Barber Vintage Festival 2016

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Though it wasn't open in time for the festival, the 86,000-square-foot addition will soon house the museum's restoration shop, library and more.
Though it wasn't open in time for the festival, the 86,000-square-foot addition will soon house the museum's restoration shop, library and more.
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Cook Neilson and Andrew Cathcart check out the Vee Two.
Cook Neilson and Andrew Cathcart check out the Vee Two.
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Dave Roper (left) and the Team Obsolete Matchless G50 formerly raced at the TT.
Dave Roper (left) and the Team Obsolete Matchless G50 formerly raced at the TT.
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One of many old motorcycles.
One of many old motorcycles.
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The MC Sunday ride.
The MC Sunday ride.
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Artist Makoto Endo at work in the Ace Corner.
Artist Makoto Endo at work in the Ace Corner.
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Our friends from Spectro Oils shared their “front yard” with us to accommodate our bike show.
Our friends from Spectro Oils shared their “front yard” with us to accommodate our bike show.
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Jim Venable (left) accepting his Best Ducati award from Colin Edwards.
Jim Venable (left) accepting his Best Ducati award from Colin Edwards.
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Best in Show: Jim and Carolyn Venable took home our Best Ducati award for their beautiful 1974 Ducati 750SS, which Jim rode into the show.
Best in Show: Jim and Carolyn Venable took home our Best Ducati award for their beautiful 1974 Ducati 750SS, which Jim rode into the show.
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Our Editors’ Choice award went to Dennis Liebrecht for his lovingly restored 1978 Ducati 900SS.
Our Editors’ Choice award went to Dennis Liebrecht for his lovingly restored 1978 Ducati 900SS.
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Dana Narkunas, Best Restored European, 1980 Laverda Jota.
Dana Narkunas, Best Restored European, 1980 Laverda Jota.
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Chris Klamer, Best Custom, 1981 Honda CB750.
Chris Klamer, Best Custom, 1981 Honda CB750.
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Richard Asprey, Best Restored British, 1952 Vincent White Shadow.
Richard Asprey, Best Restored British, 1952 Vincent White Shadow.
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John Goolsby, Best Restored American, 1983 Harley-Davidson XLX Custom.
John Goolsby, Best Restored American, 1983 Harley-Davidson XLX Custom.
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David Grunewald, Best Rider Japanese, 1983 Suzuki Katana Custom.
David Grunewald, Best Rider Japanese, 1983 Suzuki Katana Custom.
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Roger Kersch, Best Rider European, 1967 Moto Guzzi V7.
Roger Kersch, Best Rider European, 1967 Moto Guzzi V7.
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Brad Powell (right), Best Restored Japanese, 1971 Bridgestone GT350.
Brad Powell (right), Best Restored Japanese, 1971 Bridgestone GT350.
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/Images/MCC/Editorial/Articles/Magazine Articles/2017/01-01/Barber Vintage Festival 2016/Barber-17 jpg
/Images/MCC/Editorial/Articles/Magazine Articles/2017/01-01/Barber Vintage Festival 2016/Barber-17 jpg
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Mike Thomson, Best Rider British, 1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane.
Mike Thomson, Best Rider British, 1973 Triumph X75 Hurricane.
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The addition to the Barber museum.
The addition to the Barber museum.

It’s possible, just possible, that the Barber Vintage Festival is finally peaking. Not in terms of excellence — it’s hard to imagine putting a cap on the scope and quality of people and machines that define the event — but in terms of sheer size. Until this year, the event has grown almost exponentially every year, from an estimated 6,000 attendees in 2005 to more than 69,000 in 2015. For 2016, that rocketing rise finally ebbed: Just over 73,000 enthusiasts attended the three-day festival, held Oct. 7-9, making this the first year it hasn’t seen double-digit growth.

That’s hardly bad news. As the event matures it keeps getting better. Ease of access to and from the park was the best yet, and if attendance growth really is slowing it means that instead of focusing on crowd control, the Barber folks can continue focusing on keeping it the biggest and best vintage event in the country.

The Texas Tornado

Motorcycle racing is central to the festival, with AHRMA racers plying the park’s 2.38-mile track in the AHRMA/CPL Systems Historic Cup Roadrace on Saturday and Sunday. Every year the Barber crew celebrates racers and engineers past and present, and this year it was two-time world champion Colin Edwards’ turn to shine under the spotlight. Edwards raced for Yamaha and then Honda, his stratospheric rise and aggressive riding style earning him the nickname The Texas Tornado. He won both his World Superbike championships with Honda, in 2000 and 2002.

  • Published on Dec 20, 2016
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