A Barber employee gets ready to take the museum's rare 1907 four-cylinder Belgian FN out on the track for the Race of the Century at the 2008 Barber Vintage Festival. 

The 7^th Annual Barber Vintage Festival at Barber Motorsports Park outside Birmingham, Ala., happens Oct. 7-9, 2011. Combining the world’s greatest motorcycle museum, fantastic AHRMA vintage motorcycle racing, a top-quality old bike swap meet, vintage aerial acrobatics, the annual Race of the Century for bikes 100 years old or older, the Motorcycle Classics Barber Vintage Bike Show, and more, it’s hands-down the coolest vintage motorcycle happening of the year. And if you’re really lucky, you and a friend could take it all in for free.

It’s impossible to oversell the Barber Vintage Festival, because it really is the high point in the vintage event calendar. From humble beginnings back in 2005 and just a few thousand attendees, it’s quickly grown into one of the largest vintage events of the year, with an easy 40,000-plus attendees at last year’s show. We expect to see that number rise again this year, thanks to the continuing efforts of the incredible team at Barber, including ex-Norton employee and now Barber restoration consultant Brian Slark, who’s been point man for the show since its inception.

We’re pretty keyed up for this year’s festival, which will have more than its fair share of special happenings. Moto Guzzi will be featured marque at the Motorcycle Classics Barber Vintage Bike Show, in honor of the Italian company’s 90^th anniversary crafting fine motorcycles. Whether you want to show your bike or just look at everyone else’s, we’re inviting Moto Guzzi owners new and old to join us at our tent, where we’ll have a special parking area just for Moto Guzzis. Plus, reps from Moto Guzzi North America will be on hand, showing off new Moto Guzzis including, we hope, MG’s latest retro rave, the V7 Racer.

Then there’s Ducstock, a Ducati celebration organized by Ducati.net, NCR and the Ducati faithful celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the Ducati TT2. Expect to see an impressive display of vintage Ducatis at this special showing to be held in Barber’s recently completed infield area. A separate admission fee will be charged.

The best part of it all is that, except for Ducstock, you and a friend could take it all in for free if you’re the winner of the Motorcycle Classics Barber Vintage Festival Sweepstakes. Get your name pulled from our hat and you’ll get three nights lodging, two tickets to the festival, two three-day Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum passes, two front row tickets to Auctions America’s Barber Motorcycle Auction, plus a pair of Barber Vintage Festival T-shirts and caps. Entering is easy, just click here to go to the Sweepstakes page! See you there. – Richard Backus 

 
Stuart Hooper with the World's Fastest Velocette at Lake Gairdner in South Australia, where the bike was clocked at 139.001mph. 

Going to Miller? Here’s your chance to demo the latest Triumph motorcycles during the 6^th Annual Bonneville Vintage GP, sponsored by Motorcycle Classics, Sept. 2-4, 2011. Triumph Motorcycles is bringing a semi full of the latest models, all you need to bring is a valid license and your riding gear! Plus, Australian team World’s Fastest Velocette plans to show off their 700cc Venom single, fresh from running at the BUB Speed Trials, at the Motorcycle Classics Vintage Motorcycle Show.

The Triumph demo fleet should provide a great boost to the always excellent Bonneville Vintage GP, encouraging bike fans from the Salt Lake City area to head to Miller Motorsports Park in nearby Tooele. The demo fleet is being made possible thanks to BMW/Triumph of Salt Lake. And as long as they don’t run into any major problems, like say grenading their engine blasting across the Bonneville Salt Flats, the Aussie Velocette team plans on showing off their wild record-seeking 700cc 1959 Velocette Venom single (they're hoping to break 150mph on the flats) at the Motorcycle Classics Vintage Motorcycle Show on Saturday at the Bonneville Vintage GP.

Registration for the show starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, with the show starting at 10 a.m. and an awards ceremony starting at 4:30 p.m. BMW is the featured marque for this year’s show, and there will be awards in six categories, plus the popular People’s Choice award.

 
Getting closer: The 2011 Bonneville Vintage GP Raffle Bike, a race-ready BMW R75/5.  Sweet! 

And don’t forget about this year’s Bonneville Vintage GP Raffle Bike, a circa-1972 BMW R75/5 that’s being prepped for Formula 750/BEARS eligibility. A new ignition system is waiting to be installed as the team at BMW/Triumph Salt Lake in Salt Lake City gets closer to a first fire. The frame’s done, the engine’s going together and everything looks set for a successful completion in time for the handoff to a lucky owner. And that owner could be you. Tickets are only $5, or get five for $20. Go to the Bonneville Vintage GP Raffle Bike page for more info. See you there! – Richard Backus 

 
Part of the Michael Taggart Collection to be auctioned by Mecum Auctions 

Which auction to choose? That's going to be a tough call for vintage motorcycle buyers taking in the Pebble Beach/Monterey vintage auction scene this weekend, with Mecum Auctions looking to unload 54 classic motorcycles from the Michael Taggart collection and MidAmerica Auctions making a bid to sell 100-plus vintage motorcycles and gear at Pebble Beach during the 61^st Annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.  

The Michael Taggart collection, an eclectic mix of 54 motorcycles, will be offered at the third annual Mecum Monterey Auction, Aug. 18-20, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa on the Del Monte Golf Course. 

Known by friends and fellow collectors as "Tag," Michael Taggart - whose father created Taggart Baking Company, makers of Wonder Bread - grew up near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and developed a childhood passion for cars and motorcycles. Over the years, he has collected an array of bikes representing every genre of the industry: racing, street, dirt track and motocross.   

Headlining Tag's collection is a 1929 Norton CS1 that has been on display in his living room. The collection also features a variety of high-quality Rickman, Matchless, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Norton, Triumph, BSA, Ariel models and more.  

  
1929 Norton CS1 from the Michael Taggart Collection. 

Headlining the MidAmerica auction is a 1938 Brough Superior SS80, a bike you can start bidding on right now at MidAmerica’s online bidding site. MidAmerica’s online bidding site lists the bike with a $75,000 “Buy it Now” price, giving potential purchasers the option of forgoing the auction process entirely. The Brough has already attracted one bid of $40,000. Numerous other bikes on the MidAmerica site have also attracted starting bids, and we think it’ll be interesting to see how well MidAmerica’s online bidding plays out this year. This is a process the auction house has been playing with and perfecting over the past few years, and so far it seems to be getting more attention than previously. Potential buyers can of course view the bikes in person at the MidAmerica auction at Pebble Beach. 

 
1938 Brough Superior SS80 to be auctioned by MidAmerica. 

We’ll follow up on both auctions next week, so stay tuned. – Richard Backus 

  
Gary Nixon riding the Steel Breeze Trident to an AHRMA championship at the Barber Motorsports Park in 2005. 

Gary Nixon, 1967 and 1968 AMA Grand National Champion, passed away on Friday, August 5, after suffering a heart attack. He was 70 years old. Over a decades-long career that started with his first professional race in 1958 at the age of 17, the seemingly indefatigable Nixon rode his way to the top. From flat track to road racing, Nixon did it all, and always excelled.

Nixon really vaulted to fame in 1967, when he started his championship-winning season riding a Triumph to first place at the Daytona 200. A fierce competitor, Nixon built a reputation for toughness, riding, for instance, for three seasons with a stainless steel rod holding his left leg together after stuffing a Triumph dirt tracker into a post in 1969.

 
Nixon in his earlier days. Nice tongue! 

During his career, Nixon won 19 AMA National wins and more than 150 Grand National finishes. Although he officially retired in 1979, in the mid-1990s, Nixon, then in his mid-50s, raced in the Legend series, which he won twice. A long hiatus from the track ended in 2005, when he got into AHRMA vintage racing. Riding for Jerry Liggett of Steel Breeze Racing, Nixon took the Formula Vintage National Championship aboard Liggett’s 1972 Triumph Trident that year; he was 65, and clearly hadn’t lost his competitive edge.

Motorcycle Classics regular contributor Neale Bayly remembers racing with Nixon, and shares this story about a pre-race practice session with Nixon:
“So I’m practicing for my first race at Mid Ohio in the Thruxton Cup a couple of years ago. It’s not long since a badly broken collar bone from tucking the front end at a racetrack so the slightly damp conditions and concrete patches are making it interesting. It’s taken some time, but I’m picking up speed and am working my way back to the front straight into the last right hand corner. Tipping in on my knee, two Thruxtons go by me like I’m tied to a stump – and in an instant start to crash. In perfect harmony, inches apart, they are completely sideways and heading for the outside of the turn and certain disaster. Leaving small plumes of smoke, all my racetrack training says look where you are going, but I can’t. It’s going to be ugly as I marvel at the angle the bikes are at. I’ve never seen a motorcycle in this position on a racetrack before and flinch waiting for the carnage to begin. Then, they stop sliding, and start driving forward, ripping into the last left hander, repeating the sliding process before motoring off down the front straight while I cough and wheeze to get off the corner, quickly losing touch with them as they leave me in their dust. I’ve just been passed by Gary Nixon and another racer and am just gob smacked by the man’s abilities on a motorcycle.”

I’ll never forget Nixon letting me take his Steel Breeze Trident for a few laps at Barber in 2005, sending me off down the track with the warning, “You wreck that bike, and I’ll fuckin’ kill you.” Godspeed, Gary, you’ll be missed. – Richard Backus 

  
Jason DiSalvo at Barber June 17, 2011. Photo: Brian J. Nelson. Source: jasondisalvo.com

Rising champion Jason DiSalvo will headline the roster of speakers at this year’s Motorcycles by Moonlight dinner and fundraiser, held the Friday night of the 7^th Annual Barber Vintage Festival. Ducati riding DiSalvo will be joined at the dinner by Cook Neilson and Paul Smart, with motorsports commentator Alain de Cadenet moderating.

DiSalvo’s attendance will be a great addition to Ducstock, the National Ducati Rally being held during the annual Barber Vintage Festival. In March, DiSalvo and Team Latus Motors gave Ducati its first-ever Daytona 200 victory. The event will also give DiSalvo, who rode his Ducati to fifth and sixth place finishes at the Daytona Sportbike races held at Barber June 23, a chance to enjoy the Barber scene with a bit more leisure.

Joining DiSalvo for Motorcycles by Moonlight will be Cook Neilson, who made history in 1977 when he and fellow Cycle editor Phil Shilling rode their Ducati 750SS - Old Blue - to first place at Daytona in the second year of AMA Superbike racing, and Paul Smart, who launched Ducati onto the modern world racing stage when he won Italy’s Imola 200 on Ducati’s then-new 750 in 1972.

Keeping the trio talking will be former Le Mans race driver and internationally-known motorsports commentator Alain de Cadenet. – Richard Backus