Twenty-eight le𝄹gendary figures in the history of American motorcyclin♔g were inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame this week, among them bike tuner Erv Kanemoto and Superbike legend Fred Merkel.

The Motorcycle Hall of Fame recognises individuals who have made significant contributions to motorcycling, including those known for their contributions to road riding, off-road ridiဣng and all categories of racing, as well as those who have excelled in business, history, design and engineering.

Th🎃e new inductees join 241 others a🍸lready enshrined in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, located on the lower level of the Hall of Fame Museum in Pickerington, Ohio. The Hall features a plaque recognising each inductee, along with related motorcycles, photos and memorabilia.

This year's class includes racers, tuners, engineers and media figures, and among the most famous worldwide are Erv Kanemoto Jr, the tuner who helped Freddie Spencer and others win world road-racing championships, and Fred Merkel, three-time AMA and two-time World Superbike champion. Others, perhaps more familiar to the American public, include Mike Baldwin, five-time AMA road-racing champion; Mark Barnett, winner of four motocross and supercross championships; Allen Carter, the engineer responsible for many motorcycles produced by Indian; Charles Clayton, who, with his wife, Sharon, developed Cycle News into America's weekly newsmagazine of motorcycling; Larry Maiers, race announcer and TV personality; and Joe Parkhurst, founder of Cycle World magazine.

"We see the Motorcycle Hall of Fame as an important part of the Museum's mission," said Don Emde, chairman of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation,😼 which runs the facility, "Preserving the heritage of American motorcycling means more than displaying a collection of classic machines. It means keeping alive the memory of those who built that heritage."

Em🌸de, winner of the 1972 Daytona 200, is a Hall-of-Famer himself, as is his fatherಞ, Floyd, who won the same event in 1948.

🐭The complete Motorcycle ꧑Hall of Fame class of 2001 is as follows:

Walt Axthelm - First American to ride the ISDT (1960). Many♏-time winner of off-road events on Catalina Island;

Mike Baldwin - 1978, '82-'85 AMA Formula One Champion. 16 AMA National wins a🍃nd a top contender in 1980s AMA Superbike racing;

Mark Barnett - factory Suzuki rider and off-road star 💝of the 1980s. 1980-'82 AMA 125cc and 1981 AMA Supercross champion. Member of 1983 winning Motocross des Nations team.

Mike Bell - son of famous race tuner Bill Bell and top off-road star in his own right. Won the 1980 Supercros🦋s title.

Ron Bishop - Bajaꦇ legend having ridden all 33 Baja 1000s, 27 Baja 500s, 17 Tecate 500 Enduros, and two ISDTs. Dealer in Escondido still prepping ꦆrace bikes.

Bill Brokaw - trials competitor for 50 years. Three-time Southern California champion; enduro, hare a🏅nd hound, ice-racing competitor.🐼 Dealer for 35 years.

Don Brown - former Cycle magazine edito♛r, later executive for Johnson Motors Triumph, BSA, Suzuki. Now a resp༒ected industry consultant.

Allen Carter - engineer at tꦑhe Indian Motocycle Company in the 1930s. Played a key ro✅le in the design of many new models.

Charles Clayton - with wife, Sharon, he turned a West Coast publication into the weekly Cycle News that serves to sport to this day.

Babe DeMay - successful dirt-track racer, won 1966 National at Lincoln, Illinois. Later tuned for Mark Brelsford and many other top r꧟iders.

Dave Ekins - won numerous off-road event𒁃s, including Baja, Catalina and Greenhorn Enduro. 1964 and '66 ISDT Gold Medal𝓀 winner. Later, a motorcycle journalist.

George Everett 🅺- 1957 & '58 Peoria TT National winner, ranked in top six in points 1956-'57.

Erv Kanemoto Jr - tuner for many top US 🌞road-racers. With Freddie Spencer aboard, his machines won the 1985 250cc and 500cc World Road Racing Championships.

Carey Loftin - ex-speed♚way racer who foun𝓡d great success in movie stunt work in the 1930s and '40s. Member of travelling stunt show.

Larry Maiers - worked at Penton Imports and announced races in the 1970s and '80s. Later moved on to television with MotoWorld and Speedvision.

Fred Merkel - 1984-'86 AMA Superbike Champion; 1988-'89 World𒊎 Superbike Champion; 20 career AM🐽A Superbike National wins. 1982 250cc GP class runner-up.

John McLaughlin - winner of Catalina Grand Prix 250cc & 350cc classes the same year. Greenhorn Endur🐷o winner. AFM #1 500cc three years.

Joe Parkhurst - founder/publisher of Cycle World magazine. He changed the way motorcycle magazines𓂃 covered the sport. Co-founded Saddleback Park 🌠in Southern California.

Mike Parti - successful sidecar racer in scrambles and Bo🎐nneville speed trials. Today, he is one of the mos📖t respected restorers of antique motorcycles.

Leo Payne - famous d🐟rag racer who amassed many records and won numerous championships. First non-streamliner to go over 200 mph at Bonneville.

Ronnie Rall - top 1960s and '70s Midwest dirt-track racer. Ranked third in AMA Grand National points i𝓡n 1964; won five AMA Nationals.

Jim Rice - versati༒le 1960s and '70s dirt-track star. He won six AMA Nat🅘ionals during the 1970 season alone, and over his career.

Dave Schultz - six-time NHRA Nation😼al Pro Stock Champion; 45 NHRA National event wins in 23-year racing career.

Shell Thuet - legendary race tuner. In the 1960s, his rider, Elliott Schultz, dominated Ascot. Later spoꦑnsor𒐪ed Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson.

Marty Tripes - won the inaugural Superbowl of Motocross race at age 1🐓6. Went on to win 11 AMA Nationals in his career.

Ralph White - 1963 Daytona 200 winner; finished 1963 ranked third in AMA Grand Nat⭕ional points. 1965 winner of Loudon, Indianapolis and Springfield Nationals.

Jack Wilson - dealer, tuner, sponsor in AMA Class C races; especially well-known for his role in numerous Bonneville spee🏅d records.

Steve Wise - superbikers champion, top-10 ranking in AMA 250cc Supercross 1975, 1978 and 1980. Top-10 ranking in 125cc, 1976-'78. Later won an AM🌳A💞 Superbike National.