By Bob Baker
KNOXVILLE, IOWA (August 25, 2011) – As motorcycle enthusiasts gear up for the September 9-10 motorcycle racing weekend at the ‘Sprint Car Capital of the World’, visitors can get a rare and up-close look at the famed history behind American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Pro Racing. The non-profit National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum will showcase four completely restored racing motorcycles, courtesy of Garvis Honda in Des Moines and the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.
Already on display in the National Sprint Car Museum are two rare Honda RS 750cc motorcycles, the #16 ridden by Ronnie Jones of Oklahoma City and the #80 ridden by Rich King of Waterloo, Iowa. Both bikes are on loan from George Garvis of Des Moines. The Ronnie Jones #16 bike won the last AMA Grand National at the famed Ascot Park in Gardena, California, on September 29, 1990. Interestingly, the bikes are currently on display under original Ascot Park sprint car-related signage in the Knoxville-based museum. Coincidentally, motorcyclist-turned-sprint-car-racer Steve Morehead of Findlay, Ohio, won the penultimate AMA Grand National round at Ascot Park on May 12, 1990.
The two restored motorcycles from the National Motorcycle Museum will arrive on Friday, September 9, according to that museum’s Jeff Carstensen. National Sprint Car Museum curator Tom Schmeh said today, “We really have such great friends in the motorcycle racing world as John Tibben, Jeff Carstensen, George Garvis and others. We are very appreciative of their efforts and those of museum Poker Run volunteer coordinator Bob Colbert. I really think the September 9-10 weekend is shaping up to be huge for the Knoxville Raceway and the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum.”
The September 9-10 weekend opens on Friday night with the fifth and final round of the Classic Flat Track National Championship (CFTNC) Series vintage motorcycle races and closes on Saturday night with the AMA Pro Flat-Track motorcycle races. The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame is located off turn number two at the legendary Knoxville Raceway and is open seven days a week, year-round. For more information, individuals can visit the museum web site at www.sprintcarhof.com and the race track web site at www.knoxvilleraceway.com. For information on the CFTNC Series, fans are urged to visit http://www.bikedays.com/id52.html. For info on the AMA Pro Flat-Track Series, enthusiasts can visit http://www.amaproracing.com/ft/.