U.S. World Trophy Team Named 2016 AMA Motorcyclists of the Year

The American Motorcyclist Association has announced its 2016 AMA Motorcyclists of the Year are U.S. World Trophy Team members Taylor Robert, Kailub Russell, Thad DuVall and Layne Michael. On Oct. 16, 2016, they accomplished something that no team of American motorcyclists had done before: They won the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme’s International Six Days Enduro.

“This shared achievement of Taylor, Kailub, Thad and Layne is historic,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “Generations of AMA members have chased the ISDE World Trophy, and these four riders have finally caught it for all of us.”

The AMA Motorcyclist — or Motorcyclists — of the Year is the individual or group of individuals who have had the largest positive impact on motorcycling in the calendar year. Since 1913, the ISDE has invited the countries of the world to send their best racers. It is a crown that has always eluded American racers. Until now.

“This triumph is unprecedented, and it is my honor to recognize these riders as the 2016 AMA Motorcyclists of the Year,” Dingman said.

The 2016 ISDE was Oct. 11-16 in Navarra, Spain. The U.S. World Trophy Team started strong, powering to a 26.02-second gap on the first day. The team added to its lead on the second and third days, slipped a bit on Day 4, then held fairly steady on Days 5 and 6, finishing 3 minutes, 38.66 seconds ahead of the second-place Great Britain team.

In addition, Taylor Robert won the individual overall at the event, only the second time in history an American has accomplished that goal.

The U.S. World Trophy riders led a strong U.S. effort that saw the Junior team finish second in its division, the Women’s team come in fourth, club teams finish second and third, and American Fred Hoess win the FIM Vintage Trophy.

“For decades, American teams have struggled to win at the ISDE, but in 2016, all those efforts paid off,” Dingman said. “While Taylor, Kailub, Thad and Layne would surely be the first to give credit to lessons learned in previous years, they are the riders who hoisted the ISDE World Trophy for the first time in history.”

The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame recently named Marilyn Stemp and Steve Piehl to its board of directors.

Stemp is a pioneering figure in the motorcycle industry, founding IronWorks Magazine with her late husband, Dennis, and becoming the first female editor of a nationally circulated, mainstream motorcycle magazine. She also revived their trade magazine, Iron Trader News; edits the monthly Kiwi Indian News; contributes to several powersports media outlets; and is the founding editor of Sturgis Rider Daily. Stemp is a noted editor and writer of several motorcycle-focused books. Her consistent support for charitable efforts in the industry include the annual Biker Belles Celebration, Las Vegas BikeFest and as campaign chair for the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum’s development plan in 2014. She co-founded the Flying Piston charity events taking place in Daytona and Sturgis each year and is a National Ambassador for All Kids Bike. Stemp was inducted into both the Las Vegas Motorcycle Hall of Fame and the Sturgis Museum's Hall of Fame in 2018, and in 2022 she was recognized as one of the Top 100 Women in Powersports by DealerNews.