Fred Merkel

Fred Merkel is an American former professional motorcycle road racer and two-time Superbike World Champion.

Motorcycle racing career

In 1984, Merkel teamed with Mike Baldwin to win the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race. He is a three-time AMA Superbike Champion, winning in 1984/5 on the VF750 and 1986 on the VFR750F. He jointly holds the record for the most wins in a season with Mat Mladin.
In, the Superbike World Championship began, with Merkel entered on the RC30. He won the championship from Fabrizio Pirovano and Davide Tardozzi with two wins and three other podiums. He successfully defended the crown in, with 3 wins, 7 other podiums, and 4 poles. He took three more wins en route to sixth overall in, but was less competitive after this.
Merkel retired from racing at the end of the 1995 season after being injured in an accident at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Arizona. Merkel and his family moved to a ranch they owned in New Zealand. He lives there with his wife Carla and son Travis, and as of the summer of 2009 welcomed newborn son Jhett.
Merkel was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2001.
Merkel was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2018.

Year	Class	Bike	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
1989 [Grand Prix motorcycle racing season\|1989]	500cc	Honda	1989 Japanese [motorcycle Grand Prix\|JPN]	AUS	USA	SPA	NAT Ret	GER	AUT	YUG	NED	BEL	FRA Ret	GBR 11	SWE	CZE	BRA	36th	5