Dick Mann (June 13, 1934 – April 26, 2021) was an American professional

motorcycle racer The motorcycle sport of racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) includes motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and ...

. He was a two-time winner of the

A.M.A. Grand National Championship American Flat Track is an American motorcycle racing series. The racing series, founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1954, originally encompassed five distinct forms of competitions including mile dirt track r ...

. Mann was inducted in the

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is a hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles ...

in 1993, and the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.Dick Mann
, Motorcycle Hall of Fame, Retrieved September 17, 2007 He was one of the few riders to ride

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

and Observed Trials as well as dirt flat tracks, TT (tourist trophy) and

road racing Road racing is a North American term to describe motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held on a race track, closed circuit—generally, a purpose-built racing facility—or on a street circuit that uses temporarily c ...

.Dick Mann at the AMA Hall of Fame
/ref> Mann was the second-winningest rider in AMA Grand National Series history with 24 national victories. His career on the pro circuit spanned the early 1950s to the mid-1970s. He was known for being one of the most talented and versatile riders, and for wearing a cheap straw hat while working on his motorcycle.

Background

Born Richard Scott Mann in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

, Mann rode his first motorcycle as a teenager when he delivered papers on a Cushman scooter in

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 3, 1905, and has a Richmond, California, City Council, city council.

. He learned how to ride dirt competitively on a

cinder Cinder or Cinders may refer to: In general * Ember, also called cinder * Ash, also called cinder * Scoria, or cinder, a type of volcanic rock In computing * Cinder (programming library), a C++ programming library for visualization *Cinder, Ope ...

running track at the area schools. He would also ride on the cow trails in the area, experiences that would later help him in motocross. After high school, he started helping at fellow Motorcycle Hall of Fame member

Hap Alzina Hap or HAP may refer to: Natural sciences * , a cultivar of Karuka * Haplochromine cichlids * Hazardous air pollutant * Hospital-acquired pneumonia * Hydroxylapatite (HAp), a mineral * Hypoxia-activated prodrug Organizations * Hap inc. * ...

's BSA shop in

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

as a mechanic.

Racing career

1950s

In the summer of 1954 he started touring as an

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

with professional Al Gunter. Mann turned expert in 1955, and finished seventh on a

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression along with i ...

in his first Grand National race, the

Daytona 200 The Daytona 200 is an annual motorcycle road racing competition held in early spring at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida. The race was founded in 1937 when it was sanctioned by the American Mo ...

. At this time, the race was held on the

Daytona Beach Road Course The Ormond Beach and Road Course was a motorsport race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It originally became famous as the location where 15 world land speed records were set. ...

. He slowly made a name for himself in his first three years, and he finished in the top ten in the season points for the first time in 1957. Mann had a second-place finish at the Daytona 200 and Laconia in 1958. He had his first national victory at the

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Ill ...

Tourist Trophy (TT) in 1959. He finished second in points in that year.Dick Mann
;

; 1993; Retrieved September 17, 2007

1960s

In 1963 Mann won his first AMA Grand National title. He had five

podium A podium (: podiums or podia) is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podiums can also be used to raise people, for instance the conductor of a ...

finishes. He clinched the title by winning on September 21 Ascot Park in

Gardena, California Gardena is a city located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 61,027 at the 2020 census, up from 58,829 at the 2010 census. Until 2014, the U.S. census cited the City of Gardena as the ...

. Mann continued to win races and place high in the points standings before his next title eight years later. He also helped pioneer

during that time, and raced in several motocross races in the 1960s and early 1970s. He represented the United States in the

Transatlantic Trophy The Transatlantic Trophy (initially called Anglo-American Match Races) was an annual series of motorcycle races between the United Kingdom and America held from 1971 to 1988 and again in 1991. They were mostly held over the Easter weekend at Br ...

match race series. The series faced little-known American racers against

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

's well-known pavement riders.

1970s

Mann started the decade with one of the biggest wins of his career. He won the 1970

, a race that he had not won in fifteen attempts. Mann beat former world champion

Mike Hailwood Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood (2 April 1940 – 23 March 1981) was a British racing driver and motorcycle road racer, who competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from to , and Formula One between and . Nicknamed "the Bike", Hailwood was ...

, and rising stars

Gene Romero Gene Romero (May 22, 1947 – May 12, 2019) was an American professional motorcycle racer.

and

Gary Nixon Gary Nixon (January 25, 1941 – August 5, 2011) was an American professional motorcycle racer who most notably won the A.M.A. Grand National Championship in 1967 and 1968 as a member of the Triumph factory racing team. He was also the winner of ...

.American Motorcyclist, May 1970, Vol. 24, No. 5
It was the first win by

Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...

in an AMA national, and it happened at the series' premiere event. In 1971 Mann won his second Grand National title on a BSA. He became the oldest series champion in the history of the series. He won the 1971 season opener at the

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

TT. He won his second Daytona 200 in the second race of the season. The win earned him a spot on the May 1971 cover of the AMA magazine. Mann also won road races at

Pocono Raceway Pocono Raceway (formerly known as the Pocono International Raceway in early years) is a tri-oval track in Blakeslee, Pennsylvania. The track has held a variety of events since its opening in 1969, including NASCAR, IndyCar Series, and IMSA GT ...

and

Kent, Washington Kent is a city in King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area, Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan area and had a population of 136,588 as of the 2020 Unit ...

. He was named AMA's Most Popular Rider of the Year in 1971. Mann became the first rider to win motorcycle racing's career Grand Slam by winning in Grand National on mile, half mile, short-track, TT, and road racing circuits. Mann won races in 1972. His final win was at Peoria, the site of his first win. He remained competitive in 1973, still on a BSA, and finished in the Top 10 in points at age 40. Mann retired in 1974. He had raced in 240 nationals, and he finished in the Top 10 in points in every season except one between 1957 and 1973. In 1975 Mann returned to his trail riding roots. He competed on the United States International Six Days Trial team (now the

International Six Days Enduro The International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), formerly known as the International Six Days Trial (ISDT), is the oldest 'off-road' motorcycle event on the FIM Calendar. The ISDT was first held in 1913 at Carlisle, England. It has occurred annually, a ...

) on the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

, earning a Bronze Medal on an OSSA 350.

Honors and awards

Mann was awarded the AMA Dud Perkins Award for his contributions to the sport in 1995. He was inducted in the

in 1993.Dick Mann
at the

He was still competing in vintage racing when he was inducted in the

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, ...

in 1998. The Motorcycle Hall of Fame opened an exhibit honoring Mann's career on July 27, 2006. The exhibit is called "SuperMann"."Opening of SuperMann, the exhibit honoring the legendary Dick Mann, draws a record crowd to the Museum"
; July 28, 2006; Bill Kresnak; Motorcycle Hall of Fame; Retrieved September 17, 2007 Over 400 people came to see the opening.

Design and Fabrication

Throughout his racing career, Mann was an innovative designer and fabricator of frames and related hardware. He also worked for and acted as consultant to several motorcycle manufacturers.

1960s

In 1966, Dick designed and fabricated a large diameter backbone Chromoly frame for his BSA A65. Elements of its geometry became the hallmark of several of his designs. In 1967, he was retained by John Taylor of Yankee Motor Corp. and incorporated the same design elements into the Yankee 500Z. In 1969 while with Yankee, he designed and worked with Frank Conner of OSSA/West to build the highly successful OSSA/DMR flat tracker. After winning several National races, the DMR was put into a short run of production by Yankee with 150 units being produced in 1970-71. He was also influential on styling. Design elements of an earlier BSA of Dick's appeared on the Ossa Wildfire SS tank in 1967, the DMR tank, and the tank and seat that graced the first 500Z prototypes in 1968. That prototype had influence on later designs such as Craig Vetter's Triumph X75 Hurricane.

1970s

In 1975 Mann started designing frames for the

Yamaha XT 500 The Yamaha XT500 is a twin-valve Single-cylinder engine, single-cylinder enduro-Dual-sport motorcycle#Adventure, adventure motorcycle made by Yamaha Motor Company, Yamaha from 1975 until 1989. It shares its power plant with the street version Ya ...

. In all he sold some 200 frames for this engine in four marques, the final frames being completed in 1982. He also designed variations for the Honda XL/XR500 and the Suzuki DR/SP370. All the production frames were constructed by Terry Knight based on each of Mann's home built and extensively tested prototypes.

Personal life

He owned a business specializing in restoring and selling vintage race motorcycles. He also actively participated in

American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association AHRMA (American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving, restoring and competing on historic motorcycles. With over 3000 members, AHRMA is the leading vintage motorcycle racing group in Nort ...

(AHRMA

Vintage Moto-Cross racing. His wife's name is Kay.

Biography

*''Mann of His Time'', Ed Youngblood. Whitehorse Press (September 7, 2002). .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, Dick 1934 births 2021 deaths Sportspeople from Richmond, California Sportspeople from Salt Lake City American motorcycle racers AMA Grand National Championship riders Dud Perkins Award winners