A.M.A. Grand National Championship
Encyclopedia
The AMA Grand National Championship is an American
motorcycle racing series. The race series, founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association
(AMA) in 1954, originally encompassed five distinct forms of competitions including; mile dirt track
races, half-mile, short-track, TT steeplechase and road races
. Also known as flat track
racing, the championship was the premier motorcycle racing series in the United States from the 1950s up until the late 1970s when, supercross
events held in easily accessible major league stadiums became more popular.
machinery. In 1937, the AMA introduced a new class called Class C which featured street-legal motorcycles in an effort to make motorcycle racing less expensive for ordinary motorcyclists. When manufacturers cutback on racing budgets during the Great Depression, it spelled the end of Class A competition and, the Class C championship became the most important championship. In the years prior to World War II, the Class C championship helped fuel an intense rivalry between Harley Davidson and Indian
, the two major American manufacturers of the period. During the Second World War, there were no championships held between 1942 and 1945.
From 1946 to 1953, the AMA Grand National Champion was crowned based on the results of a single race, the Springfield Mile held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack
. In 1954, the Grand National Championship series was introduced featuring five different types of competitions. Four of the competitions were held on dirt tracks while, the fifth was held on asphalt paved courses. With the demise of the Indian motorcycle company in 1953, the Harley Davidson factory was left to dominate the series. Harley Davidson rider Joe Leonard
won the first Grand National Championship in 1954 and won the title two more times before moving on to a career in auto racing. Caroll Resweber became the first four-time champion, winning four consecutive championships for Harley Davidson from 1958 to 1961. In the 1960s, British manufacturers seeking to bolster sales in the burgeoning American motorcycle market, began to compete in the championship. Dick Mann
won the national title for BSA
in 1963, marking the first victory for a foreign manufacturer. Triumph would win three Grand National championships in four years with Gary Nixon
winning back-to-back titles in 1967 and 1968, and Gene Romero
taking another title in 1970. Mann would win a second crown for BSA in 1971 before the British motorcycle industry collapsed in the face of stiff technological competition from Japanese manufacturers. In 1973, Yamaha's
Kenny Roberts
would win the first Grand National championship for a Japanese company.
When the Yamaha team withdrew from the Grand National championship after the 1977 season, Harley Davidson was left once again to dominate the series. By 1983, the Grand National Championship had become the best attended form of dirt track racing in America, either on two wheels or four wheels. This would be the high point for the championship as, other forms of motorcycle racing such as motocross
and road racing began to overtake dirt tracking in popularity. In 1984, Honda
entered the championship and broke the Harley Davidson stranglehold with Ricky Graham winning the championship. Honda followed with three consecutive national championships by Bubba Shobert
before they withdrew in 1987, leaving Harley Davidson once again as the sole major manufacturer in the series.
In the 1970s and on into the 1980s, the Grand National Championship proved to be a fertile training ground for world champion road racers as, AMA dirt track racers such as Kenny Roberts
, Freddie Spencer
, Eddie Lawson
and Wayne Rainey
all went on to win the 500cc road racing world championship. The motorcycle road racing technology of the late 1970s featured engines with power in excess of what the frames and tires of the day could handle. The resulting tire spin created a style of riding more reminiscent to dirt track riding, where sliding the rear tire to one side is used as a method to steer the motorcycle around a corner. This proved to be a great advantage to American dirt track racers who were accustomed to sliding their motorcycles. As Grand Prix motorcycle racing
evolved into its current MotoGP formula with electronic traction control limiting rear wheel sliding, the advantage once held by former dirt trackers has been diminished.
After the departure of the Honda team in 1987, the Harley Davidson factory racing team dominated the series with rider Scott Parker
winning nine national championships within an eleven year period. During this period, dirt track racing continued its decline, partly due to the fact that motocross and road racing motorcycles could be purchased directly from the manufacturers, whereas dirt track racers had to be hand-built. In 1989, the AMA recognized the changing nature of motorcycle racing by making the Grand National Championship into a dirt-track-only series. Road racing events were branched off into a separate series which eventually became the AMA Superbike Championship. New dirt track classes were also introduced designed to attract young riders to the sport and, new rules for machinery were adopted in an effort to make it easier for motorcyclists to compete with motorcycles readily available from manufacturers. While the Grand National Championship is no longer the premier racing series in the United States, it continues to have a loyal following.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
motorcycle racing series. The race series, founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association
American Motorcyclist Association
The American Motorcyclist Association is an American not-for-profit organization of more than 300,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights...
(AMA) in 1954, originally encompassed five distinct forms of competitions including; mile dirt track
Dirt track racing
Dirt track racing is a type of auto racing performed on oval tracks. It began in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 30s. Two different types of racecars predominated—open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the South...
races, half-mile, short-track, TT steeplechase and road races
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
. Also known as flat track
Track racing
Track racing is a form of motorcycle racing where teams or individuals race opponents around an oval track. There are differing variants, with each variant racing on a different surface type....
racing, the championship was the premier motorcycle racing series in the United States from the 1950s up until the late 1970s when, supercross
Supercross
Supercross is a motorcycle racing sport involving off-road motorcycles on an artificially-made dirt tracks consisting of steep jumps and obstacles. Professional supercross contest races are held almost exclusively within professional baseball and football stadiums.-History:Supercross was derived...
events held in easily accessible major league stadiums became more popular.
History
In 1932, the AMA sanctioned a race called the Class A Dirt Track championship allowing for motorcycle manufacturers to enter prototypePrototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
machinery. In 1937, the AMA introduced a new class called Class C which featured street-legal motorcycles in an effort to make motorcycle racing less expensive for ordinary motorcyclists. When manufacturers cutback on racing budgets during the Great Depression, it spelled the end of Class A competition and, the Class C championship became the most important championship. In the years prior to World War II, the Class C championship helped fuel an intense rivalry between Harley Davidson and Indian
Indian (motorcycle)
Indian is an American brand of motorcycles. Indian motorcycles were manufactured from 1901 to 1953 by a company in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, initially known as the Hendee Manufacturing Company but which was renamed the Indian Manufacturing Company in 1928. The Indian factory team took the...
, the two major American manufacturers of the period. During the Second World War, there were no championships held between 1942 and 1945.
From 1946 to 1953, the AMA Grand National Champion was crowned based on the results of a single race, the Springfield Mile held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack
Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack
Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack is a one mile long clay oval motor racetrack on the grounds of the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, the state capital. Constructed in the late 19th century and reconstructed in 1927, the "Springfield Mile" as it is known has hosted competitive auto racing...
. In 1954, the Grand National Championship series was introduced featuring five different types of competitions. Four of the competitions were held on dirt tracks while, the fifth was held on asphalt paved courses. With the demise of the Indian motorcycle company in 1953, the Harley Davidson factory was left to dominate the series. Harley Davidson rider Joe Leonard
Joe Leonard
Joe Leonard , is a retired American motorcycle racer and racecar driver.Leonard won the first A.M.A. Grand National Championship Series in 1954 and won it again in 1956 and 1957. His record totals 27 wins, including the 1957 and 1958 Daytona 200...
won the first Grand National Championship in 1954 and won the title two more times before moving on to a career in auto racing. Caroll Resweber became the first four-time champion, winning four consecutive championships for Harley Davidson from 1958 to 1961. In the 1960s, British manufacturers seeking to bolster sales in the burgeoning American motorcycle market, began to compete in the championship. Dick Mann
Dick Mann
Dick Mann is an American motorcycle racer born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was a two-time winner of the A.M.A. Grand National Championship. He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1993, and the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998...
won the national title for BSA
Birmingham Small Arms Company
This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....
in 1963, marking the first victory for a foreign manufacturer. Triumph would win three Grand National championships in four years with Gary Nixon
Gary Nixon
Gary Nixon was an American motorcycle racer who, when on Triumph motorcycles, most notably won the A.M.A. Grand National Championship in 1967 and 1968. He was also a former winner of the Daytona 200 motorcycle race on a 500cc Triumph, claiming a victory in the 1967 event...
winning back-to-back titles in 1967 and 1968, and Gene Romero
Gene Romero
Gene Romero is a former motorcycle racer who won the 1970 A.M.A. Grand National Championship and the 1975 Daytona 200. He competed in the 200 fourteen times, finishing second in 1970 and 1971....
taking another title in 1970. Mann would win a second crown for BSA in 1971 before the British motorcycle industry collapsed in the face of stiff technological competition from Japanese manufacturers. In 1973, Yamaha's
Yamaha Motor Company
, is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized...
Kenny Roberts
Kenny Roberts
Kenneth Leroy Roberts is a former motorcycle racer and racing team owner. In 1978, he became the first American to win a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship. He was also a two-time winner of the A.M.A. Grand National Championship...
would win the first Grand National championship for a Japanese company.
When the Yamaha team withdrew from the Grand National championship after the 1977 season, Harley Davidson was left once again to dominate the series. By 1983, the Grand National Championship had become the best attended form of dirt track racing in America, either on two wheels or four wheels. This would be the high point for the championship as, other forms of motorcycle racing such as motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
and road racing began to overtake dirt tracking in popularity. In 1984, Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
entered the championship and broke the Harley Davidson stranglehold with Ricky Graham winning the championship. Honda followed with three consecutive national championships by Bubba Shobert
Bubba Shobert
Don Wayne "Bubba" Shobert was a three-time A.M.A. Grand National Champion from 1985 to 1987 and was AMA Superbike Champion in 1988 while riding for American Honda....
before they withdrew in 1987, leaving Harley Davidson once again as the sole major manufacturer in the series.
In the 1970s and on into the 1980s, the Grand National Championship proved to be a fertile training ground for world champion road racers as, AMA dirt track racers such as Kenny Roberts
Kenny Roberts
Kenneth Leroy Roberts is a former motorcycle racer and racing team owner. In 1978, he became the first American to win a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship. He was also a two-time winner of the A.M.A. Grand National Championship...
, Freddie Spencer
Freddie Spencer
Freddie Spencer , known by the nickname Fast Freddie, is an American former World Champion motorcycle racer. Spencer is regarded as one of the greatest motorcycle racers of the early 1980s.-Biography:...
, Eddie Lawson
Eddie Lawson
Eddie Lawson is a former four-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. His penchant for not crashing & consistently finishing in the points earned him the nickname "Steady Eddie".-Biography:...
and Wayne Rainey
Wayne Rainey
Wayne Wesley Rainey, born in Downey, California, United States, is a former American Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he won the 500cc World Championship three times and the Daytona 200 once. He was characterized by his smooth, calculating riding...
all went on to win the 500cc road racing world championship. The motorcycle road racing technology of the late 1970s featured engines with power in excess of what the frames and tires of the day could handle. The resulting tire spin created a style of riding more reminiscent to dirt track riding, where sliding the rear tire to one side is used as a method to steer the motorcycle around a corner. This proved to be a great advantage to American dirt track racers who were accustomed to sliding their motorcycles. As Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...
evolved into its current MotoGP formula with electronic traction control limiting rear wheel sliding, the advantage once held by former dirt trackers has been diminished.
After the departure of the Honda team in 1987, the Harley Davidson factory racing team dominated the series with rider Scott Parker
Scott Parker (motorcyclist)
Scott Parker is an American professional motorcycle dirt track racer.- Racing career :Parker is a nine-time winner of the A.M.A. Grand National Championship...
winning nine national championships within an eleven year period. During this period, dirt track racing continued its decline, partly due to the fact that motocross and road racing motorcycles could be purchased directly from the manufacturers, whereas dirt track racers had to be hand-built. In 1989, the AMA recognized the changing nature of motorcycle racing by making the Grand National Championship into a dirt-track-only series. Road racing events were branched off into a separate series which eventually became the AMA Superbike Championship. New dirt track classes were also introduced designed to attract young riders to the sport and, new rules for machinery were adopted in an effort to make it easier for motorcyclists to compete with motorcycles readily available from manufacturers. While the Grand National Championship is no longer the premier racing series in the United States, it continues to have a loyal following.
Events
- Mile: A race held on an oval-shaped, dirt course approximately one mile in length. The races became popular because of the availability of horse racingHorse racingHorse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
venues around the country. These events usually favor motorcycles with larger engine displacements such as the Harley-Davidson XR-750Harley-Davidson XR-750The XR-750 is a Harley-Davidson racing motorcycle made since 1970, primarily for dirt track racing, but also for road racing in the XRTT variant...
. The races usually feature numerous lead changes with speeds of up to 140 miles per hour.
- Half-mile: An event similar to a mile race, also held on an oval-shaped, dirt course but, with a shorter lap distance.
- Short-track: A race held on an oval-shaped, dirt course approximately a quarter mile in length. These tight courses have been held indoors at venues such as the Houston Astrodome and favor lighter motorcycles based on two-stroke motocrossMotocrossMotocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
machinery.
- TT Steeplechase: A race held on an irregularly shaped, dirt track course which usually features one right hand turn and one jump. This event also favors lighter motorcycles but, larger motorcycles have also been successful. The initials TT stand for Tourist Trophy, taking its name from the days when street-legal motorcycles were known as touring motorcycles hence, a tourist trophy signified a class for street-legal motorcycles.
- Road race: A race held on paved, purpose-built race trackRace trackA race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or athletes. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses. Some motorsport tracks are called speedways.A racetrack is a permanent facility or building...
s, the most famous event on the AMA calendar being the Daytona 200Daytona 200The Daytona 200 is a 68-lap, motorcycle race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.-History:The race evolved from a beach racing venue in 1937 to the Daytona International Speedway course in 1961....
.
External links
- AMA Flat Track Racing home page
- Peoria TT home page. The longest running dirt track event in the United States.