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 The 2009 AMD World Championship
Of Custom Bike Building At Sturgis
Had Record Number Of Entries
Photos by Bart Mitchell
Defying the current economic situation, the competition saw an increase in entries - 83, up from 67 in 2008. With the additional sponsorship by Harley-Davidson of the Modified Harley Class, nearly a third of the entries took advantage of the diverse classes offered. Custom bike builders from all over the world arrived with their entries and it certainly gave spectators plenty to see.
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For the first time since its inception in 2004, an American custom motorcycle engineer won the Official World Championship of Custom Bike Building. The winner, Dave Cook of Cook Custom Choppers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was voted World Champion by his fellow competitors. The 51-year-old is an internationally recognized engineer and creative genius whose passion for design and engineering has seen him become the top winning American in the past two years, having been the fourth and highest placed American competitor behind an international top-three in both 2007 and 2008. With this year’s pool of Freestyle bikes having immense depth as far as design, engineering and creativity, his victory is all the more sweet.
 
Second place was scooped by another American, Kris Krome, of Freeland, Michigan. Third place went to Freddie "Krugger" Bertrand from Belgium who had scored third place twice before in 2004 and 2005. Fourth place went to 2007 World Champion Stellan Egeland from Sweden, with Satya Kraus of Cazedero, California taking fifth.
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The World Championship of Custom Bike Building exists to showcase and promote international custom motorcycle design and engineering quality, craftsmanship and innovation; and to promote the evolution of custom motorcycling in ways that will help secure the unique enjoyment of custom motorcycles for future generations of riders. Also, it is an Official Sponsor of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and is endorsed by the City of Sturgis as the sole official custom bike event of the world famous 69 year-old rally. The competition is guaranteed to draw crowds of spectators and industry professionals alike. The entire competition, including the awards ceremony, is broadcast on the internet at www.amdchampionship.com.
BikerHotline roving reporter Bart Mitchell attended the event and captured some great moments. Browse through his photos and marvel at the feats of design and engineering that were on display this year.
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