The Running Rebels Team consists of Milwaukee-area high school students who will be working together to restore a vintage motorcycle under the tutelage of BUILD Moto Mentors, in this case Warren Heir and Ben Marx.
Starting this week, students and mentors start the clock on a 100-day project that will result in fully restored vintage motorcycles and a life changing experience. On February 21, BUILD officially kicked off its 2012 season. BUILD Moto Mentor Program, LTD is a non-profit educational outreach program established in 2011 by The Iron Horse Hotel in conjunction with a team of dedicated volunteers and motorcycle enthusiasts.
By connecting high school students with skilled mentors and faculty advisors, this after-school program offers students the opportunity to learn vintage bike restoration while developing important business, trade and interpersonal skills. Through a formal and very visible competition, students are rewarded for their efforts with incentives given along the way, recognition through display and the eventual racing of their bikes.
Six teams comprised of five students each from area high schools and youth organizations have been chosen to fully restore a “barn-find condition” vintage motorcycle to American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) standards during a 100-day build. This year’s teams include: Bradley Technology and Trade High School (Milwaukee, WI), Cedarburg High School (Cedarburg, WI), St. Francis High School (St. Francis, WI), Port Washington High School (Port Washington, WI), the Running Rebels Community Organization of Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI) and North Shore Academy (Highland Park, IL). Each team is provided with a pre-restoration condition vintage Honda CB 160/175 and a total of $2,000 in cash for parts.
Teams will be judged by regional experts in the following categories: “Performance” (chassis dynamometer competition), “Art Bike” (panel of expert judges), “Facebook Favorite” (social media-drive voting) and “Best of Show” (on-site event voting).
“Summer Tour”
The bikes will be displayed and raced over the summer of 2012, beginning May 31 at The Iron Horse Hotel.
• 2012 Bike Night kick off at The Iron Horse Hotel – May 31
• AHRMA Vintage Classic at Elkhart Lake – June 9 & 10
• Grattan Raceway Park – June 16 &17
• ‘Rockerbox’ Street Festival in Milwaukee – August 4
• BUILD finale reception at The Iron Horse Hotel, featuring live bike auction – August 30
To follow the program and to view videos and photography, “like” and “share” the BUILD
Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/buildmoto. For BUILD sponsorship or volunteer information, contact Nan Teske at
nan@companybonline.com.
