Quinn Wentzel and Mark Murphy emerge as best off-road racers during the AMA Vintage Grand Championship in Lexington, Ohio
PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 31, 2024) — For three days, a large collection of racers from across the country competed for the titles of AMA Vintage Grand Champion and AMA Vintage Senior Grand Champion at 2024 Permco AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days presented by Yamaha.
Compiling points from the AMA Vintage Grand Championship, which consists of motocross, hare scrambles and trials competition, Quinn Wentzel of Canfield, Ohio, collected his second-consecutive AMA Vintage Grand Championship — his sixth overall — while Mark Murphy from Geneseo, N.Y. claimed the AMA Vintage Senior Grand Champion title.
With previous AMA Vintage Grand Championships in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2023, Wentzel raced his way back to the top of the leaderboard again during the three-day event. Capturing second-place finishes in the Vintage Vet 250cc A class in hare scrambles and Vintage Open A class in motocross, in addition to a class win in Vintage Old School trials, Wentzel ran away with the overall title while clearing second-place Chris Arnold by 23 points.
“We come here pretty much every year, and some years we don’t [win] because whatever reason, bike troubles and whatnot,” Wentzel said. “It’s always good when the bikes make it through and we have a good finish. It means a lot and it’s nice to have my family and friends out here. It’s a fun weekend for us all.”
While Wentzel dominated the field, Murphy eked out the AMA Vintage Senior Grand Championship by just one point. Murphy had a second-place finish in hare scrambles while landing a pair of fourth-place finishes in the Vintage Senior 40+ class in motocross and Vintage Factory Expert in trials competition to earn the overall title.
“My motorcycle stayed together, and trying to keep a 40- or 50-year-old motorcycle together for three different competitions, it all starts there,” Murphy said. “Then, it’s self-preservation, dumb luck and charging as hard as you can while having a good attitude. You have to have grit.”
For more information about the AMA Vintage Grand Championship and Permco AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days presented by Yamaha, visit vintagemotorcycledays.com/racing/.
To ensure you stay up to date on the 2025 event, sign up for the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days newsletter, follow the official event Facebook page, follow the AMA VMD Instagram page and stay tuned to https://www.vintagemotorcycledays.com/.