The
American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation Board of Directors will conduct
a supplemental vote for the inclusion of Derek "Nobby" Clark in this
year’s Hall of Fame induction class.
The decision is in response
to errors that occurred in the 2012 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
balloting process. The supplemental vote does not affect other 2012 Hall
of Fame inductees.
"We believe Mr. Clark is worthy of induction
into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame," said Jeffrey V. Heininger,
chairman of the AMHF. "It’s important to stress that the balloting
errors were not of Mr. Clark’s making, and the entire board offers its
sincere apologies to Mr. Clark."
The AMHF Board moved to put
Clark’s name to a vote that could see him inducted to the Hall of Fame
at this year’s induction ceremony in November.
"The only people
who can elevate Mr. Clark to the Hall of Fame are the voting members,
which include the living Hall of Famers," Heininger said. "A clear vote
in light of all that has happened allows Mr. Clark to enter the Hall
with the honor he deserves. We expect to start contacting voting members
for balloting early next week."
The action follows a recommendation of the AMHF Executive Committee on Monday, July 16, when a report detailing problems with the 2012 Hall of Fame balloting process was discussed.
Also
in response to the errors in the 2012 ballot, Heininger told the AMHF
board that the executive committee would convene a review panel to
evaluate the Hall of Fame selection committees’ structure, along with
procedures to ensure the adherence to, and checks and balances within,
the induction process.
"There were errors made at the staff and
committee levels in the formulation of the 2012 ballot," Heininger said.
"Those errors were rightly investigated, and the process must — and
will be — corrected going forward.
"Recent events show that while
the procedure for selecting Hall of Famers is sound, the implementation
of that procedure leaves too much room for mistakes," Heininger said.
"It is important, for the integrity of the selection process and the
Hall of Fame itself, to make sure our balloting is beyond reproach."
