and some wonderful examples of the classic British machines are expected, including several from Rob Iannucci’s Team Obsolete.
"AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days welcomes all AMA members to come and celebrate the heritage of the greatest sport and pastime on Earth, and this year we’re particularly enthused that Rob Iannucci’s Team Obsolete will be on hand with some incredible machinery," said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. "Rob has some one-of-a-kind British machines, and we’re thrilled that he’s bringing them out to be part of the show this year."
Team Obsolete will be on hand with several historically significant machines that will participate in on-track activities and be on display for vintage bike enthusiasts in the paddock.
"AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days has always been one of the most exciting weekends in motorcycling, and Team Obsolete is excited to participate this year, as we have in year’s past," said Team Obsolete owner Iannucci.
The following bikes will be among those in the Team Obsolete paddock at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days and will participate in special events:
>> AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Grand Marshall Don Emde will do demo laps on the late Don Vesco’s 1966 BSA ex-factory A50R road racer. Vesco and Gordon Menzie restored the machine in the late 1990s, but with a non-original frame. Team Obsolete recently tracked down the original factory frame and reunited it with this historic machine.
>> The ex-Dick Mann BSA Rocket III A75R will be on display. Mann raced this fabled machine in 1971 through 1973. Thereafter, it had a glorious two-decade second career, ridden by Dave Roper, Yvon Duhamel, John Cronshaw and Iannucci.
>> A 1960s BSA DBD34 Gold Star dirt-tracker, restored by Mann to be historically correct for early 1960s AMA Class C competition, will see action during the dirt-track program of the AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships.
>> Roper will do demo laps on the ex-Al Gunter 1959 Matchless G-50 that he rode to an epic victory in the 1984 Isle of Man TT, the only American victory ever in the 100-year history of the world’s most challenging race. The bike was restored to 1984 specs by Iannucci and Roper for the 2007 Centennial Celebration of the TT.
"AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days 2009 marks the beginning of a new program where we will be bringing out examples of our exotic machines for demo laps and display at selected AMA-sanctioned events," said Iannucci. "These include historically significant multi-cylinder Grand Prix machines from Honda, M.V. Agusta and Benelli, plus other ex-factory road race machines from Harley-Davidson, Norton, Triumph, BSA, Matchless and AJS, and also representative bikes from Tom Kirby Racing, Arter Bros Racing, Team Hansen and of course Team Obsolete Racing. Stay tuned."
Team Obsolete is sponsored by Vanson Leathers, AVON Tires, Works Performance Suspension, Airtech Streamlining and RD Springs.
