Off in the wild blue yonder, again…

If you remember from a couple weeks ago, I shared some more milestones with you all from 40,000 feet during a five-hour flight to Los Angeles. Well, it’s another Monday from way up yonder as I make my way out to Oregon for a week of work in the great Pacific Northwest.

Believe me, all this airplane seat time gets OLD! To top it off, yesterday in Indy was cold, wet and miserable, so I ended up watching a marathon run of the old “Airplane”/”Airport” movies. Now how’s that for an inspirational precursor to a travel day of airports and airplanes!

There was one bright spot to start the day off, though. Our friend Liz at the South Bend Chocolate Factory Chocolate Café in Terminal A at the airport greeted me with a steaming hot cup of chocolate raspberry coffee this morning as I made my way to the departure gate. That’s always a welcomed experience to start off a day of travel.

Actually, the weekend wasn’t a total washout. Saturday was pretty much hit-and-miss clouds and a few spots of blue sky throughout the day with somewhat mild temperatures. I made my Saturday sojourn up to our friends at Ducati Indianapolis in Zionsville, Ind., to check out some new hardware rumored to have arrived this past week.

You may have noticed the new banner photo for The Experience. That was taken several weeks ago at Pro Italia in Glendale, Calif., and was my first viewing of the new 2009 Ducati 1098R Bayliss LE motorcycle. Guess what was sitting up in Zionsville this past Saturday? That would sure make a nice stable mate to the two Ducatis sitting in my garage!

Well, after copious amounts of drooling, I helped myself to a sampling of Bill Carr’s latest culinary exploration of a new jambalaya recipe he brought back from New Orleans during his recent 5,361-mile, two-wheel odyssey from Indianapolis to Daytona to West Texas and back. Wow, that’s a keeper!

Fellow “old racer guy”, Gene Burcham, was also at Ducati Indianapolis Saturday afternoon. His mission was quite different than mine, which usually involves new toys and testing the extremes of my palette. Gene’s recent reactivation of his road racing adventures during the launch of a historic new era in AMA Pro Road Racing at Daytona International Speedway revealed an urgent need to find some more ponies out of the only eligible Ducati to qualify and finish the new middleweight production class format Daytona 200 by Honda event.

Ducati Indianapolis and Carr Moto co-owner and performance wizard, Matt Carr, is assisting with Gene’s search for some big kahona’s out of his AMA Pro Daytona SportBike spec Ducati 848. After a week of magic potions, top secret incantations and countless dyno runs, we’ll see how Gene does next weekend at the round three event, Suzuki Superbike Showdown at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. Make sure you tune in to AMA “Pro PrimeTime” program coverage at 10 p.m. (ET) Saturday, April 11 on the SPEED Network to cheer on Gene.

With another successful Saturday of eating, daydreaming and pot-stirring, it was time to make my way back to the ole homestead to make a feeble attempt at some household chores. I did successfully find another diversion, swinging through the downtown Indianapolis area to see how Mel Harder’s project was progressing. Mel, I thought the idea of moving into a condominium was to eliminate yard work!

Well, my laptop battery is about to expire, and I hear the beverage trolley rattling down the aisle. So it’s time to sign out and I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

Greg

Ghosts from the past…
More Indianapolis Motor Speedway Centennial Era events keep popping up around the west side of Indianapolis as the centennial celebration gets into full swing.

Last Friday afternoon, March 20, ghosts of the four founding fathers of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway made an appearance at the IMS Hall of Fame Museum. Visitors to the Museum Friday afternoon confirmed the presence of Arthur Newby, Frank Wheeler, Carl Fisher and James Allison milling around a vintage race car from the museums vast collection of historic vehicles and race memorabilia.

Sounds like some pretty scary stuff!  Actually, the four founding fathers are local historic rein actors portraying the four visionary businessmen who founded the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the signing of the Articles of Incorporation on March 20, 1909.

Matthew Allen (Newby), Jeff Angel (Wheeler), Tom Harrison (Fisher) and Hal Hefner (Allison) have been portraying the IMS founding fathers for several years at various events around the central Indiana area, including the Centennial Era Gala a couple weeks ago at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. IMS historian Donald Davidson joined them for this historic photograph.

Last Friday, March 20, 2009, represented the actual 100^th anniversary of the founding of IMS out on West 16^th Street when the area was nothing but farmland on the outskirts of Indianapolis. Originally founded as an automobile testing ground to support Indiana’s growing automotive industry, the focus of the facility turned to racing, with Ray Harroun winning the inaugural Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 1911.

Remember, the first motorized race at IMS was Aug. 14, 1909 and featured our favorite mode of transportation, motorcycles. I came to the event aboard the 2007 Honda CBR1000RR Nicky Hayden replica that helped with the official announcement of the 2008 Inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP back in July 2007.

Our four rein actors spent several hours last Friday afternoon at the Hall of Fame Museum posing for photographs with visitors. The Museum extended its hours to 6:30 p.m. and hosted visitors with a complimentary admission to get a glimpse of some of the historic collection and get their photograph with the four founding fathers.

Be sure to stay tuned for more Centennial Era events planned for the next two years, including the Centennial Era Balloon Festival presented by AT&T Real Yellow Pages that will take place May 1-3 and the Centennial Era Concours d’Elegance on June 18-20, 2010 at IMS

See you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

Greg

Hoist a frosty green brew: What’s up with that?

From our friends at Wikipedia:

The Irish Society of Boston organized what was the first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in the colonies on 17 March 1737. The first celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day in New York City was held at the Crown and Thistle Tavern in 1756, and New York’s first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade was held on 17 March 1762 by Irish soldiers in the British Army. In 1780, General George Washington, who commanded soldiers of Irish descent in the Continental Army, allowed his troops a holiday on 17 March “as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence.” This event became known as The St. Patrick’s Day Encampment of 1780. Today, Saint Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated in America by Irish and non-Irish alike.

Some Irish wit and wisdom:

A best friend is like a four leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have.

-Author Unknown

Never iron a four-leaf clover, because you don’t want to press your luck.

- Author Unknown

When after the Winter alarmin’,

The Spring steps in so charmin’,

So fresh and arch

In the middle of March,

Wid her hand St. Patrick’s arm on…

-Alfred Percival Graves

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light,
May good luck pursue you each morning and night.
-Irish blessing

May luck be our companion
May friends stand by our side
May history remind us all
Of Ireland’s faith and pride.
May God bless us with happiness
May love and faith abide.
-Irish blessing

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

-Irish blessing

An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold onto one blade of grass to keep from falling off the earth.

-Irish saying

OK, that should equip everyone with a bit of history and enough Irish aphorisms to hoist a few toasts tonight in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, a major Irish holiday celebrated by the Irish all over the world. All of us non-Irish can wear a bit of the ‘ole green today and just pretend we are Irish for a day.

Be responsible with your merry-making, and I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

Greg

Old guys still go fast!
As I’m sitting here on a five-hour flight out to Ontario, Calif., I keep thinking about more milestones that seem to be popping up lately. Last week I shared some of the epic milestones occurring around the Town of Speedway and a few of the historic events that are launching a three-year Centennial Era celebration out on West 16^th Street at the Brickyard.

I also spilled the beans about my good friend Reuben, who experienced his own milestone last week with the celebration of his 40^th birthday. As much as he didn’t want it to happen, there was no stopping the inevitable march of time. He did put on a great surprise show, though!

Another longtime friend and former road racing teammate of mine, Jim Knipp, reached a milestone this past week with the celebration of his 50^th birthday. Yikes, everybody I know is going over the hill these days.

Jim and I spent almost 10 years together as teammates on a locally sponsored motorcycle road racing team know as The Superbike Factory. Together, we campaigned in the Western Eastern Roadracers Association (WERA) series and the American Motorcyclist Association Pro Superbike series from the late 1970s through the late 1980s.

Our first venture into the AMA Pro Superbike Series was Daytona Bike Week in March 1981. With the help of Marc Wertzberger and his motorcycle dealership, Greenwood Honda, Jim and I put together a pair of Honda CB750F motorcycles and launched our campaign at the Daytona International Speedway. What an eye-opening experience that was. It was an unbelievable feeling to be going as fast as you think a bike could possibly go on the high-banks when Freddie Spencer and the freight train of leaders came whipping around you like you were dragging an anchor only nine laps into the race.

This past weekend marked the launch of a historic new era in AMA Pro Road Racing, continuing a motorcycle racing tradition that dates back to the inaugural running of the Daytona 200 on Jan. 24, 1937. Under the new ownership of Daytona Motorsports, a new age of AMA Pro Road Racing kicked off last week, culminating Friday night with the first-ever running of the Daytona 200 by Honda under the lights.

After 72 years featuring the innovations of Superbike and Grand Prix machines, the Daytona 200 has now been relegated to a middleweight production event. Wow!

Another good friend of mine also celebrated his 40^th birthday milestone a little more than a year ago. Gene Burcham is a former motorcycle racer from the mid 1980s, and he also experienced his first and only Daytona 200 in 1988 when the format was full-blown 750cc modified Superbikes.

Like all of us in this era of milestones, Gene is experiencing his first major mid-life crisis. This past fall, he took the big fall and purchased a small fleet of new Ducati sport bikes, including two of the new 848 middle weight performance machines. That was just the beginning!

Months later and with new Ducati 848s, new truck, new trailer, new gear, new pit equipment, new this, new that and at age 41, Gene entered, qualified and successfully completed the 68th running of the Daytona 200 by Honda under the lights this past Friday, March 6 at Daytona International Speedway.

Now this isn’t just any old race to come back to after 20 years away from the sport. The Daytona 200 by Honda is also AMA Pro Road Racing’s new series format featuring middleweight production sport bikes with the likes of Ben Bostrom, Josh Herrin, Jason DiSalvo, Jamie Hacking, Miguel Duhamel and a whole host of ultra-fast factory backed riders competing.

Factory teams included entries from Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Aprilia and Buell. The only factories not represented were Ducati and Triumph. Enter local old fast guy, Gene Burcham! Of the 84 pre-entries for the Daytona 200 by Honda, only a pair of Ducati 848s were entered, and only Gene managed to qualify for the main event to be held Friday night under the lights.

I won’t even get into the severe disadvantage the new format rules imposed on the Ducati 848 verses the 600cc, four-cylinder machines and the other vee twin’s 1000cc and 1125cc allowance, but did Gene manage to put the only Ducati 848 twin in the 75^th position of a 75-bike field.

After enduring 52 laps under the lights of Daytona International Speedway, the grueling congestion of a 75-bike field, the absurdness of a “safety car” on a course with motorcycles, Gene managed to pull off a finish in 51^st position.

Congratulations, Gene, for putting the only Ducati into the history books of the first Daytona 200 of a historic new era in AMA Pro Road Racing.

Not bad for a fellow “old fast guy”. Speed isn’t just for the young pups.

Now I hope Michael Lock out in Cupertino, Calif., hears about your feat and gets you some more ponies and a bit more top speed for your Ducati 848. Or maybe he could find out how the boys in Milwaukee wriggled out an allowance from Roger E for 1125cc so you could run your Ducati 1098 instead.

Oh, well, I think that’s about all the pot stirring I can come up with this week, and the battery in my laptop is about to go belly-up. So I’ll see you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

Greg

Let’s celebrate!
According to Wikipedia, a milestone is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road or boundary at regular intervals. Milestones are constructed to reassure travelers that the proper path is being followed.

This past weekend, a couple events celebrating some significant local milestones took place here in the Racing Capital of the World, Indianapolis.

Known to many as the Circle City, Indianapolis is home to many race teams from many different competition disciplines.

The epicenter of this local racing industry is the Town of Speedway, home of the Racing Capital of the World, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Founded in 1909 by several local businessmen including James Asbury Allison, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway launched its three-year Centennial Era celebration Friday, Feb. 27 with a spectacular Gala event at the Indiana Convention Center.

A Who’s Who list of champion Indianapolis Motor Speedway drivers attended the Centennial Era Gala, as 19 or the 27 living Indianapolis 500 winners and an Allstate 400 at the Brickyard winner were honored guests. Check out news, notes and quotes from the legends at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.

Earlier last week, the return of an iconic American sports car to the Brickyard was announced. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced Feb. 26 it has selected the all-new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro to pace the 93^rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 24, 2009.

The Camaro Pace Car was unveiled during a ceremony at the IMS Hall of Fame Museum with IMS President and Chief Operating Officer Joie Chitwood and Indianapolis 500 winners Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser Jr. and Eddie Cheever Jr. Check out the IMS news release here: 2010 Camaro Pace Car

A little less-known icon in the world of racing is a young gentleman in a southern outlying suburb of Indianapolis. Owner and founder of 35 Motorsports, Reuben Frankenfield is a 20-year veteran of several North American motorcycle sprint and endurance racing series. Reuben holds several national championships and is regarded as one of the premier builders and tuners of two wheeled racing machines. 35 Motorsports

A Who’s Who of local motorcycle racers, friends and family attended our own Gala event to help Rueben celebrate his milestone of reaching his 40^th birthday. Intended as a surprise event, Reuben performed admirably expressing his surprise as several dozen of us bellowed out a hardy rendition of “Happy Birthday” at a local pub and eatery. I don’t think we could hold a candle to Wayne Newton’s performance at the IMS Centennial Era Gala the night before at the Indiana Convention Center, but we tried our best!

Well, that’s all the milestones I can think of this past week, so enjoy the links to each of their stories, and I look forward to seeing you all next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com

Greg