Coolbeth wins Knoxville Half-Mile

With the intake restrictors* removed Harley's filled the top six at yesterday's Knoxville half-mile. Kenny Coolbeth, #2, won on the Zanotti bike we featured in Sideburn 11. This is his first National win with the team he joined in the winter, and his first since losing his ride with the official Harley team.

*For years, certain bikes have had to use intake restrictors that strangle the performance of the engine, in an effort to create a level playing field (don't ask us why). They crudely allow less fuel and air charge to transfer from the carbs to the combustion area. For 2014 they're no longer being forced on teams. A Kawasaki won the Springfield Mile. A Harley won the half-mile, but I think Harleys have won every half-mile for the last 200 years).

Sammy Halbert, #7, won the Dash for Cash and came third in the main

Jake Johnson, #5, who rode a Ducati in the Ramspur colours at Springfield, was on an XR750 in the same colours and came in second.

Brad Baker was sixth, 9secs off the lead in the 12.5-mile race. We don't know if this is still a hangover from his broken leg injury or points to the much-held belief that private teams can currently get more out of the XR750 that the factory can.

Mikey Martin on the Bonneville Performance Triumph, 11th in the main. A solid result for a team that is quick but suffers from minor reliability problems just when they don't want them. 

UPDATE
both Mikey, and Shayna below, are sporting the new Super Wheels designed by Dutch Brothers Jan-Willem

Shayna Texter, #25A, earned her national number by making the 18-rider main (out of 34 riders who tried to qualify). Her Latus Castrol Triumph had horrific handling issues at Springfield, but they tested between the two races and went some way to curing it, but she was still more than a lap down. Jeremy Higgins, #82, came back after missing a few races to come 13th on the Baer Kawasaki.

After completely dominating Springfield, Jake Johnson found himself down in 7th, the first of seven Kawasakis to make the main. There were also were also two Triumphs, one Suzuki and the eight XR750s.

Never happier than when he's holding a big cheque. Sammy Halbert.

1. Coolbeth. 2. Johnson. 3. Halbert.
That's how it stands in the combined championship standings too.

Next race is Lima Half-Mile on June 28.

All photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.

Triumph Promo

Featuring the #91 Bonneville Performance twin of Mikey Martin. Read all about this bike in Sideburn 11.

UPDATE: BP posted this film, so I didn't have chance to write about it, so I'm leaving it as an update.
I love that they include the section of the Bonneville streamliner both crashing and setting on fire. Breaking records and racing isn't fairytale, camp fire horseshit. If breaking speed records was easy no one would give damn. Great video, very brave for a very, very conservative company and not a beard in sight! G (bearded) I

Springfield Mile 2 Catch-Up

Second verse, same as a the first! Springfield Mile two, the Sunday race, had a familiar ring to it. #44 Brandon Robinson won the GNX Expert twins race, from Bryan Smith and JD Beach...
Hey Axo, get your star man some leathers without kneeslider velcro on the knees!

While Shayna Texter also did the double in the Basic Twins class. I wonder what odds you'd get on those to results.

White numbers on black plates denote the Basic Twins. 

Brad Baker - came 5th. A good haul of points going into the final two rounds.

Is this a shot of the 2013 #1 chasing the 2012 #1?

Mikey (I think it's now Michael) Martin #91, made the main, got the fastest lap on his Bonneville Performance Triumph, but then pulled up midway through the race.

Bryan Smith making the lowline work. Read more about his bike in the next Sideburn.

Jared Mees was in a battle. Watch the amazing onboard of his Main race below. 

1. Robinson. 2. Smith. 3. Beach.
1, 2, 3 Kawasaki.

Next race: Santa Rosa Mile - September 29.
All photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.

WATCH THIS! Click the icon in the corner of the screen for full screen. Awesome action.

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. 

Mikey Martin: On It

This is the visual definition of 'on it'. What an image. Perhaps my new favourite flat track photo of all time. Mikey Martin wringing the neck of his Bonneville Performance Triumph twin. Read about this bike, and the rider, in Sideburn 11 - out now.
I'm sure the photo is from Falconer Photography
This is the message from Bill, the team owner, tuner, builder...

Gary 
I thought you may enjoy this photo from the Santa Rosa Mile. It is from the semi - Mikey finished 2nd behind Jared Mees. After a bad start he made 3 passes on the front straight and turned faster laps than the leader for 5 laps. That is one determined 19-year-old hanging it out. 
Bill

Tuscon Half-Mile Report

Steve (or is it Stevie now?) Bonsey doesn't compete every race of the championship, so to turn up at the tail end of a hard season and win is classy. He won his first National at Calistoga in 2010. Bonsey did a season or two of 125 GP, on a KTM, where he was mentored and kept an eye on by Kenny Roberts Sr. Before he got his national number, Bonsey ran the same 80Y regional plate the young KR ran.

 

Retaining the number 1 plate is, I think, mathematically still possible for Jake Johnson, but unlikely. Sammy clawed back a few points on Jared Mees. It's going down to the last round at Pomona next weekend. Get there, if you can. It'll be memorable.

Brad 'Bullet' Baker, fifth in the main and looking very stylish.

Pro Singles rider Jason Issenock styling.

Wearing sail-like leathers didn't stop Duke Erickson making the main.

Kevin Anderson made the main too.

Shayna is becoming a half-mile specialist, after winning a pair of Knoxvilles.

When it comes to motorcycle plus rider power-to-weight ratios, Texter has them beat. Look at the size of second and third placed Rodney Spencer Jr and Wyatt Maguire in comparision.

Matt Weidman in Evel leathers, complete with peace sign medallion and collars, on the Scott Powersports Kawasaki we featured in Sideburn 9.

The long trip from Florida to Arizona was worth it for the Bonneville Performance team. Their rider, Mikey Martin, made another main on the only Triumph out there and came 13th.

Dash for Cash for the six quickest heat qualifiers. Weidman, Mees, Baker, Johnson, Halbert, Bonsey.

Bonsey won the Dash for Cash too.

Robert Pearson (27), Mikey Martin (91), Henry Wiles (17), Doug Lawrence (73)

Bonsey won by 1.2s from Smith. Sammy was three-hundreths back from Smith. Series leader, Jared Mees, was fourth.

Remember to get to Pomona this weekend if you can.

All photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.

Bonneville Performance

Read the story of the Bonneville Performance GNC Triumph in Sideburn 11. G

Sammy rules Santa Rosa

First time they've raced GNC at Santa Rosa in Sammy Halbert's lifetime and the young 'un won what sounded like a thriller. Despite wearing Kawasaki coloured leathers, he's on an XR750. The South Ass, one of his sponsors, is a clothing brand built around the 'joke' of their name - it's a take on The North Face.

Great shot of Jake Johnson. Kept in the hunt for the number 1 plate with a fourth, though his two closest rivals, Halbert and Mees, both finished ahead of him.

Bryan Smith had a 4.9 second lead in the Main, before both Sammy and Jared Mees overhauled him.

Dash for Cash. It was won by Sammy, but notable because Mikey Avila (33E) made this four-lapper for the six fastest qualifiers. So did 44, Brandon Robinson, Wiles on the Ducati, Smith and Weidman.

Wiles (17), Coolbeth (2), Brad Baker (12), Bauman (10z), Martin (91). The first four filled the spots from 6 to 10 in the Main. Martin, on the Triumph, was 15th.

Pro Singles was won by Stephen Vanderkuur, 10J. He leads the title race. Lovely foot up style.

Mikey Martin and Steve Bonsey (80).

Kayl Kolkman mid-corner, getting it turned.

Weidman and Wiles.

Pick a line.

 The top three, still shuffling out.

All smiles. Mees still leads the Twins and Combined (having won the singles championship already), but Sammy closed up on him. Mees has been ultra-consistent. He has one win to Sammy's four this year. Smith is fourth behind Johnson.
Sammy posted a photo of himself drinking a pitcher of beer on his instagram (@sammyhalbert) at some ungodly hour this morning. Does Jorge Lorenzo do that?

Next round is the half-mile at Tuscon, AZ, this weekend.

Photos courtesy of AMA Pro Racing.