St Louis, MO, January 9, 2020 - Where history takes the lead. The Legend and Heroes Tour Traveling Moto Museum is happy to announce that they will again take part in the pit party activation in the Fan Fest activation at round two of the 2020 season in St Louis, MO. The tour is now in its 11th season of celebrating the sport of supercross and motocross. In addition to their display of vintage machines and memorabilia from local enthusiasts, the tour will honor legendary race promoter Ed Schultz during opening ceremonies.
About Ed Schultz-
In the late 1960s, the thrill of motorcycling was spreading across the country, and Ed Schultz had indeed caught the bug. While riding his street bike to work at McDonnell Douglas, Ed noticed that they were sponsoring clubs for all types of hobbies. He thought a club for the motorcycle enthusiast would be a good fit for the company, and they agreed. He became the Charter President of the MDC Motorcycle Club. The club multiplied, and by the end of the first year, there were more than 800 members. Not just for street bikes but off-road enthusiasts as well. For the sum of $1 per year, yes, one dollar, club members could ride their dirt bikes on 500 acres of property that Ed was able to lease.
Opportunity struck when Ed found some other property that was sitting idle. Working with the property owner, Mississippi Valley Raceway was born. Not one to sit idle, Ed felt there was a need for a motocross track closer to the St Louis area. It needed to be challenging enough to host both amateur and professional races and have enough room for the spectators that the growing sport of motocross was bringing in. He found forty acres of the type of property he needed in St Peters, MO, and Cycle World USA was developed.
Once opened for racing, Cycle World USA would host races every two weeks, and racers from all across the Mid-West would come to compete. Names like Randy and Gary Shekell, Craig Mueller, Jay Clark, Pat Hagarty, Morris Wright, Kelly Bowen, Mark Yocum, Mark McDaniel, Paul Niehaus, Rod Korzep and Julie Fizer were all top competitors at the time.
In addition to the local races, the professional facility earned Cycle World USA the opportunity to host AMA Nationals in the summer and the famous Trans-AMA races in the fall. Legendary racers like Roger DeCoster, Pierre Karsmakers, Gerrit Wolsink, Marty Smith, Bob Hannah, Brad Lackey, Tony DiStefano, Broc Glover, and more saw success on the Cycle World USA track.
The last professional event at the facility was in the fall of 1978. Approximately 15,000 spectators saw the spectacular event with marching bands, skydivers, fireworks, and of course, great racing. Yamaha’s Bob Hannah won the 500 International Class, and Kawasaki mounted Mickey Boone won the 250 Support class.
Shortly following this event, Ed suffered a mild stroke and could no longer operate the facility. It was closed in 1978.
“I may have closed Cycle World USA in 1978, but the memories and spirit of motocross still lives.” - Ed Schultz
Join us on Saturday night as we honor motocross promoter, Ed Schultz.
With the help of tour sponsor EZ-Up Shelters, the 2020 design will feature a walk-through timeline that celebrates all of the sports supercross champions. The tour has kept the founding fathers, and mothers, pure in their thoughts by honoring the men and women that shaped supercross and motocross into what it is today. They tell the story of supercross.
Thanks to our local friends at each round. The Legends Tour features some of the best vintage motocross bikes on display in a single location. Featuring different vehicles at each round, our guests can relive the machines of their youth and show their family and friends the early days of motocross and supercross. Look for the Legend and Heroes Tour Traveling Moto Museum at each round of the Monster Energy Supercross series in 2020.
See behind the scenes footage and great vintage photos and stories by visiting our website and social media accounts.
Website - www.legendsandheroestour.org
Facebook - www.facebook.com/LegendsAndHeroesTour
Twitter - www.twitter.com/LegendsHeroes
Instagram - www.instagram.com/legendsandheroestour
YouTube - www.youtube.com/user/LegendsAndHeroesMX
The Legends and Heroes Tour would not be possible without great sponsors like Feld Entertainment, Monster Energy Supercross, Food for Life Bakery, Dunlop Motorcycle Tires, EZup Shelters, Wossner, Yuasa, Boyesen, Motion Pro, Engine Ice, Acerbis, Spectro Oil, Rich Designs, Asterisk, Vintco, CALVMX, and Yamaha. Thank you all.
