Richard Burleson (born in 1948) is an American former motorcycle enduro racer. He is considered one of the top competitors in AMA history, winning a record eight consecutive Enduro National Championships. [1] His domination of the national enduro series earned him the nickname King Richard. [1] [2] Burleson was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and was named an AMA Legend in 2016. [1] [2]
Born in Johnson City, Tennessee, Burleson began his competitive career riding in motocross events in the late 1960s. [1] He joined the professional ranks in 1970 entering the 1970 Trans-AMA motocross series which featured visiting European riders who dominated the sport at the time. [1] Burleson finished fourth overall and was the highest placed American rider, garnering the title of motocross national champion in the days before the AMA had a dedicated national championship series. [3]
Burleson also began competing in enduro events and found that he enjoyed that form of competition. [1] He would go on to win a record setting eight consecutive enduro national championships as well as earning eight consecutive gold medals representing the United States in the International Six Days Trial. [2] The International Six Days Trial is a form of off-road motorcycle Olympics that is the oldest annual competition sanctioned by the FIM, dating back to 1913. [4] In all, Burleson won 60 AMA National Enduro events during his career. [1]
After retiring from racing in 1982, Burleson remained active in the sport, starting a mail order motorcycle accessory business and helped design a line of off-road riding apparel. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. [1] Burleson was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2023.
Burleson is married to Jill Burleson and they reside in Traverse City, Michigan. They have two children, a son Jon-Erik and daughter Lindsay Kate. Jon-Erik Burleson was president of KTM North America from 2005-2016. [5] [6]
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