AMA Pro Flat Track Sacramento Mile Round on May 21 to Feature Springer vs. Parker in Clash of the Titans Exhibiton Race

SMI, the promoters of the Sacramento Mile for the last couple of years, announced last week that their annual race at the Cal-Expo Fairgrounds this year to be held on Saturday, May 21 will feature another exhibition race involving former 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen.

For the last couple of years, Springer has been paired up with former 7-Time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr in these exhibition rounds that have proved to be very popular not only with the fans on hand but with the racing community overall.

This year's match-up however will involve the all-time winner in AMA Grand National Championship racing history as none other then 9-Time AMA Grand National Champion Scott Parker will be running alongside his fellow Michigan resident in what will surely be another great, bar-to-bar exhibition race that will pit the former factory Harley-Davidson team mates against one another.

In the shot above, Springsteen can be seen standing over Bill Werner as the 13-Time Grand National Championship winning tuner makes some final preps to the #28 and #33 Werner-Springteen Monster Energy/Wosner Pistons/Motion Pro-sponsored Kawasakis of riders Shaun Russell and JR Schnabel at the Lake Odessa Half-Mile on July 23, 2011.

If you haven't already gotten your tickets, which went on sale in late December, now is the time to start getting those purchases made. Not only will the regular roar of the Rolling Thunder Show be an event within itself to attend, but with the addition of Parker and Springsteen going at it in this exhibition round will surely get your adrenaline pumping!

You can check out the full details below of the big clash in May thanks to SMI.

Clash of the Titans III: Scott Parker Joins Jay Springsteen at the Sacramento Mile

Springer vs. Scotty at Cal Expo on May 21, 2016

 

SACRAMENTO, CA (Jan. 21, 2016) – Having met former rival Chris Carr for the last two years in the Sacramento Mile’s Clash of the Titans, three-time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen returns this year. Springer will now face friend and fellow Michigan racing legend, nine-time national champ Scott Parker, in Clash of the Titans III, at this year’s Sacramento Mile on Saturday, May 21, 2016 at Cal Expo. 

Springsteen is undefeated in this friendly exhibition competition, but now he’ll be up against Parker, the all-time winningest rider in AMA Pro Flat Track history. One thing is certain, fans are in store for a treat getting to see two of the biggest legends in the history of the sport going bar to bar around the historic Sacramento Mile. 

Jay Springsteen is considered one of the best AMA Grand National flat-track racers of all time. Bursting onto the scene and earning the AMA Rookie of the Year Award in 1975, Springsteen won three consecutive AMA Grand National Championships starting in 1976. In 1982 he became the first rider to reach 30 wins in AMA Grand National competition – a feat he accomplished at the Sacramento Mile.

Scott Parker’s nine titles and 94 national wins made him the all-time leader in championships and wins in AMA Grand National history when he retired in 2000.  Parker, who rode for the factory Harley-Davidson flat track team for most of his career, was considered the undisputed King of the Mile. His 55-career wins on mile flat tracks was more than double that of his nearest competitor. Parker won the prestigious AMA Athlete of the Year Award three times during his 22-year racing career.

 “The Clash of the Titans is becoming a tradition of the Sacramento Mile,” said Steve McLaughlin, of Team SMI, the group promoting the event. “We’re thrilled Scotty and Jay are coming out to be a big part of the 51^st running of the event. Not only will the fans get to see these two icons of the sport at speed around the Mile, there will also be opportunities to meet with Jay and Scotty to get photos and autographs. These are two of the most beloved riders in all of motorcycle racing, not just here, but globally, and we’re pleased to be able to bring them together for this unique meeting.” 

The AMA Pro Grand National Championship series is one of the longest running motorcycle racing championships in the world. On the long straights of the Sacramento Mile top speeds can reach 130 miles per hour. Flat track racing has produced many of America’s Motorcycle Grand Prix Champions such as Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, Jr. and Nicky Hayden. Visit www.sactomile.com to keep up with all the latest on the event.

For additional series info visit: www.amaproracing.com/ft
Via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SactoMile
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sactomile
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sactomile

—

*** 2016 Ticket Information: Ticket information is available for the May 21, 2016 Sacramento Mile at www.sactomile.com.

Fans can order tickets online at http://www.sactomile.com/tickets, or by calling 1-844 SAC MILE (1-844- 722-6453).

Racing Historian Larry Lawrence Brings Us Some Great Reading About Former 'Trophy Girl' Lynn Griffis From the Camel Pro Series Days of the AMA Grand National Championship in This Week's Archives Column of Cycle News

Back in the early-mid '70s when I found the great sport of AMA Pro Flat Track and the AMA Grand National Championship (thanks to a great friend from the day, my motorcycle racing mentor Dick Jones), Camel cigarettes had just started sponsoring the Grand National Championship in what started as a three race pilot project to sponsor what was then known as the Camel Pro Series.

One of my very first races that I attended in September of '74 was one of those original Camel-sponsored races at the Terre Haute Action Track, located off of Highway 41 just south of Interstate 70 in the community of Terre Haute, Indiana, approximately 70 miles west of my home in Indianapolis.

What made finding this great sport even better and more special then I ever could have imagined, was watching Kenny Roberts on his Yamaha factory/Shell Thuet-tuned XS650-based flat tracker take 2nd-place to winner Cliff 'Corky' Keener (on one of Bart Markel's Harley-Davidson XR750s), and Dave 'Bones' Aldana taking the factory Norton to 3rd-place in what was the first half-mile race I ever attended. It was also the day that Roberts captured his second AMA Grand National Championship as a result of his 2nd-place finish.

As a result of what Camel considered a grand pairing, they went on to sponsor the whole schedule beginning with the '75 season, and what lasted into the early '90s (with a couple of years mixed in with Winston as the title sponsor) and turned the greatest form of two-wheeled racing into what is now considered the heydays of the Grand National Championship.

One of the brightest spots in those early years was Camel's 'trophy girl' Lynn Griffis, who represented the brand and the racing community in a grand way, and as noted by unofficial racing historian Larry Lawrence in this week's Archives column in Cycle News, made her 'The Most Memorable Miss Camel' along the way.

Ms. Griffis was a wonderful sight for a young lad such as myself, having just turned 18 and who not only lusted after the great racing afforded at every single moment when the bikes were on the track (and off), but after the beautiful woman that she was in gracing the racing community with not only her presence, but with her warm and welcoming attitude.

In the 1st shot above, the Sante Fe Speedway track announcer talks with Sante Fe Short Track AMA Grand National winner Hank Scott in August of '75 after former AMA National #14 Scott took the win on his Shell Thuet-tuned Shell Racing Specialties Yamaha 360 at one of the greatest short tracks I have ever had the pleasure of attending just outside of Chicago. Thuet is mostly obscured, in white shirt, behind Ms. Lynn Griffis, the Camel 'trophy girl' to Hank's left, and 3rd-place finisher Steve Freeman #68C to her left.

This was the first of many short tracks I have attended in my over five decades of watching and attending the great sport of the AMA Grand National Championship, and needless to say was one of the greats with one of my all-time favorite riders having just captured the win on a hot August night many moons ago.

In the 2nd shot above, Ms. Griffis helps The King, Kenny Roberts, celebrate at the Terre Haute Action Track in August '76 after KR had just scored the win on the half-mile over runner-up Jay Springsteen and 3rd-place finisher Hank Scott in what was the second-best half-mile race of the season (the first being the Columbus Half-Mile earlier in the year in which Springer turned the tables on The King in a fight that went down to the finish between the two racing icons.) Many of you may remember this shot from some of my previous articles here on Stu's Shots, and it has also appeared in print in the March/April 2012 issue of Inside Motorcycles. Also seen in this shot (far left, center, with hat on) is former Harley-Davidson factory team manager Dick O'Brien, who was Springer's boss in what was his first year as a factory Harley-sponsored racer and in what was his first of three in-a-row AMA Grand National Championship-winning seasons.

Needless to say, those were (and still are to this day) some of the best moments of my life that I have had the great privilege of being able to attend and get behind the scenes of, and in those days it was as much of a magical experience being able to take it all in as a young lad and still remains so to this day.

So enough with my ramblings of my youth long past (and still relived at every race I can still attend to this day), so take the time to check out Double L's great column from this week's CN about the lady that was a huge presence and who made her wonderful mark on the flat track racing community, and on a young kid who was fortunate enough to find what is still the best racing on wheels in the world.

Read on here! And thank you Grif (Lynn) Griffis for all you did to support the great sport of the AMA Grand National Championship, and for leaving long lasting (and lusting) thoughts on this once young kid!

Jay Springsteen Reflects On His Historical Win at the '82 AMA Pro Flat Track Sacramento Mile

With round 8 of the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship at the Sacramento Mile just over two weeks off, the folks at SMI, the promoters of the resurrected Sacto Mile have taken some time to talk to one of the 'old horses' of the sport to look back at some of the long-standing history from this great west coast event.

In the early '80s, 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen was still having problems on and off with the stomach illness that kept him from possibly winning four or more AMA Grand National Championships, and was back to do battle in round 5 of the Winston Pro Series as the The Rolling Thunder Show hit up the Sacto Mile for the first mile event of the season.

Springer had already tied 2-Time AMA Grand National Champion and 3-Time 500cc World Champion Kenny 'The King' Roberts with 29 AMA Grand National wins earlier in the season at the Houston Astrodome, and was feeling fit to race and possibly take over the helm of the 'all-time wins' leader in the AMA Grand National Championship.

From the shot above, Springer can be seen talking with a few other notables of the sport, during the rider intros portion of the first AMA Pro Flat Track Hall of Fame Race at the Springfield Mile over the Labor Day weekend in 1998, a race that was conjured up by former announcer and all-around motorcycle guy Dave Despain. Seen in the shot are eventual 9-Time AMA Grand National Champion Scott Parker, Springer talking with now AMA Pro Flat Track event manager Steve 'The Findlay Flyer' Morehead, and eventual 7-Time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr. Despain, who not only acted as the man that put this great event together and helped raise the $100K purse to go along with it, was also the announcer for the event and can be seen 'listening in' in the background as the shutter bugs on hand shoot away at the meeting of the legends to be on the front straight at the Illinois State Fairgrounds mile oval.

Read on below to see what Springer had to do and eventually did to take over the all-time wins list at the Sacto Mile in April '82, and get ready to see some of the best racing ever on the left coast as the stars of the greatest racing show on two wheels in the world get ready to head to Sacramento on July 26 for what will truly be a night under the stars and a track full of stars for round 8 of the AMA Grand National Championship.


Press release courtesy of SMI, the promoters of The Sacramento Mile.

Springsteen Looks Back at Historic ’82 Sacramento Mile Victory

When “Springer” became all-time AMA Grand National Wins Leader

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (July 9, 2014) – The memories of the night at Cal Expo 32 years ago aren’t crystal  clear, but Jay Springsteen does recall one thing in particular. “Ricky Graham, Bubba Shobert, Scotty Parker, I mean there were some fast guys back then,” Springsteen said.  “It was so competitive back then. If you made the main event in those days, you were good enough that you had an opportunity to win.”

On an April night in 1982 Springsteen made history. His victory at that year’s Sacramento Mile was his 30^th-career AMA Grand National win and it was a milestone victory. That evening in Sacramento Springsteen moved past the legendary Kenny Roberts to become the all-time wins leader in AMA Grand National history.

But let’s back up a moment and consider the scope of Springsteen’s achievement.

During his record-setting career in the 1950s and early ‘60s the legendary Joe Leonard established the mark that all other racers aspired to when he won 27-career AMA Nationals.

Leonard’s record held for a decade until Bart Markel finally broke it in Columbus, Ohio, in 1971, by taking his 28^th AMA National victory. Markel scored that win just in the nick of time because it proved to be his final career victory.

Modesto, California’s, Kenny Roberts then roared through the 1970s and at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California, in August of 1980, when he was in the middle of winning his first FIM 500cc Grand Prix Championship overseas, Roberts found the time to come back home and score his 29^th-career AMA National victory to establish a new record.

Roberts’ all-time record would prove to be fairly short-lived. Already on the scene was one of the most talented flat trackers the sport ever produced, Jay Springsteen, who emerged, ironically from the same hometown of Markel’s, Flint, Michigan, and starting in 1975 began building his own long list of AMA National wins. In February of 1982, Springsteen tied Roberts’ all-time record by taking his 29^th-career victory in the season-opening AMA Grand National Short Track in the Houston Astrodome.

Anticipation was high for “Springer” finally hitting the 30-win mark, but it would have to wait. Springsteen was going through one of his bouts with a mysterious stomach ailment and missed some following races. Meanwhile Ricky Graham won the TT National in the Astrodome. Then New Zealand’s Graeme Crosby won the Daytona 200 and Stockton, California’s Alex Jorgensen took the TT victory at Ascot Park in Gardena, California.

The Sacramento Mile was round five of what was then known as the Winston Pro Series. It was the first Mile of the ’82 season and it was a tossup as to who would win. In the five AMA Grand National Miles the preceding season there were five different winners. So there was no clear-cut favorite that April evening at Cal Expo.

 

 

 

 

 

Jay Springsteen was all smiles after breaking the 29-race win record set by Kenny Roberts. Springsteen was the first rider in AMA Grand National history to reach the 30-win mark.  Even today Springsteen is ranked third on the all-time wins list behind only Scott Parker and Chris Carr. Photo courtesy of The Sacramento Mile.

 

 

 

 

 

Springsteen came back to race, healthy and ready to go for Sacramento.

Ricky Graham opened the program at the ’82 Sacramento Mile by breaking a lap record in qualifying, clocking a 38.51-second lap on his Tex Peel-tuned Harley-Davidson XR750. Springsteen, Lance Jones and Terry Poovey rounded out the fast qualifiers and would start from pole in their respective Heat races.

Springsteen won his Heat race on his Bill Werner-tuned factory Harley-Davidson, but he would start second in the main event to Graham, who won the fastest of the qualifying races.

At the start of the 25-lap National it was Graham leading the first lap, but Springer drafted past him to take over the lead on lap two. Werner had gotten the set-up on Springsteen’s bike perfect and he was able to actually put some breathing room between himself and the rest of the field. But then Graham rallied. He caught and passed Springer on lap 14 and the two would engage in a bar-to-bar battle the rest of the way.

It came down to the final lap. Springsteen led as the two took the white flag. Then it was Graham taking over coming off the back straight into turn three. Out the final corner Springsteen made the classic last-lap move on the Mile. He got a great drive coming off turn four and slipstreamed past Graham just before the line to finally reach that 30-win mark - and he did it by mere inches.

Graham could only shake his head and smile at being outfoxed by his more experienced rival. “I thought I was doing the right thing,” Graham said on the podium. “Every time I passed Jay going down the back straight he wouldn’t catch my draft until turn one. So I figured if I could do that (on the final lap) he wouldn’t have time to catch the draft until after the start-finish line. I guess I judged it wrong.”

All these years later Springsteen remembers making that last-second pass on Graham. "Sacramento has long straights and the finish line was a long ways down,” he said. “I got sucked into Ricky’s draft and the only thing I was worried about was getting off the blue groove. If I’d gotten off that line when I passed him I would have been in the marbles and probably wouldn’t have held on.”

Looking back on the record-breaking win now Springsteen said he was proud he did it at Sacramento and against a rider of Ricky Graham’s caliber. “Whenever people ask me who the toughest racer I ever went up against Ricky is right there at the top,” Springsteen said. “He was a natural racer, just like me. Ricky was a good rider, he was smart and that’s why he won a lot of races. “

Fast forward 32 years and Springsteen will be back in Sacramento to be honored, along with fellow former factory Harley-Davidson rider Chris Carr, on race day July 26, as two living legends of the sport. Springer and Carr will be on the track together again in a friendly showdown exhibition ride around the historic Cal Expo Mile. “I’m looking forward to coming back to the Sacramento Mile. My leathers have been hanging up all these years and they’ve shrunk a little bit. I don’t know what the deal is,” Springsteen joked. “Chris and are going to have some fun and I just hope he respects his elders, you know what I mean?”

Practice for the Sacramento Mile begins at on Saturday, July 26 at 2:15 p.m. and opening ceremonies for the evening program kicks off at 6:15 p.m.

Visit us at: http://www.sactomile.com/
Via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SactoMile
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sactomile
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sactomile —

*** 2014 Ticket Information: Ticket information is available for the July 26, 2014 Sacramento Mile at www.sactomile.com.

Fans can order tickets online  at https://secure.interactiveticketing.com/a/c84136, by calling 1-844 SAC MILE (1-844- 722-6453) or by visiting the Cal Expo Ticket Box Office in the Administration Building at 1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (PT) Monday through Friday. Tickets can also be purchased at any ticket window during the 2014 California State Fair.

Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are available. Contact the Cal Expo Group Sales Department at boxoffice@calexpo.com for more information.

#

Larry Lawrence
o. (317) 852-2896
c. (317) 332-3899
www.SactoMile.com
lawrencemedia@hotmail.com

AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship Round 8 at the Sacramento Mile on July 26 to Feature Special Exhibition Race Between Jay Springsteen & Chris Carr

The promoters of the revived Sacramento Mile, SMI, announced today that round 8 of the 2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship at the Cal-Expo Fairgrounds on Saturday, July 26 will feature a special appearance by 7-Time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr and 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen.

Both riders will be honored at the event and will partake in a special exhibition race during the evening's events that will take place on the mile oval in Sacramento.

In the shot above, Springer #9 and Carr #4 battle--or more like play--during a special Honda CRF150R exhibition short track race held on the front straightaway at the Illinois State Fairgrounds during the Labor Day weekend running of the Springfield Mile I on August 31.

For all of you west coast flat track fans, this will not only be the night to see some of the best of the best in The Rolling Thunder Show duke it out at over 125mph at the Sacramento Mile's great venue, but to also see two of the sports' greatest ever stars and athletes compete in what will surely be an evening for the record books. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, you'd better act quickly or they will be gone before you know it.

Check out the full press release below for all of the particulars on round 8 at the Sacto Mile and get ready to see not only the stars of today have at it on the mile, but two of the sports' true legends coming out of retirement to thrill the fans.


Press release courtesy of SMI Promotions, promoters of the Sacramento Mile

Cal Expo Clash: Springsteen vs. Carr at the 2014 Sacramento Mile

Two Flat Track Legends to Meet in Friendly Showdown

SACRAMENTO, CA. -- (June 26, 2014) – AMA Grand National legends Jay Springsteen and Chris Carr will be honored as living legends at the upcoming Sacramento Mile on Saturday, July 26. Fans will not only get a chance to meet two of racing’s superstars during the evening’s festivities, but the night will be highlighted by a friendly one-on-one Shootout Exhibition ride on the Mile between the Hall of Famers.

Jay Springsteen is considered one of the best AMA Grand National flat-track racers of all time. Bursting onto the scene and earning the AMA Rookie of the Year Award in 1975, Springsteen won three consecutive AMA Grand National Championships starting in 1976. In 1982 he became the first rider to reach 30 wins in AMA Grand National competition – a feat he accomplished at the Sacramento Mile.

"Springer," as his faithful fans call him, compiled one of the longest and most impressive racing careers in AMA Grand National history, spanning from his 1975 rookie season to 2003, when he announced his retirement from full-time competition. Springsteen was a factory rider with Harley-Davidson for much of his career and was perhaps the racer most closely associated with the American brand from the 1970s through the 2000s. In all he raced in a record 398 AMA nationals, winning a total of 43. Over the years Springsteen became the most beloved rider in the series.

California’s own Chris Carr was the dominant rider in the AMA Grand National Championship during the early 2000s. The native of Stockton won seven national championships and retired second on the AMA Grand National all-time wins list with 78. He rode for Harley-Davidson as a factory rider for much of his early career, but gained the majority of his success as a private team owner. He was also one of the few riders in his era of Grand National racing to attract major corporate sponsorship, being backed by Ford Motor Company. Carr considered the Sacramento Mile his home race and he is one of the most successful riders ever in the classic event. He won a total of nine Grand Nationals in Sacramento, his first coming in 1987 and his final win there coming in 1999.

One of the most versatile motorcycle racers in history, Carr also raced AMA Superbikes as a factory Harley-Davidson rider and gave Harley its first and only AMA Superbike pole in 1996, when he qualified fastest for the Pomona (Calif.) AMA Superbike National in 1996. Ten years later, in 2006, Carr added another chapter to his impressive resume when he became the fastest man on two wheels by setting a motorcycle land speed record of 350.884 mph piloting Denis Manning's BUB Enterprises streamliner at the AMA/FIM International Motorcycle Speed Trials by BUB on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

“We’re thrilled to be able to honor two of the biggest legends AMA Grand National racing has ever known,” said Steve McLaughlin, of SMI, the group promoting the event. “I’ve been a friend and admirer of Jay’s since he came on the scene in the mid-1970s, and of course Chris, having grown up racing on the tracks all around Northern California, he’s one of Sacramento area’s favorite sons. It’s great to have both of them a part of this year’s festivities at the Sacramento Mile.”

The AMA Pro Grand National Championship series is one of the longest running motorcycle racing championships in the world. On the long straights of the Sacramento Mile top speeds can reach 130 miles per hour and this year’s race at Cal Expo is the only Grand National Mile in the West. Flat track racing has produced many of America’s Motorcycle World Champions such as Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, Jr. and Nicky Hayden. Visit www.sactomile.com to keep up with all the latest on the event.

Practice for the Sacramento Mile begins at on Saturday, July 26 at 2:15 p.m. and opening ceremonies for the evening program kicks off at 6:15 p.m.

Visit us at: http://www.sactomile.com/
Via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SactoMile
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sactomile
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/sactomile
---

*** 2014 Ticket Information: Ticket information is available for the July 26, 2014 Sacramento Mile at www.sactomile.com.

Fans can order tickets online  at https://secure.interactiveticketing.com/a/c84136, by calling 1-844 SAC MILE (1-844- 722-6453) or by visiting the Cal Expo Ticket Box Office in the Administration Building at 1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (PT) Monday through Friday. Tickets can also be purchased at any ticket window during the 2014 California State Fair.

Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are available. Contact the Cal Expo Group Sales Department at boxoffice@calexpo.com for more information.

###

Contact:

Larry Lawrence
o. (317) 852-2896
c. (317) 332-3899
www.SactoMile.com
lawrencemedia@hotmail.com

Weirbach Racing's Rob Pearson Reports on the Final Rounds of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship Season

In their first season together, Rob Pearson and the Weirbach Racing team fought the good fight to end the season ranked in the 10th-place spot in the overall standings of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship.

After announcing during the off-season that Morton, Illinois resident Pearson would be joining the team located a few hundred miles west of him based out of Ottumwa, Iowa, the former AMA Pro Flat Track Pro Singles Championship-winning team of Weirbach Racing and 'Bugs' set about laying out the groundwork for the 2013 season ahead of them.

Initially armed with the team's potent Suzuki SV650 and Harley-Davidson XR750 mounts, they also had in the works putting together a Kawasaki EX650-based Twins Series effort that was spearheaded by Racing Unlimited out of the Fort Dodge, Iowa area.

Hoping to get the popular Kawi sorted out and ready for action by the early part of the Twins Series schedule shortly after the first Springfield round in late May (which was coincidentally rained out and rescheduled for Labor Day weekend), delays on getting the final bits and pieces sorted out put those plans on the backburner for the team, thusly concentrating on their already stable SV and XRs.

Which wasn't a bad plan for the team, also in their first full season campaigning the Twins Series class in The Rolling Thunder Show, and based on their strong and steady outings early in the season were able to keep themselves solidly in the top 7 or 8 of the championship standings.

But then, the series headed to a new venue in Virginia, and the dust and grit suffered by all at the Colonial Downs Raceway mile event caught the team out in a big way. Losing a motor in the XR750, the team worked a deal with Dave Waters and the Waters Auto Body KTM team to campaign one of the LC8 900-series bikes that the New York-based team has so diligently been making slow, but steady progress with over the course of the last few seasons with a variety of riders.

Pearson, who never even got the chance to throw a leg over the bike until the National main rolled around in Kent, Virginia, had worked his way up as high as 9th-place in the 18-lap main, when the forces of nature struck and the fuel-thirsty KTM twin ran out of gas, literally and figuratively, with just one lap to go.  Pearson ended the day in the 15th-place spot in what surely would have been a solid top-8 or 9 performance on the KTM, and would not only have kept him and the Weirbach team in the top-8 in points, and would also have been the best outing ever for the Waters Auto Body team's work over the course of the last four seasons.

And then it was time for the doubleheader round at the Springfield Mile over the Labor Day weekend, and just one week's time to get the riding gear back into shape for what was for the team and every member of the AMA Pro Flat Track circus a pivotal race weekend.

In the shot above, Rob Pearson rolls out for the first practice session of the day at the Springfield Mile I on August 31 on the Weirbach Racing/KDM Forest Products/General Engineering-sponsored #27 XR750, following the lead of riders Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. #2 on the Harley-Davidson Motor Company XR, Henry Wiles on the #17 Lloyd Brothers Motorsports XR and team mate Jake Johnson on the #5 LBM Ducati, among others.

Before things even had gotten too far along for the day, Pearson and the Weirbach team had lost another motor in the XR and had soldiered home in the National main on the Suzuki before an electrical-based problem relegated them to a 16th-place finish in round 1 of 2 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.  And there was still one race to go before the weekend was a wrap.

Obviously not being able to rebuild the Weirbach XR in time for the next day's outing, the team was able to work out a deal with Bill Werner and the Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki team to try and practice and qualify one of their Kawasaki mounts alongside second year Expert and the team's main rider, Briar Bauman.

Pearson and Bauman went out in practice together, but unfortunately both struggled and even after master wrench to the stars Werner made some changes to try and help Pearson out (seen above with Weirbach Racing patriarch Richard Weirbach, as former 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen looks on), neither Pearson or Bauman were able to qualify for the Springfield Mile II round on September 1, and both teams were left to load-up and head home, with zero points to their credit and hard work for the day.

And within just three race outings, Pearson and the Weirbach team had scored only seven points for their hard work and team/machine hopping, and were in danger of dropping out of the top-10 for the season.

But old masters and true heroic efforts never say die, and the Weirbach team was able to work out the final details with Racing Unlimited, and showed up at the Santa Rosa round (main event rained out, but one point scored by the team along with all of the contenders who made the main, so no points lost) and the season-finale at the Pomona Half-Mile with the Kawasaki that was originally planned for the team in the early part of the season that Shayna Texter had proven was a pretty-stout mount by taking the double win at Springfield back over the holiday weekend.

At Pomona, Pearson was able to pull out a solid 8th-place effort in the National main at the season-finale after a strong 3rd-place finish earlier in the day in his heat. Not too bad a result for the first main event on what was still a new mount for the team and considering the Santa Rosa rain-out for the main.

So after all the ups and downs and beating themselves up (team co-owner Ted Weirbach was beside himself after the Springfield debacle, although by no fault of his own or the team's, things DO happen in racing.) They stuck it out and held their chins up high and put their noses to the grindstone and were able to finish the season ranked as the 10th-place team in the overall standings.

And although those weren't the results they had been shooting for, let alone hoping for, take into account the fact that this team and rider had to make adjustments and changes on five different machines over the course of the last five rounds, one of which (Santa Rosa) that was called due to rain.  And they still persevered and came out with a pretty solid effort overall, which could have been MUCH worse for all of the adversity they faced in those final five rounds.

So the next time you think you are having a rough go of it, at no matter what you may do or be doing, take into account what the little team that could, Weirbach Racing, and rider Rob Pearson had to go through in those final four weeks of the season, traveling all of those miles and to suffer the maladies that they faced, and still managed to regroup and finish the season ranked as the 10th-place rider and team in the Nation, and oh yes, in just their first season together and Weirbach's first full season campaigning the Twins Series in The Rolling Thunder Show, the greatest racing series on two wheels in the world.

And then ask yourself, am I really having that rough of a go of it, or can I overcome the ups and downs just like the little team that could, and did.

Check out Weirbach Racing and Rob Pearson's season wrap-up press release below, and be sure to keep an eye on these guys next season. 

You can bet 'Bugs' and the Weirbach boys will be doing some riding in the off-season in some of the Steve Nace Indoor Series events in DuQuoin and Springfield and you can put money on the fact that they will be back in 2014 and ready to take just about anything on, and probably will, especially after what they pulled off at the end of this great year.  Bravo guys, you've got my vote for facing the big dog down and not backing away!


Press release courtesy of Weirbach Racing, the 2011 AMA Pro Flat Track Pro Singles Champions

Santa Rosa & Pomona year-end summary for Rob Pearson & Weirbach Racing

Ottumwa, Iowa -- October 16, 2013

Santa Rosa Mile

Santa Rosa is a cushion mile that we first went to last year. The track was pretty deep this year and it was my first outing on the Racing Unlimited Kawasaki.

I qualified 7th and the Kawasaki seemed to be working pretty well for its first time on a surface like this.  I got a good start in the heat and had a good shot at making the dash until Matt Weidman got by me and I ended up 3rd.  So I was lined up 8th for the main event and after rain delays for some time we finally got on the track and attempted to start the race.

Rob Pearson on the #27 Weirbach Racing/Racing Unlimited/General Engineering-sponsored Kawasaki EX650-based Twins Series effort is shown in action at the Santa Rosa Mile on September 29. The bike is the same mount that Shayna Texter took to the Basic Twins double win at the Springfield Mile I & II rounds over the Labor Day weekend. Photo courtesy of Weirbach Racing by Tom Hnatiw.



There was so much moisture on the ground and the spray was bad, Sam Halbert fell on the 3rd lap and they decided to cancel the main event.  One point was awarded for everyone in the main event and we were paid out from where we qualified for the main event.

Pomona Half-Mile

Pomona is a 5/8 paperclip style track with similar surface as Santa Rosa.  We struggled a little bit to get the Kawasaki working in qualifying and timed in 13th.  I had the outside starting position and got a good jump off the line in the heat race.  I finished 3rd in the heat to Baker (#12) and Halbert.  I picked the outside of the 2nd row for the main event.

I got off the line good but everyone came up the track in the first corner and forced me way up high. We had made some good improvements to the bike from practice and I finished 8th in the main event.
 
 I finished the season 10th overall in AMA points after missing out on some finishes. Also finished 3rd in both the Twins and Singles class in the All-Star Series Points. We planned on having 2 Kawasaki twins ready for the beginning of the year, but after some set backs I only raced it in the last two races of the season and was forced to use what we had planned as backup bikes through the season.

We are gathering parts to put the second Kawasaki together now and should have it together very soon. Plus we are making some decisions on what we want the next one to be as far as a frame, suspension, motor size. Next year we will have at least two race ready machines and be a threat everywhere on the schedule.

Special thanks to all our sponsors

General Engineering, Mike King/KDM Forest Products, Barnett, Spectro Oil,
DynoJet, K&N, Saddlemen, Works Connection, PMP Sprockets, Motion Pro, Spider
Grips, Durelle Racing, Cheney Engineering, G2 Ergonomics, All Balls Racing,
Firecoat Custom Powderworks, CP Pistons and Carrillo Rods, Web Cams,
Foudree's Graphics, Sunoco, Pro Wheel, Supertrapp, TNT Harley Davidson,
Regina Chain, Factory Backing, Pit Posse, Cosmetic Gaskets, The Baggots,
PMC, ProFactoryHoses.com, Engine Ice, Chicken Hawk Racing, White lightning
Retrievers, R&R, Grandprix, Shoei, Lightshoe, Country Saloon, Paint by
Smokey, Racing Unlimited, Needa-website.com, Shorai, Boyesen

27 Rob Pearson/Weirbach Racing

Mid-America Speedway's Round 10 of the 2013 AMA Vintage Dirt Track National Championship Sees Steve Morehead Steal the Bultaco Astro Cup Victory, Dave Aldana Runaway Victor in Vintage 60+ Class

Mid-America Speedway's Round 10 of the 2013 AMA Vintage Dirt Track National Championship Sees Steve Morehead Steal the Bultaco Astro Cup Victory, Dave Aldana Runaway Victor in Vintage 60+ Class

Mid-America Speedway, Indianapolis, IN. – August 16, 2013 – Mid-America Speedway's inaugural hosting of the AMA Vintage Dirt Track National Championship Series saw the track's hosting of the first Bultaco Astro Cup, and after the dust and two-stroke smoke had settled former AMA Pro Flat Track veteran and Findlay, OH. resident Steve Morehead topped the victory podium over runner-up Tom Morgan and 3rd-place finisher Dave Atherton.

Over 30 riders had signed up on the pre-entry list to contest the race, a tribute to the popular marque that dictated AMA Pro Flat Track competition in the sport's hey-day in the late '60s throughout the '70s. Riders including Morehead, '00 AMA Grand National Champion Joe Kopp, 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen, Garth Brow, David 'Bones' Aldana, 6-Time VDTRA Champion 'Wild Will' Kelley and a host of others all arrived to do battle on Indy's southeast side.

The Marion County Fairgrounds-hosted event, sponsored by Harley-Davidson of Bloomington, was the first of it's kind at the great little facility, and the riders that came from near and far all seemed to love and enjoy their time on the track, and riding some of the Bultaco Astros that many had utilized in short track racing throughout their careers.  

But it was Morehead who stole the show, in spite of the best efforts from many including Springsteen, Aldana, Brow, Atherton and runner-up Morgan. Morehead ran away after the first lap and never looked back to take the checkered flag in front of a big crowd at Mid-America and a big handful of adoring fans who obviously remembered the pressure the Ohio resident used to put on the competition in his days racing in Grand National Championship events.

Aldana, who had made the trip to Indy via the Stockton, KS. fair races the weekend prior, showed up at the track with a rolling race shop in the form of a 20-foot 'v' nose trailer behind his Ford pickup, housing not only his four Honda 350 singles flat trackers but a well-organized shop complete with everything to tear into a motor, hone a cylinder and weld and repair pretty much any damages that could incur while racing. This man has been doing this a long time, and ole 'Bones' had a shop that some present-day young racers would be envious of.

Steve Morehead battles with former AMA Grand National #15 Garth Brow at Mid-America in their Bultaco Astro Cup heat race (above), one of the first of the evening. Brow got the jump off the start, but the 58 year old Morehead kept on his tail and made a daring but excellent move up the inside coming out of turn 2 on lap 2 and was never headed from there.

Little known fact: Morehead still fits into his leathers that he wore in AMA Grand National competition up until his retirement after the 1999 season, and they still look almost-new. The AMA Hall of Famer spent 26 seasons contesting the AMA Grand National Championship Series and when he retired, he was ranked 10^th in the all-time wins list of competition.

 

 

White Pigeon, MI. resident Dave Atherton (the father of former AMA Grand National #23 Kevin 'Cupcake' Atherton and Brad Baker's tuner on the Dodge Brothers Racing team in the AMA GNC Series) ended up in the 3rd-place spot in the BAC main on one of his pristine machines he brought to the track from his home. Atherton is known to have a pole barn full of vintage racers at home and this one was a beauty.

Art 'The Dart' Randall leads Brow #15 coming out of turn 4 during one of the event's early practice sessions. Randall, a long time supporter of flat track racing, made the trip to Indy from his home in St. Louis, along with close to a dozen of his Bultaco Astros in his collection, which he helped to supply some of the riders with for the event. Art owns a restaurant and pub in St. Louis close to Busch Stadium called 'Kilroy's' which houses several of his spotless machines that are on display. If you get the chance to make a Cardinals game (the only time that Kilroy's is open) make sure you stop by to check out part of his museum on display.

One of the all-time crowd favorites gets ready to head out for one of the evening's practices as Mid-America. Former 3-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jay Springsteen had one of the biggest crowds of people hovering around him wherever he went that evening, other than fan-favorite Aldana.

Aldana talks in his rolling transporter and shop with one of his many fans during a break in the on-track action at Mid-America.

Dave 'Bones' Aldana gets ready to head out for practice for the Vintage 60+ class at Mid-America on one of his Honda 350 single machines. Aldana won his heat and main going away, each by just shy of a straightaway, masterfully taking the lead right off the bat in turn one and running away, never bothering to look back.

The crowd enjoyed seeing one of the all-time greats of the sport show up, including this fan, as I had the pleasure of hosting the Fayetteville, GA. resident over the weekend, and man were there some stories to be told and heard. 'Bones' spent time the next evening at the Indy Mile as the race's Grand Marshal, a race he won during the 1970 season while riding for the BSA factory, when the event was a 30-lap mile event.

Aldana's rolling race shop as seen from the rear, with a glimpse of one of two of his machines he raced and practiced on at Mid-America sitting off to the side on the right. Aldana stated he could do everything including rebuilding a bike's engine and honing a cylinder if necessary, complete with a bench vise, extra spares, welder and torches.

Dave Atherton #15x and Dave 'Bones' Aldana #13 mix it up during one of the heat races for the Bultaco Astro Cup event, part of round 10 of the 2013 AMA Vintage Dirt Track National Championship Series held at Mid-America this year for the first time. Atherton was on one of his machines while Aldana was on a borrowed mount from Ken McGuire, who also showed up with a host of Bultacos for the event.

Summerville, SC's Garth Brow gets ready to head out for one of Mid-America's Bultaco Astro Cup practice sessions. Brow made the trip from his home in the southeast and ended up finishing in the 13th-place spot while battling a suspected electrical malady that hurt his finishing position in both his heat, semi and main results.

Riders line up for the Bultaco Astro Cup main event at the Marion County Fairgrounds-hosted event on Indy's southeast side, including former 2000 AMA Grand National Champion Joe Kopp, Aldana on the #13 Astro and Springer, just behind Aldana, on the #9 mount. Other than the textbook runaway put in by winner Morehead, Springer and Aldana had the crowd roaring over their battle for the 4th-place spot in the main. Springer got the nod, with 'Bone's finishing in the 5th-place position. Although Kopp had never ridden a two-stroke machine fitted with a compression release, the former AMA Grand National Champion had no problem adapting and won his heat right off. Kopp ended up with an 11th-place finish in the BAC main event.

All in all, Mid-America Speedway's hosting of the 2013 'Night Before the Indy Mile' was a big success for team operations head/track president Jim Terchila and his team. With a big crowd on hand for the large racing weekend in town for the 6^th Annual Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP event, round 8 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship, the stunt show and Motorcycles on Meridian being held each evening in the downtown area, fans had a lot of choices in which to spend their hard-earned money and time over the weekend.

Those that attended the 'Night Before the Indy Mile' at Mid-America weren't disappointed and saw some of the past, present and future stars of flat track put on a great show that won't soon be forgotten, and many should now be making plans to return for the 2014 version to be held at Mid-America Speedway on Indy's southeast side.

AMA Pro Flat Track: Brandon Robinson #44 & the TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki Team Take 3rd-Place Finish in Round 5 at the Sacramento Mile

After a rough go around at the Hagerstown Speedway, round 4 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season, Brandon Robinson and the #44 TJ Burnett Farms/USC Racing/James Hart Racing Kawasaki team made a great turn around at last Saturday's round 5 at the Sacramento Mile.

But it wasn't all easy just from the get-go as BRob44 had timed in during practice in the 5th-place spot, and then in the first qualifying session things were still looking good with a fast-time set out of the 32 riders entered for the day at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds-hosted event.  And then they lost a motor on their primary bike just as the second qualifying session was starting off.

Check out the rest of the press release below to find out how the Illinois-based team and the Pennsylvania rider made for a great recovery and kept their heads down to eventually bring home another podium and grabbing back some points lost after the crash at Hagerstown in early July.

In the shot above, Brandon talks with Cory Texter after completing the 25-lap National main at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile, round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season, on August 18.  This historic round was up until this year Robinson's best effort in the Grand National Championship while riding for the #44 Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki team.

While Brandon works on getting his helmet off and beaming a wide-as-his-home state smile underneath from his superb run to 3rd-place at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, team owners Bill Werner and Jay Springsteen talk with Brent Pierce of BTP Photography in what was a very popular finish for the young man from Oxford, PA., who just shy of three years earlier had been pitched out of the park in turn one and whose future in racing at that time looked bent and mangled.  What a magnificent turn around since that time!

Read on as Brandon and the TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki team get ready to roll out their Singles Series machines on Saturday night, August 3 for round 6 of the 2013 season at the Castle Rock TT in the Pacific Northwest!

 

Brandon Robinson & the TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki team take 3rd-place finish in round 5 at the Sacramento Mile

Press release – For Immediate Release

Warren, OR. – August 1, 2013 –Round 5 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season is in the record books, and the TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki team with rider Brandon Robinson pulled-out all the stops to bring home a 3rd-place finish at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds-hosted event in the first mile event of the season on July 27.

After a rough result in round 4 at the Hagerstown Speedway on July 6, which saw Brandon crash out of the main and as a result losing the points lead with a 17th-place finish, the team did a magnificent job of regrouping and coming back to grab the last spot on the podium at Sacramento.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandon Robinson is shown in action at the Sacramento Mile on the #44 TJ Burnett Farms/USC/James Hart Racing Kawasaki EX650 on July 27 during round 5 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season. Photo by Tom Stein/Northwest Track Shots.

 

 

 

 

“We started off strong in practice early in the day (5th-place out of the 32 bikes entered),” stated Brandon, “and we fast-qualified in the first qualifying session, but then the bike broke starting off in the second qualifying session, and fortunately we still ended up in with a 4th-place overall effort.”

During the qualifying break, the team went to work before the first heat race to make sure everything else was in line, and then Brandon went to work in his heat race, the first of the evening, lining up alongside fast-qualifier Mikey Martin on the Bonneville Triumph. Brandon and the #44 TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki won the first heat after not having any laps on the back-up bike, and made the Dash for Cash, where a 2nd-place finish behind Howerton Motorsports Bryan Smith's Kawasaki got them four valuable points towards climbing back to the top of the leader board.

With a front-row start to get the 25-lap National main going, it was time again for the Pennsylvania resident to go back to work. “Everyone took off quick, and after a pretty good start I was able to hang with Bryan for the first couple of laps, but then everyone got bunched up and I started spinning up the tire, so I decided to settle down and let the tire come back to me,” continued Robinson. “We were able to hang with the lead four of Bryan, Brad Baker, Sammy Halbert and Jared Mees, so I just hung in there until towards the end when things started to heat up, and then it was time to go with just a few laps remaining, and we were able to hang in there and get a good draft at the end to get us a 3rd-place finish.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandon Robinson is interviewed on the podium by AMA Pro Flat Track announcer Barry Boone after taking the #44 TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki to his heat race win at the Sacramento Mile on July 27. Brandon brought his Kawasaki home in the 3rd-place position to round out the podium in the National main in the first mile event of the season. Photo by Tom Stein/Northwest Track Shots.

 

 

 

 

 

Bryan Smith won the Sacramento Mile for the third-straight time, with 2012 AMA Grand National Champion Jared Mees bringing it home in the runner-up slot after returning from injuries. Coupled with new points leader Brad Baker's 4th-place finish at Sacramento and not making the Dash, Brandon gained back five valuable points and now trails Baker by 15 points in the overall standings, 92-77, heading into round 6 of the 2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season at the Castle Rock TT this coming Saturday, August 3.

 

“We made it into Warren, OR., early Monday morning and are staying with the Fisher family (Davis Fisher is also sponsored by team owner TJ Burnett) so we'll be able to kick back and be ready for the National on Saturday night,” stated Brandon, “TJ did all the driving again to get here—he still doesn't trust me behind the wheel of the rig—ha!

 

“With our results from Sacramento, all kidding aside, I'm really stoked for the five other mile events for the season (Indy, Colonial Downs, Springfield I & II, Santa Rosa) that are coming up to run. We've got a good package under us and a strong team behind me so I'm looking forward to the rest of the season, for sure,” Brandon stated before heading off to dinner late Monday evening.

 

The TJ Burnett Farms/USC/James Hart Racing Kawasaki team is looking forward to the rest of the season as well as seeing all of the fans come by to say hi to them at each event so they can share with them the great time they are having this season. We hope to see you all soon!

 

Brandon Robinson #44 & the TJ Burnett Farms Kawasaki AMA Grand National Championship team would like to thank all of our sponsors for the 2013 season:

 

TJ Burnett Farms, USC Racing Kawasaki, James Hart, Arai, Next Moto Champion, ATI Physical Therapy, Penske Racing Shocks, AXO, Saddlemen, Protect All, Pro Plates, ISC Racers Tape, Motion Pro, Southland, Matrix Race Products, Race Tech, Lemonds Kawasaki, WKR, Mr. Sign, Bill Built, Royal Publishing, VC Graphix, DAOapparel.com, PMP Sprockets, Spectro Oils, CP Pistons, G2 Ergonomics, Works Connection, K&N, Hartman Photography, Mitchell Mechanical, J&H Repair, Big Dawg Racing, Ricko, Jim Chapman, Tom Scibek, Joe Reynolds, John Y, Mom & Dad

 

2013 AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship season schedule: http://www.amaproracing.com/ft/events/

 

Press release prepared by: Mike Stuhler/Stu's Shots/Indianapolis, IN 46234 (317) 373-0522

stuman714@yahoo.com

http://stusshots.blogspot.com/