[American Motorcyclist Association] - National off-road racing champion Scott Summers

[Ninjette Newsbot]

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- ScottSummers, who famously raced Honda XR600Rs to nine American MotorcyclistAssociation national off-road racing championships, has been elected to the AMAMotorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2014.

Summers, who was elected to the Off-Road Competition category, will be inductedat the 2014 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Friday, Oct. 17, inOrlando, Fla. The induction ceremony is part of the AMA National Conventionbeing held in conjunction with the American International Motorcycle Expo(AIMExpo) Oct. 16-19. Tickets for the convention and the induction ceremony goon sale soon. Stay tuned to www.motorcyclemuseum.org forupdates.

"Scott Summers not only won off-road championships in some of the mostchallenging tight woods terrain, but he did so his way -- competing on amotorcycle that most others appreciated for its proficiency in wide-open desertracing," said Ken Ford, a member of the Hall of Fame executive committeeand treasurer of the AMA board of directors. "Scott won and thrived,becoming one of the most prolific off-road champions in AMA-sanctioned nationalchampionship competition, and in the process helped introduce a new level ofprofessionalism to off-road racing in America."

Summers, from Petersburg, Ky., won the 1990, 1991 and 1992 Grand National CrossCountry championships racing a Honda XR600R against riders on much lighter andmore agile motorcycles. After a three-year GNCC dry spell, Summers reclaimedthe AMA national No. 1 plate in 1996 and successfully defended his title thefollowing year. Summers also won four AMA Harescrambles National Championshipsin 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1995. In addition, he collected three gold medalscompeting for the U.S. team at the International Six Days Enduro.

"I'm humbled and honored, but to be honest, I feel like any success Iachieved was a result of a group effort," Summers said. "I wassurrounded by some visionary people who contributed to my racing -- my dad,Wade, was instrumental in persuading me that four-strokes could be competitiveand my friend, Fred Bramblett, was my mechanic, my business manager, my agentand my publicist. I was blessed in that I don't know if any off-road racer everhad the support that I had. I don't feel like I'm responsible for all theaccolades that I received while competing, and I'm happy to share the limelightwith all those who drove my success."

Summers earned a reputation for versatility and skill for racing a bigfour-stroke Honda that was primarily designed for high-speed, open terrain,such as desert competition. The series where Summers competed were contestedmostly in tight, rocky woods in the eastern United States.

Although Summers acknowledged that the XR600R had a weight disadvantagecompared to the much smaller two-strokes ridden by his rivals, he noted thatthe Honda's smoother power delivery and torque gave him a performance edge.

"In 1982, I got a Honda XR200 for Christmas, and I fell in love with thetype of power that bike made," he said. "There came a day when I feltI was capable of going faster than that bike would let me. That was in 1985when I got an XR600. It was very similar to the XR200, only much more in everyway. I loved the power characteristics, and it more than compensated for thefact that I was riding a bike 50-100 pounds heavier than the other bikes.Because of the smooth power, I could relax more, and that paid big benefitsduring a three-hour race."

Summers is the fourth member of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame class of 2014to be announced. He joins three previously announced inductees: motocrosspioneer Pierre Karsmakers, racer and motorcycling advocate Tom White, andmuseum and racetrack founder George Barber. The remaining 2014 inductees willbe announced in random order in the coming weeks.

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers are selected through a nomination and votingprocedure that includes ballots cast by living Hall of Fame members, members ofthe American Motorcyclist Association and AMHF boards of directors, and membersof, and advisers to, the Hall of Fame category committees.

To nominate a future Hall of Famer, visit www.motorcyclemuseum.org/induction.



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