It was a Who’s Who of motorcycle industry heroes at the annual AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum Breakfast held recently at Daytona Beach. The prestigious event brought motorcycling icons like John Penton, Gary Bailey, Mike Corbin, and Bill Warner together in an effort to raise money for the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, a venue that continues to be the leading curator of historical motorcycles and exhibits in the motorcycling industry. The fundraiser will help the museum as it works on redesigning its layout to highlight its newest inductees. The MHoFM is also working on a tribute to American Honda’s 30 years in Ohio and is planning a new exhibit to celebrate American flat trackers.
 
This year’s breakfast was a celebration of speed and specifically the quest for the title of the ‘World’s Fastest Motorcycle’ as special guests included a trio of Salt Flat veterans – Denis Manning, Chris Carr and Leslie Porterfield. Manning is the genius behind the BUB 7 streamliner, the current record holder for fastest machine on two wheels at 367.382 mph. Carr, who has been burning up the flat track scene for the last 26 years, is the man who piloted the BUB 7 on its record run. Porterfield likewise has made a name for herself on the Salt and has pushed her turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa to an astounding 240.382 mph on a one-way pass and an impressive 234.275 mph average on a ‘sit-on’ motorcycle.
 
The grand ballroom of the Daytona Beach Hilton was filled with long-time AMA members and inductees who enjoyed a spirited conversation between the trio of Salt veterans. Manning was engaging as he entertained the crowd with anecdotes about his 30 years of pursuing land speed records. He acknowledged Carr as “The best streamliner rider I’ve seen, and I’ve had the likes of Cal Rayborn piloting for me.” He also elicited a hearty chuckle from the crowd when he informed the crowd that BUB stands for ‘Big Ugly Bastard.’

Dirt track veteran Carr is sharp as a tack. And when you’re piloting a machine that can hit 195 mph in first gear, you’d better be sharp.
 
“My focus is to do my job, to take that thing as fast as it will go, to wring its neck,” Carr said.
 
The man who owns the title of ‘World’s Fastest Man on Two Wheels’ shared how he, like many, was inspired early on by the classic moto movie “On Any Sunday” and its stars, Malcolm Smith and Mert Lawwill. He also stated that piloting the BUB 7 streamliner at mind-boggling speed doesn’t unnerve him but stopping is another thing.

Porterfield did an admirable job as moderator and her knowledge and passion about the Salt kept the conversation intimate and candid. She also shared some of her experiences on the Salt as the owner of three land speed records and has also felt the wrath of the Salt herself in a high-speed accident that broke seven of her ribs and punctured a lung.

Some of the most inspirational stories came from the people in attendance themselves, like AMA members Mike ‘Melbourne’ J. and Margaret Wilson, who both just celebrated their 90th birthdays. Mike is labeled by the Hall of Fame as ‘a tireless ambassador of the sport’ and is a former dirt track racer that eventually opened up Wilson’s Motorcycle Sales in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His wife Margaret received the Bessie Stringfield Award in 2003 for her role as an outstanding woman motorcyclist. Margaret is considered one of the ‘golden gals’ of motorcycling and has been riding since just after World War II. She started piloting her own bike when women weren’t supposed to be riding motorcycles and was instrumental in shedding the stigma associated with women riders and has logged over a half-million miles in the saddle. The adorable couple has been married for 67 years.

It was an honor to be surrounded by so many people who have helped mold our industry with their grit, guts and determination. It’s not every day you sit down to breakfast and a table away is Chris Carr with his family while two tables away sits Manning and Porterfield sharing a laugh with John Penton. The light-hearted affair raised thousands of dollars to ensure that the museum keeps it doors open for the next generation of motorcyclists to enjoy.