Staffer keeps love of motorcycle racing on ice

While boys his age were honing their skating skills, Bruce Durfy pursued another avocation.

“Motorcycles have always been a part of my life. I got my first one in seventh or eighth grade, and I’ve been hooked ever since,” says Durfy, a technologist in the Department of Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering.

“While my friends were learning to skate, I was out there riding motorcycles on the ice. It’s always been a part of what I love to do with my winters.”

That dedication to the sport saw him triumph in the American Motorcyclist Association Grand National Championship for Oval Track Ice Racing, Feb. 1 on Leisure Lake in Sumner. Mich.

The event draws motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the mid-west. The track, a flat, oval-shaped course carved into the ice, is a unique challenge for competitors who race motorcycles outfitted with studded tires for traction.

“We have everything from 4- to 5-year-olds riding small bikes to the vintage motorcycle class, which I race in,” Durfy says. “These bikes are older models, and there are no age limits — anyone can ride them.”

Unseasonably warm winters had the championship, usually held annually, in abeyance for the last two years.

“You need at least eight inches of solid ice to race safely, and this year has been the best ice we’ve had in the region for a long time,” says Durfy.

He began his serious racing career in 2014 with friends from London and Komoka and has built a strong passion for both ice racing and flat track racing. He even has a chance to employ his technical skills.

“I build my own bikes, and I race them both in the winter on the ice and in the summer on flat oval tracks, usually at old horse tracks,” Durfy says. “It’s the same motorcycle, just with different tires and suspension for each season.”

Now established as one of the top riders in his class, he is determined to keep racing as long as possible and looks forward to a busy season ahead.