Briar Flips The Bird

No sooner had a local paper, then the AMA commentators, crowned Henry Wiles 'King Henry' than his 'subjects' were acting in a revolutionary manner.

Earlier this month Henry Wiles won his 11th straight Peoria TT and thanked current champion Jared Mees for at least making a race of it this year. Here the young Briar Bauman is showing what he thinks of Wiles' achievement.

Bauman came fifth in Peoria and third at the Black Hills Half-Mile, Sturgis, in the previous round. He's sixth in the championship standings, Wiles eighth.

As you can see from the screengrab above, the young Californian wasn't ashamed of getting caught giving the racewinner the bird. He even put it on his instagram. He was given a fine for being detrimental to the sport of motorcycle racing.

Peoria was feisty. It sounds like two other riders were fined $625 and $500 and banned for a race each, for having an 'altercation'.

While I was trying to find a better shot of the Bauman incident, and failing, I found this video below. The needle between the two is pretty funny.

Final thing, what's with sticking the tops of your ears into your cap? Never a good look. G

Daytona Short Track Day 1

Briar Bauman won his first national, from Sammy Halbert and Brandon Robinson. He won by a clear 1.9s, a mile in short track terms. 

Reigning champ, Brad Baker battling with Stevie Bonsey. Baker was blackflagged from the main for swapping a bike after a bike after the main was red-flagged. Swapping to a back-up is allowed, but his bike wasn't in the back-up bike area (or some such minor indiscretion). He lost his points from the first round last year and still won the title. National winner, Bonsey is doing his first ever complete season in the Zanotti team (alongside Coolbeth, who was 17th in the main).

Brandon Robinson, came in third. If he stay fit this year he'll be even more of a challenger. 

Sammy Halbert was second in the main and won the Dash for Cash, so he is equal on points with Bauman. 

The second round goes of on Friday evening. 

Photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.

Pomona Half-Mile Round-up

Brad Baker won't be carrying that number next year. the 20-year-old won the Expert Twins and Expert Singles.

There are lots of rumours about Kenny Coolbeth's future. He came sixth at Pomona and fifth in the final twins standings, sixth in the combined.

Wyatt Maguire, who is from the same town of Mead, Washington as Brad Baker, won the Pro Singles class by one point from Ryan Wells.

Ducati leathers on a Harley. Henry Wiles was dropped by the Lloyd Brothers team, but rustled up an XR750 and made the main.

Bryan Smith could've pipped Baker to the title, if the younger rider slipped up, but he didn't put a wheel wrong.

Out-going champion, Jared Mees came fourth at Pomona and fourth in the title after an early season injury screwed his season.

Briar Bauman came in third in the main on a Suzuki SV1000!

Nichole Cheza wiping out.

Ducati v Triumph. Jake Johnson #5 would come out on top at the end of, but both he and Mikey Martin #91 made the main.
There were 11 Harleys (one was a Buell, I think), 4 Kawasakis, 2 Triumphs, 1 Ducati and 1 Suzuki in the 19-man Main.
Here are more stats from Tyler Porter's Inslide Line. Incidentally, Tyler has written for the next Sideburn, out next Month.

The unofficial dirt track statistical expert, Bert Sumner sent me an email this week that was just chocked FULL of awesome stats from the year. For instance, Brad Baker is the 4th youngest ever Grand National Champion. However, that is pretty widely known. Check out the rest of the facts that he sent along. For instance, this year we had 3 different OEM's on a mile podium for the first time since April 30th 1972 and we had 3 different OEM's on a half-mile podium since October 9th, 1976. We had the most first time winners this year since 2002 when a whopping 6 different riders won their first national. The last fact that I thought I would include was that for the first time since May 3rd 1987, we had a Grand National Mile without a Harley Davidson on the podium. Pretty neat stuff about our 2013 season. Thank you for sending that along Bert!!

The Dash. All those mentioned so far plus Sammy Halbert #7 who didn't finish the main.

A happy team.

All photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.

Peoria TT Report

Henry Wiles, #17, came through the semis, to win his ninth back to back Peoria, but Brad Baker #12, sews up the GNC Singles title, beating Wiles by just 2pts. 

 Jake Johnson.

 Thunk.

 JD Beach, #95, came third overall.

TTs aren't Sammy Halbert's strongest area, but wiping out in the heats meant he didn't even make the main.

Jake Johnson, scrubbing and styling. The man who has taken his Zanotti ride, Stevie Bonsey, #80, came in 8th, four places ahead of Jake in 12th. Shaun Russell, #28, was an impressive 4th in the main.

 Baker won the Dash for Cash, too

 Briar Bauman remained everyone he's a class act by coming 5th.

 JD Beach, #95, scored another great finish with a third.

 Robert Pearson, #27, Jake Johnson #5, Jeffrey Carver Jr, #23.

1. Wiles, 2. Baker. 3. Beach.
Baker extended his lead over reigning champ, Jared Mees in the combined championship too. Mees came in 8th.
In the combined standings Baker has a comfortbale lead of 19pts over Wiles, and 42 over Bryan Smith in 3rd, going into this weekend's Indy Mile.

All photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.

Carver wins Castle Rock TT

In a season of debut GNC winners, Jeffrey Carver Jr. followed Brad Baker and Brandon Robinson to pick up his first Expert class win at last Saturday's Castle Rock TT in Washington.

No disrespect to Carver Jr, but the most crucial result in terms of the 2013 title was, I reckon, Jared Mees comeback from a broken arm to come second at a tough TT. Because of a spate of rain-offs, he missed one (I think) GNC round, raced at the Sac Mile and was on the podium at Castle Rock.

 First corner argy-bargy. There are too many front mudguards in this photo. Number 2, Coolbeth would come 9th in the main. We interviewed him about TT racing for Sideburn 8

Peoria TT specialist Henry Wiles, 17, came in fourth. Jake Johnson, 5, had his first race after quitting the Zanotti team after a mid-season split. He came in 17th in the main, a lap down. The excellently name Scooter Vernon, #74, came in 13th.

Briar Bauman, #14, was running second behind Carver, 23, till he slid out and came in dead last.

 Scott Baker - style for miles. 7th in the main.

1. Carver 2. Mees 3. Bonsey

All photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing

Baker wins Hagerstown, as Kawasaki Challenge H-D

Brad Baker's been on it all year and it all came together last Saturday at Maryland. The 20-year-old from Washington won the Dash, then rode away from the field to win the Main by nearly 7s. He now leads the combined points standings from Brandon Robinson and Henry Wiles.  

Jake Johnson was one of the title favourites to make up for Jared Mees absence with solid points. He came seventh. The current champion, Mees, is out with a broken arm, sustained at a non-championship round. The Lima rain-out did Mees a favour, meaning he missed one less race.

Mikey Martin (on the Triumph) and Robert Pearson. Martin missed out on the Main, Pearson came 12th.

 Robert Pearson, XR750.

Briar Bauman on the Werner Springsteen Kawasaki. There were eight Kawasakis and 10 XR750s in the 18-man main. Not other manufacture figured.

Johnny Lewis on the Latus Triumph, looked super-cool, but didn't make the main, showing how competitive this class is.

Baker and Sammy Halbert. After dominating the non-championship Barbara Fritchie, Frederick, Maryland meeting Halbert looked favourite for Hagerstown, but Baker was unbeatable.

This shot reminds me of the old movie, Slapshot. Team mates Brandon Robinson and JD Beach. Both made the main on their Burnett Kawasakis, but while JD came in an impressive 6th, Brandon struggled and was 17th.

In second, making his first elite Twins main was Jake Shoemaker on a Kawasaki 650, in front of Bryan Smith on the Crossley Kawasaki. 

The next GNC race is the half-mile at Gray's Harbor, Washington, July 20.

Photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.