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

Duke

I love this photo.  It was taken (and developed) by a newspaper photographer with a new camera to test.  The subject is my paternal grandfather.

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.

Al Wilcox in the Washington Post

Al Wilcox, former factory Harley-Davidson flattracker and Summit Point Raceway fixture and flagman, is featured in today's Washington Post.

Read the story HERE.     

Al holds a photo of himself winning on his factory H-D (photo © Tim White)

Jared Mees takes the checkers from Al at the 2007 Barbar
a Fritchie Classic in Frederick, MD.(photo © Tim White)

Sideburn #5

On the cover of the new issue of the world's best go fast, turn left magazine, Sideburn, is a Tim White original photo of Jake Johnson en route to the Grand National Twins win at the Hagerstown half-mile in July 2009.

From the archives: Lima & Laguna

We've been snowed in here in the D.C. area so I've passed some time going through my '09 archives. I found a few "new" images from the AMA flat track round at Lima, OH, and from the AMA & MotoGP round at Laguna Seca. Some California sunshine would be a welcome find too.

Hagerstown 2009

Another Hagerstown National is in the books. Jake Johnson won the GNC Twins Main event, rain-shortened as it was, over Ken Coolbeth and Sam Halbert. Brad Baker won the Pro Singles Main.


Damn. Next they’ll tell me I can’t run the blender in the bath.



Lloyd Bros. Ducati



Ready to Race



Not ready to race






Unfortunately rain and track-prep delays meant there were no bikes on track during the “golden hour,” the early evening period of low and warm sunlight that usually illuminates practice and qualifying at flat track events. By the time bikes rolled onto the track Saturday evening the sun was gone for the night.


Jake Johnson’s brake works



Brad Baker (17M) leads his heat



Sam Halbert (43) leads Jared Mees (21) in their heat



Sideburn Magazine fans. In the tswphoto blog is as good as in the magazine, right girls? Right?

Last Saturday in June: Lima, Ohio

The Allen County Fairgrounds on the east side of Lima, Ohio, are host to the longest continuously running event on the AMA Pro Flat Track schedule. I know this because the PA announcer said so and I was there to hear it--my first trip to the half-mile cushion.

This guy had been there before, however.



As had this guy, last year's winner, Slammin' Sammy Halbert. Think he's wide open?



Classic high-low, over-under cushion track racing: Nichole Cheza was robbed of a trip to the Main by a flat tire two laps from the end of the Semi.



Many, including me, miss the single-cylinder framers, but the racing doesn't seem to suffer in their absence.



Next up: Laguna!

Waiting

No real news to report. Just waiting for the '09 season to begin . . .