The American Motorcyclist Association mourns the loss of Dave Pickett, who dedicated his life to advocating for the rights of motorcyclists throughout Northern California and Western Nevada.

Pickett, a lifelong motorcyclist and AMA Life Member, served as President of AMA District 36 from 2004 through 2013, while also working as the Legislative Action Officer for the District until his retirement in 2018. In these roles, Pickett advocated for off-road trail access for enthusiasts across his district, allowing for a thriving off-road riding community in District 36.

In 2011, Pickett earned the Jim Hutzler Service Award — AMA District 36’s highest honor.

In addition to his time with AMA District 36, where he started in the early 1970s and also served on the Board of Directors, Pickett served as an AMA Congressman. Pickett was also a lifetime member of the BlueRibbon Coalition and California Enduro Trails Riders Association.

An avid off-road riding participant, Pickett began riding and racing in 1965 and rose to the A class of AMA racing.

Pickett’s contributions to the AMA and motorcycling were vast, and he will be greatly missed.   

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SB24-079 permits motorcycles to overtake or pass another motor vehicle if traffic is stopped in surrounding lanes. Colorado will join Utah, Montana and Arizona as states that permit lane-filtering, with Minnesota’s own lane-filtering bill slated to take effect on July 1, 2025. Lane-splitting is also legal in California, allowing riders to move through slow-moving traffic in addition to stopped traffic, which differs from Colorado’s law which only permits motorcyclists to pass when the flow of traffic is stopped.

To legally filter, the road must have lanes wide enough to pass safely, the motorcyclist must maintain speeds of 15 miles per hour or less, and “conditions permit prudent operation of the motorcycle while overtaking or passing.”

Motorcyclists must pass on the left of the vehicle in front of them. When the stopped vehicles begin to move, the motorcyclist must stop passing and merge back in line with traffic. 

While lane-filtering is now permitted by law, with the guidelines previously mentioned, it must be done legally and safely to have its intended effect on the safety of riders in stopped traffic.

Under the newly minted law, it is illegal to overtake or pass on the right shoulder, to the right of the vehicle in the farthest right-hand lane if the highway is not limited access or in a lane of traffic moving in the opposite direction.

The law will undergo a three-year period of safety data collection by the Colorado Department of Transportation. The CDOT will compare the number of motorcycle rear-end collisions, the severity of motorcycle rear-end collisions and the number of motorcycle side-swipe collisions while overtaking or passing at 15 miles per hour from before and after the effective date of the law.

For more information regarding Colorado’s new lane-filtering law, visit www.codot.gov/safety/motorcycle/lanefiltering.

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Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the home of our spectacular AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days event each summer, has been around since 1962, but it’s not the only “Mid-Ohio” in motorsport lore.

Just a few miles southeast of the road course on Mill Run Road is a handful of acres of farmland upon which used to exist a racetrack called Mid-Ohio Moto Park, which hosted some of the most memorable and legendary professional races in motocross history during the 1970s and ’80s — 125cc USGP and Trans-AMA events featuring all the moto-stars, from DeCoster and Wolsink to Semics and Lackey to Hannah and Glover to O’Mara and Smith…and many others.

I attended a few of those races and was the proverbial 13-year-old hanging on the snow fences and climbing the scaffolding to watch the guys I’d read about all year long in Motocross Action and Popular Cycling. I even raced there a few times during ’75, ’76 and ’77, and to ride the same dirt as my heroes was like nothing else in the world…and it all left a very serious mark.

A decade or more ago, during some AHRMA vintage roadracing at VMD, I drove my rental car along Old Mill Road and to the scene of all those epic races I remembered as a kid. The entrance gate was open, and to my surprise, the road leading to the overgrown hillside where all the action happened — along with ex-owner Pete Weidner’s (1940–’18) house — was just as I remembered. I even snapped some photos of the starting gate with Weidner’s home in the background.

I returned a few times after that first visit to find the starting gate gone and the place a horse farm, but nothing could diminish the memories I — and many thousands of race fans, I’m sure — have of that very special place called Mid-Ohio.

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By Joy Burgess

The National Forest System Trail Stewardship Partners (Trail Partners) Funding Program recently announced the recipients of the 2024 grants. In total, the program awarded $215,000 to 16 trail maintenance and improvement projects across the U.S.

The Trail Partners grant program is a joint partnership between the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance and the U.S. Forest Service in collaboration with the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), American Trails, American Hiking Society, International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC), and the Back Country Horsemen of America. Grants help support organizations leading trail maintenance efforts across the country’s National Forests, distributing funds throughout the trails’ community, both by recreation type and geographically.

The AMA has been involved with the Trail Partners grant program since its creation in 2016 as a result of the National Forest Trails Stewardship Act and continues to work on increasing awareness of the program as a grant source.

“It’s important that AMA members, clubs and the general public are aware of the Trail Partners program as a possible grant source to fund trail repair and improvements,” said AMA Government Relations Central States Representative Nick Sands. “We encourage more people to submit grant applications for motorized trail projects in 2025.”

Another motorized group that sits on the review committee for the Trail Stewardship Partners Funding Program includes the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC), a 501c3 dedicated to creating a positive future for off-highway vehicle recreation.

“NOHVCC is honored to participate in this fantastic grant program and we hope to do our part to encourage motorized partners to apply for grants in future funding cycles” said Marc Hildesheim, Executive Director for NOHVCC. “It is always a pleasure to work with the AMA; NOHVCC and the AMA have partnered on many great initiatives over the years.”

The projects selected for grants in 2024 will engage around 2,250 volunteers in 39,000 hours of maintenance work to repair over 900 miles of trail and will match federal dollars awarded with $1,723,000 in cash and similar support.

“The National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance values ongoing partnership with the USDA Forest Service and our national trails community to get much-needed funding on the ground for critical trail maintenance projects that increase access, engage the public, promote sustainable use, and stretch federal dollars,” said Joelle Marier, Executive Director of National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance. “I am continually impressed by the energy, dedication, and passion every single applicant brings to public lands stewardship. This year our partners really brought the fire, leveraging federal dollars at an 8:1 ratio. I am particularly grateful for the ongoing support from our collaborating organizations whose reviewers contribute many hours of their valuable time year to year to represent their communities and help select the best and most diverse projects.” 

Chad Schneckenburger, USDA Forest Service Acting National Trail Program Manager added that, “Investing in the Trail Stewardship Partner Funding program has proved to be an excellent way to help actualize the vision and meet the goals of the 10 Year Trails Shared Stewardship Challenge —to increase the collective capacity to care for National Forest System trails while simultaneously increasing the number of trail miles that are well-designed, well-maintained, and well suited to support recreation use today and into the future. These grants encourage partners, volunteers, and the general public to become engaged with their National Forest System trails and provide an excellent return-on-investment for the American taxpayer.”

Out of the 16 groups receiving funding, groups awarded grants specifically for motorized trail maintenance include:

• BCHC Educational Fund: $12,300; Region 5 (Pacific Southwest) – A volunteer-led general trail maintenance and repair project with a strong focus on fire-impacted areas.
• Mountain Bike the Tetons: $16,300; Region 4 (Intermountain Region) – An organization that has strong collaboration with partner organizations serving diverse communities of trail users.
• Headwaters Trail Alliance: $30,000; Region 2 (Rocky Mountain Region) – Multiple use general trail maintenance proposal on a variety of trail types using a combination of staff, contractors and volunteers to complete work. Funding will contribute to staffing costs for HTA’s overall trails program.

The Trail Partners Funding Program is made possible through the National Forest System Trail Stewardship Act of 2016. The Act significantly increases the role of volunteers and partners in trail maintenance to aid in addressing backlogged projects such as signage upgrades, trail clearing, reroutes, bridge and structure repair, and improvements to drainage. The funding comes from dedicated USFS funds, demonstrating the significance the agency gives to the program.  

To learn more about the Trail Partners Funding Program, visit https://www.wildernessalliance.org/trail_funding.

To learn more about both grant programs at the federal and state level, visit the AMA’s grant resource page at https://americanmotorcyclist.com/rights/rights-resources/grants/.  

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April 30, 2024 (This story appeared in the May 2024 edition of American Motorcyclist)

By Keaton Maisano

The post HOLY TOLEDO! appeared first on American Motorcyclist Association.

As the 2024 AMA Supercross season starts to wind down, the 450SX title race might finally have a victor emerging.

After breaking a tie in the overall 450SX class standings with a first-place finish in Nashville last week, Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence tightened his grip on the class with another dominant display at Philadelphia AMA Supercross on Saturday, April 27. With the win, Lawrence rose to 311 points on the season, leading second-place Cooper Webb of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing by 12 points with two rounds remaining in the 2024 campaign.

Lawrence left little to chance at Lincoln Financial Field, securing the holeshot and maintaining the lead for all 24 laps of the race.

“There’s only really one option with the start is: get a good start and be up there,” Lawrence said. “On this track, that’s a little difficult to pass [on], it definitely helped [to get the holeshot]. [I] nailed my start finally and I know we’re still focusing on each race. I mean, [the] job’s not done yet so we’re going to stay focused and make sure we execute these last two rounds.”

Lawrence was joined on the podium by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton, who rallied into second place with a late surge through the final few laps, and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson after he secured third place with a pass on the last turn in the closing lap of the race.

As the 250SX East title chase nears its end, with only one East/West Showdown race remaining in the class, the championship remains unclaimed after a tight race in Philadelphia. To add to the excitement, Fire Power Honda’s Max Anstie overcame a slow start to claim his first AMA Supercross win at Lincoln Financial Field.

Anstie battled back to the front of the pack after exiting the first turn in fifth place, overtaking Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker — a native of Philadelphia — late in the race before leading for the final seven laps en route to the win.

“Obviously it was an exciting race. We needed this, my whole crew,” Anstie said. “I’m happy to get this done and looking forward to the final round in Salt Lake in a couple of weeks.”

250SX East class leader Tom Vialle of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing battled from outside of the top 10 back onto the podium, finishing in second place and extending his points lead to 15 with the East/West Showdown in Salt Lake City looming on May 11. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan followed Vialle to a third-place finish in the City of Brotherly Love.

Vialle and Deegan remain as the final two competitors vying for the 250SX East crown, which will be awarded during the season finale in Salt Lake City. Vialle enters the final race with 158 points on the campaign, while Deegan trails with 143.

With title battles heating up in the final two weeks of the season, the 2024 AMA Supercross caravan heads to Denver on Saturday, May 4, with gate drop set for 7 p.m. EST. The event will be streamed live on Peacock.

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After relinquishing sole control of the 2024 AMA Supercross championship lead with a trio of mixed results in recent weeks, Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence returned to the top of the podium in Nashville.

The victory vaulted Lawrence right back into the championship lead with just three rounds remaining in the 2024 AMA Supercross season. As the win put an end to a difficult stretch for the Australian rookie, Lawrence was relieved with his performance on Saturday, April 20.

“I hate losing, so that bit of a losing streak really sucked. But [I’m] really pumped to come out and get it done here [in Nashville],” Lawrence said. “This [win] is leading [us] in the good direction, so hopefully we keep it going.”

It wasn’t a wire-to-wire victory for Lawrence, however. Monster Energy Star Racing’s Eli Tomac secured the holeshot and led for the first 10 laps, before Lawrence snagged the lead and raced away from the four-time AMA Supercross champion for the final 15 laps of the evening. Tomac finished the event in second place, while teammate Cooper Webb secured the final rung on the podium.

After entering the weekend tied with Webb at 261 points, Lawrence’s triumph in the Music City gave him a five-point edge over the Newport, N.C., native — with the Aussie up to 286 points on the campaign.

The best of the East and West came together for the annual 250SX East/West Showdown, pitting racers from the regional 250SX classes against one another. Riders from the West claimed the top two spots during the event, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire collecting the win.

Hampshire’s victory in the combined-class race vaulted him into first place in the overall 250SX West standings, as he erased a 15-point deficit to overtake Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen — who crashed with reigning 250SX East leader Cameron McAdoo of Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki during the early stages of the race — with 166 points on the season. Kitchen follows with 164 points with just two events left on the 250SX West schedule.

“[That was] just an awesome race. I had a couple moments there in the beginning, settled in, [then] I clicked off my laps,” Hampshire said. “[It’s] just a big weight off my shoulders. I knew I could close the points lead tonight, didn’t expect to get the red plate back, but man, I’m so dang happy for my whole team, all our supporters, just everybody that sticks behind us.”

Fellow West Coast rider Jo Shimoda claimed second place for Team Honda HRC, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle was the lone representative on the podium for the 250SX East class with a third-place finish.

With his third-place finish, compounded with McAdoo’s early retirement, Vialle jumped into the overall 250SX East lead with 136 points on the season. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan also overtook McAdoo in the points standings, holding second place with 123 points while McAdoo sits in third with 120 points.

In addition to the intense racing action on the track, the Nashville AMA Supercross doubled as the annual Love Moto Stop Cancer race — a partnership between AMA Supercross and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The racers competed with customized bike graphics and gear designs inspired by art from young patients at St. Jude.

The 2024 AMA Supercross season heads to Philadelphia, Pa., on Saturday, April 27, with the conclusion of the 250SX East campaign as part of the festivities. Gate drop is set for 3 p.m. EST and the event will be streamed live on Peacock.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Kardas 

The post Music City Masterpiece appeared first on American Motorcyclist Association.

With just four rounds remaining in the 2024 AMA Supercross season, it’s anybody’s guess who will be crowned the 450SX champion.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb led wire-to-wire en route to a victory in the 450SX class at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on Saturday, tying the AMA Supercross championship race with Team Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence in the process.

“It’s crazy, you know, the season’s never over, you’ve just got to put your head down and now it’s tied; it’s pretty crazy,” Webb said. “The track was really tricky, especially when it started to rain, it could reach up and bite you. So, it was a great race and, man, to get [into] the points lead is amazing.”

Joining Webb on the podium in Foxborough was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton and Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen, who claimed 22 and 20 points respectively. Lawrence — who entered the round with an eight-point lead in the championship race — finished fifth at Gillette Stadium.

Webb’s victory created a two-way tie at the top of the championship standings, with the Newport, N.C., native deadlocked at 261 points with Lawrence with just four rounds remaining in the season. Sexton isn’t far behind the pair at the top, trailing by just 15 points as the campaign winds down.

Shifting gears to the 250SX East class, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan claimed his second win of the season after getting the holeshot and leading for all 18 laps of the race.

“At the beginning, I pulled the holeshot and I was like, ‘Dude, this is what I need.’ If I can get out front, then I can ride my own race,” Deegan said. “I think that’s the best thing to do in this 250 class, just try to get out front early, sprint and then just manage [it]. I felt like I did that pretty well.”

Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo recorded a second-place finish, while Red Bull KTM’s Tom Vialle finished in third place. With their podium finishes, McAdoo and Vialle maintained the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the 250SX East overall standings while Deegan jumped into third place with 107 points.

The AMA SX Futures class also ran the fourth round of its season on Saturday, April 13, with Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Drew Adams claiming his third-consecutive win. Gavin Towers of Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing and KTM Elite Monster Energy’s Luke Fauser took second and third place respectively.

“I’d say [the track] was probably a little bit rougher in qualifying earlier today just because of all the rain we had [earlier in the week],” Adams said. “Two weeks ago in St. Louis, I had a really bad start, so I had to work really hard there, and so these past two weeks I’ve just been working on starts. It looks like I fixed it.”

The 2024 AMA Supercross season heads to Nashville, Tenn., with the festivities kicking off at 7 p.m. EST at Nissan Stadium. The bar-banging action will be streamed live on Peacock.

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April 4, 2024 (This story appeared in the April 2024 edition of American Motorcyclist)

By Keaton Maisano

While it may have taken Tom Umphress nearly 30 years to get into motorcycling, he wasted no time leaving his mark on what has become a decades-long passion.

Before becoming a member of the AMA Board of Directors and a prominent figure in Minnesota’s recreational riding and government relations efforts, Umphress was a newcomer to motorcycling, buying his first bike — a Honda CR250R — in 1998.

The following year Umphress helped formalize and incorporate the Twin Cities Riders, a club that addressed the lack of non-competition-based riding clubs in Minnesota, and provided fight for trail availability in the future. During the process of chartering the club with the AMA, Umphress became an AMA member, beginning his journey with the association.

“You can cause change when you have numbers,” Umphress said. “It just makes sense to be part of the AMA to help grow those numbers…Being part of the AMA helps me do my part to allow us to have a national presence and a national voice.”

In the years that followed Umphress’ arrival to the world of motorcycling, he served on the boards of several trail groups, including being Vice Chairman of the Coalition of Recreational Trail Users. He also served as a state partner, secretary and treasurer for the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC). For his contributions to bettering the future of OHV recreation, Umphress is a member of the NOHVCC Hall of Fame.

Since 1999, Umphress and his wife Karen have served as government relations officers for the Amateur Riders Motorcycle Association in Minnesota. The pair also introduce motorcycling to newcomers as coaches for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation DirtBike School.

“They are among the unsung heroes of advocacy that don’t get much recognition by the motorcycling community, because what activists do isn’t terribly flashy and there’s not a lot of publicity,” AMA Board of Directors Chair Russ Ehnes said. “But without the activism and work that people like Tom and Karen have done, motorcycling would not be where it is today. They are at the top of the heap of people who’ve had the most impact over the long haul.”

Umphress’ common sense and technical knowledge helped him earn a spot on the AMA Board of Directors in 2021. “It’s the deep end of the pool when it comes to advocacy,” Ehnes said. “It’s an intense, demanding position to be an AMA Board member. You just don’t show up to four meetings a year and think that’s going to be it, because there’s a lot of work that goes on in and in-between meetings.”

Umphress has taken the added responsibility in stride, and along with the several committees he participates in, he currently sits as chair of both the Rights and Advocacy Committee, and the newly formed Recreational Riding Committee.

“I’ve tried to operate on the model of not standing on the sideline and throwing rocks,” Umphress said. “If you want something to change, it’s one thing to talk, but another to get involved and cause change. You can do a lot more if you get involved.”

Umphress stressed that all motorcyclists can help make a difference by getting involved and being positive influences out in the community. “I would ask people to get involved,” he said. “My wife often says… ‘We all are willing to wrench on our bikes, but we all need to wrench on our rights a little bit, too.’ That can be as simple as we need to define ourselves. Don’t let the other side define us.”

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By Joy Burgess

As we’ve looked back over the last few months at some of the AMA’s biggest government relations wins over the past 100 years, we’ve been reminded of clashes with some of the heavies in government…the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for one.

In the late 1970s, the non-elected bureaucracy ended up apologizing to motorcyclists for some of its actions on noise and noise standards, with AMA staff bringing other proposed and unfair EPA regulations to the attention of Congress, where the agency’s efforts died after overwhelming public and motorcyclist support.

Turns out, that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the good work being done by the AMA’s Government Relations Department at the time.

“The AMA Just Paid for Your Membership!”

That was the headline in an AMA advertisement near the end of 1978, which heralded the AMA’s recent victory over the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Previously, you could deduct sales tax on a car, boat or airplane, but not on your motorcycle.

The AMA was determined to change that.

American Motorcyclist reported that AMA staff was working on an initiative to get an even break for bikers. “Our discussions with the IRS have been very positive,” said AMA Legislative Analyst Gary Winn, “and they seem genuinely interested in providing an even break for the AMA member who shells out thousands of dollars for a motorcycle.”

Ultimately, the AMA succeeded, convincing the IRS to rewrite its regulations, allowing proper sales tax deductions for motorcycles.

The ad got it right, as the AMA’s success allowing the deduction of sales tax on motorcycles put money back in AMA members’ pockets…literally!

Even More Late-70s Wins

• The AMA helped halt California’s plan to ban two-strokes.
• The AMA stopped motor racing from being eliminated in Oregon.
• The AMA changed Pennsylvania legislation that would have made enduros and poker runs illegal.
• The AMA told the Department of Energy that a 10 percent gasoline allocation for motorcycles wasn’t enough. They listened and agreed to provide more.
• After meeting with AMA staff and local members, Long Island, N.Y., opened 10,000 acres of land to ORV enthusiasts.
• A proposed bike ban in New York City was defeated after AMA members flooded the city mayor’s and city council’s offices with letters opposing the ban.
• The AMA and local activists fought and won against Oregon’s proposed unrealistic noise regulations.
• Louis tried to enforce a motorcycle ban, but the AMA sought an injunction against St. Louis officials to prevent it.

Member Support Matters!

At the end of a list of GRD wins in the July 1979 issue of American Motorcyclist, the Government Relations Department said this: “We couldn’t have done it without the support of our members… Will [next year] be an equally successful year? We can do everything we have sufficient support and money to do, so our success [next year] is largely up to you.”

That may have been written nearly 45 years ago, but it remains true today: We can’t do this without you. The AMA needs your help and support more than ever. Sign up for action alerts from the AMA at https://americanmotorcyclist.com/action-center/.

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