The Rider Files

September 10, 2010

Motorcyclist fatalities drop 16 percent in 2009

Filed under: General — admin @ 12:39 am

(News Release)

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — In what can only be considered good news for motorcyclists, federal officials have reported that motorcycling deaths on the nation’s roads dropped by 16 percent in 2009 compared to the previous year, according to the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA).

“The death of any motorcyclist is one too many, so this news that fatalities are down is encouraging,” said Ed Moreland, AMA senior vice president for government relations. “While we are pleased that the number of motorcycling fatalities dropped dramatically in 2009, a one-year drop isn’t a trend. We need to determine why, and ensure that the decline continues.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported on Sept. 9 that motorcycling fatalities in 2009 decreased for the first time in more than a decade — dropping to 4,462 in 2009 from 5,312 in 2008. (Click here to read the press release from NHTSA.)

Federal officials said traffic deaths involving all vehicles nationwide fell 9.7 percent in 2009 — from 37,423 in 2008 to 33,808. The figure is the lowest since 1950. Traffic safety officials said that the decrease may be due to increased seat belt use, tougher enforcement of drunk driving laws and improved vehicle safety features.

According to NHTSA figures, motorcycling fatalities have decreased in the past — from 1980 to 1997 — but then fatalities increased steadily for 11 years. 2,294 motorcyclists were killed in 1998, and the number of fatalities rose each subsequent year, reaching 5,312 in 2008.

Moreland cautioned that there will be speculation about why motorcycling fatalities are down so significantly in 2009, and noted that there aren’t any solid answers.

“The motorcycling community looks forward to receiving some real answers about motorcycle crashes and what causes them from the new federal crash causation study that is under way at Oklahoma State University (OSU) through the Oklahoma Transportation Center in Stillwater,” Moreland said. “Then we can put our heads together to find solutions, reduce crashes and save more lives.”

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is overseeing the just-begun, four-year, $3 million OSU study, which is the first major research on the subject in 30 years.

The last major study into the causes of motorcycle crashes was issued in January 1981. Called “Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures Volume I: Technical Report,” the study became known as the “Hurt Report,” named after lead researcher Hugh “Harry” Hurt of the University of Southern California. Hurt was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2007 for his pioneering work.

That study provided a wealth of data that has been used by organizations and individual motorcyclists to help keep riders safer on the road. But the traffic environment has changed enormously in the decades since, prompting the AMA to begin campaigning for a new study several years ago.

September 8, 2010

FLUIDYNE POWERSPORTS RADIATOR-EQUIPPED BRYAN SMITH WINS SECOND STRAIGHT

Filed under: Flat Track, General — admin @ 9:12 am

(News Release)

Bryan Smith leads the pack at the Springfield Mile.

Bryan Smith leads the pack at the Springfield Mile.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (September 8, 2010) — For the second-straight week, FLUIDYNE® Powersports’ custom radiator helped propel Bryan Smith and his Ninja 650-based flattracker to victory in an AMA Grand National Twins Mile event, this time in Springfield, Illinois.

“I’ve never won back-to-back nationals, so this is a dream come true for me,” said Smith of his fourth-ever Mile win. The 27-year-old former Harley-Davidson factory rider and AMA 883 champion from Flushing, Mich., is a Mile specialist: “I’m always better on the bigger, faster tracks. And how our bike makes power on the big tracks is a major advantage. Springfield is a really fast, groove track with huge corners. We go almost as fast through them as we do on the straights. We’ve got another Mile this weekend that suits my style even more. It would be awesome to keep the streak alive.”

“Fluidyne Powersports is one of the main components of our program because this racebike is only as good as its Fluidyne radiator,” said Bill Werner, co-owner and tuner of the Monster Energy- and Kawasaki-sponsored team. With the experience of more than 130 wins and 13 championships, Werner is Smith’s ace in the hole. The wily wrench wouldn’t give away his motor’s exact horsepower figure, but did divulge that the Ninja’s vertical Twin makes less torque than its V-Twin competitors, which reduces tire wear. And, as the AMA Hall of Famer says, “In this case, less is more.

In addition to keeping their cool, FLUIDYNE® radiators are also built more rugged to fend off damage. Constructed from aircraft-quality aluminum, structural highlights include thicker materials throughout, a CNC-machined billet filler neck, beaded hose connections for leak-proof sealing and a stainless-steel radiator caps. These components are held together with substantial TIG welds to withstand extreme conditions and produce a crash survival rate far exceeding the OEM parts.

Bill Werner, Bryan Smith and Jay Springsteen (L to R) celebrate their team's Springfield Mile win.

Bill Werner, Bryan Smith and Jay Springsteen (L to R) celebrate their team's Springfield Mile win.

Not only do FLUIDYNE® radiators out-cool and outlast the stock units, they’re much less expensive, come with a one-year warranty and install easily, utilizing the factory mounts and hardware.

Multi-time winners in the SCORE and Best in the Desert series, including the grueling Baja 1000 and 1000-mile Vegas-to-Reno race, FLUIDYNE® Powersports radiators have been proven around the world. Developed and manufactured in the United States, they are built upon 50 years of experience in vehicular fluid dynamics.

Available for nearly 100 motorcycles, ATVs and side-by-side vehicles, FLUIDYNE® Powersports radiators are also available for custom applications such as this race-winning dirt tracker. Distributed by Parts Unlimited, Tucker-Rocky, WPS, KK Motorcycle Supply, MTA, Southern Motorcycle Supply, CV-4 and IMS Products- FLUIDYNE® Powersports radiators are readily available through thousands of dealers nationwide.

When the heat is on, FLUIDYNE® Powersports radiators keep things cool.For more information, log on to FluidynePowersports.com.

September 3, 2010

I want to be Tino!

Filed under: General, Road Racing — admin @ 3:35 pm
Tino accepts applause as he takes the stage with a group of his TNT graduates

Tino accepts applause as he takes the stage with a group of his TNT graduates

Many racers or racing enthusiasts would love to trade places with Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo or Ben Spies. Forget those guys, if I had to name one rider in all of motorcycle racing who I’d want to be, there’s no question, 100 percent, no bout a doubt it, it would most definitely be Robertino Pietri.

You see the Moto2 World Championship racer from Venezuela has developed the most incredible training program, I believe, in the history of physical fitness. When Robertino releases his training DVD it’s going to blow away Billy Blanks Tae Bo, P90X or even Richard Simmons Sweatin’ to the Oldies.

His training DVD is still in production, but you’ll love the working title: “TNT – Tino’s Nighttime Training”

The promo for the DVD opens with a tight shot on Robertino’s handsome mug, flickering candlelight, his head lying on a soft pillow. Tino gives us his million dollar smile and perfectly nails the tag line in his subtle Spanish accent.

“If your body is not becoming to you, you should be coming to me.”

Keeping hydrated is a big part of Tino's training regimen.

Keeping hydrated is a big part of Tino's training regimen.

The camera pans back to reveal two lovely ladies lying next to Tino, their heads nestled up to his chiseled bare chest, their hands rubbing his washboard abs, as they say in unison, “Tino! We never dreamed we could get in such great shape and have so much fun doing it.”

You’ve got to hand it to Robertino. A third generation racer, who worked his way from the Venezuelan domestic series, up through the AMA and is now racing Grand Prix, all this while helping hundreds on young ladies get the smooth, flat tummy and nice firm bum they’ve been trying to get for years.

I’m sure Olympian Dominique Dawes is a wonderful representative for The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, but after hearing of Robertino’s selfless sharing of his training techniques I can’t help but think the President could use someone like Robertino. A man with laser like focus and dedication to fitness, who wants to share it with the world.

When Tino read that many girls gain a few pounds in college, he knew what he had to do and rented an apartment right across the street from the University of Miami. When I asked him why he didn’t live on the beach Robertino replied that he could reach more coeds by living next to the campus.

Remember Tino's motto: "If your body is not becoming to you, you should be coming to me."

Remember Tino's motto: "If your body is not becoming to you, you should be coming to me."

The man is a saint I tell ya.

Why just recently Robertino was flying to a test session when an evening flight was canceled. Instead of sulking and worrying about being tired for the next day’s test, Tino found two weary flight attendants who were looking for a way to increase their stamina on long flights. Robertino bravely put testing thoughts aside for the moment and invited both attendants to his hotel suite to practice the wonderful TNT training techniques Tino has developed over years of study. Tino graciously helped both young ladies reach their peak of fitness.

Not everyone is accepted into Tino's program. Here an applicant receives the bad news.

Not everyone is accepted into Tino's program. Here an applicant receives the bad news.

Sure Robertino was a little tired during his test session the next day, but he had inner piece knowing that at least two more airline employees would fly the friendly skies from that day forward totally rejuvenated by Tino’s training.

In Indianapolis last week for the GP Robertino was again racing his heart out, but it was just like him working overtime with some sweet Hoosier girls, helping them develop a stronger core and shedding those stubborn last five pounds. The girls were forgetting they’re even exercising and having nothing but fun along the way.

Tino is still trying to get the TNT Training infomercial past network censors, but hopefully we’ll see Tino’s Nighttime Training DVD in stores soon.

September 2, 2010

FLUIDYNE POWERSPORTS CONGRATULATES BRYAN SMITH ON HIS HISTORIC INDY MILE WIN

Filed under: Flat Track, General — admin @ 3:38 pm

(News Release)

Victory lap at the Indy Mile.

Victory lap at the Indy Mile.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (September 2, 2010) – FLUIDYNE® Powersports is proud to have kept Bryan Smith’s Ninja 650-based flattracker running cool and consistent as he powered to an historic victory at the Indy Mile, Kawasaki’s first win in the premier AMA Grand National Twins class.

“If I can’t ride flat-out, the race is over,” said Smith, 27, a former Harley factory rider who has earned two other Mile victories, as well as an AMA 883 championship, Rookie of the Year honors and the Horizon Award in his young career. “I was wide-open around the Indy Mile for 25 laps and the bike never got over 200 degrees,” he continued. “Most of the bikes we compete against are air-cooled, so they lose power during the race. Cooled properly with a Fluidyne radiator, ours had the same power throughout each lap.”

Bill Werner, co-owner and tuner of the Monster Energy- and Kawasaki-sponsored team, is an AMA Hall of Famer who has wrenched to more than 130 wins and 13 championships. “Bless his soul, he can race his little heart out,” Werner said of his star rider. “A water-cooled motorcycle is only as good as its radiator. Bryan kept his cool and so did the Kawasaki, due to our Fluidyne Powersports radiator. Nobody’s laughing now. We’ve got a great setup now and I have high expectations for the rest of the year.”

On the Indy Mile podium.

On the Indy Mile podium.

In addition to keeping their cool, FLUIDYNE® radiators are also built more rugged to fend off damage. Constructed from aircraft-quality aluminum, structural highlights include thicker materials throughout, a CNC-machined billet filler neck, beaded hose connections for leak-proof sealing and a stainless-steel radiator caps. These components are held together with substantial TIG welds to withstand extreme conditions and produce a crash survival rate far exceeding the OEM parts.

Not only do FLUIDYNE® radiators out-cool and outlast the stock units, they’re much less expensive, come with a one-year warranty and install easily, utilizing the factory mounts and hardware.

Multi-time winners in the SCORE and Best in the Desert series, including the grueling Baja 1000 and 1000-mile Vegas-to-Reno race, FLUIDYNE® Powersports radiators have been proven around the world. Developed and manufactured in the United States, they are built upon 50 years of experience in vehicular fluid dynamics.

Available for nearly 100 motorcycles, ATVs and side-by-side vehicles, FLUIDYNE® Powersports radiators are also available for custom applications such as this race-winning dirt tracker. Distributed by Parts Unlimited, Tucker-Rocky, WPS, KK Motorcycle Supply, MTA, Southern Motorcycle Supply, CV-4 and IMS Products- FLUIDYNE® Powersports radiators are readily available through thousands of dealers nationwide.

When the heat is on, FLUIDYNE® Powersports radiators keep things cool.For more information, log on to FluidynePowersports.com.

Cycle News: Perhaps not a death, but an opportunity

Filed under: Flat Track, General, Motocross-Supercross, Road Racing, Supermoto — admin @ 12:01 am
Cycle News is gone for now. Let's hope it can be revived somehow.

Cycle News is gone for now. Let's hope it can be revived somehow.

I’ll never forget the first day I saw it. It was at England Cycle on West 10th Street in Indianapolis. I had been riding my Honda CL100 up and down the trails along the railroad tracks on the Westside of Indianapolis getting roosted by the occasional Husky being tested after service from the dealership. I was probably 13 or 14 when I walked into the showroom and milled around looking at the Husqvarnas, Moto Guzzis and Yamahas. I ventured up to the parts counter and there it was… Cycle News.

I picked up a copy and started leafing through it and my eyes opened wide. Yes there was the occasional race coverage in the glossies in the mid-1970s, but here was cover-to-cover racing and the races just happened the week before! I was hooked. I dug deep in my jeans and fished out 50 cents and bought the issue. I rolled it up, tucked it in my pants and rode home to read it.

I don’t remember the specific race coverage of the very first issue of Cycle News I ever bought, but I recall a story about a Hare Scrambles race down at Stoney Lonesome in Southern Indiana and I recognized some of the names of local riders. If I recall there was an interview with a national rider and I became a fan of rider profiles, something I most enjoy to this day.

As a kid I didn’t have the bucks to subscribe to Cycle News (it was Cycle News East to be specific), but when I had an extra 50 cents I rode down to England Cycle and picked up an issue. It was the start of a love affair that lasted nearly 40 years.

That love affair just might have ended yesterday when Cycle News closed its doors after nearly a half century of being America’s motorcycle racing’s publication of record.

In the early 1980s – my very brief WERA road racing career ran into a little problemo called lack of funding. I really enjoyed road racing, the people involved, many of which were friends, so I thought maybe I could cover the races for Cycle News. Associate Editor Gary Van Voorhis gave me my first chance at covering a race and I’ll never forget the thrill when I picked up that issue with my first byline.

In nearly 30 years of contributing to Cycle News I guesstimate I’ve written over 600 articles, including everything you could imagine from race coverage, rider profiles, product and book reviews, obituaries and most recently I filed the Archives column for over four years.

So many of the journalist and photographers in motorcycling worked for Cycle News at one point or another. When I started there were still two editions, Cycle News West and East. I worked for editors Jack Mangus, Gary Van Voorhis, John Ulrich and Paul Carruthers. I only ever visited the classic old office on Signal Hill in Long Beach once or twice and never saw their newer office.

I, like everyone else involved with the publication, have ideas how they could have changed things to survive, but the bottom line is that Cycle News was a very successful and profitable publication that had a number of small things gradually mount up to catch it out when the Recession hit.

Times were so good in the 1990s and early 2000s that CN Publishing expanded and bought new offices with dreams of becoming a publishing giant. They bought the offices at the height of the real estate boom, so there was no opportunity to survive the downturn by borrowing on its property. When the factories largely dropped out of racing it affected Cycle News, a racing publication, more than other motorcycle books because of the drastic drop in win ads. Also Cycle News used to have the industry’s best classified ads. Free online classifieds wiped that out. Management also seemed slow and or reluctant to change the way it did business in the rapidly changing media landscape.

Perhaps more than anything time passed Cycle News by. How often have you heard someone say, Cycle News used to be the first place to find out what happened at the races? Well don’t look now, but that hasn’t been the case for better than 15 years.

Cycle News is not alone in the industry as a victim of the Great Recession. Buell most notably bit the dust, although maybe not permanently. And that’s my hope for Cycle News. I hope that somehow, someone can pick up the publication from the ashes and revive it. The industry needs a book like Cycle News and I’m certain it will be supported; maybe just not at the level the current publication is accustomed to.

I talked to one longtime publishing insider who said that Cycle News’ demise presents a tremendous opportunity for someone out there. The concept is still viable if a party can come in and run it more efficiently and creatively.

Let’s hope that a knight in shining armor is thinking about this and decides to come in to save the day for all of us.

September 1, 2010

Indy Hangover

Filed under: Flat Track, General, Road Racing — admin @ 12:50 am

I’m still reeling from the events of this past weekend. So much happened in such rapid fire that I can truly say this is one of the most eventful, emotional and exhausting weekends I’ve experienced in motorcycle racing.

The range of emotions I experienced this weekend were quiet amazing and somewhat unexpected. I love motorcycle racing, it’s my passion and profession, but I normally can view events with a degree of detachment. For whatever reason I could not separate myself from the gut wrenching events of Indianapolis.

The Transience of Life
Photographer Andrea Wilson and I hammered east across 38th Street from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the Indiana State Fairgrounds, coming off a high of Ben Spies winning his first MotoGP pole. A quick drive-through bite at Mickey D’s and we’d just gotten settled in for a great evening of racing when the pre-race prayer included an appeal for Randy Texter. I knew Randy was in bad health, but wasn’t aware he was near death. His heart had stopped, he was on life support and it wasn’t looking good. When I found out it hit me hard. I’d known Randy since his days of road racing Harley 883s and had only recently gotten know his kids Cory and Shayna, both excellent racers.

Then Sunday afternoon I was downloading photos to my computer in the IMS media center when Henny Ray Abrams asked me if I’d heard about Peter Lenz. I hadn’t. A piece of paper was put on my desk space confirming the 13-year-old’s death. I didn’t know Peter at all and initially I felt sad, but not knowing him or his family, or never even having watched him race I couldn’t seem to connect to what had happened.

That night when I got home I went online to the Indianapolis Star and saw the picture of the baby-faced Lenz I gasped and then cried for the second time in as many nights. Randy’s grave condition and Peter’s death came down on me like a lead weight. I could hardly muster the strength to look through the day’s photos.

The Workhorse
Photographer Brian J. Nelson has been a good friend for many years. I already knew how talented of a photographer he was and how hard he worked, but in Indianapolis he continued to amaze. Brian J stayed with us over the weekend and he was up late every night processing images and out of the house at the crack of dawn everyday to begin his work.

How Brian has the stamina to do what he does week after week almost defies logic. Then on Sunday night he showed me one of the most amazing crash sequences I’ve seen. It was the Moto2 crash that involved about a half-dozen riders. Brian captured it perfectly and several of the frames are simply stunning.

When and if you see them you’ll be amazed that Roger Lee Hayden made the restart of the Moto2 race. He got slammed so hard by his motorcycle and his neck was twisted in such a contorted manner it’s amazing he even walked away from the crash.

I was so impressed by Brian’s photos I immediately started shooting off emails to contacts I had at Sports Illustrated to tell them they needed to see these shots. I don’t think we made it in SI, but somewhere the photos will come out and you’re going to be amazed by the image. To me there’s nothing more impactful than a perfectly captured photograph to show the beauty, power and yes, sometimes the brutality of motorcycle road racing.

More Dire News
On Monday I crashed – totally drained and unable to even think about writing.

On Tuesday I woke with a little more energy, but unfortunately the bad news just kept coming.

Curt Cavin from the Indianapolis Star called and asked me what I knew about the bad crash at the Indy Mile. It happened in the first heat race of the evening program in the Pro Singles class several riders appently went down including young Canadian Jesse Phibbs. I hadn’t seen it and wasn’t aware of the seriousness of Phibbs’ injuries. He’d suffered a severe head injury and wasn’t in good shape.

Then the news that Randy Texter had passed away on Monday. Then rumors were confirmed late in the day that Cycle News was ceasing publication. Man, could things get any worse?

I wanted to draw the shades and crawl back into bed.

Instead I went to work looking up info on Randy and trying to find photos of him. I talked to Chris Carr about Randy and had an email returned from Cory Texter, Randy’s son. As strange as it sounds, compiling Randy’s history and finding photos made me feel a little better. I saw in the photos how healthy and strong Randy looked during his racing days and knew the suffering he’d been going through in the last few years. He was now free from pain at least. He left some great children and a host of racers who he helped along the way. The remembrances of Randy poured in on racing community boards. He left a lasting legacy, people will remember him fondly. That was comforting.

Then I read where Jesse Phibbs had responded for the first time in an Indianapolis hospital. He wasn’t out of the woods, far from it, but at least there was some good news about his condition. And with that the day ended and I wrote this piece in hopes for a better tomorrow.

August 31, 2010

Randy Texter (1962-2010)

Filed under: Flat Track, General, Road Racing — admin @ 2:43 pm
Randy Texter celebrates winning the Harley-Davidson 883 Twin Sports Championship at Daytona in 1990. His father “Tex” stands next to him in the white Randy Texter t-shirt. (Courtesy Daytona International Speedway)

Randy Texter celebrates winning the Harley-Davidson 883 Twin Sports Championship at Daytona in 1990. His father “Tex” stands next to him in the white Randy Texter t-shirt. (Courtesy Daytona International Speedway)

Randy Texter, the 1990 AMA U.S. Twin Sports Champion, died on Monday from heart failure. He was 48.

Texter battled respiratory issues for the last couple of years. He had heart surgery last year and according to friends was slated to receive a heart and lung transplant.

Texter ran the family-owned Lancaster Harley-Davidson dealership in Willow Street, Pennsylvania. The dealership was founded in 1951 by Randy’s father and mother Ray “Tex” and Betty Texter. It had long been a sponsor of racers. The dealership currently sponsors Chris Carr and Nichole Cheza as well as Randy’s son Cory and daughter Shayna in AMA Grand National competition.

Randy Texter was born on June 14, 1962 in Lancaster. He worked his way up to the professional ranks in the AMA Grand Nationals by the early 1980s. Texter scored his first Grand National points in 1984 when he finished 12th at the Louisville (Ky.) Half-Mile. He qualified for Grand Nationals occasionally all throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. His best result in that series came at the Indy Mile in 1986 when he earned a top-10 finish. He raced most of his career with national number 65.

Randy Texter circa 1989.

Randy Texter circa 1989.

Texter found even more success road racing in the Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster Series (called the U.S. Twin Sports Series when it was launched in 1989). Texter won the 1990 U.S. Twin Sports title by scoring the victory in the winner-take-all series finale at Daytona International Speedway in October of that year. Texter continued road racing the 883 series throughout much of the 1990s. He was consistently one of the top riders in the series scoring seven-career podiums on the 883s.

He raced the 883s in flat track as well when the series was a support race for the AMA Grand Nationals. Texter scored a slew of flat track top-10s aboard his 883, but appropriately enough his best result in the 883 flat track series came on a paved Half-Mile in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in May of 1997 where he scored runner-up to Davey Camlin.

Texter raced in the Daytona 200 six times. He scored a career-best 16th in the March Classic in 1989.

By the late 1990s Texter scaled back his racing efforts to focus on running the family’s dealership and eventually work with his son and daughter helping them in their burgeoning racing careers.

Randy Texter en route to his best AMA Grand National finish of 10th at the Indy Mile in 1986. (Larry Lawrence photo)

Randy Texter en route to his best AMA Grand National finish of 10th at the Indy Mile in 1986. (Larry Lawrence photo)

Texter was a constant presence at AMA Grand National races until health problems forced him to miss some races. Even when he was obviously very sick he would often come to the races to watch Cory and Shayna compete.

“I’ve known Randy for a long time and he was always ready to help anyone get to the racetrack,” said former AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr, who has been sponsored by Texter’s dealership for eight years. “There was never a more generous person in the flat track community. He helped a lot of people over the years on a local and national level.”

Funeral arrangements are being made. I will update this post when more information is available.

Godspeed Randy.

Additional posts featuring Randy can be found here.

(Update: From Cory Texter’s facebook page)

Come celebrate the life of a champion with us. Viewing 1-4pm & 6-9pm this Thursday and the service will be 11am Friday at Charles F Snyder Funeral Home in Litiz, PA. All cars and bikes welcome, let’s make the town bleed orange and black. I miss you Dad. Your my everything.

August 30, 2010

AMA Racing Land Speed Grand Championships heat up Bonneville

Filed under: General — admin @ 3:10 pm

(News Release)

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — Some of the fastest motorcyclists in the world take to the Bonneville Salt Flats today as the 2010 AMA Racing Land Speed Grand Championships kick into high gear near Salt Lake City. The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) will certify numerous land-speed records expected to be set at the event, in classes featuring everything from 50cc mini-bikes to 2,000cc-plus purpose-built high-speed motorcycles.

“From the venue to the machinery, land-speed racing is one of the more unique types of motorcycle competition, and the AMA Racing Land Speed Grand Championships, promoted by BUB, is the sport’s premier event,” said AMA Director of Racing Joe Bromley. “There is a lot of thrilling action on the salt this week on many different levels. No question about it, land-speed racing is so engaging because each class has its own competitive landscape, with different personalities vying for the top of the box.”

One battle that is capturing a lot of attention in 2010 is the race for the top time for a sit-down motorcycle. Richard Assen and 2008 AMA Female Rider of the Year Leslie Porterfield are two of the top competitors for this honor, which recognizes the fastest one-way run on a traditional-styled sportbike rather than a purpose-built, streamlined land-speed racer.

Last year, Porterfield achieved the feat with a pass of 240.382 mph in the 1350-APS-BF class. However, Assen claimed the class record, which is based on an average of two runs in opposing directions, with an official time of 236.01 mph.

“Interest also is running high in our electric-powered classes,” Bromley said. “Several competitors are eager to establish records with this new, non-traditional technology, and it is an area that is ripe with innovation.

“That isn’t limited to the electric classes, though,” he added. “You can spend an entire day just checking out amazing technology in the pits, all designed for one purpose: to simply go as fast as possible.”

The current outright motorcycle land-speed record is held by seven-time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr, on the Denis Manning-built No. 7 streamliner. Carr upped the record last year with a two-pass average of 367.382 mph in Bonneville’s measured mile. The previous record was 360.913, set by rider Rocky Robinson and builder Mike Akatiff in 2008. Current records for all classes can be downloaded here: http://home.ama-cycle.org//RACERESULTS/RESULTS/2010/FIM/BUB%20RECORDS.pdf.

The AMA Racing Land Speed Grand Championships run through Thursday, Sept. 2. Results will be available at AMARacing.com and SpeedTrialsByBUB.com following the event.

Indy Star Columnist Bob Kravitz on young racer’s death

Filed under: General, Road Racing — admin @ 9:21 am

Bob Kravitz weighs in with his take on young riders road racing motorcycles on the day after Peter Lenz’ death at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Read the opinion piece here.

August 25, 2010

Yamaha bringing MotoGP rider fan session, Toseland’s band to Indy

Filed under: General, Road Racing — admin @ 11:54 am

(News Release)

INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010 – Yamaha is bringing three exciting, fan-focused events to Indianapolis during Red Bull Indianapolis GP weekend, including a rider chat with Yamaha MotoGP superstars, and two concerts featuring Yamaha WSBK star and classically trained pianist James Toseland, accompanied by his pop-rock band Crash.

Red Bull Indianapolis GP winners Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, and American stars Ben Spies and Colin Edwards will participate in a special rider chat from 5:45-6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28 on the SPEED Stage in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield. The event will be emceed by renowned MotoGP commentators Nick Harris and Gavin Emmett. It should be quite a treat for the fans as all four riders answer questions and provide sure-to-be-memorable quotes.

Seven-time MotoGP World Champion Rossi and current MotoGP points leader Lorenzo are teammates on the Fiat Yamaha Team. Texans Spies and Edwards are teammates on the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team.

The chat is free to all Red Bull Indianapolis GP Saturday ticket holders.

Crash, the band led by former MotoGP and current Yamaha World Superbike rider James Toseland, will play two shows in Indianapolis, including one at IMS.

Toseland and his band will play will play at 10 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 27 at Jackson and Meridian streets in downtown Indianapolis during Motorcycles on Meridian. Then, as a warm-up to the rider chat, Toseland and Crash will also play from 4:50-5:45 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28 on the SPEED Stage at IMS.

The downtown Meridian street show is free to the public, and the IMS show is free to all Red Bull Indianapolis GP Saturday ticket holders.

It’s the third consecutive year that Toseland will perform at IMS during the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. He played with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in 2008 and was joined on-stage by Crash last year.

Fans won’t want to miss this rare combination of motorcycles and music, two subjects that are near and dear to the hearts of Yamaha and its worldwide, faithful followers.

***

IMS tickets: Tickets for the 2010 Red Bull Indianapolis GP are on sale now. A new structure offers additional value and flexibility to fans attending the annual MotoGP event.

Among the highlights of the new ticket structure are lower prices and single-day reserved and general admission tickets for Race Day, Sunday, Aug. 29. Children 12 and under will be admitted free any day of the event if accompanied by an adult holding a general admission ticket.

Fans can order tickets online at www.imstix.com, call the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or visit the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street. Online orders can be made at any time. Hours for phone orders and the ticket office are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.

General admission tickets provide access to the grounds, viewing mounds along the infield section of the circuit and selected grandstands, which provide excellent angles to see the greatest riders in the world.

Fans can now print their tickets – three-day reserved seat and Race Day-only general admission and reserved seat tickets – with their printer after ordering tickets online at www.imstix.com. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.

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