Street Races are very cool.....

As I find myself sprinting across the street I'm thinking to myself, wow these Sidi sliders actually provide pretty darn good traction ! no sooner had that thought left my mind I was aboard my bike kicking it to start the race....kick-kick-kick-kick-kick-kick-kick-kick as I hear my teammate yelling at me... go go go go go go go go.........bbbbraaaap finally !! Drop the clutch and off to turn one I go........cold front tire pushing as I try the inside on three guys, cool !, three gone...turn two I got two more and was able to hold a good spot goin into the next two turns as I'm trying to get a drive on the next two bikes at the beginning of the back straight which is a drag race....up inside I go, pinned laying on the bike trying to get every ounce of speed out of the little 250 which is reving her brains out. As I cross the rough section I loosen up on my grip to try to get the speed wobble out, no sooner had I done this and two of the 450's I passed get by me....DAM ! three deep into the next corner, I managed to eek out ahead but I get out powered down a short chute but I re pass on the inside again going into the slowest corner which leads to the one and only urban jump.....two more corners I stay ahead till the last corner before another long drag race of a straight.....I get passed by the same two riders plus another......curse curse curse....wish I had my 550...grrrrrr......after 15 minutes the white flag waves in front of my bike and just after the guys I was trying to hang with...woo hoo..happy days, so off to the staging area I go in first gear trying to maintain a slower speed which is part of the race rules...up ahead is my partner, who at 15 yrs old happens to be one of the fastest guys in our series.....as we bang boots (have to tag off, his engine was revving ready to go) Jacob takes off like the Tasmanian devil goin sideways into turn one....I can imagine him muttering to himself @@##&&^^%%**!! that dam bike of Brian's was starting in 1 kick before....I tried to watch as much of the track as possible to see how my boy was doing, as always the cold tires didn't slow him down too much and the track temp was warm enough that he was going like a madman.....He was litterly flying...
Two sessions apiece and the race is over......I started, he finished...prolly a good thing as we won quite convincingly......or should I say he won........Won what, you ask ?..... well here's the deal...last weekend we shared an event called the Hub City Grand Prix http://www.hubcitygrandprix.com/hcgp/schedule.php with the karter's and they put up a really cool street track through and around the local college in Centralia WA. Which is located 1.5 hrs south of Seattle. So basically we took over the neighbourhood for two days.....The first race was on Saturday afternoon which was a team race which is what I described above....The idea is there is a "Le man's" start which means your bike is turned off and located across the street with your teammate holding it...You dash across the street, jump on and fire the bike. You race for 15 minutes doing as many laps as you can in that time period, when the time is up a white flag comes out showing you to the staging area where your teammate is waiting with his bike revving...tag off and the new rider tears onto the track for another 15 minutes then comes in tags off again with the starting rider, repeating this process once more, so both riders get two sessions each.....which means one guy starts and the other finishes......Being a street coarse it took awhile for us to get accustomed to man hole covers, cross walks, grass growing between the cracks, not to mention stop signs and speed limit signs....Wooo Hooo, I felt like such a hooligan for the first half day, after that it was heads down racing as usual....I will do this next year but with my big bore, as this race is all about power and speed.......
Here is a "safe" link to one of the heats......http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3931271025710256557&hl=en
It was a blast ! Hope to see some of you there next year......

Ride Safe ! BrianSM

AMA Supermoto in Hartford, CT

Rockstar/Hart & Huntington Tattoo Co./Motostrano-JSTracing/Leo Vince/Carter Powersport

The 5th round of the AMA Supermoto Championship is sure to be remembered as one of the best races of the season! It’s all over the internet and in all the race reports, it was a fantastic race! Congratulations Congratulations to Motostrano/JSTracing sponsored rider Micky Dymond of All Access Communications for a well deserved win!

We’re coming back to the Championships after a six week break where Cary Hart participated in X-Games 13 and the team tested their new equipment. We’re moving up in points and expecting strong finishes from all of our riders.

In the first practice session for the 450 Supermoto class, Cary lost a clamp bolt and was only able to complete 2 laps before having to return to the pits. He had more mechanical issues in the 2nd practice session so didn’t qualify for a good position in the qualifying grid. Regardless he pulled up and finished in 13th place for the race and maintained his 15th position in the series.

Travis Marks and his mechanic are still making improvements to his bike and hope to be done by next weekend! Travis sustained some lower back injuries during the practice sessions, but pulled through to finish 8th. Being in 7th place in the Supermoto Unlimited class series, puts Travis only 11 points away from the 3rd place position, giving him a good shot for a top 3 in the series.

Doni Wanat did well in practice, earning a starting position mid-way in the grid. Maintaining a steady pace in the Unlimited class, he was able to pull up through the pack to finish 10th with a 9th place in the series so far. With Doni’s consistency and attitude he is a great asset to the team, both as a rider and Team Manager.

We’d love to see you this next weekend in Nashville for round 6 of the AMA Championships.

Tyler Evans is no longer racing with us as he will be focusing on the upcoming Supercross season. Good Luck Tyler!!

We would like to thank our sponsors for all their support, especially;

Rockstar, Hart & Huntington Tattoo Co., Carter Powersports, Motostrano-JsTRacing, Leo Vince, Weekend Warrior, FOX, Parts Unlimited, DVS Shoes, TAG Metals, Alpina Wheels, Dunlop Tires, MotionPro, Works Connection, Factory Effex, MB1 Suspension, Hinson, ACERBIS, Pinit Motorsports, Magura, and Moto-Master.

About Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company: Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company is the tattoo shop founded by freestyle motocross legend Carey Hart. The first Hart and Huntington Tattoo Company Shop opened in 2004 in the Palms Casino is Las Vegas, making it the first tattoo shop located in a casino. The tattoo shop has since grown to include a line of tattoo-inspired clothing. In addition to the Las Vegas shop, Hart and Huntington Tattoo Company is expanding with shops open in Waikiki, Hawaii, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and Universal Studios Florida. For more information, please visit www.hartandhuntingtontattoo.com.

About Motostrano:
Motostrano is the leading supermoto parts and accessories company in the USA. Motostrano offers complete supermoto conversion kits for race and street duty, custom wheels, Moto-master brakes and more all for supermoto. To learn more about our services please visit www.motostrano.com.

Ten Year Old Starting Petition to Change Helmet Law

Boise, Idaho -- A motorcycle accident took the life of a Boise man last week and now his 10-year old daughter is on a campaign to change Idaho's helmet law. The Chapman Family says their father and husband would be enjoying his daily routine today had he been wearing head protection. Emily Chapman is now adamant about requiring bikers to wear helmets, so she's starting a petition drive to try and change state law. "They had to do more operations to stop the swelling, they had to open up his head," said Julie Chapman, who lost her husband in the motorcycle accident. Julie describes how they tried to save her 43-year-old husband, Shane, this past weekend.She says Shane was riding his motorcycle last Thursday night on Fairview, east of Maple Grove.
Boise Police confirm a car pulled out of the Pop-eye's Fried Chicken parking lot trying to turn left when Shane was approaching. "When she pulled out, he lost control, trying not to run into her. He flipped as he tried to lay down the bike and it catapulted him," said Julie. Shane was not wearing a helmet. The Chapman's say he died from massive trauma to the brain. Married for 15 years, Julie now has to make funeral arrangements and tell her youngest the devastating news. "Katy is only 4. She doesn't understand where her dad is, she'll never know her dad," said Julie. Emily, 10, is starting a petition to change the current Idaho law requiring bikers to wear helmets. "I'm going to send it in to the governor and see what he does. If it doesn't work, I'll keep doing it," said Emily.

Read the rest of the story.

Dymond shines at New England Supermoto

August 27, 2007

UPDATED!

All Access Racing’s Micky Dymond earned his first-ever AMA Red Bull Supermoto race victory following a wild 20-lap final at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, CT.

It was obvious the race would be a hectic and unpredictable affair right from the start, as championship favorites Jeff Ward and Mark Burkhart collided in the race’s opening corner, pushing the series’ top two riders to the back of the field almost as early as they got the green light.

Heat 2 race winner Troy Herfoss on the HMC KTM took advantage of their misfortune early, concluding the first lap in first position. His time at the front was short lived, however, as a mishap of his own knocked the Aussie down to 20th position on the very next lap.

Factory Aprilia star Ben Carlson was next, leading laps two and three before falling down the order (and ultimately out of the race). Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Robbie Horton inherited the lead, but only for a lap before dropping outside the top five himself as the racing incidents continued to mount.

Mach 1 Motorsports’ Steve Drew provided the race with a sense of order, holding down first place for a seven-lap run, before finally conceding the position to former AMA 125 Motocross champ Dymond, who proved that Troy Lee Designs’ reigning class champion, Ward, isn’t the only rider in the field capable of outrunning youth thanks to a healthy dose of experience.

Once moving into the lead on lap 12, Dymond wouldn’t surrender the position and grabbed the checkered flag with a 3.649-second margin of victory to pick up his first win since swapping KTMs for Hondas and focusing on the premier class after earlier winning four races and a series title in the Unlimited category.

Afterwards, Dymond said, "I am the most surprised guy here. All race I really did not know what place I was in. The sun made a glare on my pit board so I could not read it. I battled the whole time coming from mid-pack and thought the leaders were gone way out front -- this sport is amazing. I want to thank everyone over the years for all their support."

Ward made a remarkable recovery to work all the up to second at the flag, just ahead of young Aussie Herfoss, who made a similar climb up through the field.

Ward remarked, "Burkhart got in to me off the start. Once I saw it was him, I tried to get going quick and never gave up until the checkers. The whole race I did not know the place I was in. It feels great to be able to battle back up front after that. Micky is a great guy, I am happy for him to get a win."

Herfoss commented, "I got a good start but I lost it in the sand and hit the wall pretty hard and had to push my bike up the next jump to start it. I rode as hard as I could and tried to catch Wardy and Micky, but ran out of laps. I want to thanks HMC KTM. A win will come soon guys".

Drew just missed out on the podium in fourth, with Georgian Horton completing the top five.

Graves Motorsports Yamaha ace Burkhart did his best to minimize the damage considering his early race fall, which was compounded by a spill earlier in the day that injured his shoulder. The Ohioan finished in sixth, and while he lost his championship lead in the process, he remains in striking distance, just three points removed from Ward, 111-108.

Carlson’s Factory Aprilia Rip It Energy Racing teammate, Darryl Atkins, guided his RXV450 to seventh, followed by CHM Exhaust’s Jason Conlon, Supermoto Depot’s Gray Tracy and Troy Lee Designs-backed Jason McDonald, who rounded out the top ten.

The AMA Supermoto Championship will be back in action in just a week’s time, as the series picks back up at the Music City Motorplex in Nashville, TN September 1-2.

Morongo Casino & Troy Lee to host AMA Season Finale

August 23, 2007 - Following up on last year's highly regarded AMA pro supermoto season finale at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Troy Lee and company are heading inland for this year's two-day racing finale to the spectacular Morongo Casino Resort & Spa.

Located along Highway 10 in Cabazon, California between Riverside and Palm Springs, motorcycle friendly Morongo has welcomed the November supermoto event with open arms, as well as plenty of open space to accommodate another of the inventive racetrack layouts that has become a signature of Troy Lee's events.

The Morongo Resort ( www.morongo.com) is one of the original California tribal gaming faciliti es and after undergoing a massive $250 million upgrade in 2004, was transformed into an award-winning 4-Diamond destination resort. The property boasts 310 deluxe rooms and suites, many with spectacular mountain vistas and canyon views, and a bevy of fine restaurants and nightclubs that will delight racers, teams and fans alike when they aren't out at the track enjoying the bar-to-bar supermoto action.

"We are very excited to be hosting the 2007 AMA Supermoto final round and Championship here," commented Michael Potts, Morongo's Director of Sales. "As the gateway to the desert, plenty of motorcycle riders and fans already know about our facility, but now we'll have the opportunity to really show supermoto racers and their fans a great time this November. We're looking forward to it!"

Troy Lee's team concurs.

Morongo's Director of Sales, Michael Potts shares the spectacular view with Bob Weber
from Morongo's high-rise Club 360. Looking on is Gavin Trippe. - Scott Cox photo

"We're extremely excited about bringing supermoto to an awesome world-class facility like Morongo and working closely with the Morongo staff and management. So far they have been great to deal with," said Bob Weber, GM of Troy Lee Designs. "Fortunately, there's lots of room to stage a championship racing event here because like last year, Troy is looking to blow this thing up in huge fashion with all the special features and activities now planned."

"I have to agree with Bob," said Troy Lee. "Morongo is the perfect venue for our 2007 event and I can't wait to get started. We set the bar high last year in Long Beach but we'll be pulling out all the stops come November."

The ninth and final round of the 2007 AMA Pro Supermoto series will take place on Saturday, November 10, 2007, with the championship final occurring the next day on Sunday, November 11th. Preceding the weekend pro doubleheader, a promoter practice will kick things off on Thursday, November 8th, with a complete amateur race day on Friday, November 9th.

Extensive event details and schedules will be found at www.troyleedesigns.com early next week. Information on all aspects of this event will be flowing steadily soon, so please pay attention to the TLD website and the motorcycle press during the coming weeks.

2008 Alpinestars Products

We've received our first preview information for the Fall 2007 and 2008 Alpinestars gear products due to roll out to the world in the next few weeks. Most of the items are things I took a gander at on my recent trip to Alpinestars Italy where many of the products were already released.

Being one of the top Alpinestars
dealers in the USA, we're keen to see what the factory will serve up to the US and we often advise astars on what we need and what we think would work. Looks like they listened for the most part and will be coming out with a great new lineup of street gear, plus a totally re-designed race glove line-up and some new bionic protection. A few months ago we explained that the flashy ways of ICON and the "stunt hooligan" look were dying fast and you better get out early or get stuck with a lot of imitation biker image product. Let's get some more classic looking stuff, practically retro, but not, something for the everyman, instead of only the wanna-be-fast-guy.

A bunch of new men and women's jackets, leather and textile. Redesigned GP PRO, GP Plus, SP1 and SP2 gloves. A new SPX Glove, SP3 glove, Hero and SMX4 gloves. All new Gore Tex gloves with a new Storm, WR-3, WR-2 and SR-2 Glove. Gals also finally get a waterproof women's riding pant.

The catalog also shows what the new BIONIC protection will look like. Astars redid their BIONIC protector jackets converting them to a 2.0 version.

Looks like great stuff. Make sure to check our alpinestars section in a few weeks for all the products ready to purchase.

Spousal Motorcycle Parts Purchase Approval Form

MOTORCYCLE PARTS SPOUSAL APPROVAL FORM

Please complete the following authorization form before purchasing motorcycle parts if you are a married man. Original copies required. Please send by Certified Mail.

Your Name: ____________
Your Nick Name: __________

Number of Bikes Your Wife Thinks You Own: (NONE), (1), (5), (10)
(if more than 5 please provide a copy of your marriage certificate)

Is one or more of your bikes "actually" hers but you tend to ride it? _____

Are your bikes stored at your or a buddy’s house? _______

Last time your wife saw your bikes? ________
(required if you are purchasing an exhaust, or other noticeable parts)

How Many Years Have You Been Married? _______

Approved Purchasing Limit: _________
"Stretching-it" Purchasing Limit: _________

Secure Email Address: _____________________________________________________
(please no "jimandmandy@soandso.com" or "thewilburfamily@soandso.com"

Secure Shipping Address: __________________________________________________
(work or buddy's house OK)

Wife’s Signature: ______________________ Date: ___________
(place women's mail order clothing catalog above this area when acquiring signature)

Notary Signature: _______________ Date: : _________

Stamp: _____________

Your Signature: __________________