One of the most amazing weekends in two-wheeled motorsports this year is gearing up for Dec. 4-5 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. On Friday night at the AMA Racing Championship Banquet, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) will recognize its 2009 amateur racing champions. Then on Saturday evening, motorcycling heroes of the past and present will be honored at the 2009 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
"This weekend will be a doubleheader to celebrate all of motorcycling, from champions on the racetrack to those who have championed motorcycling in the court of public opinion," said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. "These individuals have reached the pinnacle of what can be achieved in the motorcycling community, and we’re looking forward to providing a fitting stage for their honor."
Impressive even by Las Vegas standards, with an 84-foot guitar marking the entrance and all the glitz and memorabilia that fans have come to expect at Hard Rock Café locations around the world, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has been recently renovated with new rooms, a new convention space and a new concert venue.
Tickets are currently available for both events at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets are $49 per event per person, or $89 for both events per person.
"In addition to displays honoring our AMA Racing amateur champions and the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2009, we’ll have a Concours d’Elegance, as well as social functions and other activities to cap another exciting year of AMA Racing and welcome the next class of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers," said AMA Marketing and Special Events Manager Tigra Tsujikawa. "This will be one of the most amazing AMA Racing banquets and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies we’ve ever produced, and over the next several weeks, we will be announcing additional details."
The weekend celebration will begin on Friday with keynote speakers, video displays, presentations of championship trophies and No. 1 plates, and season recaps that will honor the champions of AMA Racing. These riders represent the best in class in AMA Racing National Championship Series and at AMA Racing Grand Championship events. The competitors range from novice class champions in disciplines as varied as motocross and ice racing to the overall AMA National Champions in top national series, such as the AMA Racing Rekluse National Enduro Championship presented by Moose Racing. Special awards, such as the AMA Racing Athlete of the Year award and the AMA Racing Sportsman of the Year award, will honor riders who truly have gone above and beyond in the 2009 season.
On Saturday, the focus will shift to the lifetime achievements of individuals who have left an enduring mark on the world of motorcycling. The 2009 class of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame includes champions of motorcyclist’s rights, industry innovators, pioneers whose contributions have advanced motorcycling in significant ways, and competitors whose accomplishments on the track have earned them the respect of generations of racers.
The 2009 class of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame includes motorcycle accessory innovator Robert Bates, off-road racer Randy Hawkins, suspension pioneer Gilles Vaillancourt, off-highway rights activist Mona Ehnes, industry entrepreneurs and technological trailblazers Geoff and Bob Fox, longtime motorcycle safety proponent David Hough, noted race team manager Gary Mathers, and successful dirt-track racer and tuner Chuck Palmgren.
