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[Rob Semmeling]

In late March 1960, the California-based American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM) staged the first United States Grand Prix for motorcycles, at Willow Springs Raceway. The event was said to be FIM-sanctioned.

Does anyone have results or race reports of this event ?

Then from 1961-1965, the USGP was organised at Daytona by the United States Motorcycle Club (USMC). These events were definitely FIM-sanctioned and counted towards the world championship the final two years.

However, another California-based club, Wes Cooley's American Cycle Association (ACA), organised its own USGP at Willow Springs from 1964-1968, partially overlapping with the Daytona events.

The slightly controversial (even at the time) Wes Cooley sr was an advocate of European-style Grand Prix racing. In 1966, after the FIM USGP at Daytona had ceased, he attempted to bring it to Riverside Raceway under ACA auspices. Obviously that never happened.


Does anyone have any period reports of these races (I have those from Cycle News) ? Or can anyone explain why the ACA had its own events in addition to those at Daytona ?

And how does Bill France's Motorcycle International Committee of the United States (MICUS) fit it ? That was the official FIM affiliate in the US at the time. The AMA, incidentally, was not involved with MICUS or any of these events.

If someone here could explain the relations between these various bodies, that would be very helpful too.