Reginald Charles Pridmore III (born 15 July 1939) is an English former professional motorcycle

road racing Road racing is a form of motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held either on a closed circuit or on a street circuit utilizing temporarily closed public roads. Originally, road races were held almost entirely on p ...

national champion. He is remembered for winning the inaugural

AMA Superbike Championship AMA Superbike Championship is an American motorcycle racing series that has been run every year beginning in 1976. For most of its existence it has been considered the premier motorcycle road racing series in the United States. It is sanctioned b ...

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phil ...

, followed by

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...

and

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 – ...

. He is the father of retired AMA racer Jason Pridmore.

Early Days

Born in

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

, Pridmore began racing

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...

s in England in the early 1960s winning his first race at

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and B ...

. As a young man, he made the decision to sell all his possessions and move to the United States. He settled in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

and soon began competing in local motorcycle events, racing

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either direct ...

production-based machines. In early 1970s he raced BMW R75/5 in production class and a F750 with a frame by Englishman Rob North in A.M.A. Nationals.

US Superbikes

In 1976, the A.M.A. introduced a new national championship for production-based bikes. Riding a BMW

R90S The BMW R90S is a 900cc sport motorcycle produced by BMW from 1973 to 1976. BMW commissioned designer Hans Muth to oversee the R90S, which became the flagship of the boxer engined "/6" range. Sporting distinctive two-tone paintwork, a biki ...

sponsored by BMW's American importer, ''Butler & Smith,'' Pridmore impressed the motorcycling world by winning the national championship against more advanced Japanese machinery. In 1977 he raced a

Kawasaki Z1000 The Kawasaki Z1000 is a four-cylinder motorcycle introduced in 2003 with streetfighter or standard styling. The Z1000 was first introduced in 1977 superseding the previous 903 cc capacity Z1/Z900. History Kawasaki Kawasaki ( ja, 川崎, ...

for the Racecrafters team with (the late) Pierre des Roches and Keith Code, claiming the first A.M.A. superbike championship for a Japanese manufacturer. Pridmore went on to win the A.M.A. Superbike Championship in 1978 riding for the Vetter team, again on a Pierre des Roches prepared Kawasaki. He was 39 years old when he won his final championship, making him the oldest A.M.A. Superbike champion. He retired after the 1979 season.

After racing

After his retirement from racing Pridmore established ''CLASS,'' one of the top motorcycle track-riding schools in the United States. In 2002, he was inducted into the AMA

Motorcycle Hall of Fame The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycles ...

. Pridmore and his

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura ( Spanish for " Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist d ...

-based RPM Motorcycles shop attended several of the South Coast BMW Riders Club's Fiesta Rallies in the early 1980s. The photo shows Reg on a 1982

BMW R80G/S The BMW R 80 G/S is a motorcycle that was manufactured in Berlin, Germany, by BMW Motorrad from 1980 to 1987. Production totalled 21,864 bikes. It was the first in the BMW GS family of specialised dual-sport bikes, of which over 500,000 have been ...

participating in the rally Slow Race. He now lives in

Santa Paula, CA Santa Paula (Spanish for " St. Paula") is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. Situated amid the orchards of the Santa Clara River Valley, the city advertises itself to tourists as the "Citrus Capital of the World". Santa Pau ...

where he owns a hangar at Santa Paula Airport

KSZP Santa Paula Airport is a privately owned, public use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) southeast of the central business district of Santa Paula, a city in Ventura County, California, United States. It exclusively serves privat ...

. He keeps his motorcycles, a Scout airplane and a small hangar museum there. Reg Pridmore. Official site. Retrieved 2013-05-19

References

External links

Reg Pridmore Motorcycle School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pridmore, Reg 1939 births Living people Sportspeople from London People from Santa Paula, California English motorcycle racers AMA Superbike Championship riders Motorcycle trainers