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Jim Allen, The Dunlop Tire Guy, is shown taking lap times in Scott Russell's Team Muzzy Kawasaki pit during the AMA Road Racing Weekend of 1991. Gary Medley, tuner to the stars, can be seen talking with Russell who is seated on the armco barrier. Another unidentified Team Muzzy member can be seen partially obscuring Russell as he goes about his duties. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Jim Allen can be seen walking along the left side of Doug Chandler's Team Muzzy Kawasaki ZX-6-based 600 SuperSport bike on pitlane at Road America for the 1998 running of the classic AMA road race as the rest of the Team Muzzy crew goes about their weekend business. Larry Maiers with the news crew can be seen in the very center of the shot along the outside armco barrier. Allen, who has been a long-time fixture with Dunlop and at the AMA races, will be officially retiring on April 1st. His last race as the 'official' Dunlop Tire Guy was at Daytona last week.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Jim Allen can be seen in this shot coddling his favorite adult beverage of choice as he chats with some friends at Siebkin's of Elkhart Lake in June of 2005. Every year I have been to Road America in the last two decades I have seen Jim at Siebkin's at the end of the race day hanging with the crowd, blending in like another race fan shooting the breeze over the days races. Allen's last official race as the Dunlop Tire Guy was last week at Daytona and will be calling it a career on April 1st. We wish him well!-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the truly nice guys in the AMA Road Racing paddock is calling it a career on April 1st. Jim Allen, who has been THE Dunlop Tire Guy for as long as I can remember, will be hanging up his clipboard and stopwatches on April 1st.
This news might have made it under the radar for the average race fan, but Jim Allen has been an icon and a constant presence in the AMA paddock for at least the last two decades or so. The former racer will be missed as much for his being THE go-to guy for Dunlop riders in the States, but for his pleasant demeanor and almost-constant smile in the paddock and out and about the race towns that the AMA Road Racing series frequents. Not having known the man personally, but only having a couple of brief conversations with him at Siebkin's and at the tracks over the course of the last 20 years, the man was always approachable, congenial, and very pleasant to talk to and with. Having heard the 'chatter' over the years from both sides, I can only say how he was in passing and race conversation--a true gentleman and a pleasure to talk to, let alone a wealth of knowledge. And a smile that lasts forever!
They hosted a retirement party for him and his associate, Dave Watkins, who is also retiring, at Daytona and Dean Adams over at
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/ wrote a very fitting story about the man. Check it out here:
http://superbikeplanet.com/2010/Mar/100305jimallen.htm-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We here at Stu's Shots give a tip of the helmet and Dunlop cap to Jim and wish him the very best in his future retirement endeavors, and we can say for sure that the AMA paddock won't be the same without him. And neither will Siebkin's........
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