Fred Merkel

Fred Merkel is an American former professional motorcycle road racer, born on 28 September 1962 in Stockton, California, and a two-time Superbike World Champion. In 1984 he teamed with Mike Baldwin to win the Suzuka 8 Hours, and he is a three-time AMA Superbike Champion, winning in 1984 and 1985 on the VF750 and in 1986 on the VFR750F. When the Superbike World Championship began in 1988 he entered on the RC30 and won the title ahead of Fabrizio Pirovano and Davide Tardozzi, then defended it in 1989. He retired at the end of the 1995 season after an accident at Firebird International Raceway and moved to a ranch in New Zealand. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2018.