"Phil Schilling was many things in motorcycling, but above all he was a pillar of journalistic integrity and an industry pioneer in editorial innovation," said Jeffrey V. Heininger, chairman of the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation. "We're honored to welcome him as the first member of the 2011 class of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame."
Schilling, who led the editorial department of Cycle magazine for nearly 20 years, entered a Ducati in the Daytona 200 back in 1977, and gave Ducati its first AMA Superbike win in the United States.
"To this day, Phil remains motor journalism's finest editor, and its finest writer," stated Hall of Famer Cook Neilson. "I've known him now for more than 40 years. He's been my best friend through all of it. I know he's honored to join the Hall of Fame. All those whose lives Phil has touched -- riders, racers, writers, readers -- should feel honored too."
"My reaction to my induction is one of amazement," Schilling said. "I never thought I would be considered for this type of honor. I feel like there are a lot of other people who are more deserving. While the Neilson and Schilling era of Cycle magazine is something I'm really proud of, I'm also very proud of the people we worked with and who became the next generation of Cycle magazine editors and continued to improve the publication."
The rest of the 2011 inductees will be announced in random order over the next few weeks.
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