Press Release | July 9, 2017
Longtime friends bond over vintage road racing.
This is a press release from the AMA…
Lexington, OH (July 09, 2017) — Jeremy Bracker of Jasper, Ind., tinkered with his bike during breaks between classes while competing in vintage road-racing events at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, featuring Riders of Kawasaki.
Bracker has been racing in AMA-sanctioned WERA events and competing in vintage races for the past five years.
His friends got him into racing after showing him the fun of working on and riding vintage motorcycles.
“I completely rebuilt this bike,” Bracker said as he twisted a socket wrench on his 1963 Honda CB350. “I love anything old, and that’s how I got involved in tearing this thing apart and putting in back together into a race bike.”
A few garages down, four guys were gathered around their bikes, bench racing while waiting for their class to get called to the starting line.
Wade Parish, Mark McDaniel, Tristian Kohneker and Joe Ball met each other through vintage motorcycle racing and have been coming to races together ever since.
Ball has the most racing experience in the group, spending nearly 30 years “behind bars.”
Kohneker and Parish have been competing about 15 years; and McDaniel joined the group just four months ago.
The group competes in the Lightweight Twins Division, and the guys work help each other get faster and become better racers.
“It’s cool, because I let them get in front, and then I have someone to follow,” McDaniel said. “It’s really pushed me to become a better rider and learn a lot about riding vintage motorcycles.”
The group members have been attending AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days since the event began.
“I love coming here and being a part of this atmosphere,” Ball said. “There are so many spectators sitting up on the hills watching, and everyone is just riding their motorcycles around and having a good time. There’s no better place to enjoy vintage road racing.”