Jay Springsteen (born April 15, 1957 in Flint, Michigan) is an American former professional

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 ...

dirt track racer. He began his professional racing career in 1975 by winning the

American Motorcyclist Association The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is an American nonprofit organization of more than 200,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights. Its mission statement is "to pro ...

(AMA) Rookie of the Year award. As a member of the

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

factory A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with t ...

race team, he went on to win three consecutive

A.M.A. Grand National Championship American Track racing, Flat Track is an American Motorcycle sport, motorcycle racing series. The racing series, founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1954, originally encompassed five distinct forms of competitio ...

s in 1976, 1977, and 1978. He accumulated 43 Grand National Championship dirt track victories during a career that spanned almost 30 years. According to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame induction, Springsteen earned enough race winnings to live on by age 17 and by age 18, he was signed by the Harley-Davidson team.Motorcycle Hall of Fame He finished fifth in the 1986

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. The race was founded in 1937 when it was sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association ...

Race record

Springsteen has a notable race record: four decades as a leading rider, with victories spanning 25 years; three championships in a row; 43 national wins including every type of dirt track—miles, half-miles, short track and TTs. He was ranked in the top 10 national riders 23 times. Referring to Springsteen's "mysterious illness" that caused sudden and debilitating

abdominal pain Abdominal pain, also known as a stomach ache, is a symptom associated with both non-serious and serious medical issues. Common causes of pain in the abdomen include gastroenteritis and irritable bowel syndrome. About 15% of people have a m ...

when he was due to race, forcing him to miss many races,

Dave Despain Dave Despain (born 20 May 1946) is an American motorsports journalist. He was the host of ''WindTunnel with Dave Despain'' on Speed Channel, and ''NASCAR Inside Nextel Cup'', until the former was cancelled during the demise of Speed and the latte ...

asked "one of the great 'what if' questions in dirt track history ... If Springer had stayed healthy, how many would he have won?"

Awards and recognition

In 1994, a panel of 30 motorcycle racing experts convened by ''

American Motorcyclist ''American Motorcyclist'' is an American magazine published monthly by the American Motorcyclist Association The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is an American nonprofit organization of more than 200,000 motorcyclists that organizes num ...

'' selected Springsteen as the best dirt-track rider of all time. Springsteen 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 ...

in 2003, and to the

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is 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 2005.Jay Springsteen
at the

Harley-Davidson's racing manager Dick O'Brien called Springsteen "one of the all-time greats and maybe the best ever."

References

External links

*
Bartels H.D. website
1957 births Living people American motorcycle racers AMA Grand National Championship riders Racing drivers from Michigan Sportspeople from Flint, Michigan {{US-motorcycle-sport-bio-stub