The Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame is delighted to announce that the 2023 Induction Banquet and Reunion event in Toronto on November 4 will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Quebec’s Can-Am brand.
“The contribution that Can-Am has made to both the Canadian motorcycle industry and the careers of many of Canada’s top racers cannot be overstated,” explains Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame event co-ordinator Vada Seeds.
Can-Am set the motorcycle world on fire in 1973 with the release of the innovative Canadian-designed MX and TNT models. The Quebec-based company quickly followed up with an unprecedented run of land speed records, American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) National titles and Federation Interntionale de Motorcyclisme (FIM) International Six Day Trials (ISDE) Gold Medals.
Can-Am motorcycles also dominated Canadian motocross – no other brand of motorcycle has achieved such an incredible record of success in its premier years. Can-Am also produced successful Rotax-powered 250cc Grand prix road race machines.
Championship winning road racer and Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame member Jim Allen (class of 2015) served as a development rider at the famed Valcourt, QC Research and Development facility in the 1970s, working on a ground-breaking liquid-cooled 500cc Can-Am two-stroke race and street offering.
Can-Am is now moving into the exciting world of electric motorcycles, with new frontiers and potential areas for further success await for the brand synonymous with Canadian motorcycle history.
This year’s 16th Induction Banquet and Reunion will take place Saturday, November 4 at the Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale. During the evening’s awards presentation, Can-Am will receive the Bar and Hedy Hodgson Award. The Hodgson’s are the founders of the Hall of Fame.
The Bar and Hedy Hodgson Award was announced at the 2007 Banquet, with the purpose of encouraging of our Canadian motorcycle heritage by honoring a person, group or organization that makes a significant contribution to the preservation of that heritage. This Award is presented annually by the Board of the Hall of Fame at the Induction Banquet and Reunion.
For more information, follow the hall of Fame on Facebook and on their web site at canmoto.ca; tickets for the November 4 Ceremony will be available shortly.
From a press release