The Wauseon National vintage flat track races presented by Roeder Racing are a great tradition at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Wauseon, Ohio. Going on its 13th year alongside the Antique Motorcycle Club of America swap meet, the fairgrounds are home to a beautiful half-mile track that serves as a raw and gritty experience for fans and racers alike. 

Each year the team behind Roeder Racing steps in to really turn up the heat on this event and give spectators and Wauseon swap meet patrons an exciting day at the track. The range of bikes goes through every class and era of vintage motorcycle - from board trackers of the early 1900s, on to big twin tank shift Harleys and Indians of the 30's and 40's, to the Japanese and British powerhouse twins and singles of the 70's and up. 

We really embraced and respected the spirit of what George Roeder and his team were keeping alive at Wauseon and we wanted to be involved in the action. This year we were proud to announce our first year hosting the Old Bike Barn "dash for cash" in honor of the vintage Japanese powered machines of the 70's and 80's. We pulled the six fastest riders in the 70's singles up to 600cc twin shock frame class and watched as they duked it out on that fantastic cushion half mile. After some fierce competition, the winner ended up being #73f, Tom Englehart, with #54, D. Mcroberts, coming in 2nd followed by #17, Doug Davis, in third. Tom walked away with a nice $500 from Old Bike Barn for winning.

The racing continued into the evening and as the sun went down, the dirt just kept on flying with heats going strong. The time came for the rematch between racing legends Jay Springteen on his Harley XR750 and Steve Morehead on the Indian FTR 750. The Harley vs. Indian battle has been going strong for years at the track and it was quite an amazing spectacle to witness these seasoned race veterans battle it out once again.

You can see in their faces that racing is something that just simply lives in your blood, and that rush of adrenaline never really goes away even after all these years.

After the showdown at sundown, the battle of the tank shifters began and the Japanese and British twins battled it out shortly after under cover of night. One thing is for certain - if you appreciate vintage motorcycles of any era then you will want to witness them out at the Fulton County Fairgrounds yourself next year shredding the dirt on this amazing track. Old Bike Barn couldn't be happier supporting such an incredible event. Thank you to the fine folks over at Roeder Racing for organizing such a fun event and having us involved. We will see ya next year!

-Team OBB

Story & Photos by: Mike Vandegriff