History
The winningest Professional Drag Racer in AMA Prostar Drag Racing history and a national champion eight-times over, Rickey Gadson has taken the sport of motorcycle drag racing to new heights. Gadson found his love for motorcycles at nine years old when his dad put him on his first Kawasaki street bike and by age 13 he was racing on the drag strip.
Gadson became the sport’s first full-time factory-sponsored rider in 1998 when he signed with the Kawasaki. Since then, this world-renowned champion has seized numerous race wins, competing in classes from 600 SuperSport to Pro Superbike to Streetbike Shootout. Just as impressive, Gadson holds two 1/8 mile national records in Streetbike Shootout: 5.146 ET and 152.31 mph. He was also the first African-American to compete on South African soil.
Gadson’s love for drag racing extends well beyond the track. The champ made his movie debut in 2003 as a stuntman for the hit film “Biker Boyz” and also provided on-set consultation for scenes in the movie. This year, Gadson will re-open the Rickey Gadson Motorcycle Drag Racing School where he teaches enthusiast of all levels to become better riders. Gadson also owns and operates Rickey Gadson Motorcycle Zone, a retail motorcycle store located in Magnolia, N.J.
2006 - Won the Super Street class at the season’s opener of the AMA ProStar Drag Racing Series at Valdosta, Ga., marking it the first win for the new Ninja ZX™-14 debut performance.
2005 - Won championship number 8 by dominating the hotly contested 1000SuperSport class winning 5 out of 8 races on the tour. - Rickey was called to appear on the Discovery Channel's " American Choppers" as the requested rider for the new NAPA dragbike built by Orange County Choppers
2004 - Finished out the year # 2 with two wins in the Streetbike Shootout class.
2003 - Streetbike Shootout National Champion Rickey finished the season with 6 wins out of 8 races. - Gadson was proclaimed the winningest professional drag racer in AMA Prostar history when he finished off the season with an unprecedented 11 straight wins over 2 seasons.
2002 - Gadson captured four race wins over the season to finish runner-up in the Streetbike Shootout. - Called to Hollywood to start filming the movie "Biker Boyz"
2001 - Gadson wrapped up the season finishing third in the Streetbike Shootout class. This was the first Kawasaki Shootout bike to run a 7-second ET. He also finished second in the Pro Superbike competition and rode the first 750 Superbike to a 7-second ET.
2000 - Gadson captured four wins in Pro Superbike to finish second overall. He also had three wins in the 600cc SuperSport class.
1999 - Gadson finished the season with the #3 national ranking in the 600cc SuperSport competition.
1998 - Gadson became the sports first full-time factory sponsored drag racer.
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