Craig Vetter Fuel Economy Challenge returns

Are you headed south to AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days in Lexington, Ohio, July 19-21? If so, there’s a contest you should consider.

No, we’re not talking about vintage racing, or burnouts, or wheelies. We’re talking about the Craig Vetter Fuel Economy Challenge.

While Vetter is best-known for the Windjammer fairings and baggage his company built for touring bikes in the 1970s, he’s been more interested in fuel economy lately, possibly since streamlining a bike by adding bodywork also betters fuel economy.

For a few years, he’s been running this contest to get better fuel mileage, and it’s come a long way. The first contestants’ numbers weren’t shocking, but last year’s winner averaged 146.3 mpg in Vetter’s contest.

In this year’s challenge, competitors ride their motorcycles  from the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in Pickerington, Ohio, for a stop of about two hours, then return home.

They’ve got to make the trip (80-90 miles each way) between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and have to carry a reasonable load on their bike (about four bags of groceries).

Awards will be available for the overall winner, the best electric bike, the best alternative fuel challenger and the best traditional fuel challenger. Details, including further descriptions of each category and how costs per mile are measured, are available at www.craigvetter.com.

So, it’s not a display of horsepower like many of the other events at these vintage festivals, but it sounds like a lot of fun with real-world usefulness.