PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- In 1971, a group of young American motorcycle
racers who rode for the Birmingham Small Arms Co. (BSA) -- marketers
of the BSA and Triumph brands -- flew to England to compete against
some of the most talented motorcycle riders in the world at the
inaugural running of the Trans-Atlantic Match Races.
Don Emde was one of those riders. Although the Americans didn't win,
Emde had a solid pro rookie year when he returned to the States. With
third-place finishes at the Daytona 200, the Talladega 200 and at the
Kent, Wash., Mile, Emde scored the third most road-racing points in
the AMA Grand National Championship that season behind Dick Mann and
Kel Carruthers.
That's just one story that attendees can look forward to hearing from
Emde, now an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer and the Grand Marshal at
2009 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, set for July 24-26 at the Mid-Ohio
Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
"I consider it a real honor to be asked to be the AMA Vintage
Motorcycle Days Grand Marshal," Emde said. "There's so much of
motorcycling represented at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, from the road-
race course to the swap meet to the motocross track to the half-mile
at the fair grounds in Ashland. The range of interest is considerable.
You say 'vintage' to one person, and it might mean a bike from the
'70s, and to someone else it might be an old Indian from the '40s.
"Personally, I really like the vendor area," Emde said. "I collect a
lot of literature, and I always find a lot of paper-related
motorcycling stuff, and every year I find books and programs and
whatever, and have this big pile that I have to figure out how to get
home."
With BSA serving as Marque of the Year at 2009 AMA Vintage Motorcycle
Days, Emde was a natural choice for the honor of Grand Marshal. The
Southern Californian's history with BSA runs deep. Emde grew up at his
father's BSA dealership in the San Diego area, and when Emde's dirt-
track status advanced in 1970 from novice to amateur, he graduated to
a BSA A65.
"BSA helped a lot that year," Emde remembered. "I won a lot of main
events at Ascot. I won the California State TT Championship. Then, in
1971, BSA put together its biggest race team ever, which contested the
first year of the Trans-Atlantic Match Races."
Emde's greatest competitive achievement came the following year at the
1972 Daytona 200, when he was competing for Team Motorcycle Weekly
with backing from Yamaha. He raced a Mel Dinesen-tuned Yamaha 350cc
two-stroke. Emde won, making it the first Daytona 200 victory for
Yamaha and the first time a two-stroke won the race. Emde also was the
first son of a Daytona 200 winner to repeat the feat, and he did it on
the smallest displacement bike to ever win the event.
After his racing career ended, Emde continued to work in the
motorcycle industry. He became publisher of Motorcycle Dealernews in
the mid-1980s, and launched a magazine called Motorcycle Collector.
That publication was short-lived, however, but the Parts Magazine
title he started soon after continues today. An avid collector
himself, Emde owns a large compilation of memorabilia and historic
racing photographs. He also authored the definitive book on the
history of the Daytona 200.
In the early 1990s, Emde joined the board of the American Motorcycle
Heritage Foundation (AMHF), and became a leading voice in the
preservation of motorcycling history, especially pertaining to racing.
Emde served on the AMHF board for 12 years, much of that as chairman.
In honor of his accomplishments and influence on motorcycling, Emde
was inducted into the AMA's Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days is the country's largest celebration of
motorcycling heritage, including highlights such as vintage racing and
North America's largest motorcycle swap meet. Also on tap are demo
rides of current production bikes, motorcycling seminars, stunt shows,
the new product Manufacturers' Midway, club corrals featuring marque
and regional clubs, and guided rides through the rolling Ohio
countryside. The Classic Clubs this year will be the Sandcast Only
Owner's Club (SOOC), and the International CBX Owners Association.
This year will be particularly special because it commemorates the
85th anniversary of the AMA, and will feature a parade of classic
motorcycles representing each year of the AMA's 85 years. Museum staff
has compiled a list of significant models produced since 1924 for the
parade. Volunteers with bikes on that list are encouraged to contact
the Museum for information about participating. Information is at
www.motorcyclemuseum.org.
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days benefits the AMA's Motorcycle Hall of Fame
Museum. The goal of the Museum, located on the campus of the AMA in
Pickerington, Ohio, is to tell the stories and preserve the history of
motorcycling.
For more information about AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, visit
www.AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.com. Tickets can be purchased at the
website for the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course: www.midohio.com.
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