July is a great time for vintage motorsports in Ohio with the Vintage Grand Prix followed two weeks later by the AMA Vintage Bikes event. The vintage bike weekend seemed to draw a larger crowd than the GP, if you can believe it — maybe because in addition to great on-track action from bikes ranging from pre-war Indians and Harleys all the way up to contemporary superbikes, there’s also BMX racing and a sizable swap show set up.
The superbikes are all kinds of fun to watch. Not only are these great-looking machines, they also sound terrific, and the riders really know how to put on a show. Check out the commitment from some of these riders:
I love the clear visors, by the way — there’s nothing as dramatic in motorsport as seeing those eyes boring a laser-hole into the track ahead!
I didn’t spend nearly as much time at the BMX track as the road course, but the riders there definitely looked like they were having fun. As you might expect, there were riders of all skill levels and competitive drive.
I found the starting scrums to be pretty tricky to capture effectively, but early-lap action had no shortage of close-fought action and chaotic scrums.
The whole time the racing is going on, there are demo events from stunt teams, static displays, and more. Some attendees actually attend just to work the extensive swap area!Just as at the Vintage GP, there’s a featured marque each year at this event and this year’s marque was Indian. I’m sure there would have been some nice old Indians at the event anyway but there were truly some beauties on display and on-track this weekend.
Working into the paddock, it’s great to see racers ranging from casual to quite serious. I loved seeing all the tire warmers on the superbikes — great stuff!
Of course, the paddock is also home to some lighter scenes — check out the future biker catching some “Z’s” between events, and who wouldn’t get a kick out the leathers on this sidecar rider!
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And finally, if you’ve never had a chance to see sidecar racing, this is almost worth the trip all by itself. These performers are certainly among the favorite performers of the weekend.
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