Champion: Valentino Rossi

Champion: Hiroshi Aoyama

Champion: Danny Eslick

Champion: Mat Mladin

Back home again, in Indiana . . .

MotoGP @ Indy next week!

The MotoGP World Championship returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next weekend for the 2nd inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP. Last year I went as a general admission spectator; this year I'm fortunate to be working as a credentialed member of the fourth estate. Let's hope the weather is improves in kind.

Some photos from last year:

Every race is a home race for Valentino Rossi





It is a home race for Colin Edwards, and he'll be looking to improve on last year's form



Jorge Lorenzo might just be looking to finish . . .


* * *

MotoGP isn't the only happenin' on the weekend, with the Legendary Indy Mile going off Saturday evening.

Chris Carr is the defending race winner, but Smokin' Joe Kopp (pictured here at Indy last year) is coming off a dominant win on the Beulah Mile.



Stay tuned for updates, and maybe a surprise or two . . .

Just Josh'n: AMA @ VIR

The Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals from Virginia International Raceway are done, and Josh Hayes is a deserving Big Kahuna after winning the pole and taking two dominating Superbike wins on his sweet-sounding Yamaha R1. Please enjoy a few photos from the weekend.

Josh #1: Hayes. Superbike.




Josh #2: Herrin. Sportbike. (8)




Josh #3: Day. Supersport.




Not Josh: Taylor Knapp, 1st-time AMA Pro Racing polesitter






Also not Josh: Danny Eslick and his yellow Buell are fun to watch and photograph.











There was a class called MotoGT too.




Next up: MotoGP @ Indianapolis Motor Speedway and AMA Pro Flat Track from the legendary Indy Mile.

Dirt track gains a fan

Jack and I drove up to Timonium, MD, last evening for some short-track racing. He's witnessed roadracing and drag racing, but this was his first trip to a dirt oval. A proper good time it was for both of us.

Approved



Old's cool



Giddyup



Roosted

Scenes from last year: V.I.R.

AMA Pro Racing visits Virginia International Raceway again this weekend. With the Daytona SportBike championship coming down to the wire and Mat Mladin (presumably?) in a mood to dominate, it promises to be a good racing weekend. I'll kick things off with some photos from last year, starting with a couple things we won't see this year.


Jamie Hacking on a Superbike



Ben Spies on anything



But we will likely see some good racing . . .



. . . and surfboards in south-central Virginia



Can't wait!

WERA National @ Summit Point

While the AMA series was in Kansas experiencing the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of a "new" circuit on their calendar, I was working Round 7 of the WERA National Endurance & Challenge series at the familiar Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia.




My weekend started on Saturday with the 6-Hour endurance race. Based on my informal observations, entrant turnout was low, certainly lower than last year. This is the entire field for the 6-Hour:




It probably won't come as a surprise to anyone that follows WERA National Endurance that Vesrah Suzuki won. Tray Batey and Cory West handled the riding duties.










But it was a close race, with BEI Racing Team (#72) enlisting fast guys Jeff Wood, Robert Jensen, and Tim Bemisderfer to give Vesrah a real run for the overall win. It almost worked; after 6 hours Vesrah's winning margin was 26 seconds. Here Robert Jensen hounds Vesrah's Tray Batey:




Sunday was for sprint races but they didn't figure to be all that quick given the steady rain that fell throughout the morning. As it happened, the rain stopped falling, the skies gradually cleared, and only the first few races were run on a wet track.








AMA @ VIR up next!