This is the first year that Kline and Smeal have earned top honors at the Moto Armory AMA Off-Road Vintage Grand Championship, although both have competed at the event in the past. For 2015, Moto Armory sponsored the off-road competition program at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, which included motocross, hare scrambles and trials.

Kline rode Open A in the vintage hare scramble, 250A and Open A in vintage motocross and Vintage Old School in trials. He said the determining factor this year was having a better trials bike than past years.

“This year we put together a different trials bike that’s more trials-oriented, because that’s normally where my whole event fell apart every year,” Kline said. “We put together an old Bultaco and ended up pulling it off this year.”

Kline assured fans that he will be back to defend the Vintage Grand Championship next year. “I’ll come back every year,” Kline said. “It’s a good time.”

As the AMA Off-Road Vintage Grand Champion, Kline earned the most combined points in eligible vintage motocross, hare scrambles and trials classes during the event.

Smeal became the AMA Off-Road Senior Vintage Grand Champion by earning the most combined points in senior classes in the vintage motocross, hare scrambles and trials disciplines. A six-year competitor at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, this year Smeal competed in the vintage hare scrambles aboard a 250 Penton and a Maico that has been in his family since 1974. He rode the trials on a Yamaha TY250.

“We buy them old, fix them up and get the best guys to work on them,” Smeal said. “That’s why we end up here.”

He says he has never ridden trials in the mud. “That was a challenge,” Smeal said. “That was probably the worst I’ve done, but I enjoyed every minute of it.”

For more information: www.amavintagemotorcycledays.com.