PJ Jacobsen: GNC to BSB

The young, former GNC racer has signed up to race Superbikes for one of Britain's best race teams. I bumped into PJ at Brands Hatch, the last round of the BSB season, when I was there to interview Tyco Superbike rider Alastair Seeley for MCN Sport. I saw the name on the screen of the bike in the Suzuki and thought, looks familiar. I cornered him after practice to confirm if he was the flat tracker.

PJ has raced in GP 125s, then came to Britain and got some great results, wins and podiums in British Superstock (1000s, but on treaded tyres, much less tuning than a Superbike, stock electrics, stock fork externals, stock wheels) and Supersport 600 (firebreathing, mega-expensive middleweights). All on tracks he's never even seen before.

His results secured him a ride on the full Superbike with the Northern Ireland-based TAS Suzuki team (sponsored by Tyco). He'll be teammates with Josh Brookes, second in BSB this year, and Guy Martin (who only does the roads, not the short circuits). PJ will be short circuit only.

This could be a great springboard for the rider. Lots of top riders have cut their teeth in BSB, including world champions Bayliss, Toseland, Crutchlow, Hodgson...

I reckon he'll be top six next year.

We'll be doing what we can to get PJ racing short track too. 

Oh, and he has a New York Mets Cheerleader girlfriend. I wonder what she'll think of Northern Ireland in April... G

Paddock snaps by me, dirt track action, PJ at Calistoga, by PoppaWheelie

Sideburn at the Manx GP (sort of)

Fellow Short Track UK Thunderbiker Paul Baleta is racing his Aprilia Mille (above) and Suzuki SV650 (with its new Ohlins front end) at the Manx GP this week. For those who don't know, the Manx is the amateur TT, held on the same 37.73-mile Mountain Course.
Paul is one of those guys, like Anthony and Geoff Co-Built, Boastie and Travis 747, who race anything, anywhere at any opportunity.
Follow Paul's daily updates at his Speed Therapy blog. G

Spot The Flat Tracker

Sammy Halbert Road Racing!

This weekend at Infineon (Sears Point, right?) in the AMA XR1200 series. This, from a press release:

To prepare for his XR1200 class debut, the Graham, WA, rider has attended several racing schools and track days to acquaint himself with the techniques of motorcycle road racing. “I know I’ll have some catching up to do, but I’m hoping once it’s race time, my competitive instincts will kick in and I’ll be able to keep up,” Halbert said.

When his competitive instincts kick in? Holy cow, we'd love to see this. Joe Kopp is doing a full season, we think. He came third at Daytona. G

UPDATE: As BBC said, Sammy's been having speedway lessons. We didn't know he was thinking of coming over here, though. I'm emailing him now! Watch this video. He gets the hang of it... We spotted it at Poppawheelie. G

JPS Norton

Dave Aldana at Daytona in '74 on a stainless-steel monocoque Norton (built in '73). One of my all-time fave bikes. BP

See David Aldana's Sideburn evening live talk show-thing then watch him race flat track this week in Oxford. Details here David Aldana UK Tour.

Brands Hatch + XR1200 VS Roland Sands

While our American friends continue nibbling their doormats in anticipation, here's another teaser from SB#7. Enfant terrible Roland Sands was invited to race the very chunky XR1200 Harley at Brands. Gary interviewed him, Tim Keeton shot him. BP

The Mann - UPDATED

Dick Mann victorious on tarmac as well as dirt.How L o n g is that tank? And check out those monkey boots!1971 BSA factory team- Jim Rice #2, David Aldana #3, Dick Mann #4, Mike Hailwood #20, Don Emde #25, and the H-D team behind. BP
Dick was interviewed for Sideburn 3
David A and Don E were featured in Sideburn 5

UPDATE:
The pics on the Honda are from Daytona 1970. Here's some old tut I wrote years ago as a sidebar for a main feature about two French students winning the newly-revived Bol d'Or in 1969.

"It was one thing to win what was in effect a French national race, but encouraged by the Bol d’Or victory, Honda wanted to prove their new superbike on a bigger stage. How about the Daytona 200?

"Once again, Bill Smith was asked to co-ordinate the effort. He and his team spent two months in early 1970 shaking down four pretty raw bikes. But these were a world apart from the near-standard CB750 raced at the Bol. Dripping with titanium and with a variety of hot camshafts, they ranged from 89-96bhp, compared to the stock bike’s claimed 67.

"There would be three British riders – Smith, Tommy Robb and Ralph Bryans, plus the American veteran Dick Mann, who the Brits had never met and knew little of. He, it’s rumoured, was given the least powerful bike.

"Practice was nightmarish, with the ill-handling 180mph bikes constantly breaking cam chains. Then the back wheel stepped out on Bryans when powering on at the top of the banking. He clipped the wall and the bike skittered down the steep concrete and burst into flames. It didn’t bode well.

"In the race, Robb started way down the grid with Bryans at the back. Smith was out before the start with, yes, a busted cam chain and Robb and Bryans followed suit soon after. But Dick Mann went on to win by ten seconds (he repeated the feat the following year on a BSA – the last non-Japanese bike to win the famous Daytona 200).

"On the strength of the win, Honda made kits available to turn a stock CB into what became known as the CR750 racer."
MP

Halbert Brothers update

Sammy Halbert (7), Jethro Halbert (69)

It's always great to hear from the Halberts. Sammy sent this...

Hi Gary,
Hope all is well with you, for an update on what I have been up to my blog can be found here.
Here are a couple cool photo's of the Halbert Bros. Racing team. I have been meaning to send you material for your blog.
Do you have any plans to come to the States anytime soon?
The top two photos are Dave Hoenig's, the one of us racing is from the Springfield mile, and the other is a podium we shared at a fair race in Decatur, IL.
It hasn't really slowed down for me yet, we had another local indoor short track this weekend then a few weeks to get ready for Vegas.
We're all digging the shirts. I know when I wear them I talk to a couple people about your blog and magazine so it should definitely be helping to raise awareness for Sideburn!
As for the Twin (Sammy is building a non-Harley twin to ensure he has the right bike for every track), I am hoping to have it ready for the Daytona Bike week races we usually do every year before the Daytona ST. The first one is usually the last day of FEB in Savannah, GA with a couple more half miles in Barberville, FL. I am sure we will be able to get you some good photos.
Take care,
Sammy

Below: Winning the Florida Supermoto Race at Tallahassee; Riding a Triumph 675 in a trackday at Jennings. Sammy's hoping to do some road racing in WERA events.

Wood Rotax Road Racer

Lovely DOHC Wood Rotax road racer shot at the Barber museum in 'bama and sent in by Dan Alexander. Thanks Dan.

Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye

We have an occasional recurring theme Road Racers doing dirt track. Well, here's a new one, dirt trackers doing road racing. I'm manhandling this big, inglorious basterd, tomorrow at Rockingham in my first ever tarmac motorcycle race. So if the blog goes quiet for a while it's because this Z1000 decided to break my collarbone. Or worse. And yes, I realise I've stuck the Dunlop sticker upside down on the front mudguard. We didn't have the longest time to race prep it.
It turns out, former UK Short tracker Andy Denyer is leading the class I've been thrown into. He was super-smooth today. Well, he looked it for the two corners I kept him in view. GI
PS I'll be the one at the back in the orange novice vest.