at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is pleased to
announce that National-winning dirt-track racer and successful tuner Chuck Palmgren
is the next member of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2009. Palmgren --
who won multiple Mile events as a racer and earned a reputation as one of racing's
leading tuners later in his career -- will be among the motorcycling heroes honored
at the 2009 induction ceremony at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas
this Dec. 5.
"Chuck Palmgren excelled in an era when
success on the track meant the rider had
to be both racer and tuner -- not just
understanding how to ride fast, but being
able build a motorcycle to go fast, as
well," said AMA President and CEO Rob
Dingman.
"Palmgren stood out among his peers in
each area. That's even more evident in his
later career, which he spent exclusively on
the tuning end of the wrench."
Added Bill Werner, member of the AMA Board of
Directors and chairman of the AMA
Motorcycle Hall of Fame Dirt Track Nomination
Committee: "Chuck was a consummate
professional, not only in how he rode,
but in terms of his skill in building
machinery.
His dirt trackers were custom bikes made to
complement how he wanted to ride. They
didn't come off the assembly line. His race
bikes were built to his vision. Chuck's
bikes were always gorgeous. They were pieces
of machinery that were well thought-out,
and worked and looked great."
Chuck Palmgren won five Nationals in the
late-1960s to early 1970s: Santa Rosa Mile
('69); Sacramento Mile ('69); Nazareth, Pa.,
Mile ('70); Westbury, N.Y., half-mile
('72); and Indianapolis Mile ('72). He had
numerous top-10 finishes on the national
circuit and placed in the top 10 in points in
1968-70, 1972 and 1974. He was known
as an innovator of the Yamaha 750cc motor and
frame design. Traveling the circuit
for many years, Palmgren was well-respected by
his peers, always ready to help a
fellow racer and sign an autograph for a
fan.
"This is a great honor," said
Palmgren, who lives in Huntington Beach,
Calif. "I'm
very surprised to be nominated. I'm happy to
see dirt track represented along with
the other great areas of motorcycling, from
those who protect our rights to those
who promote the sport and help open it up to
others."
Palmgren said of all his racing memories, two
stand out: his wins at the Sacramento
Mile and the Indy Mile.
"Indy was a bit different than
Sacramento," Palmgren remembered.
"Indianapolis took
a lot of commitment, whereas Sacramento was a
slick groove, and you could race the
racetrack. Indianapolis let you go other
places, and that made it more wide open,
speed-wise. It was a lot quicker. There were a
lot of places I liked to race, but
Indy was a whole lot of fun."
Palmgren is the eighth of nine new members
announced for the AMA Motorcycle Hall
of Fame Class of 2009. He joins off-road
racer Randy Hawkins, suspension pioneer
Gilles Vaillancourt, off-highway rights
activist Mona Ehnes, industry entrepreneurs
and technological trailblazers Geoff and Bob
Fox, longtime motorcycle safety proponent
David Hough, and noted race team manager Gary
Mathers.
Palmgren and the other members of the class of
2009 will officially be inducted
into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame this Dec.
5 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Impressive even by Las Vegas standards, with
an 84-foot guitar marking the entrance
and all the glitz and memorabilia that fans
have come to expect at Hard Rock Café
locations around the world, the Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino has been recently renovated
with new rooms, a new convention space and a
new concert venue. Ticket information
will be announced shortly on the AMA
Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum website at
MotorcycleMuseum.org
Located on the park-like campus of the AMA
in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA Motorcycle
Hall of Fame Museum honors individuals who
have made lasting contributions to protecting
and promoting the motorcycle lifestyle. Its
members include those who have excelled
in racing, road- and off-road riding, pushed
the envelope in motorcycle design,
engineering and safety, and championed the
rights of riders in both the halls of
government and the court of public
opinion.
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction
Committee includes 11 members in addition
to the chairman. There are 10 committees, each
representing a different aspect of
motorcycling. Five represent various racing
disciplines, and five represent non-racing
interests.
More information about the AMA Motorcycle Hall
of Fame can be found at MotorcycleMuseum.org