Mechanic, tuner, crew chief, owner

Werner is the winningest tuner in AMA Grand National history, with 130 wins and 13 championships. The Milwaukee native began working for Harley-Davidson in 1966 after answering a newspaper ad for a racing mechanic. During that time, he prepared bikes that carried Jay Springsteen, Gary Scott, and Scott Parker to 13 AMA Grand National titles. When Harley had a downturn in the 1980s, Werner was for a time the racing department’s sole employee. Late in the decade, up-and-comer Scott Parker wanted Werner as his mechanic. Together they made an unprecedented run in Grand Nationals from 1988-98, winning a record nine titles. Werner won the inaugural AMA Pro Racing Award of Mechanical Excellence in 1996 and was named AMA Mechanic of the Year 13 times. He retired from H-D in 2004 and later competed in AMA Pro Flat Track with old friend Springsteen. He was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2000 and named an AMA Hall of Fame Legend in 2017.