Hall of Fame Competitors

Jim Allen - Class of 2015

admin — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 14:47:06 +0000

Jim Allen - Class of 2015 admin Tue, 10/24/2017 - 10:47

In constant motion at the track

“Anyone who thought of Jim Allen as a pretender to the roadracing crown in Canada in the past would have to adjust their assessment of him after the Spring Trophy races at Mosport.” These were Ken Morgan’s comments in 1973 adding, “Allen’s four wins for four starts will be a tough record to beat.”

Jim’s starter bike, a 90cc Honda street bike was “borrowed” from his brother in 1966. The following year he began competing on an 80cc Suzuki. Later that year Jim moved up to a 250 and realized his first win in the Production Class. By 1968, Jim had converted the 250cc Suzuki into a racer and won the Canadian Senior Championship. He also production-raced the first 500cc 2-stroke Suzuki road bike in Eastern Canada, frequently beating the favoured Triumph and BSA 750cc triples of the day.

The Canadian Suzuki Distributor offered Jim a full sponsorship in 1969 and provided his first real factory racing bikes, a TR250 racer and later in the year, a TR500 racer, one of only five in North America at the time. These bikes enabled Jim to win the 250cc and 500cc Ontario Provincial Championships and finish the season as the #2-ranked rider in Canada.

Jim continued his winning streak over the next couple of years, breaking track records and chalking up wins at Harewood, St. Croix, PQ, Westwood, Sanair and a BEMC Indian headdress at Mosport running Deeley Yamahas and in 1972, Suzukis tuned by Ken Rosevear.

In 1973, Allen won the #1 Plate for road racing and the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc Expert Championships and was awarded the Canadian Motorcycle Association’s coveted White Trophy. Once again Rosevear was an integral part of the programme and Allen’s “secret reliability weapon.”

Jim raced extensively throughout Canada and the US on Yamaha 250cc and 750cc racers in 1977 and was undefeated in Canadian National races winning the Canadian Championship with a perfect score and earning the #1 plate once again.

In mid-1978, Jim left racing for a brief career in construction. Within months, an ad for a “Dunlop tyre tester” caught his eye. Offered the job and just a few days to consider the move, the decision was made easy when the benefits of roofing a house in the snow were weighed against the warmth of an indoor office. In January of 1979, Jim began working for Dunlop.

His first outing for Dunlop was a low-key trip to Daytona. None of the tire companies were deeply involved at this time, but as racing evolved, Dunlop looked to establish a presence at AMA races. With Jim’s background, that responsibility fell on his desk.

The company’s presence grew with the rise of the Superbike class in the 80’s and took off when Supersport racing brought DOT legal street tires onto the track (1987). As Manager of Dunlop’s USA Road Racing program, Jim worked with tire engineers, designers and race teams the world over, coordinating production facilities in several countries and guiding race-tire retailers across the country.

From 1979 to 2010, Allen was Dunlop’s man at the track in the USA, supplying tires and technical tips to hundreds of Dunlop riders. Future American World Champions Kenny Roberts Sr., Kenny Roberts Jr., Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson, Kevin Schwantz, Nicky Hayden, John Kocinski, Fred Merkel, Doug Polen, Scott Russell and Colin Edwards all worked with Jim and used Dunlop tires in AMA competition before moving on to Europe and their World Championships. In addition, Dunlop’s high-profile customers, Honda America Corporation, Suzuki Motor Corporation USA, Yamaha Motor Corporation USA, Kawasaki Motor Corporation USA, Harley-Davidson Motor Corporation and Ducati Motors USA all received personal attention.

Under Allen’s 31-year tutelage, Dunlop won more than 125 AMA Road Racing Championships, including 26 Superbike Championships, 24 – 600cc Supersport Championships, 15 – 750cc Supersport Championships, 19 – 250cc GP Championships and 11 Formula Extreme Championships.

Throughout his career, Allen was in constant motion at the track, making the rounds of the factory teams and privateer riders alike in order to gain a better understanding of tire performance. The insider information picked up from factory riders and tuners went no further than his clipboard as he balanced the tricky relationships between riders, OEM Factory Teams and competing tire companies. The fact that he kept the trust of so many teams and riders for so many years is proof of his discretion. During his years on the job, Jim Allen WAS Dunlop!

Jim Allen retired twice from racing – once as a rider in 1978 and again as Dunlop’s Senior Road Race Manager in 2010.

We welcome Jim Allen into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

Vern Amor - Class of 2010

admin — Fri, 13 Oct 2017 20:39:00 +0000

Vern Amor - Class of 2010 admin Fri, 10/13/2017 - 16:39

Strength, endurance and sheer speed!

You don’t win close to 1,000 trophies racing motorcycles without taking a few risks and Vern Amor counted 28 broken bones in his first 27 years of competition. “I used to be pretty wild,” he told an interviewer in 1977. “I road raced a Greeves at Westwood and touched a footpeg in a corner, going end-over-end and into a ditch. I got a broken right shoulder and didn’t do any more road racing after that.”

It didn’t stop him from doing pretty much everything else and the light weight of the 250cc Greeves made it well suited for scrambles, hillclimbs, ice races and TTs. Vern didn’t have such luxury in the early days and was noted for drilling holes everywhere possible, trying to lighten the porky British single and twin-cylinder four-strokes of the ‘50s.

Vern was born in Red Pheasant, Sask., in 1926 as the middle child with four sisters. He travelled to a one-room schoolhouse on horseback. Moving to Vancouver Island as a teenager he acquired an Indian as his first motorcycle and in 1950 he won the Victoria Motorcycle Club’s Sooke TT in his competition debut. He remained an active VMC member and aggressive competitor for the next 16 years. In 1952 he won the club’s Memorial Trophy for the greatest points score amassed in major events during the season. During the years both preceding and following he won club trophies for scrambles, trials and hillclimbs on all manner of machines.

Vern owned a Victoria motorcycle shop that provided a haven for young enthusiasts. He was their mentor, inspiration and transportation if they didn’t have a way to get their bike to the next race. He’d cram five machines into the back of his Ford Ranchero and often endure hours-long lineups to get on to the ferry for mainland races. It took a huge commitment of his time. Customers had the run of the shop and could often try out the new bikes or use one to run an errand for Vern.

He was always trying new ideas and was an early adopter of the two-stroke machines of the era such as the Greeves and the Dot with its unusual twin-cylinder engine. He later built a 750cc Royal Enfield nicknamed the Earthmover and equipped it with the novelty of fuel injection. Vern was always looking for ways to make his bikes faster, lighter and more reliable. He raced what he sold, winning the lightweight class of the Canadian championship in 1958 in Langley on a 200cc Triumph Cub and years later racing an outclassed 250 Ducati scrambler.

Strength, endurance and sheer speed were Vern’s hallmarks. In 1961 he and his mechanic Bruce Charters made a long drive east and won the national 250cc expert championship at Copetown, Ontario. Along the way they passed through Washington state and Vern won A Class main events at Port Townsend and Castle Rock. Once they got to Ontario he won the 250 and open classes of a provincial title round at Mosport Park before moving on to the Canadian finals.

Vern eventually moved to the B.C. mainland in 1966 but kept in touch with his Victoria friends and made occasional return trips to support club events. In 1967 the Canadian Motocross Championship was held at Aldergrove, B.C. Vern placed second to Husqvarna’s sponsored rider from Toronto, Seppo Makinen, but still won the No. 1 plate to wear for the next year. Still racing what he sold, by then Vern rode a Bultaco under the banner of Amor Sales as the Spanish dirt bike revolution got under way. He was the first Bultaco dealer in Canada and hosted a visit from Señor Bulto, the company founder.

By then he was already 40 years old, though as fit as men much younger. When interviewed in 1977 he wouldn’t reveal his age but was widely known among his friends as O.T. for his involvement in Oldtimer Motocross. Earlier that year he’d driven south and won the Oldtimer No. 1 plate at Hangtown, Calif. Just behind O.T. was his long-time rival from Edmonton, the late Zoli Berenyi Sr.

In 1972 Vern became one of the four founders of the B.C. Oldtimers Club, along with Brooks Gowanlock, Stan Johnson and the legendary Ron Farmer. Vern became a relentless promoter of oldtimer racing and travelled to events all over B.C., Alberta and the northwestern states. Eventually a stroke in 2000 left him incapacitated but he remains an avid gardener and friend to anyone on two wheels.

As he told an interviewer many years ago, for Vern Amor motorcycling has been “the best thing in the world.”

Daniel Amor - Class of 2018

Vada — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 18:10:53 +0000

Daniel Amor - Class of 2018 Vada Wed, 01/23/2019 - 13:10

Dan thrived on tough rides and persevered when the going was at its worst

Daniel John Amor was an avid motorcycle competitor. He raced in many disciplines including ISDE, Dirt Track, Enduro, Motocross and Hare Scrambles.

He was a mentor for the younger rider, especially the kids that hung around the family motorcycle shop, Amor Honda in Surrey, BC. Dan was born to ride. Many riders came to him for advice and he gladly shared his knowledge. Following in his father’s footsteps, Dan was taught sportsmanship and mechanics. His Father was Vern Amor who was inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2010 and passed away in 2012.

Dan was raised in the world of motorcycles. He was always at the shop shadowing his father and learning the bikes. After graduation he worked as the parts department manager when he wasn’t travelling to races. He left the family business in the late 1970’s to build his own businesses, D. J. Salvage and Dan’s Cycle & Recycle. He loved his work with Honda cars and motorcycles and was also a distributor for KTMs.

Dan started competing in the 1960’s at Motocross and Hare Scrambles in Victoria and eventually raced all over British Columbia, Alberta and Washington. He was one of the top racers in the 1970’s.

He dirt tracked at Hannigan Speedway and Monroe in Washington as well as the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver and Castle Rock, Washington. Dan thrived on tough rides and against tough riders. He persevered when the going was at its worst. He froze his hands during the ’78 Kamloops 2 Day Qualifier but maintained his gold as others dropped by the wayside. He kept his Expert numbers in flat track and motocross, using them as training for cross country. The frostbite continued to give him trouble on cold days, often riding with no feeling in his hands.

Dan was also very involved with the Centenairs Motorcycle Club putting on a huge annual event – The Sasquatch which continued for many years after his death. His goal (and his dream) was to put together enough challenging track to host an ISDE in B.C.

In the ISDT (E) Dan earned a Bronze Medal at Massachusetts in 1973; broke his wrist in Italy in 1974 and came up with another bronze at the Isle of Man in 1975. In 1976, he claimed a Gold Medal in Austria and competed at Czechoslovakia in 1977. A trip to Sweden in 1978 earned a Silver Medal as well as Germany in 1979. In total, Dan earned 17 gold medals in ISDT qualifiers south of the border.

When Dan booked a trip to Australia in 1980, flying off with no bikes in the cargo-hold, people should have been suspicious. He and Sharon mailed their wedding announcements from Ballina, N.S.W. They were married on November 28 and Sharon who had spent seven years driving to races, learning to pit and spending late nights sitting on a milk crate listening to Dan and his fellow riders “bench race,” had finally moved into first place in his life. In 1983, Dan was so proud when their son was born the day before his 28^th birthday.

In 1983 Dan was chosen to ride on Canada’s ISDE team again in Wales and was preparing for the trip when cancer struck. Shortly after booking their flight in June, he was hospitalized with chronic abdominal pains and in September the surgeons removed a cancerous tumor and told him he was terminal. Ever the fighter, Dan did not give up hope but passed away December 15^th 1983.

Daniel was known as a kind, quiet, intelligent, friendly and hilarious man. He was ambitious but believed in setting reasonable goals and was very successful in his racing. Although his life was very short, he enjoyed it to the fullest.

The following awards are presented in Dan Amor’s honour and memory: Timmy’s 24 Hour Marathon Medal – presented for race organization and promotion of the event.

Dan Amor Memorial Trophy: presented at the Sasquatch Cross Country for promotion of the event.

Dan Amor Memorial Plaque: presented to CMA members for sportsmanship in British Columbia cross country events.

Steve Baker - Class of 2014

admin — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 23:46:22 +0000

Steve Baker - Class of 2014 admin Tue, 10/24/2017 - 19:46

Blazing the path of a true Canadian champion

As a youngster Steve Baker enjoyed riding dirt trails around his home town of Bellingham, Washington. By the time he was 16 he had taken up racing and was honing his skills up and down the West coast of the United States and Canada. In short order, Steve became the top ranked novice short track and Junior TT rider in the country.

By 1971 Yamaha’s race director Bob Work, who had been following Steve’s dirt track success, offered him a ride on a TD2 sponsored by Canadian importer, Trev Deeley Ltd. Steve took to road racing naturally and by 1973 had won his first Canadian 250 Expert Championship. In the ensuing three race seasons, Baker blazed the path of a true champion, producing 9 more Canadian National plates. Bob Work speaks of Steve’s innate ability to learn a new track very quickly but to run at the front and finish the race, the bike also has to be very well prepared. The team of Baker/Work were the stuff.

Steve had success road racing in the US as well, supported by Yamaha Motor Canada. In 1975 Steve recorded a 2nd at the Daytona 200, 3rd in the 250cc 100 mile race and returned in 1976, making the podium again with a 3rd in the 250cc class. Baker then went on to earn his first AMA national win at Loudon, NH and capped the weekend off with a 250GP win. He duplicated that performance in August that season at Laguna Seca Raceway, again winning the National and the 250GP. These results placed Steve 2nd overall in the series behind Kenny Roberts.

In 1977, Baker started the year impressively by qualifying on the pole for the Daytona 200. He went on to win the rain-shortened 200 miler and the International Lightweight 250 Grand Prix event as well. From there he competed in both the newly formed Formula 750 World Series and the 500cc World Championship Grand Prix. With wins at Daytona, Spain, England, Austria and Belgium, Steve Baker and the Canadian Yamaha Team secured the Road Racing World Championship in the Formula 750 Series and finished runner-up to Barry Sheene in the 500 World Championship.

For that extraordinary season, Steve Baker and Team Yamaha were also recipients of the International Ambassador Award for their outstanding promotion of Canadian motorcycle racing.

The close of 1977 brought an end to that Cinderella season. Yamaha did not renew his contract so Steve spent 1978 contesting the 500cc World Championships on a privateer Suzuki. At the end of that season, Baker suffered a devastating accident at the Mosport circuit in Canada. That crash left him with a broken arm and shattered his left leg for the third time. Soon afterward, Baker decided to retire from racing.

Today Steve maintains an office in the motorcycle dealership he owned near Bellingham, WA. Since 2007 Steve has been traveling to Europe regularly as a rider for the Yamaha Classic Race Team based in Holland. This has provided him the opportunity to reconnect with many of the riders he competed against during his GP career and ride the 1970’s Yamaha race bikes ranging from the TZ125 to his favorite the OW-31 TZ750.

Joseph Baribeau - Class of 2010

admin — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 20:54:20 +0000

Joseph Baribeau - Class of 2010 admin Thu, 10/12/2017 - 16:54

Terror on wheels

The name “Wild Joe Baribeau” wasn’t the invention of a manager or publicity agent; he came by it honestly, being named by the newspapers of the day. If the name Joe Baribeau isn’t familiar to most of us today it’s because a full 100 years have passed since his racing career was in its ascendancy, but his accomplishments are no less remarkable.

Joe Baribeau was a homegrown hero of the stature of motorcycle racing legends like Maldwyn Jones, Cannonball Baker and Jake DeRosier, but he lived, worked and raced here in Canada. He overshadowed his rivals and earned nicknames like “Daredevil Baribeau,” terror on wheels” and “the new speed god.” He was the fastest man of his day, enjoying support from the mighty Indian factory and winning races in Toronto, Winnipeg, Detroit, Columbus and Toledo, Ohio, and other U.S. and Canadian events.

Joseph Emile Baribeau was born in 1889 in Kenora, Ont., also the hometown of DeRosier, whose parents had moved him to the U.S. five years earlier. Joe started his working life as a boatman, building and operating motor launches and once hosting Queen Victoria’s third and last surviving son, the Duke of Connaught, who became Canada’s 10th Governor-General, in a cruise around Lake of the Woods.

In 1910 at age 21 Joe moved to Winnipeg and made his mark as a rider par excellence, winning a five-mile dirt track race on the Kirkfield track at St. Charles, on the west side of Winnipeg. In September of the next year he also won at Kirkfield, setting a lap record for the mile at 56 seconds. His time for five miles on the twin-cylinder Indian was 4 minutes, 48 seconds and on a single-cylinder Triumph was 5 minutes, 25 seconds. The Winnipeg Free Press described his riding as “wonderful” and his lap times as “splendid,” being faster than any of the cars also on the program.

A month later, on Oct. 14, 1911 Joe set a world record by being the first to average 60 miles per hour over a distance of 100 miles. He had tried earlier in the summer but his engine seized, so he waited for cooler weather. His V-twin Indian was a pure racing machine, with no fenders, clutch, brakes or exhaust but with a rear rack that carried a large supply of oil to last the duration of the run. The oil reservoir was so heavy that it caused the bike to weave in the corners, and he stopped after one lap to lighten the load. Joe had to take a hand off the dropped bars to work a manual pump that injected extra oil into the engine.

Refuelling was done at close to 60 mph by Joe grabbing a can of gas from another motorcycle that ran on the track beside him. His helper was an immigrant from New Zealand named Bill Pelham, later a famous racer in his own right. It was late afternoon on a chilly autumn day, and Joe’s hands were practically frozen to the bars. He covered an extra two miles to be sure of the record and then had to be lifted off the bike, so exhausted he couldn’t speak.

The Indian factory’s support of Joe’s adventures was rewarded that same year when the Winnipeg police department ordered five new machines for its motorcycle corps. A photo of the patrolmen with the new fleet appeared in Indian’s catalogue for 1912. The number of motorcycles in Winnipeg grew rapidly from about 200 in 1910 to more than 1,000 by 1913, with 10 dealerships catering to the demand.

Also in 1912, Indian opened a motorcycle assembly plant on Mercer St. in downtown Toronto and Joe moved east for a time. Since he was a paid factory rider, Joe was listed as a professional in the newly created racing category of the Canadian Motorcycle Association. He competed at the newly built Toronto Motordrome board track, rode in hillclimbs and raced on mile and half-mile dirt tracks, winning the Ontario, Manitoba and Canadian championships.

It became common for the “peerless” Joe to clean up in every class he entered, and he became wildly popular with the crowds even if the winner was a foregone conclusion. He was a born promoter, racing against an airplane at CNE Stadium in Toronto and winning. He was also musical, playing mandolin in orchestras in Toronto and Winnipeg.

Joe married Daisy Summers Steeple in 1913 and the first of their six children was born a year later. Then the onset of the First World War in August, 1914 changed everything; Joe moved his young family back to Winnipeg and announced his retirement from racing. He did go back to Toronto for a visit in the spring of 1915 to compete in a Victoria Day race on the dirt track at Exhibition Place where he won every professional event. From then on he operated an auto repair garage in Winnipeg.

Joe Baribeau died in Winnipeg Oct. 6, 1950 at the age of 61.

Larry Bastedo - Class of 2011

admin — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 17:41:20 +0000

Larry Bastedo - Class of 2011 admin Tue, 10/24/2017 - 13:41

A pillar of the sport since before many of us graduated from a tricycle

Larry Bastedo has demonstrated his commitment to motorcycling for more than a half-century and shows no sign of letting up today. His passion for the sport earned him expert status in scrambles and enduros, senior class in road racing, trials and dirt track as well as prominence on many other levels. He has been a pillar of the sport since before many of us graduated from a tricycle.

Growing up in Hamilton, Ont., it was natural for Larry to join the famed Steel City Riders club, or the Flying Midgets as they were known in their early days. The club organized all manner of events such as road rides, mud runs, trials, scrambles, hillclimbs and ice races. Larry sampled them all. He was already an expert in 1958 and on Good Friday of that year he won his first expert scramble at Oshawa. In the whole season he was beaten only once and at Copetown, Ont., he won the eastern Canadian championship. He also won the national championship in spiked tire ice racing at Ste. Agathe, Que., in 1957.

Larry took to the pavement as well, competing in 1960 in AMA national road races at Laconia, N.H., and Watkins Glen, N.Y., sponsored by a dealer from Washington, D.C. An injury eventually convinced him that his future lay in enduros and other forms of off-road sport.

Larry’s interests also turned to business and with his friend and fellow Hall of Fame member Jim Kelly, he opened a motorcycle dealership in Hamilton. BK Motorcycles was one of Canada’s earliest Yamaha dealers and had a strong presence in the sport from its inauguration in 1963 until it finally closed in 1994.

Larry also rode trials and in 1968 he won the senior class at the CMA national championships. In recognition, the City of Hamilton awarded him its coveted Civic Ring.

He rode on the Canadian Team in the International Six Days Trial in Poland in 1967, as well as in Germany in 1969, Spain in 1970 and the Isle of Man in 1971. The first time an ISDT was held outside of Europe was in 1973 and for the event in Dalton, Mass., Larry was named to the jury of the Federation Internationale Motocycliste. He occupied that position until 1987, and in 2002 he was invited back and served until his retirement in 2005. Furthermore, he was on the Canadian support team at the ISDE almost every year between 1973 and 1990.

Larry already had years of experience on the organizational side of motorcycling, having served as Canada’s national ice racing and dirt track referee starting in 1971. He served on the national board of directors of the Canadian Motorcycle Association for a number of years, beginning with the position of president of the Ontario region.

Over the decades he also made himself known over the public address system at motorcycle races, beginning in 1964 in Grafton, Vermont at a round of the Canada- U.S. motocross challenge matches. In 1980 when his brother Carl helped launch supercross racing in Canada, Larry Bastedo and American impresario Larry Huffman jointly announced the mudbowl event at Exhibition Place in Toronto. He continued as announcer and often as colour commentator on television until the Toronto Supercross series at the Skydome ended in 1996.

Larry was also instrumental in preserving the historic Corduroy Enduro in central Ontario when it seemed on the verge of extinction in the late 1980s. He persuaded the Steel City Riders to assist the British Empire Motor Club in keeping it going and gradually taking it over. This year Larry attended the 58th annual running of the classic fall event.

Larry still attends numerous motorcycle events each year, but his greatest pleasure is to see his sons and grandsons participate in the sport and industry in which he played such an instrumental role.

Carl Bastedo - Class of 2009

admin — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 19:45:25 +0000

Carl Bastedo - Class of 2009 admin Thu, 10/12/2017 - 15:45

A passionate contributor with a lifetime of motorcycling enthusiasm

Carl Bastedo has been an outstanding performer in almost every aspect of Canadian motorcycling, although always with a leaning toward off-road competition.

He’s been a passionate contributor to the categories of competitor, team builder, sponsor, educator, promoter and marketer for more than 50 years. He is still going strong as owner of Motopark, the long-running motorcycle recreational facility near Owen Sound, Ontario, and as manager for Canada’s team in the international Motocross of Nations.

Born in Hamilton in 1944, Carl was inspired by his older brother and Canadian Motorsport Hall of Famer, Larry Bastedo, and friends. They rode the local clay pits practice area and competed in events organized by the Flying Midgets Motorcycle Club (now known as the Steel City Riders). Carl had to wait until age 16 to become eligible for his competition licence and to begin racing a 200cc Triumph Cub at nearby Copetown. At the time, he was the youngest rider to be issued a Canadian Motorcycle Association racing licence.

Carl Bastedo from Northern Ontario Motorcycle on Vimeo.

The heights to which Carl’s motorcycling enthusiasm has taken him since then would fill an encyclopedia. His family moved to Niagara Falls in 1960, where Carl rode the little Triumph to high school. On the way, he would pick up his mechanically-minded friend, Pat Chambers, who later worked at Carl’s motorcycle shop and, nowadays, is vice-president at Canadian Kawasaki Motors Inc. The 18-year-old Carl started his dealership in 1963 as a part-time venture, leaving his job at Ford two years later to run the bike shop full-time.

Carl raced throughout the 1960s in motocross events in Ontario, Quebec and the eastern U.S., and first rode for Canada in the International Six Days Trial in Poland in 1967, Germany in 1969 and Spain in 1970. Poland was the first event in which a Japanese brand took part in the ISDT and Carl rode a 100cc Yamaha with an electric start, another first. It was 1967 when he invited Swedish Motocross Star, Bill Nilsson, to teach a group of Ontario riders in a tradition of motocross rider training that has now lasted more than 40 years. In 1968, Carl became the first Canadian to ride a Japanese motorcycle in sanctioned competition when Trevor Deeley sponsored him on a 250cc Yamaha DT-1.

Remembering his impatient wait to become a licensed competitor at age 16, Carl worked with his sister-in-law, Marilynn Bastedo, and with Georgs Kolesnikovs, the founder of Cycle Canada magazine, to overcome opposition from CMA management and develop the concept of schoolboy motocross for younger riders. The first race was held in Niagara Falls and Tom Gillespie was crowned the first schoolboy champion in 1969.

Carl first sold British and European motorcycles and later took on Japanese brands, which put him in touch with Honda’s importers of the time, the Manley family. Mike Manley recognized Carl’s instinct for business and, when the arrival of Canadian Honda Motor prompted Manley’s move to become distributor of Kawasaki motorcycles in 1969, Carl was recruited to build a dealer network for the growing brand. His territory covered the entire province of Ontario. Two years later, he became the director of marketing and sales. In 1971, he helped Mike Manley persuade his father, J. Terence Manley, and Trev Deeley to help put together the industry organization that, nowadays, is known as the Motorcycle & Moped Industry Council.

It was a glorious time in a fast-growing industry. Kawasaki racing came within Carl’s marketing mandate and the racing department seemed to be everywhere. Kari Nissinen was imported from Finland to head up motocross, followed later by Sweden’s Jan-Eric Sallqvist who became a dominant figure in Canadian racing. John Jones was contracted to develop a trials machine. Carl hired road racer Brian Miles to become administration manager, and Pat Chambers came on board as service and warranty manager. Carl and Mike Manley delivered to Yvon Duhamel an offer he couldn’t refuse, persuading him to switch from Yamaha to Kawasaki and eventually achieving worldwide fame on the green machines.

Carl left Manley’s in the spring of 1976 as Kawasaki began taking charge of its Canadian marketing and, later that year, joined Cycle Canada magazine as marketing manager. Five years earlier, he had encouraged its founder, Georgs Kolesnikovs, to follow a dream and launch the magazine. Carl brought with him the idea of a national series of motorcycle consumer shows, the first being held in 1977 at the Canadian National Exhibition grounds in Toronto. The Cycle Canada Motorcycle Show soon blossomed into a series of events that ranged from Vancouver to Halifax before being taken over by the MMIC in 1984.

In 1976, he invited GP rider, Vlastimil Valek, to conduct a motocross school at the Motopark facility a teaching history that now spans 34 years.

In 1979, Carl began his move to living full-time at Motopark and, the next year, Carl, Brian Miles, and Martin Levesque launched the Toronto Supercross, a partnership that went on for 16 years. Carl also produced Supercross events in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

At the same time, Carl became manager of Alberta’s motocross legend, Ross Pederson, who garnered 42 class championships from 1979 to 1993.

In more recent years, Carl continues to operate Motopark and has acted as team manager to provide a consistent Canadian presence at the Motocross of Nations, from 2004 until the present. (2009)

Steve Beattie - Class of 2017

admin — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 14:12:01 +0000

Steve Beattie - Class of 2017 admin Fri, 01/19/2018 - 09:12

“Take it a race at a time, a bike at a time, a session at a time.”

Steve Beattie’s 26 Suspension offers the best in knowledge and experience. He is well known for building and tuning flat track race suspensions and MX to DTX conversions. However, Steve also builds race tuned engines and works on MX suspension setups at his shop in the Petrolia area.

Steve is probably best known though, as a champion competitor with an illustrious career in Canadian flat-track racing as well as racing south of the border. He has been racing pro since the age of 14. To say Steve knows a thing or two about the finer points of flat-track racing would be a gross understatement.

Beattie was first introduced to flat track racing by fellow hall of famer, John Parker. He was a friend of his Dad’s and was the guy who got him out on the dirt track. He started racing at the age of 11 in Medina NY, on a TT style flat track aboard a Honda CR 85. His Canadian career started in 1986 when he turned 13 and progressed through the ranks quickly turning Expert in 1988. Steve’s US pro career started in 1989 and he currently has been racing motorcycles for 34 years.

Steve is 7 time Canadian National Champion, CMA Canadian National Champion in 1992, 1993, 1995 and 1997. He was awarded the White Memorial Trophy in 1993 and again in 1995 which is for the best performance by a Canadian rider in all disciplines but later changed to the best performance by a #1 plate holder. In 1995, he was also the Canadian National Ice Racing Champion as well as being the recipient of the Ambassadors Award along with Miguel Duhamel for exceptional recognition at the international level.

In the USA, Steve won the AMA Grand National at Lake Odessa, Michigan in 1995, placed second at an AMA Grand National Short Track at Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 2003, took a third place at the AMA Grand National half-mile at Columbus, Ohio in 2002 and won the USA Grand National Mile at Lexington, Kentucky in 2002.

During his dirt-track career, Steve rode for many teams including – John Parker Racing from 1986 to 1989, Deeley H-D Canada from 1989 to 1998 and 2003 to 2006, GCR racing in Peoria, Illinois for 2000 and 2001, Johnny Goad in Richmond, Virginia in 2002 to 2004 and Kurt Biegger Racing in 2005 to 2006 and from 2012 to 2016. Steve also tuned for the late Ricky Graham. In Super Moto, Steve raced for Inglis Cycle Racing from 2003 to 2007.

There were other Flat Track and supermoto national wins including the CMRC Canadian National Champion in 1999 and 2005 and the Flat Track Canada National Championship in 2016.

The 2016 championship wasn’t without incidence as the newly crowned Flat Track Champ spent some time in hospital recovering from serious injuries suffered at the final round of the National at Ohsweken Speedway. Beattie’s crash with his Kurt Beigger Racing Honda single occurred just after the start of the final Expert Open class race of the year. Exiting the second turn, a few positions into the still tightly-bunched pack, Beattie went into a speed wobble, fell along the edge of the track’s outside retaining wall and was struck by two other racers. His injuries include a broken collar bone, broken left hand and two broken vertebrae in his neck. This is the fourth time that Beattie has suffered serious neck injuries in a motorcycle racing-related incident.

Prior to the incident at Ohsweken, Beattie was in the midst of a very successful summer of racing and garnered enough points, even though he didn’t finish the race, to win the championship and #1 Plate.

Steve identifies his best trait as being “fearless” and second best as, “the ability to forget pain.” Over his long career, he has been involved, in addition to flat track racing, with ice racing, supermoto, road racing, motocross, mountain biking and sprint triathlon (non-motorized).

There have been many influential people that have played a part throughout his career, Mom and Dad and all his family, wife, Michelle and son, Ryan, as well as John Parker, Jon Cornwell, Brian Olsen and Kurt Biegger. There have been many people that have been a part of Steve’s racing success but these are the key people.

Steve’s most memorable ride was winning the AMA Grand National in 1995. He came from 13^th on the first lap to win the race against the absolute best of the best.

“Everyone talks about winning the Championship, but really I’m not too focused on that. I try to take it a race at a time, a bike at a time, a session at a time. We will see what happens at the end.

Roger Beaumont - Class of 2017

admin — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 19:22:18 +0000

Roger Beaumont - Class of 2017 admin Fri, 01/19/2018 - 14:22

We’ll never know what more he may have achieved

Born in England in 1938, Roger like most young English lads had a good childhood with lots of activity. His cycle influence began at home where his Dad rode bikes until an accident took the life of a close friend. At 14 years of age, Roger rode on a bicycle racing team. Yes, a group of lads raced pedal bikes on an oval track which entertained a full house every time. The bikes had only one pedal and were fitted with special tires and handle bars. The riders were equipped with team sweaters and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

His older brother had a motorcycle which Roger would borrow… this probably starting his career which he grew to love so much. He would start the bike by running along with it in the field, however, stopping was something done in a somewhat unusual manner. He would keep running the bike until the tank ran dry as he was too short to touch the ground.

Roger then began collecting different bikes which he would ride through the many fields and when he started to work, travelled back and forth on a Frances-Barnett 197cc. While still in England he rode trials and did some scrambling until moving to Canada in 1957. Roger was chosen to be on the first Canadian/US Challenge scramble team running at Grafton, Vermont and Copetown, Ontario and was chosen again the following year.

His real competition began in 1957 when he scrambled with an old Norton then, when winter arrived, ice-raced for the fun of it and that summer tried his hand at dirt tracking.

From Nortons, Roger went to a Velocette which he began road racing and found out that this was his favourite type of racing. His Manx Norton bought in 1962 brought him many victories and in 1965 he won the National Championship Road Race (and the #1 Plate) and repeated the effort the following year on a Triumph Bonneville. In 1965 Roger placed 3^rd (Hailwood was 1^st) in the US Grand Prix at Daytona and won FIM World Points Championship, 500cc Class.

In 1966, he and a friend, Dave Lloyd another Manx rider, toured Europe where he learned many new things from the world’s best riders. Corners became just part of the race whereas before they were the most difficult part of the track. Roger’s best performance was at Hockenheim, Germany when he placed 8^th overall and was the first private entry.

Roger has had many Canadian victories which his 75 trophies prove but his most remembered race was in 1967 in the World Championship Grand Prix at Mosport where he diced with another well-known Canadian rider with European experience, Mike Duff. It was a short duel all the way and Roger said it was the fastest he had ever had to ride.

Roger was a quiet, well mannered fellow married to a lovely girl and they had three children. He was a Quebec resident but moved to London, Ontario in 1968 and took a job with Raymond Burke Ltd., distributor for Triumph. Burke sponsored Roger with much success as he won almost every race he entered. In the Unlimited Class, he rode a Bonneville and used a stock machine for the Production Class.

Over the years, Roger raced many circuits with many top quality machines. His biggest ambition was to ride the Isle of Man a few more times. He rode it for the first time in 1966 at an average speed of 92MPH and wanted to be among the few names who average over 100MPH. In 1970 Roger finished third overall in the running for the White Trophy with most of his points coming from road racing.

In 1967, Bill Sharpless had a test-ride on the Triumph distributor’s factory TR100 but never felt confident with its clip-on bars. Roger tried it but didn’t like the handling either so he swapped the motor into his Manx frame and won several races.

With the help of Ray Gref who made possible the status of the record attempt in 1968, Roger set an FIM/CMA land speed record of 167 MPH at Bagotville, Quebec riding a Burke Triumph – 650 Bonneville.

Roger died suddenly of a heart attack on October 30, 1979. He was only 41. He accomplished much in a short period of time and we’ll never know what more he may have achieved.

Roger was well known to road racers in Canada and his friend and competitor, John Davies, established the Vintage Road Racing Association Roger Beaumont Award in his memory. It is awarded annually to the individual who best exemplifies the spirit and intent of the sport and whose dedication and commitment have contributed to the VRRA club and vintage road racing.

Zoli Berenyi Sr. - Class of 2014

admin — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 20:58:54 +0000

Zoli Berenyi Sr. - Class of 2014 admin Tue, 10/24/2017 - 16:58

A legendary dedication to the sport of motocross continuing well into his 70’s

Zoli Berenyi Sr. moved his family to Canada from Hungary in 1957. Motorcycles had been his primary mode of transportation in the old country and upon arrival in Edmonton he decided to take up racing Scrambles (the original MX) at age 25.

He had never raced before but won his first event in the junior scramble aboard his Royal Enfield. Zoli recognized all the attention was paid to the top racers so he convinced the Canadian Motorcycle Association to allow him to move directly to the Expert class. Of course Zoli won his first expert race and went on to compete as an Expert until age 50 in 1982.

Campaigning a Greeves, Zoli Sr. won the 250 National Championship in1965 followed by a 500cc title in 1967 on a CZ. The combination of the Czech MX bike and Hungarian rider would be a staple for the next 11 years at MX events around the country.

In 1970 Zoli Sr. partnered with his brother in law and fellow Hall of Fame member, Rudi Zacsko Sr. in the very successful business Scona Cycle. Zoli Sr. and Rudi Sr. worked together in their Honda dealership until Zoli’s retirement in 1995.

For 3 decades Zoli Sr won countless Alberta Championships in both Expert and later in the Over 40 class. Zoli would also win the Canadian National Veteran class an unprecedented 6 times from 1983 through 1988.

Zoli Sr. was also the most successful Master Class rider in the Pacific Northwest based Old Timer MX racing circuit. It is however, Zoli Sr.’s achievements at the World Vet Championships held annually at the famous Glenn Helen track in California that sets him apart as an ambassador for Canadian motocross. Despite severely arthritic hands he has won the Over 50 class 3 times, Over 60 class 4 times and from 2002 thru 2006 he won the Over 70 class a record 5 times. Zoli Sr. was limited to12 World Vet Championships by the occasional injury such as two broken legs.

Zoli’s dedication to the sport of motocross is legendary and he continued racing well into his 70’s. He could always be seen repairing the track, shovel in hand or dragging a hose and watering between heats.

Zoli Berenyi Sr. passed away in 2010 and the Edmonton area motorcycle racing community dearly misses him.

His son, Zoli Berenyi Jr. is also a Canadian National Motocross Champion.