Motocross and Movie Legend Sue Fish To Be Inducted to the AMA Hall of Fame

The American Motorcyclist Association Motorcycle Hall of Fame will induct pioneering female motocross racer Sue Fish, the 1976 and 1977 Women’s National Motocross Champion, into the Hall of Fame as part of the 2012 AMA Legends Weekend at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada in November.

“Sue Fish stands tall among all competitors for making a difference in motorcycling as an early pioneer in motocross, and her induction to our AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame will share with the world what we all know; that her career has inspired so many woman to join us in our joy for riding and racing motorcycles,” said Tom White, a member of the board of directors of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation.

Sue Fish will join the AMA Hall of Fame in November

In her day, Fish was dominant among female competitors. She was also one of the first women motocross racers to hold a professional racing license from the AMA and compete regularly against men.

Known by the colorful and eponymous sobriquet, “The Flying Fish,” she raced in the AMA 125cc National Motocross Championship. Fish also demonstrated her unique talent by riding in the 1978 Subaru International Motorcycle Olympiad, a two-day event featuring all types off off-road racing.

But she was more than a dirt phenomenon as she competed on asphalt, racing in the men’s expert ranks in the 600cc road racing classes.

Fish went Hollywood as well, and she worked as a stuntwoman on films which include “Terminator” and “Footloose.”

She also traveled as part of Evel Knievel’s stunt show in Australia.

“I was just a young gal doing what I love to do: riding motorcycles,” Fish said. “Motocross is a sport that I love with every cell in my body, and I just feel incredibly honored to be recognized for the sport I so loved. Motorcycling was my way of life. It gave me a way of looking at things that taught me so many wonderful lessons about life.”

Did Fish she herself as a pioneer for women’s issues? Maybe not at the time.

“I don’t really consider myself a pioneer,” Fish said. “I was just riding motorcycles. I never had an agenda. Yes, there was a lot of press, but for me it was never about proving a point. I just loved riding. Ever since my father put me on the tank of his motorcycle when I was three years old, I’ve had to be on a motorcycle, and it was that love of riding that drove me.”

Her father, who competed in dirt track and hare scrambles, taught her how to ride when she was 11, and by the age of 14, she began her racing career with a win in her first race.  At the tender age of 19, Fish advanced to the AMA Pro Racing national circuit.

Her final professional race was the 1985 Women’s National Championship at LACR in California, where she ultimately finished third after running out of fuel in the final moto.

Since her retirement from racing, Fish has focused on personal fitness training and mountain bike racing.

Fish is the second member of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame class of 2012 to be announced to the public and she joins the late Rod Bush, KTM North America president and industry visionary. The rest of the 2012 inductees will be announced in random order in the coming weeks.

The class of 2012 will officially be inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame on Nov. 16 as part of the AMA Legends Weekend. The weekend also includes the 2012 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Dave Mungenast Memorial Concours d’Elegance on Saturday, Nov. 17, featuring many of the country’s most impressive original and restored classic motorcycles.

In addition to the current class, the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame induction ceremony shines the spotlight on two previously inducted members of the Hall of Fame, reminding the motorcycling community of the amazing careers of these Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legends. For 2012, the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legends will be 1998 inductees Malcolm Smith, a pioneer in off-road motorcycling and a star in the motorcycle documentary “On Any Sunday,” and Mert Lawwill, the 1969 AMA Grand National Champion whose title defense was the central theme of the timeless film.

Tickets for the AMA Legends Weekend are now available through this online registration form or by calling (800) 342-5464.

The AMA Legends Weekend will be held at the Las Vegas Red Rock Resort, a world-class spa, hotel and casino, featuring a range of entertainment, dining and family-friendly attractions. The facility’s expansive ballrooms provide a stunning backdrop for the AMA Legends Weekend. Room reservations are available now at a special group rate by calling (866) 767-7773 and referencing group code RCIAME or AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST. Online room reservations are available at RedRockLasVegas.com.

More information about the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame can be found at MotorcycleMuseum.org.