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

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.

 

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

Springfield: The TT

Friday morning prior to Memorial Day saw Dad and I rolling toward Springfield, IL, a trip of nearly 800 miles.  The carrot was two days of AMA Pro Flat Track racing at the Illinois State Fairgrounds--Saturday on the TT course and Sunday on the legendary Mile oval.

TT festivities kicked off around 3pm and continued well into the evening.

 

Chris Carr engages in a flattracker jedi mind meld with a young 'tracker (note Tim White Original Photo on the cover of the current Sideburn issue under Master Carr)

Fresh off a win at Sears Point on his Suzuki roadracer, Danny Eslick was a last-minute entrant at the TT

Even with strong support, his evening didn't go so well.  He seemed to be having a fine time anyway.

These boots are made for racing

Red Bull MotoGP Rookie champ J.D. Beach took the Pro Singles class win

And Henry Wiles took the GNC Singles main event from Jared Mees

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.

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?