Ben Spies, Sandy Kosman, Effie Hotchkiss To Join AMA Hall Of Fame

[advrider]

The American Motorcyclist Association announced that six new members will be joining the organization’s Hall of Fame in 2022, including racers, bike builders and unexpected pioneers of the sport.

Perhaps the most familiar name on the list is Superbike champion Ben Spies, who chalked up National Championships and other wins through the first decade of the new millenium. Motocross legend James “Bubba” Stewart is also on the list. Bubba booked a perfect season in 2008, winning every race he entered.

Sandy Kosman, who built frames and high-performance parts for racers across multiple disciplines, also made the cut. He helped bring motorcycle drag racing into the modern era and was active from the 1960s up until the 2000s. According to this fascinating article about Kosman, he was autistic and despite his engineering genius when it came to motorcycles, he personally was not a rider.

One of the most interesting entries this year is the inclusion of Effie Hotchkiss, who had the riding bug so bad she crossed the U.S. on a Harley—and made it a round trip no less—107 years ago. Imagine the barriers in that era for a woman to undertake such a challenge – let alone on a machine and on the roads of the era. Now imagine the journey with your mom in a sidecar. HoF worthy? Absolutely.

Here’s a description of this year’s new members from the AMA:

KENNY COOLBETH
Kenny Coolbeth began his national flat track racing career in 1994, winning the AMA Rookie of the Year award, and went on to win three AMA Grand National Championships in 2006, 2007 and 2008 while part of the factory Harley-Davidson team. Throughout his quarter-century career he compiled 27 AMA Grand National wins — sixth on the all-time list — and 108 AMA Grand National podiums.

GREG HANCOCK
Racer Greg Hancock has earned four Speedway World championships and eight AMA U.S. National Speedway championships in a career spanning four decades, with 2019 marking his 27th and last season competing in the Speedway World Championship series. While logging a record 218 Speedway Grand Prix appearances, he has finished in the top five in World Speedway competition 17 times, and finished in the top three eight times.

EFFIE HOTCHKISS
The first woman to complete a transcontinental motorcycle ride, Effie Hotchkiss began riding aboard small used motorcycles such as a single-cylinder Harley-Davidson. She purchased a brand-new 1915 Harley-Davidson 3-speed twin and left her job to travel by motorcycle to California. Effie’s mother, who worried about her daughter’s safety, joined her in a sidecar. Their journey began on May 2, 1915, and once they reached California, the two turned around and headed home in late August, finally completing the dream adventure in October.

SANDY KOSMAN
The late Sandy Kosman was a true pioneer in aftermarket chassis design and fabrication, an early producer of motorcycle-specific drag racing, flat track and road racing parts and products from the mid 1960s to the 2000s. Kosman found solutions to the increased demands upon competition motorcycles as horsepower increased over the years by creating chassis, brake and wheel systems that excelled in the most demanding racing applications. His chassis and parts designs in the drag racing world are perhaps his best-known contributions to motorcycle competition.

BEN SPIES
Ben Spies is considered one of the greatest American road racers in the history of the sport. Nicknamed “Elbowz” due to his signature riding style that showcased his always-protruding elbows, Spies’ five AMA National Championships include the 2008, 2007 and 2006 AMA Superbike titles, the 2007 AMA Superstock title, and the 2003 AMA Formula Xtreme title. He also competed successfully in World Superbike and MotoGP competition, scoring the 2009 World Superbike championship.

JAMES STEWART
James “Bubba” Stewart was a dominant force in AMA Pro Motocross and AMA Supercross, winning two AMA Supercross national championships, three AMA Pro Motocross titles, two Motocross des Nations championships and seven AMA Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynn’s. In 2008, Stewart won every race and every moto in the AMA Pro Motocross season, only the second motocross racer to ever notch a perfect season.

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