Eric Lind took top honors for his 1978 Moto Guzzi Le Mans
Vintage Moto Guzzis and other celebrated Italian marques took center stage at the Motorcycle Classics Vintage Bike Show held during the 8th Annual Bonneville Vintage GP at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, over the Labor Day Weekend. The Saturday event drew hundreds of vintage bikes to Miller, with vintage racers battling for first place in rounds 15 and 16 of the AHRMA/CPL Systems National Historic Cup Roadrace Series.
It was another predictably excellent weekend in what’s become a favorite venue for racers and attendees alike. Racers love Miller’s modern, accommodating facilities and excellent 2.2-mile East Course, which features fairly mild elevation changes but challenging turns and transitions, with the “Attitudes” – a particularly fun trio of turns on the backside of the track — a perennial favorite. For attendees the payoff is a fantastic facility with excellent views across the track, particularly as riders work their way through the last two turns, Windup and Release, which, as their names suggest, windup riders for a spectacular blast down the front straight.
Sixty-three vintage machines were on display during the Motorcycle Classics Vintage Bike Show, which we’ve held every year since the very first Bonneville Vintage GP back in 2006. It’s a fun, relaxed show, and it wouldn’t happen without the help of the Utah British Bike Club, which plays a pivotal role in organizing the entire event, getting the word out locally, encouraging attendance, and staffing the event (including our show) with volunteers to help make sure it all goes smoothly. The UBBC’s support and enthusiasm has been instrumental in establishing the Bonneville Vintage GP as a centerpiece in the annual calendar of vintage events.
Eric Lind of Redding, Calif., took home our top award for Best Moto Guzzi for his beautifully prepped and modified 1978 Moto Guzzi Le Mans. Judges this year were Tom Sill of C.O.B. Motors in Farmington, Utah, Steve Seftel of Rootsman Restorations in Salt Lake City and Jeff Smith of Ironhorse Motorcycle Works, also in Salt Lake City.
Make plans now to attend the 9th Annual Bonneville Vintage GP over the 2014 Labor Day Weekend, Aug. 29-31, 2014. See you then! — Richard Backus