AMA Flat Track: Scenes & Seen at the 2012 Lucas Oil Indy Mile

Round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season saw a diverse turnout among the dignitaries and fans on-hand at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile.  With the 5th Annual Red Bull MotoGP Weekend taking place down at the big speedway less then a half-dozen miles away, racers, former racers and big names alike headed to the Indiana State Fairgrounds to take in The Rolling Thunder Show to see the night's action in what everyone knows is the best racing series on wheels in the world.

One of the busiest pit areas at Indy was the Bryan Smith #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki/Midwest Performance-sponsored Kawasaki 650R work area.  For the five mile events that team owner/master builder Ricky Howerton is contesting in the 2012 season, the pit area has been abuzz at each of those events for the fans and folks on-hand wanting a glimpse of the machine and workings of one of the most innovative designs and winners in the sport of AMA Pro Flat Track in some time.

And Indy was no different, except for the names of two of those attendees who happened by on the hot August night of Saturday the 18th.  Along with regular mates Jeff Gordon (Speedway Engine Development) and team owner Howerton (and his boys and one of their friends enjoying the limelight) was Indianapolis Motor Speedway Senior VP of Operations, Mel Harder.  Having been in the racing business for some time now, Howerton has amassed a group of friends, competitors and long-time confidants that would set the Broadway lights of racing aglow.

Also along for the night of bench racing and checking out the lastest hot rod on the AMA Grand National Championship Series horizon was former multi-time runner-up in the 500cc Grand Prix World Championship, Randy Mamola.  The former World Grand Prix rider and current MotoGP Ducati Two-Seater pilot seemed to enjoy his time hanging with the hottest team on the circuit and enjoyed checking out the piece of art that Howerton has put to the track this season.

2-Time World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards was the Grand Marshall for the 2012 running of the Lucas Oil Indy Mile.  To the delight of the crowd's roars he talks with AMA Pro Flat Track announcer Barry Boone while his kids enjoy seeing Daddy having a good time at a race, unlike his season as a CRT rider on a struggling team in the MotoGP series.  Edwards was quite the accomplished flat tracker and motocross rider before going WERA and eventually AMA, World Superbike and MotoGP racing and teaches a school at home in Texas on his 'days off' from competing in the top level road racing series in the world.

Thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track, see what the Texas Tornado had to say about his marshalling duties at Indy and how great of a time he was having at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqzD4IMjkdg

Everyone knew that after his appearance at the 2009 Lucas Oil Indy Mile to help support his long-time friend, Kenny Roberts, while he rode some demo laps on the infamous Indy-winning TZ750 flat tracker, that 9-Time World Champion Valentino Rossi would be in the house for the 2012 version.  Rossi didn't dissapoint, bringing along some of his Ducati support crew and hanging with 7-Time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr on stage in the special seating area set-up by the AMA Pro Flat Track team.  Carr reportedly helped to broker a deal that saw Rossi return home with his own Harley-Davidson XR750 that he would have to ride on his practice track back in Italy.  Tommy Hayden was hanging with the group and is mostly obscured in the shot above to Vale's right, wearing a red t-shirt.

AMA Pro Flat Track announcer Barry Boone was tasked with the pleasure of interviewing the living motorcycle racing legend on the podium during a break in the action on the track at Indy.

Cristy Lee with AMA Pro Racing was on-hand to interview some of the big names at Indy.  Here she talks with The Doctor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmGfpJc8v8k

Jared Mees' #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D/Saddlemen/National Cycle-sponsored XR750 sits on display in his pit area during round 10 at Indy and was put on a special display stand for fans to come by and get pictures taken on the 2-Time AMA Grand National Twins Series Champion's bike.  Mees pit area offered a very nice, coordinated fan area with hot dogs and munchies being served to the fans who happened by during the walk through.  Mees' 3rd-place later in the eveing helped him pad his tally as he leads the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship overall point standings.

Brownsburg, Indiana-located Vance & Hines' Terry Vance was in the house talking about the XR1200 Series round at IMS and enjoying the superb evening of The Rolling Thunder Show review.

13-Time AMA Grand National Championship-winning tuner and master wrench Bill Werner talks in the pits before the on-track activity gets going at round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18. Current rider and career-best 2nd-place finisher later in the day, Brandon Robinson takes in the conversation in the Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki Racing/Cometic Gaskets/Wossner/SuperTrapp-sponsored pit area.

Three of the team's machines were displayed early in the day at Indy (Stevie Bonsey's #80 sits in the middle with Robinson's #44 in the rear of the shot.)  But one of the bikes caught my eye for two obvious reasons.  One, the bike in the forefront of the shot, has not only Robinson's #44 on the side plates, but Sammy Halbert's #7 on the front plate.  Two, the bike in the front is the Indy and Springfield Mile-winning machine that Bryan Smith took to the top of the podium during the 2010 season.

Sammy practiced the 'extra' Kawi of the legendary Werner's stable 'just to get a feel for it' during a practice session according to the former Harley-Davidson Racing department employee and a 'we'll see' approach to what could or would happen throughout the evening.  As we know now, Sammy went back to his tried and true South East H-D-sponsored XR750 and beat the #44 by inches to win his first-ever mile event and take the grand slam of flat track along the way.

AMA Superbike Championship rookie Josh Herrin from the Graves Motorsports Monster Energy Yamaha team was in town checking out the great action and talks with AMA Pro Racing's Cristy Lee here on the podium for the 2012 Lucas Oil Indy Mile event on August 18.

2008 AMA Pro Flat Track Rookie of the Year Matt Weidman was in the seat of the Scott Powersports Kawasaki at Indy, after former rider Johnny Lewis #10 and the team split some time before the Peoria TT, held just six days earlier.  The announcement was made just prior to the Peoria round, where Mighty Matt and his super Mom Rachel were both very excited for the New York State resident's chance to pilot one of the top rockets in the series in front of what was a packed house and European contingent of MotoGP racers, fans and sponsors.

Matt took the #20 Scott Powersports/Saddlemen/Fiorio Investments/SNIP-backed mount home to a top-10 run of 8th-place in the 25-lap National main, for what well could have been one of his best finishes on a mile since his 5th-place finish at the Canterbury Park Minnesota Mile in September '10.  Having struggled with his mile program and this season missing a couple of rounds after his final qualifying get-off that saw him suffer a broken collarbone, it was great to see Mighty Matt running up front where he belongs on a big track.  He will get to run it again for sure at the Springfield Mile II round now rescheduled for Sunday, September 16.

AMA Road Racing: Read All About Colin Edwards' Path to Racing in this Week's Edition of Larry Lawrence's Archives in Cycle News

Southwest Motorsports Yamaha team mates Colin Edwards #45 and Chris D'Aluisio #2 come into the turn 5 area during a practice session for the AMA 250 Grand Prix Championship Series at Road America in late June 1992.  The Southwest Motorsports/Yamaha/Dunlop/Arai-sponsored and TZ250-mounted riders would battle for the 250GP final event during The Coca-Cola Super Cycle Classic at the Elkhart Lake, WI. track, but it would be D'Aluisio taking his 3rd win in a row at the track that year.

Edwards burst onto the scene in AMA Road Racing in the 250 GP class in late '91 after claiming a handful of championships and hardware in the WERA Series, and would open the '92 season with a win at Daytona and at Charlotte, which would catapult him to the '92 AMA 250 Grand Prix Championship.  Yamaha USA took note, and by the '93 season he was on the factory-supported Vance & Hines Yamaha AMA Superbike Championship team as a team mate to '89 AMA Superbike Champion, Jamie James. 

Edwards would go on to win his first AMA Superbike Championship Series race at Mid Ohio in '94, and by the '95 season was racing in the World Superbike Championship in Europe.  Ironically, Edwards would win his two World Superbike Championships after he left the Yamaha fold, while riding for the Castrol Honda WSBK team.
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Check out this great story about 2-Time World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards, that details his rise to fame from a Texas WERA racer some 20 years ago, thanks to the one and only Larry Lawrence and his 'Archives' column at Cycle News.com's Digital Edition:

http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20111004#pg107
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Cycle News.com's Larry Lawrence Talks Exciting Finishes to AMA Superbike Championship Over the Years

The Coca-Cola Super Cycle Classic Weekend at Road America in June 1994 witnessed one of the most controversial race finishes in the history of the AMA Superbike Championship Series, to go along with some of the best on-track action that the riders and machines had put on in front of the crowds at the sprawling Elkhart Lake, WI. facility since the series first hit the scene north of Milwaukee in the early '80s. 

Eventual '94 series champion Troy Corser is shown leading the pack on the first lap of the AMA Superbike Championship main event at the end of lap one coming out of turn 14 for the run up the hill on his #19 Ducati Motorcycles/Pro Grip/Dunlop/Fast By Ferracci Racing Products-backed Ducati 955 as team mate Pascal Picotte on his #21 Ducati/Fast By Ferracci/Pro Grip/Dunlop-sponsored 955 gives chase.  Jamie James on the #2 Vance & Hines/Yamaha/Dunlop/Bell-sponsored YZF750 follows, along with Mike Smith on his #68 American Honda/Smokin' Joe's Racing/Dunlop/Pro Honda Oils-backed RC45, 3-Time AMA Superbike Champion Fred Merkel on the #27 Muzzy Kawasaki/Dunlop/Motul/SBS-sponsored ZX-7R, Dave Sadowski on the #25 Desmo/FBF/Dunlop/RK-sponsored Ducati 955 and Thomas Stevens on his #11 American Suzuki/Yoshimura Racing/Dunlop/NGK-backed GSX-R750.  Also keeping things close are Kevin Magee on the #23 American Honda/Smokin' Joe's Racing/Dunlop/Pro Honda Oils-sponsored RC45, Tiger Sohwa on the #41 Muzzy Kawasaki/Dunlop/Motul/SBS-backed ZX-7R and Colin Edwards on the #45 Vance & Hines/Yamaha/Arai/Dunlop-backed YZF750.

In what would come down to James' losing the series title to Corser at the season finale by mere points due to a mechanical, pundits could point to the outcome of this race as being the true culprit in James' failure to secure his second premier championship after having won the title riding for Yoshimura Suzuki in the '89 season.  With a handful of laps to go, James' team mate Edwards threw it away on the outside of 14, with the battle having whittled down to the two Yamaha and two Ducati factory pilots, with Merkel trying his best to keep them honest.  With the waving yellow being presented on the lap after the crash for the field, leader Picotte was passed by James coming out of 14 for the run up the hill.  But the AMA officials ruled that since no passing is allowed under those conditions, James pass was voided and his failure to meet the black flag for a stop-and-go meant he was eventually relegated down the field in the final results.

Eventually at the season-ender at Road Atlanta, a mechanical having to do with the power valve on James' Yamaha caused the machine to slow with the laps winding down in the season finale, and gave Corser the edge he needed to finish enough ahead of his title rival to clinch the championship by just a few points.  James at least got the consolation, as earlier in the day he had clinched the '94 AMA 600 Supersport Championship, but his second premier title in the over-four decades old Superbike Series was not to come. 
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With the great finale in the 2011 version of the AMA Superbike Championship coming down to the final event of the year at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Cycle News.com's Larry Lawrence talks about some of the other close finishes in the premier road racing series in America over the years in this week's 'Archives' column in the Digital Edition of CN.  Read on as one of the best in the sport takes us for a trip down memory lane as he talks some of the closest finishes over the years in the AMA Superbike Championship Series:

http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20110920#pg97
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Reflections From the 4th Annual RedBull Indianapolis MotoGP Weekend

A quartet of riders hammers down the long front straight at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the third practice session for round 12 of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship.  Although announced attendance was down somewhat from last year, the crowd on Saturday actually appeared much larger then figures released.  IMS and Dorna were to have announced yesterday the return in 2012 of the MotoGP World Championship, but according to Mel Harder of IMS, this announcement has been delayed while 'final tweaks' to the schedule are being hammered out.
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Ben Spies motors off on his scooter behind the Yamaha Factory Racing team's garage after the 3rd practice session on Saturday, August 27.  Spies had a great race after qualifying later in the day on the front row, and being bumped back to 9th on the start of yesterday's final.  He rode like the champ he is, and most likely will be in MotoGP, to bring the 50th anniversay Yamaha home in 3rd behind winner Casey Stoner and runner-up and 2010 Indy winner Dani Pedrosa.
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Kenny Roberts' 1980 YZR500 championship winning machine sits on display under one of the Yamaha tents.  Roberts rode some demo laps on this very machine at Laguna Seca last month, but unfortunately it was 'display only' at Indy.
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Alvaro Bautista does some interesting stretching exercises as he rolls out of pitlane on the #19 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R during the 3rd practice session on Saturday morning, August 27.  Whatever they were, they definitely seemed to work as Bautista brought the machine home in the 6th spot in Sunday's round 12 action of the 2011 MotoGP World Championship race at Indy.
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Mike Lloyd of the Lloyd Brothers Motorsports Ducati team had the team's AMA Pro Flat Track machine on display inside the massive Ducati Island area over the course of the weekend.  In both passes I made to try and get a chance to say hi, Mike was busy with the fans talking about the machine that currently sits in the 5th overall position in the point standings with rider Brad Baker.
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Nicky Hayden appears all smiles en route to Ducati Island at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 27.  Hayden had his worst-ever weekend at IMS in finishing 15th and only scoring a single point after choosing a tire that was too soft, even in the cooler Sunday final temperatures.  The Kentucky Kid spent the better part of his off-time away from the bike hanging with friends and family and signing autographs for many a fan over the weekend.
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As Dean Adams from SuperBikePlanet.com puts it, the 'bike that wouldn't die' was on display in the Yamaha display vendor area over the weekend at Indy.  This is the same replica TZ750 that The King rode some demo laps on at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile in 2009.  I never get tired of seeing this, even after 36 years passing!
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Colin Edwards' #5 Monster Energy Tech 3 Yamaha M1 sits on display under one of the Yamaha tents at the RedBull Indianapolis MotoGP round.  The Texas Tornado was inundated with questions as to his plans for the 2012 season, but wasn't able to shine a light on his future over the weekend.
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One of the late Gary Nixon's former Triumph Triples was on display in the paddock area at IMS over the weekend.  Former racer Steve Parrish also did a lap of honor on the bike to pay homage to his departed friend, who passed away in early August.
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The Monster Energy umbella girls kept many a race fan very happy while posing behind the MotoGP garages at Indianapolis, including long-time race fan and compatriot/best bud of Stu's Shots, Tim Powers.  Powers is also a former National WERA champion from back in the mid-late '80s.  Smiles all around!
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Figuring out the MotoGP credentials board takes an advanced degree in algebra.  WTF!?
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Indy Red Bull MotoGP Round 11 May Be Last Chance for North Amer Fans to See Colin Edwards on a MotoGP Bike

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Kenny Roberts, Jr. sits on the #25 Wayne Rainey Racing/Otsuka lectronics/Nankai/
Tsubaki/PJ1-backed Yamaha TZ250 ready to roll out for practice at Mid Ohio in late July/early August of 1992. To his right sits--and SMILES--eventual '92 AMA 250GP Champion Colin Edwards on the #45 Southwest Motorsports/Yamaha/Dunlop/OTS/Arai/Vanson-sponsored TZ250. KRJR obviously moved up to the then-500CC World Championship, and won the title for Suzuki in 2000, the second to last before the end of the two strokes.
Edwards moved up to the premier AMA Superbike Championship Series in '93 winning Rookie of the Year honors and winning three races in '94 while riding for the Vance & Hines Yamaha squad, his first of those wins coming at Mid Ohio in the summer of '94. Moving to the World Superbike Championship in the mid-late '90s with Yamaha, he could never attain the championship with them-and it wasn't for lack of trying! With a move to Honda, CE captured the '00 and '02 World Superbike Championships on one of the team's star-fleet RVF-RC51 big twins, winning his AND Honda's initial championship on the all-new 1000CC twin that was brought out to even the score over the big twin Ducatis.
Could the 2011 season in MotoGP see Tech 3 Yamaha without any Texas riders (with Ben Spies most-likely moving up to the Factory Yamaha team) and Colin possibly on a Xerox-sponsored Factory Ducati in WSBK? Time will tell. That's why they call it silly season. But where ever The Texas Tornado may land, hopefully he will be smiling again!
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Colin Edwards' Tech 3 Yamaha Monster Energy/Motul/Antonio Lupi-backed YZR-M1 sits outside the paddock garages at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August of 2009 in preparation for the 2nd Annual Indy Red Bull MotoGP round. With the talk-and probable announcement this weekend-that team mate Ben Spies will be moving up to the Factory Yamaha team for the '11 season, and CE considering a move to World Superbike, the France-based Tech 3 team could be looking at starting fresh for the first time in a few years. And the big question would be who would fill the seats on this fine team? Considering they have the direct ties to the Yamaha factory, a rider would just about give his first-born to ride one of these finely prepared machines. I know it's silly season, but with Indy being the 11th of 18 rounds for MotoGP, it's also time to line up the dominos for next game.
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With the 11th round of the MotoGP calendar about to commence at the 3rd Annual Indianapolis Red Bull MotoGP, the cards are starting to fall as to who will be where, and who won't for the 2011 season. With '07 MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner announcing his move to the Repsol Honda squad and multi-time Champion Valentino Rossi making his move to Marlboro Ducati official 10 days ago, the big news that will most likely come out of the World Capital of Racing in Indianapolis this weekend should not only involve Nicky Hayden as discussed earlier today in our previous post, but the riders on the Tech 3 Monster Energy Yamaha squad.

It's pretty much a badly kept secret that Ben 'Elbowz' Spies will be moving up to the Factory Yamaha team for the '11 season, and that announcement will most likely come 'officially' this weekend, so as to help spur on more American fans and with any luck American involvement in the high dollar arena of MotoGP racing. And to be able to capitalize on a U.S.-based round and crowd to help generate more buzz throughout this great land of ours.

For Colin Edwards, the talk has been centered on his possible/probable move to the Factory Ducati squad in World Superbike for next season. CE has been fairly vocal on the lack of speed from this year's YZR-M1, and of course the fact that Honda has the fastest bike, again, in a straight line has pretty much made it miserable for anyone NOT on the Big Red--or Orange as the Repsol sign would be. Except of course Yamaha Fiat Factory Pilot Jorge Lorenzo who can't seem to turn a wheel wrong.

With Ben Spies able to get one on the podium in his first year in the premier class, the frustration with NOT being able to get the bike up to speed has grown with Colin Edwards, thusly the chance he may or could make the move to the series he helped to dominate from '95-'02 and winning two World Superbike Championships in the process a solid reality. That could mean that U.S. fans may be seeing the last appearance by the Texas Tornado at Indy on a MotoGP bike. Not that a move to WSBK would be bad--where ever the man lands, as long as he's smiling and in the mix, bravo. JMOH. But then I've been a fan of CE's for 19 seasons now, dating back to early '92.

So if you ARE a fan of Colin's--and even if you aren't--relish this visit to the World Capital of Racing in Indianapolis by not only the MotoGP circus in general, but of Colin on a multi-million dollar factory prototype as it may be our last chance to see him before he possibly heads over to the World Superbike Championship for the 2011 season.

Read about it below and check out an old interview with CE as well!
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Here's the article by Dean and Co. over at SuperBikePlanet.com that talks with The Texas Tornado about his chances/prospects of moving to the Ducati WSBK team for the 2011 season. Which ever way it goes, Colin will still always be a welcome sight at any race event, being one of the crowd favorites as well as one of the on-track favorites. Where ever he may land for the 2011 season and beyond, the series he runs and the fans that follow it will be better off for it as always! Go get 'em man!

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2010/Jul/100724b17.htm
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And here's a great little article about Colin penned by the always excellent and on the edge Dean Adams over at SuperBikePlanet.com that talks with him back in '03 after he had moved to the MotoGP World Championship after having won the '02 World Superbike Championship.

Check down the right side column and you'll see the cover shot for American RoadRacing in August of '92. It's CE and KRJR on the bikes as shown in the first shot above from the '92 AMA 250GP Championship and Colin's championship-winning season. Good old stuff! Thanks Dean!

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2003-nov/031110edwards1.htm
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Troy Corser Gets BMW World Superbike Team Best Result Yet at Valencia

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Colin Edwards on the #45 Vance and Hines Yamaha leads Troy Corser on the #19 Ferracci Ducati in the carousel turn at Mid Ohio during the AMA Superbike final in summer of 1994. Dale Quarterley on the #32 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Kawasaki follows, with Tom Kipp on the #16 Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750 in pursuit, Jamie James (partially hidden) on the #2 Vance and Hines Yamaha, Tiger Sohwa on the Team Muzzy #41 ZX7, Thomas Stevens on the #11 Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R750, Mike Smith on the Smokin' Joe's #68 Honda RC45 and Fred Merkel on the #27 Team Muzzy Kawasaki ZX7 all vying for position. This shot was early in the final and Miguel Duhamel is already through on the soon-to-break Harley Davidson VR1000. Edwards went on to win his first AMA Superbike final later in the race and Corser went on to win the 1994 AMA Superbike Championship at the season finale at Road Atlanta a little over two months later. He then vaulted to World Superbikes, won his first WSBK Championship while riding for Ducati in '96 and bagging his second in '05 while riding for Suzuki. Let's hope he can make it a hat trick and get one for BMW before he retires. Corser did a great job over this last weekend by just missing the box in race one at Valencia in World Superbike competition. The BMW team is getting closer thanks to one of the masters of bike set up and testing. We can't wait to see him not only on the box but on TOP as well!
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One of the stories that missed being front and center over the weekend was Troy Corser taking the #11 BMW Motorrad Motorsport S1000RR to a fourth place finish in World Superbike race one at Valencia. Of course, fourth doesn't seem like a great accomplishment for a former multi-time champ and multi-race winner like Corser, but for the second year World Superbike BMW team it is quite the accomplishment. After a slow, crash-filled first round race weekend in Australia for the team, Corser running within less then 4.5 seconds of winner Carlos Checa just three rounds into the season is a pretty big leap. Coupled with the addition of David Tardozzi, his former crew chief at Ducati, Corser and team are very steadily getting the handle on the second year mount.
Bravo to Troy and Team Motorrad Motorsport BMW for this great stride, and we'll be looking to see more out of this great team as the year progresses. And with six different manufacturers in the top six in race one at Valencia, the competition is fierce in the series, but we know Troy and company are up to it. Bravo and go get 'em, mate!
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Here's Troy's official take on the weekend outing at Valencia thanks to the folks at Crash.net across the pond. Great job Troy and we can't wait to see you ON the podium soon with the BMW team!
http://www.crash.net/world+superbikes/news/158665/1/best_yet_for_bmw_as_corser_closes_on_podium.html
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Hayden 4th, Spies 5th and Edwards 8th in MotoGP Season Opener at Qatar--BRAVO to Team USA and to SpeedTV and Dorna for Excellent HD Coverage!!

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Nicky Hayden on the #69 Team Honda RC51 is shown in the carousel while qualifying for the AMA Superbike Mid Ohio round in the summer of 2000. Hayden rode a masterful race today in the MotoGP race at the Losail circuit in Qatar to just finish off the podium. Looking more like the Nicky of old, the #69 Ducati got a rocket start off the third row in the season opener today. His level of confidence showed while battling on track with Andrea Dovizioso on the Repsol Honda and Jorge Lorenzo on the Fiat Yamaha. Hayden was simply out powered on the long front straight as Dovizioso nipped him at the line by .011 of a second for the final rostrum spot. Nonetheless, Nicky rode the wheels off the Ducati in the turns and showed why he is a former MotoGP champion and also showed that the learning curve on the Ducati has narrowed considerably. Bravo Nicky, bravo! We're looking forward to more top end speed from Ducati to get Nicky on the podium this season.
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Ben 'Elbows' Spies on the #11 Team Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R600 powers up the hill out of turn 10 at Mid Ohio during qualifying for the 600 Supersport race in Lexington, OH. in the summer of 2005. Spies rode the wheels off of his #11 Monster Energy Yamaha YZF-M1 today in Qatar to garner a 5th place finish as well as his best finish of any of the MotoGP rounds he has thusly contested since the 2008 season. Looking like the pro and former multi-time champion he is, Spies put some passes on the #26 Repsol Honda of Dani Pedrosa and the satellite Honda of #14 Randy DePuniet to move him up the field to a fine finish in the 2010 season opener. The coverage was excellent thanks to the great folks at SpeedTV and Dorna for stepping up this year with 'live' and HD viewing. Spies got some good airtime on the tube after a rocket start off row four to 8th on the first lap, actually the first corner or two.
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Thomas Stevens on the Team Yoshimura #11 GSX-R750 leads the Vance and Hines Yamaha YZF-750's of #2 Jamie James and #45 Colin Edwards out of the carousel and onto the front straight early in the running of the AMA Superbike final at Mid Ohio in July of 1994. Edwards went on to win his first AMA Superbike race on this day to propel him onto the world scene of road racing in the last 16 years. Contesting his 7th season in the premier MotoGP class today at Qatar, Colin garnered a hard-earned 8th place finish equaling his qualifying position for the weekend in the middle of the third row. CE didn't see much airtime today on SpeedTV on his #5 Monster Energy Yamaha YZF-M1 but what he did looked great. The new HD coverage by SpeedTV and their partners with the Dorna group was magnificent! Bravo to Speed and Dorna, and to Colin, Nicky and Ben for their fine performances today!!!
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Great racing and great tv coverage of the season opening MotoGP round in Qatar met viewers today as the Americans finished 4th, 5th and 8th, while defending MotoGP and 7-Time premier class champion Valentino Rossi won the battle after early leader Casey Stoner crashed out early in the going.
And a great high def picture and wonderful coverage by the folks at SpeedTV and the television partners through the Dorna folks were just what 'The Doctor' ordered. The new HD picture and camera coverage was superb, and while racing wasn't quite 'live' as was advertised (there was an 8-10 minute delay from 'live' to DirecTV satellite from the MotoGP.com live timing feed) the overall job done by the folks that bring you MotoGP tv was most excellent and very well handled. And for a track that sits in the middle of a desert 20 miles from 'real' civilization, the track looked simply wonderful under the lights and the racing action was some of the best seen in the premier class since the inception of the 800's in the class in 2007. Maybe the six engine sealed rules helped bring this about, but after Rossi inherited the lead from Stoner's crash, 2nd through 4th were covered by only .854 of a second and Ben Spies in 5th less then two seconds back. Good racing to say the least, even some of what you could see further back in the field.
It should be an exciting season, and The Doctor sure looks to have them covered again for 2010, but the racing throughout the field should be much better this year if today was any indication whatsoever.
Again, hats and helmets off to SpeedTV and Dorna people for putting together a better and even more quality program then what we have seen in the past! Great job. Next MotoGP round in Japan April 23-25th.
If you didn't see today's race, the re-air runs on Tuesday April 13th at 4 AM EDT on SpeedTV. Don't miss it or you WILL be sorry on this one.
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Here's the official results in PDF form thanks to the MotoGP.com people:
http://resources.motogp.com/files/results/xx/2010/QAT/MotoGP/RAC/Classification.pdf?v1_6962c5f3
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And you can read a good synopsis of the race and the results here thanks to David Emmett over at his super site MotoMatters.com. Here's the link and while you're over there check out his site and some of the articles, pictures and advertisers he has. David does a great job of keeping the fans on the cutting edge of MotoGP:
http://www.motomatters.com/results/2010/04/11/2010_qatar_motogp_race_result_thrilling_.html

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Another good read on the race comes from the blokes across the pond at Crash.net. To read their version-which is a very lively write up-go here:
http://www.crash.net/motogp/race+report/158651/1/rossi_wins_qatar_thriller_stoner_falls.html

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Colin Edwards Talks About Poop and the MotoGP Engine Limit Rules for 2010

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Colin Edwards on the Vance and Hines Yamaha at Mid Ohio in 1993 while rolling down the pitlane during qualifying. Edwards talks about poop, the new engine rule and what it takes to ride one of the MotoGP beasts in a great link to a story from the people at Crash.net.
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During qualifying for the '94 round of the AMA Superbike race at Mid Ohio, Colin Edwards drives his Vance and Hines Yamaha out of the final turn onto the main straight. Edwards went on to win the Superbike final that weekend to bag his first premier class win in the series.
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While perusing the race web sites yesterday, I came acrossed this interesting article from the guys acrosssed the pond on www.crash.net that has Colin Edwards, the Tech 3 Yamaha rider and 2010 team mate to Ben Spies, talking about the new MotoGP engine rules, testing, and of all things, turds.
Let's face it, if you can come acrossed a good story about riders discussing poop, you have to check it out. Read on:
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/157528/1/edwards_dude_im_not_this_slow.html
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Colin Edwards Is A Forever Man.....

Great news for Colin Edwards and for his fans came from a story from the great folks

at http://www.crash.net/ from across the pond the other day that pretty much confirms that

Colin Edwards pretty much has a job for life with the Herve Poncharal-owned Tech III

Monster Energy Yamaha team. The team owner confided that the relationship with

The Texas Tornado and the team has been wonderful, as have been the results, plus

with Ben Spies coming on for the 2010 season to help firm up Team Redneck--or Team

Texas should you prefer--the number one satellite team in the MotoGP paddock has

a great future as well. And should CE take up Mr. Poncharal on that offer the team will

have a solid leader down the road to take them into the depths of the decade in top form.

You can check the story out here while you are checking out the shots for the day:
http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/155188/1/tech_3_wants_edwards_forever_future_test_rider.html
And to fill you in a little more on CE's background check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Edwards

After having won the '92 AMA 250GP Championship, The Texas Tornado made his move up

the ladder and joined the Vance and Hines Yamaha Superbike team for the '93-'94 seasons,

where he finished a respectable 6th and 5th those seasons, while also going on a roll by winning
3 of 4 of the final events in the '94 season. By '95, he jumped across the pond to field

a Yamaha Factory mount in the World Superbike, and won his first WSBK Championship

in '99, and following it up with a second crown in'02 while riding for the British-based

Castrol Honda team. Since the '03 season, Mr. Edwards has been a regular top 5-6

performer in the MotoGP series, capping it off with a 5th place finish this year, the first

'non-full factory' man in the championship. A deed hard and well earned against the

best in the world.

Having watched the man win and compete since the early '90s, I have become a big fan

of the double 'T' and am thrilled he has done so well over the years. The shots I have thrown

in today are of CE from the '94 season at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI. as well as Road

Atlanta in Braselton, GA.

The top shot we have of Colin coming into turn 7 at Road Atlanta during qualifying for the

season ending event that year. We follow that with a picture of Colin leading Pascal Picotte

on the Fast By Ferraci Ducati as they come out from under the bridge down the hill into

the last turn during the final. We then have a shot of Colin leading his team mate, Jamie

James, the '89 AMA Superbike Champion on his #2 Vance and Hines Yamaha as they head

into turn 14 during the final that w/e. Several laps later, CE would bin it coming out of this

turn. We then have another shot of Colin in qualifying at Road Atlanta, and we finish out with

CE in the middle of a pack that includes team mates on the Fast By Ferraci Ducati #21 Pascal

Picotte, eventual '94 AMA Superbike Champion Troy Corser on his #19, and Dave Sadowski

on his privateer Ducati. This shot is also during the Road Atlanta season ender finale as they

come out from under the downhill run bridge.

Congrats to The Texas Tornado on this announcement and to all he has given us race fans over

the years to cheer for and be proud of. And to the man who coined the Team Redneck term

for himself and Ben Spies for the 2010 MotoGP season, go get 'em dude, and thanks for all of

the great memories and rides. You truly rock!

And thanks to all of you for dropping in to say high and spending your time with Stu's Shots.

You rock too!!