Honors for motorcycle racing and industry awards

January 30, 2026

3

First Person/Opinion:

By John Ulrich

There is a lot to be said for awards banquets held by racing organizations. The club I started racing in 1973, AFM, held its 2025 Invitational last Saturday in Benicia, California. The ASRA and NJMiniGP combined awards banquet was scheduled for the same day in Hammonton, New Jersey, but was rescheduled to Feb. 21 to avoid the massive snowstorm that battered much of the country last weekend and earlier this week.

Over the years I have attended awards banquets, large and small, hosted by AFM, AMA Pro Racing, WSMC, WERA, CMRA, MRA, Formula USA, ASRA, MotoAmerica and others. Most of them were great fun for me, the best part was meeting other runners and old friends.

The biggest annual invitations I’ve received are the Trailblazers Motorcycle Club, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1940 and now governed by a 15-member board. For 15 years (until 2025), the company was led by president and Daytona 200 winner Don Mde; The new 2026 president is Norm Bigelow. The Trailblazers Club has its own Hall of Fame covering all forms of motorcycle racing and awards various awards. The annual party is held in Carson, California, and approximately 700 people attend (last year’s event sold out at 720!) Tickets are $135. The times I’ve been involved have been fun watching and playing with all kinds of racing and motorcycle industry luminaries. I often sit at the same table with Ron Pearce, one of my best racing buddies, and my lovely wife, Carol. Another trailer event is coming up this spring.

As fun as they can be, few organizations seem to hold awards banquets, so if you get a chance, go to one, applaud the champions and award winners, and enjoy yourself!

If your organization has an awards banquet, send (or ask the organizers to send) photos of the event and at least some of the awardees. pressreleases@roadracingworld.com.