PIERCETON - Having been around them 35 years, Bob Wagner is no stranger to motorcycles. And as a 59-year-old rookie in the Harley Davidson Pro Stock Divison, he won the 2000 American Motorcycle Racing Association (AMRA) national points championship.

"It was our first full year, so I guess it was our rookie season," said Wagner, co-owner of Maverick Motorcycle in Pierceton. "We took a year and did some testing, but this was the first year we ran sanctioned races."

Apparently the year of testing payed off for Wagner and his 1999 Harley Davidson, nicknamed the Maverick Express.

Competing in four AMRA events this year, Wagner rode the 340-pound Maverick Express, powered by a 120 cubic inch engine, to runner-up status in each of the events.

Points on the AMRA circuit are awarded for qualifying position and number of races run etc ... Therefore, Wagner didn't have to win each week to bring home the championship, just be consistent.

Bob Wagner and his team, consisting of crew chief Dennis Bowers, a 46-year-old mechanic at Maverick Motorcycle, and assistant chrew chief Jay Wagner, Bob's 30-year-old son, competed at dragstrips in Morrocco (IN), Joliet (IL) and at Nothern Michigan Speedway.

Asked why he was interested in motorcycle drag racing, Bowers, who owns a Harley of his own, said: "We kind of like horsepower, and we have the need for speed. There's a place for speed, and that place is the dragstrip, not the street."

Said Jay Wagner: "It's the horsepower (that I like). It's all about speed. We like to go fast."

Bob Wagner said a good run down the quarter-mile strip would be nine seconds and somewhere in the 140-mile per hour range.

Bob Wagner's machine, a five-speed automatic that was built specifically for racing, runs on 115-octane racing gas and is naturally aspirated. No blowers or turbo chargers are allowed in the pro stock division.

Bob Wagner got involved in motorcycle racing in the 1960s, when he said he raced at professional flat tracks. In the 1970s, he ran the motocross division.

And from there, it became somewhat of a family tradition.

"My two boys started when they were five years old," Bob Wagner said. "They traveled the motocross circuit in the 70s and 80s and into the early 90s. We went all over the country, and we still do. I have two grandsons doing it now, it's in the blood. We love competition."

The Maverick Express is sponsored by Maverick Motorcycle, Classic Trailer Mfg., and Flora Racing Heads. Wagner says Jeff Flora, who has been involved in the sport nearly 15 years, has been a big help to him.

Wagner also says the competing part is fun, but it's not about the money.

"The payoffs, the purses are very small," he said. "It's expensive because of the parts. The engine can only make so many passes. You have to rebuild the engine after so many passes. We were able to go the whole season on one engine, but you have to have new tires for every event."

According to Wagner, prize money for a first-place finish may only be $600-$1,000.

Wagner says his team plans to continue on the AMRA circuit, possibly doing eight events next year, as well as possibly doing four or five events in the American Drag Bike Association (ADBA).

"We intend to keep racing," Wagner said. "Jay will probably be the next rider, beings I'm 59 years old. My days (of riding) are numbered, but barring any injuries I should still be able to ride for a while. But I don't heal as fast anymore."

The AMRA season will begin in March in Daytona, Fla. [[In-content Ad]]