June 12, 2023

By Keaton Maisano

One of the headline events of June is the AMA Flat Track Grand Championship, so it is only right that this month’s Hall of Famer Spotlight is an individual that had great success on the dirt.

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Chris Carr found his groove in the 1990s and early 2000s, winning seven national championships on his way to becoming second on the AMA Grand National all-time wins list. Beyond flat track, Carr set a motorcycle land speed record of 350.884 mph piloting AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Denis Manning’s BUB Enterprises streamliner at the AMA/FIM International Motorcycle Speed Trials on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Born May 6, 1967, in Stockton, Calif., Carr got into motorcycling at an early age by his father, who was an amateur racer.

By age 17, Carr had several Northern California and national amateur championships, and in 1985, the California kid turned professional. A slew of top-10 finishes in Carr’s first year earned him AMA Flat Track Rookie of the Year.

In his second season, Carr earned his first victory in the Peoria TT, starting a dominant run at the event that would result in his nickname as the “Prince of Peoria.”

After many competitive seasons, Carr broke through in 1992 to claim his first AMA Grand National Championship.

In 1995, Carr earned a record seventh AMA 600cc Dirt Track Championship, but the year also brought a shift in focus to road racing.

After a multiple year hiatus from dirt track that netted Carr an AMA Superbike Rookie of the Year honor, Carr returned to the AMA Grand National Championship in 1998.

Coming up just short in his first year back, Carr dethroned his rival and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Scott Parker to claim the ’99 title.

From 2001 through 2005 Carr dominated the sport and won every AMA Grand National Championship over that stretch. Amid his dominance, Carr was named AMA Pro Athlete of the Year in 2003.

Carr was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2004.