A familiar face will be in the place for the 30th Annual AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, but it will actually be a first for racing great Kevin Schwantz. “Having not attended the VMD event before,” Schwantz said, “I’m very much looking forward to July. I love vintage motorcycles and the whole classic-bike scene, and I’ve heard such good things about VMD over the years, so it’ll be fun — especially since we’re going to showcase my 1985 Yoshimura/Suzuki Superbike. I can’t wait!”
While Schwantz may be new to the event, some 400,000 annual attendees definitely know the ropes of the longest running vintage motorcycle event in the country. “Kevin Schwantz looms large in motorcycle and motorcycle-racing history,” said AMA Editorial and Communications Director Mitch Boehm, “and having him as Grand Marshal at Mid-Ohio this summer — along with the AMA Superbike that launched his career — will be a treat for everyone involved. VMD has always been a peak summer experience for enthusiasts from all over the country, and we’re planning to make it extra special for Kevin, too.”
Schwantz, who was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, began riding at a young age and soon became a club-racing phenom — which launched him into a factory ride with the Yoshimura-Suzuki team in 1985 at just 21 years of age. He won three AMA Superbike nationals that year and would win many more in the coming three years before heading to Europe in 1989 to contest the 500cc Grand Prix wars. Schwantz won the 500cc championship in 1993, and retired just two years later, his legacy of 25 GP wins, 21 lap records and 29 pole positions.
A special highlight of Schwantz’s Grand Marshal appearance — where he’ll sign autographs, speak to enthusiasts from the AMA Soundstage, participate in a Lap For History each day at noon (and lead event attendees around the legendary Mid-Ohio circuit) — will be an exclusive showing of his 1985 Yoshimura-Suzuki AMA Superbike, which launched his career.
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