Six to Join Motorcycle Hall of Fame

The 2008 Hall of Fame class includes Vaughn Beals, Rod Coates, Scot Harden, Larry Supermouth Huffman, Terry Poovey and Rolf Tibblin. They will be officially inducted at a ceremony on Oct. 11 at the Hilton Polaris in Columbus, Ohio.

The Motorcycle Hall of Fame recognizes those who have made an impact on motorcycling. Inductees receive a gold Motorcycle Hall of Fame medal recognizing achievements and will be featured in the museums gallery.

The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2008:

Vaughan Beals Beals was a major player in Harley-Davidsons revival in 1981. Beals led the buyout of the company from American Machinery and Foundry (AMF) and served as chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson from 1981-1989, and chairman from 1981 to 1996. Beals leadership restored luster to the company and helped make Harley-Davidson an American icon. Beals currently serves as chairman emeritus.

Rod Coates Coates made a mark on motorcycling in both its racing and business aspects. After the Second World War, Coates sold motorcycles from Ariel, BMW, Triumph and Vincent before any of these companies established official distributors in the US. Working for Triumphs Eastern US distributor from 1951-1970, Coates improved the quality of the companys factory and developed a school for training dealer technicians. As a racer, Coates rode a Triumph Grand Prix 500cc Twin to victory at the 1950 Daytona 100-mile race. He later served on various AMA racing committees.

Scot Harden An off-road racing legend, Harden won championships across the US, Europe and South America. Harden can claim two victories at the Baja 1000 and three medals at the International Six Days Enduro among his many achievements over his nearly 35-year racing career. Harden has worked in sales and race management positions for Husqvarna, Cagiva and KTM. He now runs his own company, Harden Off-Road, and serves as manager for KTMs USA Dakar team.

Larry Supermouth Huffman With the ability to speak over 300 words per minute, Huffmans nickname is well-earned. He has been the voice of Supercross for 16 years, and has provided color commentary for several major networks. Even those who arent fans of motor sports can recognize his often imitated voice.

Terry Poovey First racing in Daytona as a high school sophomore, Poovey is the winningest racer in combined Daytona Short Tracks. In the 2002 Daytona short track race, Poovey finished in second place despite breaking his tail bone and bruising a kidney and his liver after crashing at a qualifying session. One of three riders to have competed in 300 Grand National finals, Poovey can claim eleven National wins, and has finished in the top five 80 times and in the top ten over 200 times.

Rolf Tibblin The 500cc Motocross World Champion in 1962 and 1963, Tibblin was known for his strict training regimen, making him one of the fittest riders of his era. He shares his training methods with future motocross champions at his US school. A native of Sweden, Tibblin also won two 250cc European Motocross championships.