Motorcycle Hall of Famers Shell Thuet, Chet Dykgraaf pass

The Motorcycle Hall of Fame takes note of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame careers of Shell Thuet and Chester “Chet” Dykgraaf. Both were legends of the American dirt-track community.

Thuet passed away on July 8. He was 98.

Dykgraaf passed away on July 12. He was 96.

Thuet’s tuning career dated to the 1930s and it grew into one of the most successful in AMA Grand National Championship racing. He wrenched on racebikes for riders such as Hall of Famers Kenny Roberts, Wayne Rainey, Eddie Lawson, Hank Scott and Ted Boody. One of his most notable accomplishments was building and tuning the Yamaha 650cc vertical twins that Roberts used to win two AMA Grand National Championships.

Thuet was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.

Dykgraaf was the 1946 AMA National Champion. He was one of the leading racers in the United States following World War II and collected numerous regional wins across the Midwest. His career pre-dated the AMA Grand National Championship era by eight years. He earned his national title on the Springfield (Ill.) Mile, racing a Norton.

Dykgraaf was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.