Hall of Fame Class of 2005: seated, Clarence Fleming (nephew of Bill Johnson), Georgia Cates (widow of Tom Cates), Jerry Branch; standing, Keith Nicholson (son of Nick Nicholson), T.C. Christenson, Scott Russell, Doug Henry, Gavin Trippe, Heidi Holland (daughter of Ralph Berndt).
 

Nine who changed motorcycling join the Motorcycle Hall of Fame

By Lance Oliver

October 8, 2005 – Nine individuals who left their mark on motorcycling officially joined the Hall of Fame in a dinner ceremony capping a weekend of events at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.

Some, like Bill Johnson, changed the business and others, like Doug Henry, thrilled us with race wins and dramatic comebacks. Some, like Jerry Branch, toiled quietly in a workshop yet earned admiration of thousands. Some so clearly and flamboyantly loved their slice of motorcycling that they became famous, like Scott "Mr. Daytona" Russell or T.C. Christenson, the man who unleashed "Hogslayer."

But when it came time to collect their medals as members of the Hall of Fame, they were humble.

"As a young boy back in Memphis, I never dreamed anything like this would happen," said Jerry Branch, who worked 61 years in the industry and said "every day was like Christmas.

"I hope everyone can enjoy the motorcycle business as much as I did."

Doug Henry, known for coming back from what could have been a career-ending injury to win again, thanked his family and deflected credit from himself. He credited his sister for his competitiveness, his mother for creativity, his father for determination, and his wife, who spent the first year of his career traveling the country with him in a box van, for her steady support.

"They say behind every successful man is a good woman. But I like to say she was never behind me. She was right alongside me the whole way," Henry said.

Scott Russell, a multi-time AMA roadracing champion and the 1993 World Superbike Champion, used his moment on the stage to thank his family and friends and the tuner who introduced him to the audience, Danny Hull.

"Without those guys," Russell said of Hull, "riders aren't riders."

"It was a great ride," Russell said of his career, "and I hate that it's over. But all good things come to an end."

While not as recognizable as stars like Henry and Russell, inductees such as Gavin Trippe left big marks on motorcycling. But Trippe still managed to treat his career lightly.

"I probably didn't make as much money as I could but at least I'm not in jail and I'm not dead," said Trippe, who invented the made-for-TV Superbikers concept that preceded today's sport of Supermoto by decades.

"Promoters get a bad rap, and it's probably often deserved. But without promoters, nobody would have a stage to perform on," he said.

And while the fame and, in some cases, money, that come from success in motorcycling are welcome, most of those who come to join the Hall of Fame are motivated by more basic desires. In introducing Henry, his former team manager, Jim Canner, noted one of the things he admired about the young motocrosser when he first met him at the AMA Amateur Motocross Nationals at the Loretta Lynn Ranch.

"Most racers want material things," Canner said. "Doug wanted to be the best."

T.C. Christenson's drag-racing exploits on dual-engine Nortons took him across the country and across Europe — not bad, he noted, for some ordinary guys working out of a shop in Kenosha, Wisconsin. But the motivation was simple.

"I simply got into it for the thrill of it all," he said.

From a Hall of Famer to a first -time rider, that's a sentiment any motorcyclist can understand.

© 2005, Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum