The Friend of the AMA award is presented to one or more in the motorcycling community, including clubs, companies, sponsors and/or partners that have strongly supported the AMA mission and programs.

1. Scot Harden

Scot Harden is an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer whose multi-decade career includes off-road racing championships, numerous motorcycle industry executive positions and service as an industry consultant. In the January 2018 issue of American Motorcyclist, Harden launched the Plus 1 campaign to bring more people into motorcycling, positively impact on the sport and drive the next generation of enthusiasts forward. Harden also was featured prominently in the 2018 fundraising appeal for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

 

2. Liza Miller

Liza Miller founded the Re-Cycle Garage in Santa Cruz, Calif., in 2009, one of the nation’s first “do it yourself” community motorcycle repair and restoration cooperatives. She is also the founder and a co-host of the weekly podcast, “Motorcycles & Misfits,” about all things motorcycling. Miller and her crew have been enthusiastic AMA supporters, have attended and promoted AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days and provide the AMA with a monthly 60-second PSA slot on “Motorcycles & Misfits.”

 

3. TOM AND KAREN UMPHRESS

Tom and Karen Umphress have been active riders and advocates for the riding community in Minnesota since the late 1990s, working with other on-road motorcycle organizations, such as ABATE of Minnesota and the Christian Motorcycle Association. Karen also worked for the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council from 2008 to 2017. The couple became AMA State Chapter Coordinators for Minnesota in 2018, volunteering to support AMA recreational riding activity and promote the fun of motorcycling.

 

4. MotoVentures

MotoVentures was launched by Gary LaPlante in 1998 in Southern California with the goal of sharing his passion for riding and providing expert knowledge about how to ride. MotoVentures’ programs reach individuals of all ages, ranging from beginners to experts, and deliver training for trials, motocross, dual sport and adventure riders.

For more information about the AMA Board of Directors Awards Program, to see past recipients and learn how to submit individual’s names for future consideration, please visit www.americanmotorcyclist.com/For-Members/AMA-Awards/Board-Of-Directors-Awards/board-of-directors-awards.

 

Awarding Excellence In Motorcycling

Malcolm Smith Honored With AMA Dud Perkins Award

The AMA Board of Directors awards recognizes AMA members who best serve the AMA mission through outstanding contributions in the world of motorcycling. And the awards acknowledge the individuals and organizations that support the AMA mission to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling.

Here are the 2019 recipients.

AMA Outstanding Off-Road Rider Award

Since retiring as a metal fabricator seven years ago, Lyon Payne has averaged more than 650 hours a year working on trails in Oregon’s 364,000-acre Tillamook State Forest, where he has been riding dirt bikes since 1970.

With a chainsaw and grub hoe mounted to the trusty 1991 Kawasaki KDX that he calls “Kermit,” Payne has almost single-handedly developed 26 miles of trail in the forest. Thanks to Payne, other volunteers and the staff of the state Department of Forestry, the 250 miles of available trails in the forest system are fast becoming one of the preeminent off-highway riding areas in the country.

2019 AMA Dud Perkins Lifetime Achievement Award

Malcolm Smith’s name is synonymous with everything positive about motorcycling: fun, sportsmanship and excitement.

He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998 and declared a Hall of Fame Legend in 2012. Throughout Smith’s storied racing career and subsequent business and philanthropic ventures, he has been an advocate for the AMA mission and its programs.

As a racer, Smith gained fame for his accomplishments in the Baja 1000 and for his gold-medal winning rides in the International Six Days Trial competitions. His notoriety reached well beyond the motorcycling community as the star of the influential 1970s motorcycle film, “On Any Sunday.” The movie helped launch an explosion in the popularity of off-road motorcycling in America.

Smith went on to become a successful businessman with his Malcolm Smith Motorsports motorcycle dealership in Riverside, Calif. He also organized numerous fundraising rides in Baja, Mexico, that have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for an orphanage in Valle de la Trinidad, Baja California.

Smith has long been a supporter of the AMA and the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation, which raises money for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. He has donated motorcycles—including his Husqvarna 400 Cross—riding gear and helmets to the Hall of Fame museum, and he helped promote the 2007 exhibit “Malcolm!” He also has contributed thousands of dollars to support the AMHF.

AMA Outstanding Road Rider Award

“Texas” Larry Walker is a 40-plus year rider, with more than 20 years as a leader in motorcycle rights advocacy.

As the government relations specialist for the Washington Road Riders Association, he has been involved in efforts to preserve the rider education account as a dedicated fund, strengthen laws to punish drivers who injure or kill motorcyclists, make roadway infrastructure more “friendly” to motorcyclists, pass legislation giving motorcyclists the option to proceed through a red light when their bikes fail to trigger the traffic signal and advocate for lane splitting legislation.

AMA Bessie Stringfield Award

Genevieve Schmitt has been a fixture in women’s motorcycling for many years. A longtime rider, she has been a print and television journalist since 1988, including the Speed Channel and the Outdoor Life Network.

In 2001, she started “Woman Rider” magazine to focus on the emerging women’s market. In 2006, she launched WomenRidersNow.com, providing articles, reviews and videos from a female point of view.

Schmitt also served in an advisory capacity for the 2009 and 2012 AMA International Women & Motorcycling Conferences. As a subject-matter expert, she has been quoted in numerous articles, radio shows and television documentaries such as the New York Times, BusinessWeek, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, NPR, BBC and Fox News.

AMA Hazel Kolb Brighter Image Award

 

The North American Trials Council introduces youngsters to riding, which is arguably the most important activity to sustain the motorcycling lifestyle.

The NATC organizes many club and national events for youth. And the advent of small electric trials motorcycles has allowed younger and younger children to learn the joys of riding.

As a result, the NATC has steadily grown into a major force, creating a powerful and positive image for motorcycling.