Mid-Ohio Motorcycle Build Attempt Sees Checkered Flag at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days
MID-OHIO MOTORCYCLE BUILD ATTEMPT SEES CHECKERED FLAG AT AMA VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE DAYS DUBLIN, Ohio (July 31, 2006) - The Mid-Ohio Motorcycle Build Attempt, or "Team MOMBA" as they became affectionately known, took on what many called the most challenging and difficult feat the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days has even seen this past weekend when they fabricated and constructed an AHRMA-legal vintage road race bike from parts sourced entirely from the AMA Swap Meet, passed tech inspection and raced the bike to a seventh-place finish in a sanctioned feature race on Sunday. The build, which began as a wild idea among an eclectic group of Milwaukee motorcycle racing enthusiasts, came to fruition over the course of 72 hours under a tent in the lower paddock at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course when Team MOMBA assembled the bike from spare parts under the watchful eyes of a large and enthusiastic throng of observers. "This was something we started kicking around back in January," said Team MOMBA chief Wes Orloff "We were pretty optimistic about pulling it off, but you just never know with these things. The swap meet at Mid-Ohio is always incredible, so we knew we'd have a lot of resources, but the emotional and financial support we received was unexpected and overwhelming. So was the result. All in all it was a great way to spend a weekend." Word spread quickly about the team's challenge, and the tent was continuously surrounded by enthusiastic and generous fans. Many made donations to the not-for-profit effort; with 20 percent of the money raised going to the team's chosen charity, the American Cancer Society. With a limited amount of time and money, Team MOMBA scoured the 1,000-vendor swap meet for parts and began putting its own tools, resources and expertise to work on the build. The eight-man, four-woman team included Harley-Davidson engineers, a photo assistant, a salesman and a few tattooed professional roller derby girls. They even secured the services of a rider in Mitch Boehm, an Ohio native and editor-in-chief of Motorcyclist Magazine. "When Wes first contacted me, I thought it was a great idea," said Boehm. "Of course, once I started thinking about what sort of contraption might result - the bike I'd have to ride - I began to have some second thoughts. I mean, I've been to a swap meet or two, and there's some really thrashed stuff for sale. But meeting the team and seeing the dedication they'd put in these last few months, I was pretty psyched about the effort." Boehm quickly fell in step with team members and immediately went into action, heading out on his scooter into the mass of the country's largest motorcycle swap meet. "We started with a Kawasaki KZ550 LTD, which is a middleweight cruiser and not what you'd think of when you think of a middleweight superbike," said Boehm. "But once the bodywork, fork, wheels, sissy bar and other bits and pieces were stripped off and replaced with real race bits - stuff like Suzuki Katana wheels, a hand-made pipe and a superbike handlebar - it started to look like a real racer. I knew if we could get it to run well, we might even do well, so I was pretty jacked." Team MOMBA did get the bike to run and Boehm found himself testing his skills as a rider when he participated in an impromptu practice session Saturday evening after the day's racing events had been completed. During his first practice session, Boehm found fault with the bike's handling and steering. The issue was found to be the position of the rear wheel. After making wheel position and rear suspension changes, Boehm completed another practice run during which the engine began breaking up at higher RPMs. The team headed back to the MOMBA compound, where work continued into the early morning hours to get the bike race ready. Fortunately the team's dream came true when Boehm took to the Mid-Ohio circuit Sunday afternoon for the eighth race of the day. He managed to handle the MOMBA bike smoothly through corners, gaining speed and passing other riders, though the bike struggled on the track's long straight-aways. Boehm finished the six-lap race in seventh place, ahead of seven other riders. "This was a special effort from start to finish," said Orloff. "From Team MOMBA, to Mitch, to the swap meet vendors, to the fans, to the AMA, to Mid-Ohio - everyone put in a phenomenal effort this weekend, and we couldn't have pulled it off without them. Hopefully this was the start of something big." With the overwhelming success of the build, the AMA and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course hope to make the Mid-Ohio Motorcycle Build Attempt a yearly affair at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days. AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days was the third event on Mid-Ohio's eight-race 2006 schedule. Still to come is the Honda Super Cycle Weekend presented by Dunlop Tire (August 4-6), Vintage Grand-Prix of Mid-Ohio (August 18-20), National Auto Sport Association Championships (September 15-17), AMA Road Race Grand Championships & AMA Motocross Manufacturers Cup (September 22-24) and the AMA Superbike Shootout (September 30-October 1). Tickets for all events are available by calling 1-800-MID-OHIO or visiting www.midohio.com <http://www.midohio.com/> . Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a permanent road racing circuit with two primary configurations: a 2.4-mile, 15-turn, and a 2.25-mile, 13-turn circuit in Lexington, Ohio. Located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield, the track has been called the most competitive in the U.S. and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned racing events for amateur, club and professional riders and drivers. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, TrueSports, Incorporated is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise. The company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School, and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver instruction, corporate, and family entertainment events throughout the year.