Hall of Fame Motorcycle Journalist Phil Schilling Passes
Cycle News Staff | May 28, 2015
Photography courtesy Motorcycle Hall of Fame
Fans of the great Cycle magazine and the early Ducati Superbike ridden by Daytona Superbike winner Cook Neilson are mourning the death of Hall of Famer Phil Schilling. Mr. Schilling passed away on May 26 according to a new release issued by the AMA.
Teaching at the University of Wisconsin when Hall of Famer Cook Neilson asked him to become managing editor of Cycle magazine, Schilling flourished at Cycle and over time became one of the most influential moto-journalists ever.
A skilled tuner, Schilling also excelled at the racetrack. In 1977, Schilling and Neilson entered a Ducati, famously known as “Old Blue,” in the Daytona 200 and gave Ducati its first AMA Superbike win in the United States.
Schilling and Neilson’s chronicling of their efforts as well as other teams and riders helped give AMA Superbike racing a major boost at a time that it was a lowly support road racing class. They were instrumental in helping push the series to the premier motorcycle road racing championship in America.
To learn more about the life and career of Phil Schilling, a member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2011, see his biography at www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=448