MARKHAM, Ont. — The Board of Directors of the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame have honoured pioneering motorcycle racer Jacob De Rosier as a Historical Inductee at the Seventh Annual Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Reunion, which takes place on Nov. 3 at the Delta Centre-Ville in Montreal.
A fierce competitor from the first age of the motorcycle, De Rosier must be considered among the very best in the history of motorcycle racing.
“We are honoured to induct such an important figure to our ranks,” said Hall of Fame Chair Kellee Irwin. “Jacob De Rosier was one of those early competitors who drew the first spectators ever to attend a motorcycle race. The sport we know and love today owes much to the excitement he brought to the track.”
Winning his first race on a bicycle pacing machine in the late 1800s, De Rosier is truly a motorcycle racing pioneer. It is said that in the first decade of the 20th century De Rosier won nearly 900 races, making him one of the very fastest competitors of his era. Having captured every Federation of American Motorcyclist (FAM) speed record by 1911, De Rosier took his skills across the Atlantic to test them at the Isle of Man TT in Great Britain, where he would be the first North American ever to compete in that event.
When De Rosier was on his machine, the crowds came to watch. His career is one that has laid the foundation for the world of motorcycle racing.
Announcements for the remaining motorcycling legends and champions to be officially inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame at this year’s Hall of Fame banquet and ceremony will be made over the weeks leading up to the event. This accomplished group of men and women have achieved excellence in one or more competitive disciplines or made a significant contribution to the well-being, advancement or general positive image of motorcycling in Canada.
The Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Reunion is the annual signature event of the Canadian International Motorcycle Heritage Museum Foundation (CIMHMF), a non-profit association with charitable status. It is governed by an independent board of volunteer directors located from coast to coast and sponsored by the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada (MCC).
Founded by Bar and Hedy Hodgson in 1999, the CIMHMF preserves and promotes Canadian motorcycle history for the benefit of the motorcycling community and public. Since the first induction banquet in Toronto in 2006, almost 100 distinguished motorcyclists have been inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
For more information about the Seventh Annual Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Reunion, contact Daniel H. Tessier at daniel@motorcycling.ca or at 647.920.1334.
For information about past inductees, historic motorcycle collections, event sponsorship, and tax-deductible donations, visit www.motorcyclehalloffame.ca.
— From the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada
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