A hurricane over the Barber
In the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd southern rock anthem, the skies were blue, but not this year when the first Atlantic hurricane, Isaias, bore down menacingly on the Gulf coast. Rain and windy weather aside, the 21st annual Barber Vintage Festival went ahead. Scheduled events went on as planned with volunteers, riders, and fans committed to the weekend’s success. Thursday through Sunday were packed with all things motorcycle. The swap meet area was loaded with parts, bikes, gear, and anything and everything a collector or restorer would want to own. Road Dirt’s own Mike Boyd took care of his shopping early and took home a 1973 Honda XL 250 to ride around the Georgia hills.
For Geoff and I, Thursday morning was spent at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum visiting the new installations on the 5th and 3rd floors respectively. Kenny’s and Kenny Junior’s bikes were moved temporarily to accommodate the new Ducati exhibit. One bike on display is a 1959 203.7cc Single-Cylinder, Bevel-Drive OHC. Fabio Taglioni’s 200 Super Sport was equipped with an overhead-camshaft which made a competition cycle with high-revving power for the road. Along with beautifully sculpted elements and polished alloy components, this was the beginning of the successful marriage of beautiful design and top performance that characterizes Ducati even today.
Fabio Taglioni at his drafting board and a 1959 Ducati 200 Super Sport.
On the third floor is an exhibit celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Suzuki GSX-R series. This exhibit debuted during this past weekend’s event and will run through mid-April of 2027. Included is a collection of bikes from the oldest to the newest GSX-R models. Pictured is the 1999 749cc, 355-pound, 170 horsepower, fuel injected Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750 that Matt Mladin won the first of his seven AMA Superbike Championships. The bike is equipped with Brembo brakes rather than standard issue Nissin brakes and a 16.5-inch rear wheel that Mladin preferred to help him achieve a high lean angle. Many superbike fans consider Hideo “Pops” Yoshimura as the marker for the beginning of Superbike racing. Hideo and his wife, Naoe, were often at the races. Pops actively worked tuning bikes, as is illustrated by Geoff’s vintage picture from 1978 at Laguna Seca, in the pits working on #34 Wes Cooley’s GS1000 Superbike.
1999 Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750 display; Wes Cooley’s Laguna Seca pit in 1978, with “Pops” and Naoe Yoshimura.
On Friday, we headed out to Talladega Short Track for the flat track races put on by AHRMA. This is the first time this track was used for AHRMA racing. The owner, Adam Stewart, worked with Kaitlyn Osberg of AHRMA, her family, and friends to bring dirt tracking to 60 entrants and close to 40 different riders. The third mile, 31-degree banking, track of red clay was wheel packed to perfection and it didn’t take long for riders to lay down a blue groove of rubber with practice and 15 heats of racing. From 50cc to Harley-Davidson XR750s, every flat tracker did their best. The weather proved to be too disagreeable to run the event as planned. Hurricane Isaias was due to make landfall later that evening. Total laps per race were shortened to get everyone’s race accomplished, packed up, and out of the property before rain would make the pits impossible to navigate. Turner Honda’s AFT factory team riders were in attendance and put on an exciting show. #28 Kage Tadman from California was there and is a frequent rider at our local track, Lodi Cycle Bowl.
Turner Honda riders in Open Pro Class exiting Turn 3 at Talladega Short Track on Friday.
Saturday’s road racing began wet and went full soggy, but we did get in some shooting in Turn 5 later that afternoon. Overcast skies and heavy mist were a challenge for many riders, as many didn’t have rain tires and chose to sit out the program for the day, as the storm continued to move up through Alabama and out. Sunday proved to be much better for racing and the sun decided to shine after lunch. We always enjoy touring the pits and will often see and get to visit with riders we know. The best part of any motorcycle event is the friends you make along the way over the years.
AHRMA Vintage Sidecar racing, Turn 5 at Barber Vintage Fest 2026.
We’ll return next year for the 22nd Barber Vintage Festival with our cameras ready to catch the action and to discover something new, along with meeting and adding new members to our motorcycle family. Hope to see you there!
All photos by Geoff & Barb. Top featured photo of AHRMA SC1 team of Michael Platt and Karna Kerr, lifting it in a wet Turn 5.
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