Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is pleased to
announce another member of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2009: Mona Ehnes,
a long-time champion of off-highway motorcyclists' rights. Ehnes will be among the
motorcycling heroes honored at the 2009 induction ceremony at the Hard Rock Hotel
& Casino in Las Vegas this Dec. 5.
"Mona Ehnes is one of motorcycling's most dedicated rights activists," said AMA
President and CEO Rob Dingman. "She not only embodies the spirit of advocacy but
also possesses the even rarer fortitude to act on her convictions. I'm thrilled
that our voters are honoring Mona and her accomplishments by giving her a well-deserved
place in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame."
Added Kathy Van Kleeck, senior vice president
of government relations for the Motorcycle
Industry Council and chairwoman of the AMA
Motorcycle Hall of Fame Leadership/Motorcycle
Rights Advocates Committee: "Mona is
truly a legend in the off-highway vehicle
community
-- a shining example of a quiet leader who has
set the gold standard through her
thousands of hours of volunteer work and
dedication to protecting off-highway vehicle
recreation. What Mona's biography can't convey
is her relentless passion for the
cause and her can-do spirit. She tackles
difficult issues head-on to find solutions
and re-energizes all with whom she works. No
one could be more deserving of this
highest honor."
Ehnes charged into the fight for
motorcyclists' rights in 1967, when
controversial
legislation was introduced that would have
restricted off-highway vehicle (OHV)
riding opportunities in her home state of
Montana. Ehnes has been at the front lines
of the OHV rights battle ever since, as a
founding member of both the Great Falls
Trail Bike Riders Association and the Montana
Trail Vehicle Association. She remains
both an active advocate and off-highway
motorcyclist today, and serves as executive
assistant to the National Off-Highway Vehicle
Conservation Council.
"I've been a member of the AMA for some
time, and I've always supported the AMA
Museum, so this is such an honor," Ehnes
said. "I've been involved with
motorcycles
and motorcycling since the '60s. Dirt biking
is my life. If somebody is willing
to give me this kind of recognition, then I
hope that it inspires other riders who
love dirt biking as much as I do to get out
and get involved."
Ehnes added that one of the most significant
lessons she's learned in her four decades
of service to the OHV community is that it's
necessary to tailor the OHV-access
message to a non-riding audience.
"The most important thing we need to
realize is that when you advocate for our
rights,
you're almost always talking to non-motorcycle
people," she said. "You're talking
to agency people who have no idea about the
sport at all. They don't know the type
of joy you get from riding. They do not
realize that this is a family sport."
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame 2009 Induction
Ceremony at the Hard Rock Hotel &
Casino will take the annual event to a new
level. Impressive even by Las Vegas standards,
with an 84-foot guitar marking the entrance
and all the glitz and memorabilia that
fans have come to expect at Hard Rock Café
locations around the world, the Hard
Rock Hotel & Casino has been recently
renovated with new rooms, a new convention
space and a new concert venue. Ticket
information will be announced shortly on the
Museum website at MotorcycleMuseum.org
Located on the park-like campus of the AMA
in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA Motorcycle
Hall of Fame Museum honors individuals who
have made lasting contributions to protecting
and promoting the motorcycle lifestyle. Its
members include those who have excelled
in racing, road- and off-road riding, pushed
the envelope in motorcycle design,
engineering and safety, and championed the
rights of riders in both the halls of
government and the court of public
opinion.
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction
Committee includes 11 members in addition
to the chairman. There are 10 committees, each
representing a different aspect of
motorcycling. Five represent various racing
disciplines, and five represent non-racing
interests.
More information about the AMA Motorcycle Hall
of Fame can be found at MotorcycleMuseum.org