Photo
of Jeff Emig with Hall of Fame medal with his brother Bryan
(left) and friend Rob Milliken (right)/Courtesy of RacerX.
While
the rest of the supercross world was enjoying the Chad Reed
vs. Ricky Carmichael showdown at the 2004 Maxxis U.S. Open
of Supercross in Las Vegas, former race winner Jeff Emig was
in Pickerington, Ohio, being inducted into the Motorcycle
Hall of Fame. At 33 years of age, the former three-time AMA
National Motocross Champion and 1997 250cc Supercross Champion
was the youngest member of the Class of 2004. As a result,
he admitted being a little overwhelmed by the idea of being
a member of such a prestigious club.
"I am just so honored with the fact that what I did racing
motorcycles was enough to be recognized by the Hall of Fame,"
said Emig, who announced his retirement at the 2000 U.S. Open
after a career-ending injury earlier that season. "To
be part of the history of motorcycling and to be recognized
for that, it blows me away," said the former Yamaha and
Kawasaki factory rider. "It's beyond me."
Joining Emig in the Class of '04 were a wide variety of motorcycling
personalities: Joe Bolger was a motocross her back in the
1950s and '60s when the sport was still being called "scrambles"
here in the U.S.; Willard "Red" Bryan and Roy Burke
were hillclimb and off-road champions from the 1940s and '50s;
Wes Cooley was a two-time AMA Superbike Champion; Linda Dugeau
was a founder of the Motor Maids of America; E. Paul duPont
was the president of the Indian Motorcycle Company in the
post-Depression years; Johnny Gibson won the Daytona 200 back
when it was still held on the beach; Steve McLaughlin was
an AMA and World Superbike racing pioneer; Steve Moorehead
ranks in the top-ten of all-time flat track race winners;
and Dal Smilie is a tireless advocate for the rights of motorcyclists
as well as a prolific vintage racer and memorabilia collector.
Emig joins a handful of former supercross champions in the
Motorcycle Hall of Fame, including his career-long rival Jeremy
McGrath, and past champions David Bailey, Jean-Michel Bayle,
Mark Barnett, Mike Bell, Bob Hannah, Donnie Hansen, Johnny
O'Mara, Jeff Stanton, and Jeff Ward.
For more on the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, including
a complete list of inductees, visit www.ama-cycle.org.
Jeff
Emig's new plaque on the Hall of Fame wall/Courtesy of RacerX
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