Hagerstown

Monaco it's not . . .

Wanna ride bikes?  Sure, says J.D.

Wish I could, says Coolbeth

Jake Johnson

Jake chased . . .

. . . but there was no catching Jared Mees

Daytona

For motorcycle racing fans in the U.S. March means Daytona, and the beginning of the new racing season.   For the first time I experienced it first-hand rather than on the telly or page.  It was pretty much as I had expected it to be--for better and worse--but there still is no substitute for the smell of race fuel and howl of racing engines at full rip.  What follows are a few samples from my Bike Week.

Apparently for some Bike Week means something other than racing on the high banks.  The diversity of humankind never ceases to surprise.

The following three days brought familiar actors, even if the stage was new to this noob.

Until next year . . .

Sideburn #7

Issue #7 of Sideburn Magazine, the world's best go fast, turn left magazine, begins shipping to lucky readers next week.  Be one of them!  That's a Tim White Original Photo on the cover--my third! 

Wednesday Wallpaper: Mille Mile

Wednesday Wallpaper, Part Deux.  'Tis the season for giving, so here's another big'n.  Hank Wiles, again, on the Aprilia flat tracker at the Indy Mile.  Click and make big.

Wednesday Wallpaper: Henry Wiles & Aprilia

Continuing the flat-track trend for another week, here is a shot of Hammerin' Hank Wiles on the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Aprilia from 2008.  The location is Hagerstown, the session qualifying, the late afternoon light golden, and the Italian v-twin sound reverberating off the concrete wall and up and around the clay bowl electrifying.  Click and make big.

   

Wednesday Wallpaper: Lima

Lima is in Ohio.  Ohio is in America.  America is home to flat-track racing.  For this I am thankful.

This photo first appeared in the pages of Sideburn Magazine, issue #5, for which I am also thankful.  Click and make big.

Wednesday Wallpaper: Joe Kopp

This week's wallpaper features 2000 AMA Grand National Champion Joe Kopp.  In 2010 Kopp won three times, twice on the venerable Harley-Davidon XR750 and once on the Lloyd Brothers Ducati Hypermotard 1100 to open the Twins season at the Yavapai Downs Mile in Prescott, Arizona.  At the end of the season he announced he'd be retiring from full-time competition.

My photo is from the Indy Mile in 2008.  Click and make big.

Jake Johnson. Grand National Champion.

Congratulations to Jake Johnson (#5), winner of the 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship.  Next year it'll be his #1 plate everyone is chasing.

 

Chris Carr. Indy Mile.

5 days 'til the GP, but only 4 'til the GNC. Indy Mile.

"Haggerstown"

One of the "best" parts of visiting Hagerstown Speedway is watching the track prep goobers circulate in their surprisingly stable fleet of jalopies.

Fortunately the weather this year was good and we didn't see quite as much of them as last year, when a Goober-v-AMA Official vehicular manslaughter event was only narrowly avoided.

One can only enjoy broadsliding water trucks for so long however, before it's time to walk the padddock.  Refreshingly, although some have a larger footprint than others, professional flat track racing still only requires a cargo van and an E-Z UP canopy.

An XR-750 footrest helps too, naturally.

The trucks and paddock set-ups might be modest but they support some hardcore racers and eventually it's time to head out on track.  Which means it's time for one of the truly best things about flat track racing:  the golden light of dusk.  Despite the clouds and schedule delays conspiring to block the sun at the precise moments it was trying to show off the most--it really was uncanny!--I managed to get a few decent frames.

  

If dusk is for photogs, nighttime is for flat track racing.

Congrats to Joe Kopp.  Winner.

On the way out the door . . .

. . . bound for Hagerstown

Luke Gough

Just because.  Photo from Springfield Mile, this year.

Done and (very) dusted: Barbara Fritchie Classic, 2010 Ed.

Congratulations to Washington's Sam Halbert, winner of the 450 single and 750 twins main events. 

88th Annual Barbara Fritchie Classic

AMA National Hot Shoe Series
Frederick County Fairgrounds, Frederick, MD
Sunday, 4 July 2010

Be there.  2009 Grand National Twins Champion Jared Mees will be.

Springfield: The Mile

Practice was just underway and already Joe Kopp and Sammy Halbert were resuming their Arizona Mile tussle

Kopp's wasn't the only Lloyd Bros. Ducati in action.  Larry Pegram on the #99

Last Chance Qualifier, GNC Twins

The Pro Singles main event was fairly competitive . . .

. . . as were portions of the Twins main event (A.J. Eslick leads his group)

But Jake Johnson was in a race of his own at the front, and took his second Springfield Mile win