March 31, 2019
For general information, contact
866-398-2038
1602 State Hwy 49 East, Jefferson
info@DiamondDon.com
www.DiamondDon.com

Media Contact:
Melissa Moit
903-742-2041
info@DiamondDon.com

International Champions Headline

Diamond Don’s 17th Annual AHRMA Vintage International Motocross will be held April 11-14, 2019 at Diamond Don RV Park & Event Center located one mile from Jefferson, Texas. Over 800 race entries are expected for this event.  ONLINE ENTRIES CLOSE MONDAY, APRIL 1, 12 NOON EASTERN TIME!

The weekend will be full of international motocross legends, including several inductees to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.  Racers are coming from all over the world, including Europe and Australia.  Here is your chance to visit with and race against some of your idols: Barry Higgins, Steve Wise, Brad Lackey, Trampas Parker, Trey Jorski and Guy Cooper.  Bench race with Diamond Don’s weekend legend, Gary Chaplin – 1972 500cc InterAm Series Champion and 1973 Unadilla InterAm Top American.

Don Rainey

Diamond Don Rainey, event promoter, started racing in 1968.  By 1973, Rainey was competing in AMA national events and raced in the first night race at the Houston Astrodome.  He retired in his 30’s, but re-started the second round of his racing career in 1996.  He pulled his old motorcycles out of the garage and restored them. He races his motorcycles at vintage events around the country.  Today, he still builds his own bikes and races in the AHRMA 70+ class on his 1974 Honda Elsinore or a Brad Lackey look-alike 400cc CZ.

Come early for a new event on Thursday afternoon:  Pit Bike Flat Track Challenge. Any pit bike under 100cc qualifies.  Also on Thursday, participate in the Golf Skills Challenge Shootout.  Proceeds from both events will benefit Jefferson Railway and Wetlands Foundation and youth activities in Jefferson.

Cross country and trials are on Friday (with the Diamond-Huffman Modern Trials Support Class, sponsored by Jay Huffman, Huffman Restorations).  Saturday features vintage racing and two motos of the 100cc/200cc Battle on the Bayou, sponsored by BA Motorsports and Northwest Maico CZ.  The action–packed weekend wraps up with post-vintage on Sunday and one more 100cc/200cc Battle on the Bayou moto.

Stay Sunday evening for the wine-down Party after trophy presentation, with fantastic fireworks show and five authentic cannons firing dramatic dragon’s breath – stay the night and relax before the trek home. Landry & Company will be playing as back-up band for anyone who wants to come to the stage – open mike.

The wide, flat grassy pit area offers great viewing of the racetrack that runs through the pasture and into the piney woods.  Diamond Don has created a natural terrain grass track reminiscent of the early 70’s.  Vendors and concessions available at the track.

Jefferson, located just one mile from the track, is nestled deep in the Piney Woods of East Texas and seems frozen in time.  It is a charming town and an elegant reminder of a bygone era. There are over a hundred buildings in the city with historical markers. Many historic homes offer bed and breakfast accommodations.  Dozens of other historic buildings house museums, craft and antique shops and restaurants.  Jefferson also offers boat rides, canoe rental, carriage rides and other attractions.  There is a lot to do here so bring the family.

For a full schedule and event information, and to pre-register for the event, click button below.

Bios of Legends

Gary Chaplin

Gary Chaplin, Event Legend

Chaplin raced in the 70’s,” the Greatest era of Motocross”.  He was an MX and SX factory rider for Maico, Honda, CZ and DG Suzuki from 1971 thru 1976. Gary was 1971 Trans AM Series runner up 250 class; 1972 Inter Am Series Champion 500 class; 1973 Unadilla Inter Am Top American; 1975 Daytona SX Runner Up and 1976 Dallas SX Winner. He started racing Vintage MX in 2012 and lives in Canyon Lake, CA, with wife Anita.

Barry Higgins

The year was 1969. American motocross was young and struggling to climb out of obscurity. In October, at the Inter-Am motocross race in Pepperell, Mass., it got its big break: “ABC Wide World of Sports” showed up to film the event and exposed would-be American fans to the European stars who dominated the sport. Barry Higgins became an underdog hero to a national audience. As the top American rider, Higgins finished fifth on a 1969 Jawa CZ360, beating several European stars. Higgins has remained in the motorcycling industry and was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.  He still races vintage bikes today and is the 2018 AHRMA 70+ Series Champion.

Brad Lackey

Brad (“Bad Brad”) Lackey was the 1972 500cc National Champion and in 1982, he became the first and only American to win the 500cc Grand Prix Motocross World Championship.  To this day, no other American has duplicated what took Lackey over 10 years to achieve.  Lackey was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and in 2013 he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.  Today, Lackey continues his involvement in the sport of motocross taking part in vintage motocross racing.

Holeshot

Guy Cooper

Guy Cooper is a former Team Suzuki 125/250 factory rider and 1990 AMA 125 Motocross National Champion.  According to Legends & Heroes Tour, “Coop” was always a fan favorite wherever he showed up.  Running what could best be described as a man’s bike, the KTM 540SX, Coop has always been an active racer from his early days out of the Stillwater, OK area to his days on the National Tour.  After retiring, you can still see him out at select events like the nationally prestigious Enduro-Cross series and AHRMA National events.

Steve Wise

Steve Wise will go down in history as one of the most multi-talented riders in the history of motorcycle racing. Wise earned the distinction of becoming the only rider in history to win AMA motocross, AMA Supercross and AMA Superbike nationals. The Texan further proved his all-around talent by earning a podium result in the AMA Grand National Championship when he took third, in his very first Grand National Dirt Track appearance, at the Houston Astrodome TT National in 1982. In addition, Wise twice won the popular ABC Wide World of Sports Superbikers competition in the early 1980s, an event that featured the top motorcycle racers in the world from all disciplines. ABC’s Superbikers was a predecessor to Supermoto, which flourished in Europe and later attained AMA national status in 2003. Wise’s versatility helped him earn the prestigious AMA Pro Athlete of the Year Award in 1982.

Trampas Parker

As versatile as he was consistent, Trampas Parker made history as the first American to win two World Motocross Championships. He was an unknown American rider living in Italy when he burst onto the world motocross scene by winning the 125cc championship in 1989 with KTM. Two years later, he repeated the feat for a 250cc championship, this time with Honda. Parker was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and was raised in Bridge City, Texas.  He began riding when he was given his first motorcycle at age 7.  Trampas still rides vintage bikes today and you can see him racing against his son, Ricky Parker.  Ricky is known for his great road-racing skills and leaves the field in his dust when he hits the starting gate.

Trey Jorski

Jorski is still an avid racer and enjoys riding in different off-road races in Texas.  He won the 40+ Expert TCCRA Cross Country title twice. He is a former AMA national #54 and 49 in the early 70s and was 10th overall in the 500cc Supercross class in 1976. Jorski is a former Oklahoma State MX champ 1973-1982 in the 125, 250 and open pro class. He had several MX wins over the past few years in +30, +40 and +50 classes and has won several AHRMA national vintage race events in the last few years.  He finished 7th overall at the Lake Elsinore GP Harvey Mushman 100 in Nov. 2011.