AMA To Honor Wayne Rainey

| July 23, 2015
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PHOTOGRAPHY GOLD & GOOSE
Three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion and MotoAmerica President, Wayne Rainey, will be honored as an AMA Hall of Fame Legend at a special ceremony at the American International Motorcycle Expo at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, on October 17.

Rainey is a previous inductee to the AMA Hall of Fame (1999), with the Hall of Fame Legend honor coming to those whose lifetime accomplishments are showcased as part of the annual induction ceremony of new Hall of Famers.

Rainey’s former Marlboro Yamaha Team Roberts teammate John Kocinski will also be honored, as will former Harley-Davidson CEO Richard Teerlink, off-road racing champion Rodney Smith, entrepreneur and industry patron John Parham, dirt tracker Alex Jorgensen and longtime Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A. race team manager Keith McCarty.Rainey CorkscrewRainey was a huge force at Laguna Seca, winning the 500cc Grand Prix there in 1989, 1990 and 1991.

“I think it’s important that kids coming up have a place, a Hall of Fame, to look to where their heroes are recognized for their achievements, particularly through the AMA – the sanctioning body that provides the environment where all this racing takes place,” Rainey said. “It’s an honor to be a part of that.”

Following Rainey’s dirt track, AMA Superbike and 500cc career, the Californian turned his attention to team management after a severe spinal injury cut short his time as a rider, running Sete Gibernau, Norifumi Abe, Kenny Roberts Jnr, Tetsuya Harada and Jean Michel Bayle in 500cc and 250cc teams contesting the world championship. Now Rainey is heading up MotoAmerica, the AMA and FIM North America Championship, with an eye of giving American riders a platform to compete on the world stage.Rainey.3Rainey’s was on track to make it four 500cc titles in a row in 1993 before injury curtailed his career.

“We feel we have a chance to make our series a very competitive series that has a structure so riders can come through the AMA series to achieve their goals of being a champion here in the United States or go on to the world championships and be competitive,” Rainey said. “We want to create a series that the whole industry would like to get behind and support.”

If you would like to be a part of the induction ceremony in Orlando, tickets are available now at www.motorcyclemuseum.org.

 

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