By Mike Pickford
Sturgis, South Dakota — September 26, 2016 — A pair of custom builders with a long history of using and promoting PPG refinish products were recently honoured for their respective achievements in the world of customized motorcycles and cars.
Having spent the last 40 years developing his skills and honing his craft, Jerry Covington has built a reputation as one of the world’s most talented and innovative custom motorcycle builders. Covington was recognized for all of those years of service late last month after he was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
Working out of his Covington’s Customs shop in Woodward, Oklahoma, Covington has crafted a multitude of top-of-the-range, one-of-a-kind custom motorcycles over the years, while a large number of his builds have been featured on television shows and in a wide variety of industry-related magazines. Speaking to media following his Hall of Fame induction, Covington said he was humbled to have been recognized on such a big stage.
“The big deal about (this) particular hall of fame is that they only do a few people (every) year,” Covington said. “It’s great to be recognized for what you’ve done and what you put into your industry for all the years that you’ve been doing it. It’s particularly great being recognized in such a positive way.”
Alongside one of his most trusted painters Bruce Mullins, Covington uses PPG products such as Deltron, Global Refinish System and Vibrance Collection to turn out motorcycles and cars with award-winning finishes. Capping off the excellent Hall of Fame weekend, one of Covington’s bikes won seven major awards at a variety of prestigious competitions, including Best Use of Paint at the Perewitz Custom Show and Best in Show at the Baddest Bagger Show.
And Covington wasn’t the only PPG product devotee to be lauded for his work over the summer as Dermie Close and his custom 1948 Chevrolet Pickup placed first overall in the Summit Racing Show-n-Shine competition’s Grand Champion award at the 30th-annual Hot August Nights event in Reno, Nevada.
The incredible old-school pick up, which Close aptly named “Dream Truck,” was a 20-year personal project that Close worked on in his spare time at his home garage in Henderson, Nevada. He took care of all the body and mechanical work himself but drafted in painter Joseph Torres to assist with the painting. It was a wise choice as the pair combined to use a number of PPG Global Refinish System products to give the truck its glossy Desert Sage paint job.
Following his incredible finish, Close took to social media to proclaim his disbelief at winning the prestigious event.
“I couldn’t believe I won,” Close said.
Having spent the best part of two decades tending to and caring for the vehicle leading up to the final build and immaculate finish, it’s easy to see how the 1948 Chevy Pickup rose to the top.
