Bobby Hill
1992, Competition
AMA Grand National Champion 1951 & 1952. He raced for
Harley Davidson, BSA, Norton and Indian, from 1940 through
1958. In 1949, Hill won 53 races.
Had 12 national career wins to his credit, two of them at
Springfield, Illinois in 1951 and 1952, making him the Grand
National Champion for those two years.
In 1954, the AMA established the point system of determining
the champion, National events were scheduled with the riders
gaining points for their finish placements and the top rider
in the point standings was named the AMA Grand National
Champion. From 1946 through 1953, the title was given to the
winner of the 25-mile dirt track race at Springfield, Illinois.
1951, Bobby Hill was voted "Most Popular Rider in U.S." by
cycle clubs. He was given the "E.C. Smith Award."
He won the Ohio State Champion title 4 times on Ohio State
Fairgrounds track, but never managed to win a Newsies race
on the same track!
Started racing while a sophomore in High School in Tridelphia,
West Virginia. Bought his first bike in 1938 for $392.00. His
mother cashed in a lift insurance policy to buy it! Graduated
from high school in 1941 and started to race. Won 7 races before
all racing was stopped because of World War II. Hill joined the
Marines and served for 4 years.
After the war, Hill came to Columbus to race with Ralph Shoppe,
the Indian Motorcycle dealer as his sponsor. In those days, Hill
earned about $7,000 a year racing, which was then good money.
In each of his two years as Champion, Bobby Hill made about $10,000.
Today's champs earn about $200,000! Racing has come a long way!
Hill's AMA membership number is 935. He has a Life Membership with
AMA with the same number. There were only 935 AMA members when Hill
joined. Today, there are more than 130,000 members.
Along with E.C. Smith "The Grand Old Man of Racing" who passed away
in late 1995, Bobby Hill did much to bring about the safety features
of today's racing.
Alan Robert Hill... a quiet unassuming man. Lives with his wife Nancy
quietly in Grove City. He delivered gas to Sohio customers. Even
though he had been delivering gas to some of his customers for as
long as 20 years, many of them did not even know he ever rode... let
alone was champion! Bobby retired in 1984.
Hill won the Daytona "200" in 1954. Riders then would get up to speeds
of 150 miles an hour on the straightaway and oddly enough, today at
Daytona, riders race at only 170 miles an hour.
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