WERA West, April 2015, Auto Club Speedway, Part Three: Little Bikes ...
Moto West Grand Prix, April 2015, Part Four:
Rex Ainsley
Moto West Grand Prix, April 2015, Part Three:
More shots from the WERA West round at Auto Club Speedway, April 2015:
Starting to see some of the KTM 390s hit the track. Ezra Beaubier shows how it's done.
Gray Pham had one as well.
Gray had his full-on GP bike on hand as well.
As did Sergio Rodriguez ...
Ryan O'Neill made his NSR50 look stylish ...
More shots from the MWGP round in April 2015:
Will Richards.
Rigo Soto.
Vincent Meraz
Moto West Grand Prix, April 2015, Part Three:
More shots from the MWGP round in April 2015:
Andy Edwards and the Aprilia GP machine keep rolling along.
Cody Burton bought a Suzuki SV650 and is totally digging it; "I should have bought one years ago," he said.
Dean Mizdal works on my bikes over at M Racing so I'd better give him some love here.
Lance Lewman and his SV are as fast and stylish as ever.
WERA West, April 2015, Auto Club Speedway, Part Two:
More shots from the WERA West April round:
The new R1s look spectacular in club racing trim. Mark Johnson demonstrates.
Fabrice Vilder is on a literbike this year.
Brian Short pushed Sarros hard but came up - look, even I can't bring myself to do it ...
Ryan Matter looked sharp.
WERA West, April 2015, Auto Club Speedway:
Shots from the WERA West round at Auto Club Speedway:
Corey Sarros won the F1 and Open Superbike races.
Melissa Paris took the Open Superstock win.
Ray Harris took the Open Superbike novice win.
And Andrew Buckland's bike and leathers just looked so freaking awesome someone should have given him a trophy ...
Moto West Grand Prix, April 2015, Part Three - The Usual Suspects And The Attack Of The Bridgestone Monster:
Go to any Moto West Grand Prix event and you will see some racers who are there round after round, time after time. They are the pillars that hold up the place. Here are shots of a few of them:
Rocky Caceres
Eric Anderson
Lloyd Johnson
MotorBike RoadRacing supporter and all-around swell guy Timothy Chin
Rob Weaver (953) is a Buell devotee
JC Gibbs cannot help looking stylish
This is a collection of tire debris that has been added on to for years. It sits at the corner worker station at Turn Six. I am certain that there is a pile of data here about tire compounds and important scientific lessons about material adhesion, etc. But to me, it just looks like the Bridgestone Monster took a squat.
Moto West Grand Prix, April 2015, Part Two:
Always good to see people racing as Novices and starting their racing careers. More images from MWGP, Round Two, Big Willow:
Aaron Sanchez
Bob Neal
Carlos Moreno (549) and Scott Hebert (657) spent the whole morning chasing each other.
Pete Elton brought out one of my objects of motolust, a Ducati 748.
It doesn't always end well.
Moto West Grand Prix, April 2015, Part One:
Finally back at the track with the camera. Felt good.
David Price (13) leads Fabrice Vilder (26), Dean Mizdal (38), Aaron Ascher (22) and Chris Duran (27) into the first turn of the Open Superbike race.
Ron Cole has a brand-new Yamaha YZF-R1 and he put it on the box in Open Superbike and Formula One, as well as winning the FX Endurance Open race, raving about the obviously still very new machine. Honestly, I have seen very few machines in my entire time of riding motorcycles elicit a "Have You Ridden This Thing Yet?" response as the new R1 has. This thing really is having an impact among the ground troops.
WERA West, Jan 2015, Part Nine:
More shots from the WERA West season opener at Auto Club Speedway:
Garrett Johnson (88) leads Mitsu Ueda (51) onto the back straight
Andrew Zabzdyr
Andrew Lee
Javelin Broderick
More shots from the WERA West season opener at Auto Club Speedway:
David Anthony (25) leads Danielle Diaz (86) through the chicane at the end of the back straight.
Edgar Zaragoza (20) leads Fabrice Vilder (26), David Grajeda (712) and Cody Newman (386).
Grajeda and Newman again.
Anthony ahead of Javelin Broderick (814). The reason Anthony is riding a Suzuki GSX-R600 with Roadracingworld.com stickers became apparent a few days after this race, with Anthony announcing plans to race for Team Hammer in the AMA Pro Racing Supersport class.
WERA West, Jan 2015, Part Seven - The Next Generation:
Some of the younger talent on the track at the WERA West season opener at Auto Club Speedway:
Ruben Casarez (922) is a Red Bull Rookies Cup tryout invitee.
As is Josh Serne, riding an interesting mount. According to the WERA race records, Serne is on a Kawasaki Ninja 400, a smaller version of the Ninja 650.
Ezra Beaubier spent the whole race battling with Ed Sorbo.
The young at heart - Andrew Kenefick shows off his 2014 championship plates.
WERA West, Jan 2015, Part Six:
Random shots from the WERA West season opener at Auto Club Speedway:
Joshua Uebersetzig (504) and John Wagner (52) battle in the Formula One race.
Marcel Irnie was quick, but had nothing for Sarros on this day.
Tommy Woodbury won the Lightweight Twins Superbike race.
Steve Zoumaras, stylish as ever.
WERA West, Jan 2015, The Pass, Part Two - Sarros/Irnie:
WERA West, Jan 2015, Part Five - The Crash:
WERA West, Jan 2015, Part Four - The Pass, Part One - Sorbo/Beaubier:
WERA West, Jan 2015, Part Three:
AMA Pro Road Racing regular Benny Solis (35) battles with Danielle Diaz.
AMA Pro Road Racer Jeremy Simmons (195) works past novice Marcus McMillan (240).
WERA West, Jan 2015, Part Two:
The 250cc
lightweights put on a great show. Below, Duncan Mardling (111), Ezra
Beaubier (97, and yeah he's the brother of pro racer Cameron Beaubier),
our very own Ed Sorbo (31) and John Semroska (96) go barging into Turn
Six in a pack.
WERA West, Jan 2015, Part One:
M1GP, The 24, Part Two:
Reader Pics - Rick Crespo:
M1GP, The 24, Part One:
WERA West, Vegas, Nov. 2014, Part Eight:
More images from the WERA West finale in Vegas:
Keith Stie
Luke Luciano
WERA West, Vegas, Nov. 2014, Part Seven:
Corey Sarros (290) came out of Turn Four in second place in the Formula One race and went into Turn Five in the lead, a lead he never relinquished as he took the win in the WERA West headline race. Sarros is fully committed on the brakes in the first photo, as the front end is nearly at full compression and the fairing has got to be touching the front fender.
WERA West, Jan 2015, Part Five - The Crash:
The only good part about watching your friends crash is when they get up. Stephen "Lowside" Ludwig suffered a mechanical and, heading for an unprotected concrete wall, locked the rear wheel and bailed. Very happy that he is OK.
Got a couple of nice pass sequences at the event. The first is our own Ed Sorbo (National-level podium winner and International racer in his own right; go to the Lindemann Engineering website and check out the number of tracks he's ridden and raced on) going through on the inside of Ezra Beaubier. Al "The Mayor" Garcia coasts to a halt in the background with an apparent mechanical. It was a tough corner for the AP Moto-Arts crew; Garcia came to a halt just feet from where Stephen "Lowside" Ludwig's bike rested on its side. That crash sequence soon.
WERA West, Jan 2015, Part Three:
More shots from WERA West at Auto Club Speedway, this time of some National- and International-level racers:
David Anthony, who stood on a National Superbike podium last year.
Melissa Paris, who raced in Europe last season.
AMA Pro Road Racing regular Benny Solis (35) battles with Danielle Diaz. AMA Pro Road Racer Jeremy Simmons (195) works past novice Marcus McMillan (240).
AMA Pro Road Racer and multiple WERA champion Sahar Zvik.
Shawn Higbee was back on the Brough Superior, the carbon fiber monocoque Moto2 machine that competed at the British MotoGP round last season. Unfortunately, after a third-place finish for the 600cc machine against the literbikes in the Formula One race and a win in the B Superbike race, the machine dropped out with a mechanical malfunction. It's cool to see unique approaches to racing machines, especially approaches that are bloody fast. Note the underseat radiator.
Shots from the WERA West season opener at Auto Club Speedway, January 2015:
Corey Sarros looked over his shoulder for competition but found little - he won all the big-bore races, including the Formula One event.
Moises Castaneda gets huge props for style on his CBR600RR.
Bikes on the banking just look right. Lennie Combs (22) is chased by T.J. O'Doan above; John Wagner (52) chases speed below. More from the high banking at Auto Club Speedway tomorrow
It's a race for charity, for fun, for kids and adults alike. At least, that's what it says in the literature. But watching one of the teams tearing apart a motor in the middle of the night under the lights, hearing the intensity of the member's voices, and you learn one of the truths of racing: There is no such thing as a race just for fun.
Reader Pics - Rick Crespo:
Reader, podcast fan and racer Rick Crespo sent in these shots of his team - Team BackMarkers, got to love that - in action in a four-hour endurance race at New Jersey Motorsports Park's Liberator course. The bike is a Yamaha TTR125. This looks like a stupid amount of fun, and I look forward to trying this someday when my hands don't hurt so much! Thanks for the shots, Rick, and it would be a privilege to run pics from other readers and racers.
Images from the annual M1GP 24-hour mini road racing endurance race for charity at Willow Springs kart track:
WERA West, Vegas, Nov. 2014, Part Eight:
More images from the WERA West finale in Vegas:
Gary Lee Smalz (805) and Michael Weir (23) dicing in the Formula One Novice race.
David Purcell
Keith StieLuke LucianoWERA West, Vegas, Nov. 2014, Part Seven:
More images from the WERA West finale in Vegas:
David Guerrero
Joshua Picard
Brad Saenz
More images from the WERA West finale in Vegas:
Andrew Zabzdyr
Ryan Harper
Danielle Diaz WERA West, Vegas, Nov. 2014, Part Five:
Chad Lewin crashed on the first lap of the first race of the weekend - the repaved surface caught more than a couple of people out.
Lewin cruised his dusty bike back to the pits (above) and got back down to business later in the day (below).
Sahar Zvik upped his game in terms of machine prep this year, and it paid off with four WERA West championships.
WERA West, Vegas, Nov. 2014, Part Four:
Robert Perez won the Formula One Novice race on Saturday
Timothy Chin took second.
Jeff Semmig took the big bike out for a spin and took third.
Michael Weir was fourth ...
... and after Smalz (below) came Tim Parchman.
Perez and Chin were this close most of the race.
Marcel Irnie
Helmut Kohler Jr.
Gary Lee Smalz
WERA West, Vegas, Nov. 2014, Part Two:
Ruben Casarez shows why he's headed for the Red Bull Rookies Cup tryouts.
WERA West, Vegas, Nov. 2014, Part One:
Images from the WERA West season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
Jason Catching demonstrating his finely-honed skills aboard an SV650.
Ezra Beaubier, brother of AMA Pro Superbike racer Cameron Beaubier, ran off track, but got back into the game quickly.
Images from the WERA West season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
Christopher Carron (101) and Andrew Zabzdyr go at it in Turn Eight of the Classic Course.
Luis Quinones took the Formula One win on Sunday.
Oleg Pianykh was king of the big-bore brigade on Saturday, then he left.
Some shots that I found while cleaning out the archives. These were from the Moto West Grand Prix race at WSIR in May. Happy Holiday!
Rick Carmody on one of his beloved Ducatis.
Ryan Harper on his trusty YZF-R6.
Jason Aguilar
Making Your Move, Part 2:
Passing is part of the game. Here are a few passing sequences that I was able to capture:
David Price (13) stalks John Edmondson (711) through the skidpad at Streets of Willow during the Moto West Grand Prix event in October.
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at the Streets of Willow, October 2014:
Rex Ainsley did well on his SV650 and looked stylish doing so.
Another Stephen Gould shot. Love the Horse Thief Mile sign ...
Robbes Stieglitz
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at the Streets of Willow, October 2014:
David Price
This can't be good
John Sullivan
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at the Streets of Willow, October 2014:
Ryan Harper
Alex White
Justin Simmons
Passing is part of the game. Here are a few passing sequences that I was able to capture:
Casey Holloway (555) and John Sullivan (139) duked it out in the Moto West Grand Prix Formula Open Twins race at Willow Springs in September. Here Holloway goes into Turn One too fast ...
... opening the door for Sullivan to come through. The next lap ...
... same thing. Sullivan finally took the spot and second in the race.
John Sullivan
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at the Streets of Willow, October 2014:
Ron Cole has had better days at the racetrack, but he kept bouncing back.
Cole and JC Gibbs hammered away at each other during the Formula One race until Cole crashed out.
Gibbs painted his YZF-R6 pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Casual conversations with others in the pits on the topic reveal quickly how many people suffer from the disease and how many lives it alters or ends.
MWGP, Streets of Willow, October 2014, Part 3:
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at the Streets of Willow, October 2014:
Fabrice Vilder.
Mike Pond.
More Bryce Prince.
Stephen Gould.
MWGP, Streets of Willow, October 2014, Part 2:
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at the Streets of Willow, October 2014:
Jason Aguilar went inside of Corey Sarros going into the final hairpin, but ran wide and Sarros re-took the spot. Aguilar would make the pass stick a lap later and finish third.
As with Diaz at Buttonwillow, some shots come out better than others. The shots of Aguilar this weekend were the best.
MWGP, Streets of Willow, October 2014, Part 1:
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at the Streets of Willow, October 2014:
"Aussie" David Anthony managed to hold off Bryce Prince for 11 tense laps to take the Formula One win.
Corey Sarros winning the Open Superbike race. Note Race Director John Cagle yawning ...
Tuned Racing's Mike Pond isn't just a team owner, but he's a racer as well. Here he is being chased by Fabrice Vilder (26) out of the skidpad at the Streets.
Start of the
Formula One race - from left, Jason Aguilar, Bryce Prince, "Aussie"
David Anthony and Corey Sarros charge off the line and into Turn One.
MWGP, WSIR, September 2014, Part 5:
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at Willow Springs International Raceway, September 2014:
Jeremy Lasater impressed aboard his Graves Motorsports YZF-R6.
Timothy Chin was fast until he crashed, but went well enough to joke that it was time for him to get rid of the yellow novice plates.
Ron Cole gets more confident and faster with every outing.
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at Willow Springs International Raceway, September 2014:
Start of one of the middleweight novice races. Shawn Byham (628) leads Keir Leonhardt (512) and Henry Schutz (923) through Turn One.
Steve Goldsberry.
Leonhardt, again.
Randy Smith.
MWGP, WSIR, September 2014, Part 3:
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at Willow Springs International Raceway, September 2014:
Jeff Stern. Still crazy after all these years - excellent!
Travis Westermeyer.
Joshua Uebersetzig.
MWGP, WSIR, September 2014, Part 2:
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at Willow Springs International Raceway, September 2014:
Start of the Formula One race, with Corey Sarros leading Chris Duran, Jeff Stern and Ron Cole.
Sarros took second.
But whether it is on his YZF-R6 in the 600cc races or his S1000RR in the literbike stuff, Duran is hard to beat at Big Willow.
MWGP, WSIR, September 2014, Part 1:
First shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at Willow Springs International Raceway, September 2014:
Alex White, this time on the Triumph 675
Doran Boctor on his CBR1000RR
David Price on his Suzuki GSX-R1000.
MWGP, Buttonwillow, August 2014, Part 6:
Last shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, August 2014:
Another shot of Steve Goldsberry. Love the look of the machine.
Alex White and his vintage GSX-R600.
Last shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, August 2014:
Another shot of Steve Goldsberry. Love the look of the machine. Alex White and his vintage GSX-R600.
Fabrice Vilder.
Even more J.C. Gibbs, this time on his R6.
On a sweltering summer day, the misters under the canopy at Buttonwillow are a godsend.
MWGP, Buttonwillow, August 2014, Part 5:
Shots from the Formula One race at the Moto West Grand Prix round at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, August 2014:
MWGP, Buttonwillow, August 2014, Part 4:
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, August 2014:
Shots from the Formula One race at the Moto West Grand Prix round at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, August 2014:
The start - Bryce Prince, Corey Sarros, Jason Aguilar and Ron Cole.
Question: Has J.C. Gibbs missed a race anywhere on the West Coast this year? Here he is on the literbike.
Ron Cole is improving with every race outing - he puts in the effort to make it happen.
Jason Aguilar. Next year could be big for the talented young rider.
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, August 2014:
Jarred Fixler
Shawn Byham
Bryce Prince, above and below.
MWGP, Buttonwillow, August 2014, Part 3:
MWGP, Buttonwillow, August 2014, Part 2:
MWGP, Buttonwillow, August 2014, Part 1:
Novice Randy Smith looking stylish.
WERA West, Auto Club Speedway, June 2014, Part 5:
Corey Sarros
Devon McDonough.
Edgar Zaragoza.
Luis Quinones (70) chasing McDonough.
Marcel Irnie.
Ray Harris.
Aaron Ascher.
Dean Mizdal.
WERA West, Auto Club Speedway, June 2014, Part 3:
World/AMA Superbikes, Laguna Seca, July 2014, Part 3:
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, August 2014:
Steve Goldsberry.
Aaron Mosberg.
Jon Neeter.
Ryan Harper.
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, August 2014:
Jason Aguilar.
Eric Anderson.
Danielle Diaz, above and below. These shots turned out well.
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix round at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, August 2014:
Corey Sarros was doing this every time he plunged into Turn One.
Ducatis never age, they just get more dignified, as does Bob Setbacken.
WERA West, Auto Club Speedway, June 2014, Part 5:
The last of the shots from the WERA West round at Auto Club Speedway in June:
Johnny Rock Page
Daytona Anderson
Johnny Rock Page
Ademar Nunes Jr.
Helmut "Hollywood" Kohler Jr.
WERA West, Auto Club Speedway, June 2014, Part 4:
Even more shots from the WERA West round at Auto Club Speedway in June:
WERA West, Auto Club Speedway, June 2014, Part 3:
More shots from the WERA West round at Auto Club Speedway in June:
I like seeing older machines still being put through their paces. Lance Gittinger is knee-down on a Yamaha YZF-R6 that is older than some of the kids racing in the mini class.
Brian Short on a much more modern R6.
Yaniv Attias is not long for the Novice ranks.
Adam Taylor will not be wearing the orange shirt long, either.
WERA West, Auto Club Speedway, June 2014, Part 2:
More shots from the WERA West round at Auto Club Speedway in June:
Rory McNinch on his Yamaha YZF-R6.
Chad Lewin is just stylish and fast whenever he turns up.
Tony D' Augusta (199) holds off Yaniv Attias (33).
Mitsu Ueda (51) slides underneath Edgar Zaragoza (20) who is recovering from running wide in the double-apex left hander.
World/AMA Superbikes, Laguna Seca, July 2014, Part 3:
This squad has worked together for a long time, and they let little deter them from their objective - which is to send guys like Josh Hayes to the grid with every advantage they can create. Four Superbike titles in a row (five if you count the Superbike Shootout three-race series) says they're doing something right.
Longtime WERA and AFM competitor Joy Higa entered the Superbike class but didn't make the big show. Still, it was very cool to see her chasing her dreams.
One definite sign of the privateer.
World/AMA Superbikes, Laguna Seca, July 2014, Part 2:
More shots from the World/AMASuperbike round at Laguna Seca in July:
Martin Cardenas certainly expected better than fourth.
And Chris Fillmore, who nearly podiumed on the KTM last year, was certainly hoping for better than fifth.
Jake Holden showed up on a Ducati Panigale and impressed during practice and qualifying, putting the bike sixth on the grid. Unfortunately, he DNF - maybe the most disappointing moment of the race.
Various shots from the World/AMASuperbike round at Laguna Seca in July:
The one-bike rule means that a crash or mechanical failure in Race One means a thrash to get ready for Race Two.
The rig was impressive ...
But Larry Pegram on his AMA machine scored EBR's first World Superbike points.
Shots from the WERA West round at Auto Club Speedway, June 2014:
Marcel Irnie's sense of style is inimitable.
Sahar Zvik, railing on his preferred Pirelli tires. He would test the AMA-spec Dunlops later and struggle to adapt.
Chad Lewin was fast as always.
Moto West GP, Big Willow, July 2014, Part 3
70-year-old rookie Rick Oliver is having a good time.
Brandon Nozaki-Miller is flying the electric bike banner with his Zero S.
These grasshopper-type critters make a great deal of noise, but when they are motionless are damned near impossible to spot.
Mike Ripley's Ninja 300 is immaculate.
Moto West GP, Big Willow, July 2014, Part 2
Back from the World Superbike round at Laguna. Pics from that event shortly. Meanwhile, more from the July MWGP Round at Big Willow.
Just another day in motorcycle road racing paradise. I love Turn Two at the big track.
This shrine is at the edge of the runoff area in Turn Two.
Susan Hiraoka on the Honda Ascot-powered, custom-built Formula Singles racer owned by crusty veteran Scott Fabbro. The sport needs more Susans and way, way more Scott Fabbros.
Moto West GP, Big Willow, July 2014
Tuned Racing teammates Bryce Prince and Jason Aguilar are putting on a riding clinic in Moto West GP competition.
Jason Aguilar has used his Graves Motorsports YZF-R6 to devastating effect against larger machines in Open Superstock and Formula One.
Alex White (46) and David McLarty (60) lead Mark Ainslie through Turn Two.
Jason Aguilar has used his Graves Motorsports YZF-R6 to devastating effect against larger machines in Open Superstock and Formula One.
Alex White (46) and David McLarty (60) lead Mark Ainslie through Turn Two.
Panigales At Play, MWGP Buttonwillow, June 2014
Shots from the MWGP Ducati Cup Formula race at Buttonwillow:
John Sullivan
Dan McCormack
Casey Holloway
MWGP at Buttonwillow, June 2014
Here are a few shots from Moto West Grand Prix's June 2014 round at Buttonwillow. Thank God they are repaving the track; I wear chest armor and still woke up on Sunday morning with bruises on my chest from Saturday practice and racing.
Chad Lewin and Bryce Prince went at it from the very beginning of the Formula One race, going through Turn One side by side.
Mike Pond not only owns a race team (Tuned Racing), he's damned fast in his own right. Here he leads Sahar Zvik.
Look at the size of the footprint of that dust devil. These things were blowing across the track. At least they made you forget about the bumps for a bit.
Hang around the track long enough and you'll get to see some youngsters grow in the sport. Here are a couple that I've known for a bit.
Ruben Casarez checks tire pressures on one of his grandfather's friends racebikes several years ago at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.
Ruben Casarez chases J.C. Gibbs last weekend at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.
Andrew Zabzdyr models a kid's set of leathers a few years back at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.
Andrew Zabzdyr makes a Yamaha YZF-R6 haul the mail last weekend at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.
I enjoy doctoring my shots to see what I can come up with. Here are a few ...
Track Day, Laguna Seca, May 2014, Part 2 ...
More shots from a track day at Laguna Seca, May 2014.
One cool thing about the pace of motorcycle development is that regular old street-going machines are incredibly capable, as are some of the riders on them.
Bending it into Turn Four.
That R1 behind the Aprilia is crazy-trick. Carbon-fiber wheels for a track day bike? Yes. Of course ...
Shots from a track day at Laguna Seca, May 2014.
Entering Turn Four.
Closing in on the apex.
On the gas and picking it up ...
Take It 2 The Track, June 2014...
My friend Ed Sorbo of Lindemann Engineering (see the link to your right) now provides suspension services at the Take It 2 The Track track days in Southern California, and so I spend Sunday afternoon hanging out with him and the TI2TT folks at the Streets of Willow - and I took the opportunity to put the vintage R1 back on the track. True story: The folks who registered me already knew me - they'd bought some SV parts from me a while back. When you're straight in your business dealings, it's a pleasure to run into your customers - because they're now your friends.
It's funny; part of me was thinking, this bike is too fast for this tight, twisty track, another part of me was thinking, do I really want to go as fast as this thing actually will go? I mean, compared to the SV650 racebike, it's a flat rocketship ... Photo by Caliphotography.
The supermoto brigade was out in force. These guys were ripping it up; Streets is perfect for these machines.
This bike has a cool story. Purchased for a grand, it's a 2004 ZX-6R with Ohlins front and rear, a pipe, decent bodywork. But the transmission had gone south. The purchaser had a spare transmission sitting in the garage. A few nights of labor, and he's got one cool track day ride for a pittance. I like to see riders who want to be on the track - and make it happen.
Rick Carmody's Ducati, modern or vintage, is always immaculate.
Not many AMA Superbike team owners still get their knee on the ground. This one does.
The McLarty brothers bought a couple of old AMA racebikes and go out to battle for bragging rights within the family.
Moto West Grand Prix, May 2014, WSIR, Part 5 ...
Ryan Harper crests the hill at Turn Four.
Jason Aguilar spent the weekend coming to grips with new suspension.
His Tuned Racing teammate Bryce Prince nearly took the Formula One win.
A blast from the past: J.C. Gibbs on his Yamaha FZR400.
More pics from the MWGP event at Big Willow.
Jason Gardner leads Mike Pond, Fabrice Vilder and Ryan Harper.
Start of the Open Superbike race, with Bryce Prince leading Steve Rapp, Chris Duran and Jeff Stern.
David "Aussie Dave" Anthony rolled the little van out to Willow for the day.
The funny thing is that this guy's name really is Marquez.
If Pictures Are The Trophies For Track Day Riders, Then I Won ...
Pic from the track day we did this weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Racing takes a little of the magic out of racing at famous tracks; every track, really, is just a series of corners to be solved, from a lap time point of view. But I like this shot of me, an explosion of motion and color, plunging through Turn Ten on my 2012 YZF-R1. Photo by Dito Milian/gotbluemilk.com.
Moto West Grand Prix, May 2014, WSIR, Part 3 ...
Mike Pond (67) leads Ryan Harper (192), Fabrice Vilder (26) and J.C. Gibbs through Turn Three.
Alan Brown heading into Turn One.
In this garage you see a KTM supermotard, an SV650, a Ducati 848, a Buell XB12R and a Buell 1125R. Doesn't matter what you race, it's that you race ...
Moto West Grand Prix, May 2014, WSIR, Part 2 ...
More shots from the May round of Moto West Grand Prix at Willow Springs. These shots courtesy Thom Embree.
John Ulrich (29) leads Andy Edwards (964) off the line at the start of the 250cc GP race.
The number of motorcycle road races Ed Sorbo, left, and Ulrich have won is, literally, probably beyond count.
Speaking of winning ... from left, Bryce Prince, Chris Duran and Jason Aguilar celebrate after the Formula One race.
Shots from the Moto West Grand Prix event at Willow Springs International Raceway, May 2014.
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| AMA Pro Road Racing Champion Steve Rapp showed up to show people how to ride a Ducati. Some are too young to remember that Rapp rode for the Vance & Hines factory Ducati squad in AMA Superbike. He hadn't been to Willow for seven years, but he remembered quickly how to get around the course rapidly. |
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| Rapp leads Bryce Prince and Chris Duran in Open Superbike. If you know how to ride a 600, you can give racers on big bikes absolute fits at Willow. |
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| More Open Superbike action. |
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| Andy Edwards Aprilia RS250. It's hard to believe that it's Italian, because - well, let's just say that it's hard to find a flattering angle from which to shoot it. But it does hold several world records, so ... |
Random shots from a Motoyard track day at Streets of Willow, May 4, 2014. I do enjoy spending my time capturing roadracing motorcycles at speed.
This is actually the Streets of Willow, run counterclockwise. The final turn becomes this very fast, very downhill kink that is a lot of fun.
Putting in laps. The great thing about practice or training is that - you still get to ride a roadracing motorcycle at speed.
This guy was backin' it in.
I do not know the story behind this bit of graffiti painted on the pit pavement. But it cannot be good.
Superbike Shootout, The Rest ...
A few more images from the Auto Club Speedway round of the 2014 Superbike Shootout series
There were bigger-than-normal grids in all the classes, Pro and WERA alike.
Bobby Fong made it two-for-two for Triumph.
Nice to see the nation's fastest bikes back on the banking in Fontana.
Johnny Rock Page. Personality galore. Loves Paris Hilton.
That Can't Be Right ...
Random shots from when it goes wrong.
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| Gonzo truck repair job. |
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| No clue as to how this got here, but the story can't be good. |
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| Oil outside of engine = bad. |
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| OK, all is right with the world here. |
Lots of people know all the effort John Ulrich and the Roadracing World crew do to promote track safety and their role in establishing the Action Fund, which deploys soft barriers and makes otherwise unraceable tracks safe enough to ride. But some don't realize the effort JU puts in to help up-and-coming road racers. This picture captures both - the inflatable barriers deployed by the action fund, and the on-track antics of Nic Swensgard, one of the racers that got a helping hand from JU (see the March 2014 issue of Roadracing World for the Swensgard saga.
Superbike Shootout, Auto Club Speedway, Part 3:
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| Josh Hayes' YZF-R1 was a rocketship. |
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| Novice racer Marquis Johnson went the R1 route for his racebike. Win on Sunday (which Yamaha has done a lot of, with four AMA Superbike titles in a row), sell on Monday. |
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| One of the coolest rider meetings ever. There's a high-ranking Triumph race official, Pro racer Benny Solis, the world's oldest club racing class champion, a guy racing a carbon-fiber monocoque Brough Superior Moto2 machine, Al "The Mayor" Garcia, and a racer wearing a hat with a propeller on top. That, my friends, is eclectic. |
Superbike Shootout, Auto Club Speedway, Part 2:
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| Cameron Beaubier is immensely talented, but is still looking for the raw speed of his Yamaha Superbike teammate most days. However, he is not far back, and his Superbike career is just starting. |
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| There's a lot of self-confidence in a rider who can run off the track, finish third and still say that he was pleased with his riding. Josh Hayes will always be a giant in American Superbike racing, and it is a rare opportunity to see a rider this talented race. |
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| Several years ago, at a MotoGP race at Laguna Seca, I was in the grandstands watching the AMA Pro Road Racing Superbike race after the GP. The crowd was thinning, and the day was winding down. I turned to find Martin Cardenas sitting with his sister in the stands behind me, watching the Superbike race. He is quiet, but intense beyond words. I would not want to race against this man. |
Spent the weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana for the first round of the three-round Superbike Shootout. Fantastic racing, fantastic event. Here are a few shots. More to come.
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| It might not have been an official AMA Pro Road Racing National, but it sure looked like one. |
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| Suzuki's Martin Cardenas leads Yamaha-mounted Josh Hayes and Cameron Beaubier and fellow factory Suzuki rider Roger Hayden down the back straight. The fans showed up - clearly, SoCal fans missed their road racing. |
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| My latest object of moto-lust - a Moriwaki MD250H. I made the mistake of sitting on one and found out that I fit quite nicely on it. |
Shots From The Streets, Part 5:
The little track always attracts the motard brigade.
Evan Markus showed them how it was done.
Clinton Whitehouse loves little two-strokes, and has for years. This time out, it's a very neat Yamaha RZ350.
Shots From The Streets, Part 4:
Shots From The Streets, MWGP, April 2014, Part 3: Going The Distance
For 2014, Moto West Grand Prix brought back the 20-lap endurance races on Saturday afternoons. Here are some shots from the FX Endurance races on the tight, demanding 1.8-mile circuit.
Andrew Yzabal (303), Rex Ainslie (789) and Brian Lensch (90) on their Suzuki SV650s run to the checkers in the Lightweight category.
Shots From The Streets, MWGP, April 2014, Part 2:
Shots From The Streets, MWGP, April 2014, Part 1:
Even more shots from the WERA West event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, March 2014:
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| Jack Baker (27) on a SuperSingle Suzuki 450 chases down Laura Orozco (641) on a Moriwaki MD250H. Baker's been doing this longer than many in the paddock have been alive. It was very cool to see Orozco dragging one of her children with her to pick up her trophies at the Saturday award ceremony. |
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| Steve Zoumaras (678) pushes Aaron Ascher (center) wide at the start of the Formula One race on Saturday, and Canadian Marcel Irnie dives through the gap to take the lead. |
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| Gabriel Hernandez (29) leads Peter Yates (81) in 125cc GP competition. |
Random shots from the WERA West event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, March 2014:
CM Motorsports' Chad Lewin dominated the middleweight races.
In
the middle of an endurance race, you can actually get bored. Braking
into the hairpin that leads onto the back straight, you can get
distracted by the aircraft taking off and landing at Nellis Air Force
Base, such as this one that carries the insignia of the modern German
air force.
More Sahar Zvik and his Kawasaki ZX-6R. Just so damned photogenic.
The SRA sidecars joined the party. Steve Stull pilots the rig, aided by passenger Heidi Neidhofer.
Photos from the WERA West round at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Classic Course, February 2014.
Derek Keyes, the product development guy at Kawasaki U.S.A., has raced in front of some of the largest crowds to ever gather for a motorcycle race as part of a factory-backed effort at the Suzuka 8-Hours. I like this shot because of the emptiness it reflects; while the stands are at the track next to the Classic Course, there aren't many more spectators for the motorcycle racing! And yet Keyes is out there, hammering away, on his own bike, which is remarkably stock, by himself, pitting his skills and desire against the stopwatch. Racing is a deeply personal endeavor, and this shot captures that.
Youngsters Andrew Lee (140) and Danielle Diaz (86) lead Eric Anderson (112) in middleweight practice.
It's hard to get a decent, clean background when shooting at the circuit, but at least the company next door arranges the port-o-potties by color. Sahar Zvik's program is professional-level, his bike is eye-catching in a good way, and he's one of those racers who makes his dreams happen on his own. Zvik is a WERA West class champion, a fixture at the club races on the West Coast and he's been on an AMA Pro Road Racing grid at least once, more often than not, every year since 2006.
Photos from the WERA West round at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Classic Course, February 2014.
Derek Keyes, the product development guy at Kawasaki U.S.A., has raced in front of some of the largest crowds to ever gather for a motorcycle race as part of a factory-backed effort at the Suzuka 8-Hours. I like this shot because of the emptiness it reflects; while the stands are at the track next to the Classic Course, there aren't many more spectators for the motorcycle racing! And yet Keyes is out there, hammering away, on his own bike, which is remarkably stock, by himself, pitting his skills and desire against the stopwatch. Racing is a deeply personal endeavor, and this shot captures that.
Youngsters Andrew Lee (140) and Danielle Diaz (86) lead Eric Anderson (112) in middleweight practice.
It's hard to get a decent, clean background when shooting at the circuit, but at least the company next door arranges the port-o-potties by color. Sahar Zvik's program is professional-level, his bike is eye-catching in a good way, and he's one of those racers who makes his dreams happen on his own. Zvik is a WERA West class champion, a fixture at the club races on the West Coast and he's been on an AMA Pro Road Racing grid at least once, more often than not, every year since 2006.
