07/08/2008 by info.

GREG Weld, the driving force behind Weld Racing, has passed away at the age of 64.

Weld began his career in sprint car races, winning over 100, including the 1963 Knoxville Nationals, the premiere event in sprint car racing, as well as the USAC National Sprint Car Championship at the age of 23.

After retiring from racing he founded Weld Wheel Industries in 1970, starting the business with $2,300 he’d saved from racing with the simple idea of making sprint car wheels that performed better. He went on to manufacture forged alloy wheels for various vehicles, including racecars, and was an active sponsor of the United States Auto Club series, NHRA and IHRA. In January 2007, Greg started a new company, Greg Weld Competition Wheels.

Weld was honored during his life and was inducted into numerous Halls of Fame including the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1998. “Greg Weld was a visionary in the Motorsports industry. He raced his way into the record books and into the hearts of many, but more than anything else, Greg Weld was a great friend and will be missed by everyone,” said Bob Baker, President of the Sprint Car Hall of Fame.

Weld leaves behind his wife Deb, former wife Marilyn Brockman-Weld, daughter Christian Weld-Brown and sons Taylor and Brock, as well as sisters Delores Wesley and Marilyn Burasco, and brother Ricky. Greg Weld is survived by his grandchildren Marin Brown, Sophia Brown, Spencer Brown, Harley Weld, Quinton Weld, Aiden Weld, Lola Weld and numerous nieces and nephews.

www.weldracing.com

Posted in Wheels | Print | No Comments »

07/08/2008 by info.

 Freestyle Class Results, Top 20

Production Manufacturer Class

When it was all over, there were a total of nine builders from the United States finishing in the top 20, and builders from nine different countries representing the top 20 finishers.

Posted in Events | Print | No Comments »

07/08/2008 by info.

After three and a half days of competition the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building has drawn to a close. What began over a year ago with a series of 12 Affiliate shows, covering four continents and an estimated over 2,000 competitors, has culminated at the pinnacle of motorcycling’s Holy Grail, Sturgis, South Dakota. This year’s OWC has been held at Champions Hall in the heart of Sturgis, South Dakota. Since the opening of the hall on Sunday morning, thousands upon thousands of spectators have poured over the 68 motorcycles, which represent 13 different countries.

People from all walks of life, from local residents to industry insiders, to the builders themselves, have spent many hours studying various aspects of the bikes, which represent the highest level of motorcycle craftsmanship and fabrication in the world.

The competition was divided into four different classes, Metric, Modified Harley-Davidson, Production, and the creme de la creme, the Freestyle Class.

The awards ceremony began promptly at 3:00 pm CST with master of ceremony Chris McGee keeping the packed hall of anxious competitors and spectators entertained. With each winner being announced the anticipation level grew and grew.

Before getting to the class winners McGee announced the winners of the Partners Picks of Excellence. These were motorcycles selected by partners of the OWC, which they felt represented the best use of their parts.

With no time to waste McGee jumped into the announcement of the overall winner of the Metric Class, Jim Giuffra of AFT Customs, located in Martell, California, with his entry Er Hed.

2008 Metric World Champion
AFT Customs, Jim Giuffra, Martell CA, USA
Bike: Er Hed

Next up was Lock Baker’s entry from Eastern Fabrications in Branford, Connecticut, “White Line Nightmare”, taking top honors in the Modified Harley-Davidson Class.

Best Modified Harley-Davidson Prize
Eastern Fabrications, Lock Baker, Branford CT, USA
Bike: White Line Nightmare

It was now time for what everyone was waiting for, the announcement of the finishers in the Freestyle Class. For an unprecedented third time, Canadian Roger Goldammer got the top honors being named the World Champion and overall winner of the Freestyle Class. This is the third time in five years Roger has come out on top of the competition. Roger’s entry for 2008 is the same bike that he competed with on the Bonneville Salt Flats in September of 2007, a liquid-cooled, single-cylinder, fuel-injected blown sport bike, with nitrous that achieved a top speed of just over 164 mph, as he took home a world record with an average speed of 160+ mph. AMD magazine and the World Championship program had started to detect the early signs in a quantum shift in custom design and engineering thinking several month ago. Goldammer’s win confirms that performance may well be poised to emerge as the market’s “New Retro” on a moving forward basis. Just as Roger’s first World Champion bike of five years ago set the standard for the trends to come, we expect his creation “Goldmember” to do the same in the years to come.

Posted in Events | Print | No Comments »