PICKERINGTON, Ohio (July 19, 2024) — With a wide collection of vintage road racing on the schedule at 2024 Permco AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days presented by Yamaha — running July 26-28 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio — the American Motorcyclist Association extends its gratitude to the Roadracing World Action Fund (RWAF) and MotoAmerica for their assistance in creating an excellent road racing program at VMD this year.
“We are so grateful to our friends at the RWAF and MotoAmerica for their support in our road racing efforts at VMD,” AMA Track Racing Manager Ken Saillant said. “RWAF Founder and President John Ulrich and the RWAF have shown tremendous generosity for this event, specifically allowing us to use their inflatable soft barriers for VMD road races.”
The RWAF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to reducing racetrack injuries through education and advocating for safer racetrack practices. Created in 2001, the RWAF works with racing and track day organizations to facilitate deployment of soft barriers at events across the country.
Soft barriers made by Alpina and Airfence have an internal ambient air chamber supported by inflated ribs. They’re made to be deployed in front of steel barriers, tire walls, embankments and other hard objects surrounding racetracks. When a rider crashes and hits a soft barrier, air is pushed out through blow-off valves, absorbing energy; in simple terms, soft barriers can be thought of as being like a giant, pre-inflated car airbag.
“Thanks to our generous supporters, the Roadracing World Action Fund has been able to fund the Alpina and Airfence soft barriers assigned to MotoAmerica and deployed at MotoAmerica Superbike events sanctioned by the AMA,” RWAF Founder and President John Ulrich said. “Since the next MotoAmerica round will be held at Mid-Ohio August 16-18, those soft barriers will already be at Mid-Ohio, and I’m happy that we’re able to have AMA deploy them for the VMD road races. I am proud that, working with MotoAmerica, AMA, and other organizations nationwide, we’ve been able to improve rider safety and reduce injuries. Together, we have helped make a big difference in the culture of road racing in the United States, making attention on rider safety not just accepted, but also expected.”
The road racing program at VMD is sure to deliver, with 35 classes taking to the 2.4-mile racetrack to compete for AMA National No. 1 plates. For the first time, the AMA Amateur National Bagger Champion will be crowned at VMD, adding to the exciting racing slate. For more information on road racing at VMD, visit vintagemotorcycledays.com/racing/road-racing/.
There will be plenty more to do at Permco AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days presented by Yamaha, with North America’s largest swap meet, a collection of vendor displays and seminars at the Hall of Fame Fanzone in the infield, demo rides, bike shows, and much more!
To stay engaged on all things VMD, visit the Vintage Motorcycle Days website at vintagemotorcycledays.com/, subscribe to the VMD Newsletter and follow the VMD social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.