Mees Mauls'em in Elma

Jared Mees put in one hell of a ride to win the Grays Harbor Half Mile in the tiny town of Elma Washington. On a very tricky,very banked clay bowl, Mees ran down and beat the very best in Grand National Racing. Washington Star, Sam Halbert looked like the guy who could take this whole deal. Fast Qualifier and Dash winner,Sammy took to the challenging track like an infant to its mom's tittay. In the main he grabbed that sucker and wrestled it for eight laps, leading with ease. Then the pack caught him and swallowed him whole. Kawi mounted Bryan Smith shot by him and into the lead for eleven laps while all hell broke loose behind him. Out of the scrum came Mees with a fist full of throttle and a very determined attitude. He had been battling tooth and nail to get here and he wasn't about to let it go. Fantastic effort and a really skilled ride to take his second GNC win this season. Jared really enjoyed the victory, I'm sure because it was so hard fought but, also because it catapulted him into the points lead. Six races down and eight to go. What an incredible season so far this year.

Elma 1/2 Mile Rained Out ,Might be run Sunday

The North West is famous for it's absolutely diabolical rainy weather and it struck again today ,canceling the AMA National Elma 1/2 Mile. Things were looking fair throughout the morning but a stubborn soaking mist made the racing surface slick and unraceable. The spectators poured into the stands with a dubious feeling about the conditions and after a mammoth wheel packing session, two tough Washingtonians namely the Halbert Bros, Sam and Jethro volunteered to go out and see what it was like. They circulated the banked track and the crowd drank in the sounds of Harley and Kawasaki echoing in the big bowl,trying to get up to speed. Those guys made it look good. Not too long after, Bonsey, Coolbeth, Robinson, Mees and Sam came out on the track and hit it with as much gusto as they dared. Bonsey and Halbert were really exploring the limits and the other guys all had some heart in mouth moments and eased way back. They all pulled off and it was declared over. Bummer! Then it was announced they would try again tomorrow morning with Hot Laps starting at 10:15 am. Lets hope the Rain Gods have decided to party somewhere else.

The Bullet shoots for Elma

This weekend's Elma Grand National Half Mile should be something. A clay,banked, really small Half Mile should prove entertaining, especially if your goosing a big 750 Twin around it. No.1 Brad Baker will be anxious to turn his season around and get a win in his home state in front of his legion of fans. I bet he wishes he had this bike under him but, this is his Championship winning Dodge Bros XR ( at the Final in 2013 Pomona where he won the NO.1 Plate) which Brad swapped for the Factory mount which seems slow and unreliable by comparison. This small track should help Brad make up for H.P. and reliability issues as the bike is not so stressed. Brad can get down to the business of race'em. It wont be easy though with a bunch of tough competitors. Coolbeth, Bonsey who always goes great on new tracks and surprise, Briar Bauman on this bike,the Dodge Bros, Saddleman, Werner Racing Harley XR750 ! Briar is good. He rode an old Suzuki to third at the Pomona 1/2 mile at the Final last year and since then has been on Werner's Kawi with mixed results. Now he will be riding the D-S-W Racing XR at all the West Coast Races. This could be the guys big opportunity. It is going to be some fun. See you in Elma.

King of Clubs Barona, Cal

Glenn H. Curtiss Fastest Man of Earth 136.4 MPH 1907

Before Glenn Curtiss was the country's most famous aviator ,he was a famous motorcycle racer. He started building and racing his own brand of Motorcycles in single cylinder, v-twin, in-line fours and eventually a V8 that powered his record breaking machine that held the outright speed record for many years at 136.4 MPH in 1907. This same V8 was used to power his June Bug aircraft that he used in the first announced flight of a heavier than air machine. The Wright Bros flew before him and were his inspiration but, they flew not very far and very few people witnessed the event. Curtiss announced his flight and drew a huge crowd at a half-mile dirt track and successfully showed the world what flight was all about. He was a prolific inventor, among his great ideas was the twist grip throttle which still has not been bettered to this day. He built and sold his own planes in the early 1900s and is know as the founder of the American Aircraft Industry. Curtiss proved to the Navy that seaplanes were viable and he is credited as the father of Naval Avation. He held the very first Pilots License in the USA.He designed and produced the most popular plane of the WWI era with the Curtiss Jenny that was a Trainer ,Fighter that was made in such high quantities that after the war the surplus planes and spares that were sent back home ,started General Aviation in the U.S. Right before WWII broke out the iconic Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk was our front line Fighter. Curtiss Aircraft went on to build many WWII Planes for the War effort. Glenn Curtiss died at age 52, a real American Hero.

Auto Union Super Coupe

In the early 30's, Ferdy Porsche designed one of my favorite racing cars, the Auto Union "C" type GP. Mid-engined,45 degree, supercharged V 16. The design was refined over a ten year period resulting in an impressive win record for the corporate giant. F. Porsche dreamt of building this Super Coupe,with a swoopy body plonked right down on the GP chassis. What a machine it would have been but, Auto Unions racing sponsor , the Nazis decided to fuck up the world by starting WWII. The Auto Union Super Coupe never got off the drawing board. Damn those Nazi bastards!

Jeff Lessley #12E SCFTA

Watching Jeff ride his Astro is a joy to behold.