Wall of Death | Crowd Pleaser Set for AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days

Wall of Death at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days

Without a doubt, the “Wall of Death,” as it’s affectionately known, is one of the most established motorcycle related side-shows around. Its history roots are right here in the USA, the Wall of Death dating back to 1911 when it was first seen being performed at the Coney Island Amusement Park in New York.

The AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is tipping its hat to Coney Island and has invited a team of riders from American Motor Drome Co. to put on a “Wall of Death.” Running July 8-10 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, the team will be putting on shows all through the weekend.

The side-show earned its name due to its appearance – a silo-shaped wooden cylinder 30 feet across. While riders are being pinned to the wall due to g-forces, they’ll also be performing various acrobatic tricks throughout the show.

“This team of highly skilled riders from the American Motor Drome Co. put on an astounding show that delights people of all ages,” said AMA Chief Operations Officer Jeff Massey. “We are very happy to have the Wall of Death return to Vintage Motorcycle Days this year. Every performance draws a capacity crowd.”

It’s a visceral experience, with every sense being bombarded as spectators stand atop a 14 ft. board wall, looking in on the riders. The sight, smell, sound and sensation of the bikes racing around on the brink of disaster is what pulls the crowd in. Riders are expected to hit more than 3g at times which is in the realm of what fighter-pilots experience.

In keeping with its historic tradition, the American Motor Drome Co. makes use of American bikes for an American sideshow; Indian and Harley-Davidson bikes only.

Don’t be worried about missing the show – they’ll be running it every hour, on the hour, at the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.

If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, there are plenty of other activities at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days. Let’s break down the list: North America’s largest motorcycle swap meet, the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Bike Show, a classic motorcycle field meet, demo rides of current production bikes, seminars, live music, Builder’s Row featuring some of the country’s best custom bike builders, two premier raffle bikes on display, a beer garden with the region’s best craft beers, the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Adventure Bike Challenge, the AMA Pit Bike TT and displays by some of the AMA’s most active classic clubs.

AMA members who buy event tickets directly from the AMA, before June 6^th, will be eligible for an exclusive discount. To purchase, call call (800) 262-5646 to purchase a weekend pass for $45, a one-day pass for $25 for Friday or Saturday, or a $20 pass for Sunday, a $5 savings off the regular advance rate. No service charges will be applied to AMA members who buy directly from the AMA.

This year, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days will be celebrating the career of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer, Wes Cooley. Wes dedicated many years to road racing and in the process, picked up a few titles, not to mention many victories. He’ll be on hand to answer questions during Q&A sessions and perform a few demonstration laps on his championship-winning GS1000 each day. 2016 also marks the 40^th anniversary of the AMA Superbike Racing series.

AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is a non-profit event, designed to help fund the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Among all of the fanfare at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, there will be vintage and post-vintage motocross, trials, hare scrambles, vintage road racing and mini road racing in the upper paddock. A half-mile dirt track event will be held at the nearby Ashland County Fairgrounds.

Schedules and entry information are available at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.