350cc Grand Prix Motorcycles Featured in 2024 AHRMA Vintage Cup
(November 06, 2023, Knoxville, TN) The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) 2024 Vintage Cup will highlight iconic middle weight machines from the 1960s.
Sponsored by Hagerty Insurance, Roadracingworld.com, and NYC Norton (nycnorton.com), AHRMA’s 2024 Vintage Cup features the 350GP class which includes 350cc two and four-stroke and 250cc two-stroke liquid and air-cooled machines built before December 31, 1968.
“The 350GP class was our inaugural Vintage Cup class running in 2019. The grids increased immensely and have remained increased for the past five years. We are pleased to bring it back and expect the grids to be better than ever,” said Kenny Cummings of NYC Norton, Vintage Cup sponsor for the 350GP Featured Class.
Typical AHRMA 350GP grids include wide variety motorcycles from Aermacchi, Bultaco, Honda, Ducati, Kawasaki, and Suzuki.
“350GP has been an exciting class since AHRMA’s earliest days, and I plan to join in the fun myself as a rider and a machine owner for others. I expect to see a variety of marques represented in the results,” shared Carl Anderson, AHRMA’s 2023 Chairman of the Board.
The Vintage Cup will be highlighted during and after each of the 2024 AHRMA National road races. Added enhancements for the 2024 season include:
- Enhanced trophies throughout the season.
- Special awards for series champion.
- Articles and photos on Roadracingworld.com to spotlight the class.
- Roadracing World print magazine enhanced exposure for AHRMA and 350GP.
- Discounted race entry fees.
- Racer spotlight features in AHRMA MAG.
- Class champion on cover of the AHRMA MAG.
Motorcycles eligible for AHRMA’s 350GP class must have been built before December 31, 1968, or be based on a like design and may have up to a 350cc air-cooled four-stroke engine with overhead valves and cams; a 350cc air-cooled single-cylinder two-stroke; 250cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder two-stroke; 250cc air-cooled twin-cylinder two-stroke. A list of eligible machines can be found in the AHRMA Handbook in Section 10.2.3 350 Grand Prix (www.ahrma.org/ahrma-handbook).
“The 350 GP class has been important since the beginning of road racing. Practically all the factories that competed in the 500 class also competed in the 350 class. Norton and Velocette dominated before WWII and the immediate post-war period. The 350 Junior class ran at the Isle of Man from 1911 to 1976, Norton winning 12 times, MV nine times and Velocette eight times,” said David Roper, a multi-time AHRMA champion and frequent 350GP competitor.
“When the World Championship was established in 1949, the 350 was one of the four solo classes and lasted through 1982. The championship was won by a four-stroke every year until 1974 when the two-strokes took over until the class was eliminated,” Roper said. “Some manufacturers enlarged their 250 to 350 (Moto Guzzi and Honda), some made smaller versions of their 500s (Gilera and MV), and for some the 350 was their prime size and they enlarged them to make forays into the 500 class (AJS and Velocette). Singles, twins, triples, fours, and six-cylinder motors were successful.”
About AHRMA:
The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to competing on fantastic classic and true vintage machines along with a wide range of modern motorcycles. With over 3,000 members, AHRMA is the largest vintage racing group in North America and one of the biggest in the world. The association has grown steadily over the years, reflecting the increasing interest in classic bikes.
