The following is a press release from the American Motorcyclist Association:

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame has announced 16 nominees for the Hall of Fame Class of 2026, and voting has officially opened to select the members of the class.

“Each of these 16 nominees has left an indelible mark on motorcycling — through competition, advocacy, engineering, or the simple, profound act of living this lifestyle with purpose,” AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman said. “The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame is built on legacies like theirs, and we are proud to advance them as candidates for the Class of 2026. Now we invite eligible voters to weigh in and help us honor those who have given so much to the sport we love."

The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame selection committee has identified 16 nominees from various areas of influence within the motorcycling community, including Ambassadors, Industry, Design & Engineering, Leadership & Rights, Dirt Track, Motocross & Supercross, Off-Road, Road Racing and Specialty Competition.

Voting for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be decided by past Hall of Fame inductees, AMA and American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation (AMHF) Board of Directors, members of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Category Selection Committees and AMA Life Members. Voting closes on June 10, at 11:59 p.m.

Those eligible to vote may do so at  MotorcycleMuseum.org/hall-of-famers/current-class-voting/ .

The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be announced shortly after voting is closed, and the class will be celebrated at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Sept. 10, in Pickerington, Ohio.

Tickets for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are available for purchase at  MotorcycleMuseum.org/events-experiences/induction-ceremony/ .

Competition

Russell Bobbitt — Off-Road

Georgia native Russell Bobbitt is an icon of modern AMA off-road racing, renowned for his technical precision in the woods. Representing the factory KTM team, Bobbitt became a dominant force in the AMA National Enduro Series, securing five championships (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2016). His 2016 title was particularly impressive, marking a triumphant comeback following significant injuries. 

A master of the traditional enduro timekeeping format, Bobbitt was named AMA Athlete of the Year in 2011 and represented the U.S. with distinction at the International Six Days Enduro. Even after retiring from full-time racing, he proved his enduring talent by winning the 2019 National Enduro season opener. Today, he shares his passion through Gnarly Routes, leading adventure tours across the American West. 

Damon Bradshaw — Motocross & Supercross

Few riders left a mark on American motocross like Damon Bradshaw. Known for his aggressive style and raw speed, the Mooresville, N.C., native — dubbed “The Beast from the East" — signed with Factory Yamaha at just 15. He quickly became the youngest rider to win an AMA Supercross race in 1989.

Competing against legends throughout the 1990s, Bradshaw tallied 19 premier-class Supercross wins and six National Motocross victories. His 1992 season remains legendary yet heartbreaking, as he dominated nine rounds but lost the title by only three points. After a shocking early retirement at 21 and a brief 1996 comeback, he transitioned to Monster Jam, winning the 2009 World Finals Freestyle Championship. Today, he remains an influential mentor and industry ambassador.

Udo Gietl — Road Racing

There’s a long history of race-team managers, builders and tuners in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, names such as Dave Arnold, Rob Muzzy, Bill Werner and many others, all of whom contributed mightily to race-bike design, race wins and championships over the years.

And if you examine the career and achievements of German-born Udo Gietl, who put BMW on the performance map with his technical and managerial efforts with the Bulter & Smith R90S racing machines that won the inaugural AMA Superbike race at Daytona, as well as that first AMA Superbike championship in 1976 with Reg Pridmore in the saddle, and then went on to help make Team Honda the AMA Superbike and Formula One powerhouse it became in the late ’70s and early 1980s, you’d be hard-pressed to ignore the man.

Gietl did all that and more during an amazing career on the AMA National and international racing scenes, working with AMA Hall of Fame riders such as Pridmore, Steve McLaughlin, Freddie Spencer and others, all while notching nine AMA National titles and more than 50 national and international championship event wins.

Jake Johnson — Dirt Track

Jake Johnson stands out as one of the most accomplished riders of the modern AMA Pro Flat Track era and is known for his technical precision and versatility. Born in Camden, N.J., he started out on a Honda Z50, rose through the grassroots dirt track ranks, and turned professional in the early 2000s. He earned AMA Flat Track Rookie of the Year honors in 2002, then captured AMA Grand National Singles Championships in 2006 and 2008. Johnson reached his peak with back-to-back Grand National Championships in 2010 and 2011, including an “Overall” title in 2010. Over his career, he tallied 20 Grand National wins, excelling — and winning — across all track types: TT, Short Track, Half-Mile and Mile. Renowned for adaptability, he won titles on multiple brands and remained competitive well beyond his championship years, later transitioning into a respected mentor and development rider.

Mike Penland — Specialty Competition

Nicknamed “The Quadfather,” Mike Penland and his famous handlebar mustache are very recognizable worldwide. Through his racing experience, Penland brought an element of professionalism the sport of ATV racing had never seen before, all while capturing 12 GNCC National titles and more than 400 National Championship event wins.

Penland also racked up 10 total wins at the famed Baja 1000 and Baja 500 events aboard Kawasaki and Can-Am machinery. Toward the end of his 4x4 racing career, Penland, like many other racers, took up racing the side-by-side class at the GNCCs. Once again, Mike quickly adapted and earned his last GNCC National title. Penland was always willing to share his racing knowledge and mechanical skills with other racers, as well.

Brent Thompson — Dirt Track

Brent Thompson was one of the most prolific tuners and unsung heroes of the 1970s and 1980s, capturing 16 AMA Grand National wins and two Grand National Championship titles. While he got his start with Triumph, where he worked with many AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famers — including Dick Mann, Gary Scott, David Aldana and Mike Kidd — Thompson found his groove in the ’80s when he joined Harley-Davidson’s factory dirt track team and formed a dynamic duo with AMA Hall of Famer Randy Goss, the pair winning the Grand National Championship title in 1980 and ’83. The pair won their last AMA National at the Ascot Half-Mile in 1986.

Belen Wagner — Specialty Competition

Daughter of AMA Hall of Famer Wiltz Wagner, Belen Wagner has become a staple of land speed competition at the Bonneville Salt Flats. A pioneer for women in a competition that did not see many women competing on a regular basis, Wagner has collected more than 69 records — 31 being FIM world records and 11 being AMA national records — across her nearly four decades in the sport. She was the inaugural recipient of the sheEmoto Award, given to the female racer who best exemplifies the spirit of land speed racing at Bonneville. Beyond her racing prowess, she has served as the FIM Environment Steward for trials for a quarter of a century.

Dave Zanotti — Dirt Track

With four AMA Grand National Championships and 31 AMA Grand National event wins as a tuner, Dave Zanotti has a résumé few have replicated. While with Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki and Indian Motorcycle, Zanotti power-slid himself right into the record books — capturing the third-most AMA Grand National Championships and fourth-most AMA Grand National wins. Along with his father, Mario, Zanotti helped propel AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Steve Eklund to an AMA Grand National Championship in 1979; Mario and Dave remain the only father-son duo to win individual AMA Grand National Championships. More recent successes include his Grand National Championship-winning efforts with Jake Johnson (2010 and 2011) and Briar Bauman (2019 and 2020).

Non-Competition

Selvaraj Narayana — Industry

As a man who has dedicated his entire professional career to the motorcycle industry, Selvaraj Narayana — affectionately known throughout the industry as Sel — is one of motorcycling’s most accomplished and recognizable figures. His passion for motorcycling in the earlier years led him to join Germany’s Maico motorcycle brand, and Sel quickly became a key figure, especially in its racing department. Later, Narayana came to the U.S., joined KTM in the early 1990s, and was instrumental in developing the Austrian company’s rise to prominence in AMA Supercross and motocross while growing the brand into a worldwide motorsports powerhouse. Sel later became the first Motocross/Supercross Team Manager for KTM U.S. racing and was one of the driving forces behind the KTM SX Junior Challenge now seen at every Supercross race since its inception in the late ’90s. Narayana was the Executive Director at KTM USA and the longest-tenured executive management team member prior to his retirement this year. For his many accomplishments, Narayana was awarded the AMA’s prestigious Dud Perkins Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.

Gary Sellers — Leadership & Rights

Since the 1970s, Gary Sellers has given his life to motorcycle education and advocacy in his home state of Ohio and throughout the country. Sellers was one of the founding members of ABATE of Ohio and served as legislative agent for the organization for a decade. He was awarded the honorary Life Membership Award by ABATE of Ohio in 1997. Alongside John “Farmer” Eggers, Sellers built a successful motorcycle safety training program in Ohio; it’s estimated the program has saved thousands of lives over the years. Sellers is also a member of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation and Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Freedom Fighters halls of fame.