Drivers ready to keep championship momentum going in Ennis

The AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals returns to the Texas Motorplex, Sept. 19-22.

Texas-based drivers Spencer Massey, Steve Torrence, Alexis DeJoria and defending event Pro Stock Motorcycle champ Michael Ray are ready to saddle up in their home state and give Lone Star fans a Texas-sized helping of 8,000-horsepower, nitromethane-burning action. Everything is bigger in Texas, and the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series is sure to pack an extra-large dose of chest-thumping excitement when it arrives at the Texas Motorplex.

After all, the legendary facility is one of four all-concrete dragstrips on the NHRA circuit, which provides crew chiefs with an excellent opportunity to achieve national record performances.

The event, which is the second chance for Countdown to the Championship teams to earn points, takes place just a week after the playoff series-opener in Charlotte, making for a quick turnaround for the contenders.

The AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals is the 20th of 24 events in the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and the second of six races in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Last season, defending world champion Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car), Allen Johnson (Pro Stock) and Ray (Pro Stock Motorcycle) earned victories at the event that will once again be televised on ESPN2 HD.

In Top Fuel, five-time event winner Tony Schumacher and his U.S. Army Dragster team wants nothing more than to seal a sixth race victory in Dallas to help him finish off his season with an eighth series world championship title. But there are several drivers with the same objective, including points leader Shawn Langdon, who has four season wins in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster and defending event winner and world champ Brown, who drives the Matco Tools dragster.

In Funny Car, Virginia cattle rancher Matt Hagan leads the series standings with four season victories at the controls of his Magneti Marelli Dodge Charger and will be trying to earn his second victory at the Motorplex.

Others to watch include the Force powerhouse that includes 15-time world champion John Force, his youngest daughter Courtney, a two-time winner this season, and two-time Motorplex winner and Auto Club Ford Mustang driver Robert Hight.

Tickets for the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals are available now, ranging from just $10 to $380 for weekend packages. Youth tickets for children 12 and under start as low as $5.

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Source: WaxahachieTX (AP, 8/26)

Rick Fairless and Allstate launch motorcycle safety program

It’s well-known that riders tend to listen more closely when it’s one of their own bringing the message. Who better to bring up the hot topic of motorcycle safety than a rider known worldwide for his custom motorcycles, television appearances and owner of Strokers Dallas, a little slice of motorcycle heaven in Texas.

Clutch and Chrome caught up with custom bike builder and motorcycle celebrity Rick Fairless at Sturgis on Thursday to discuss his work with Allstate Insurance Company and their newest initiative under its Rider Protection Project portfolio, a series of programs all focused on making the roads a safer place to ride.

The latest initiative is the Allstate Good Ride Grant contest which looks to the riding community for their ideas on advancing motorcycle safety and awareness. Good Ride Grants joins Rider Risk Map, Once is Never Enough (O.N.E.) and other rider advocacy initiatives, all part of Allstate’s commitment to protecting riders.

Putting money where their heart is Allstate Insurance Company’s Good Ride Grants will award a combined total of $25,000 to contest winners with the best ideas. Now through Aug. 31, 2013, contest applicants may submit their Good Ride Grant submissions through the designated tab on Allstate Motorcycle’s Facebook page. Entries are welcome from anyone, including local governments, dealerships, rider clubs and individuals.

“Riding a motorcycle presents a feeling of freedom, adventure and camaraderie with fellow riders, but we also know the risks that come along with it,” said Keith Rutman, vice president of Allstate's Powersports unit. “The Good Ride Grant program allows Allstate to continue our mission of protecting riders while also keeping an open ear to the riding community and what they feel is important.”

The first 1,000 contest entries to be submitted before Aug. 31 will be reviewed and finalists will be chosen by a six-person judging committee, comprising of representatives from Allstate and a diverse collection of motorcycle industry professionals, including custom motorcycle builder Rick Fairless.

“I’m proud to partner with Allstate on an issue that has always been top of mind for me, and I think that the Good Ride Grant program is a great way to empower our riding community to help each other protect what is a lifestyle for so many of us by making it as safe as possible,” said Fairless.

“There are lots of people out there that ride and lots of ideas,” Rick says,’ Give’em to me. What’s the ideas, we’re going to take the idea’s and whittle them down.”

Joining Fairless on the judging committee is Keith Rutman, vice president of Allstate's Powersports unit; Rusty Creed, Allstate agency owner; Rod Krois, Indian Motorcycle’s Marketing Director; Bryan Harley, Motorcycle USA Editor; and Don Becklin, Motorcycle Superstore / Motorcycle USA founder and Motorsport Aftermarket Group’s retail group president.

Both Allstate Insurance Company and Rick obviously enjoy working together, the two are on their third year of bringing similar programs and initiatives to the riding community.

In September, the judges will determine the top 15 finalists. The finalists will then be featured on the Allstate Motorcycle Facebook page, where fans can vote for their favorite ideas. The five finalists with the highest overall contest scores by Oct. 31 will each receive a $5,000 grant to help put their ideas into action.

Complete details on the Allstate Good Ride Grant contest and details on how to submit an idea, visit Facebook.com/AllstateMotorcycle and click on the Good Ride Grant tab icon.

During the interview, it’s clear that Rick is riding what he’s promoting, motorcycle safety and awareness.

“It's not only how I’m riding but how I’m trying to get my children to ride,” Rick explains, “My daughter Lena is up here with me and she rides with me. I’m staying out of the blind spots and when I’m turning the corner I’m looking to see if there’s gravel or oil along the road.”

“When I’m going down the road I’m watching what’s going behind me as well as all around me,” he explains further.

Motorcycle safety education is obviously key according to the current initiative as well as the legendary bike builder.

“You have to teach the young people how to ride,” he explains “I had to teach my daughter to look behind her when she stops at a stop sign to make sure that jack behind you is putting on his brakes too!”

“It’s awareness and education and that’s the kind of stuff we’re trying to do [with Allstate Insurance Company] and I’m doing more [of this] now than I did ten years ago,” he says.

And Rick is a firm believer of motorcycle safety courses. He noted that in the state of Texas new riders are required to take a motorcycle safety course to qualify for a motorcycle endorsement on their license.

“I was big behind that requirement,” Rick proudly says, “You’ve got to get an official trainer to show you those things.”

Thursday was the first day of the Allstate Good Ride Grant contest and the reaction has been great according to Fairless.

“Everybody that rides wants it to be safer. Now bikers who sit around and say those ‘sure wishes’ can take them and turn the ‘sure wishes’ into a reality with the Good Ride Grant program,” he says.

“Just don’t sit around talking about it,” Rick continues taking on a slightly sterner tone, “let’s do something about it!”

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Source: Clutch and Chrome (AP, 8/09)

Night Riders On A Roll

On some days it seems like the Near South is overrun with biker gangs — not the leather-clad groups of 50-somethings wearing skull caps and riding noisy luxury motorcycles. The area is host to several bicycle meet-up groups that ride en mass from bar to bar, spreading revelry and body odor wherever they land.

The longest tenured Southside beer-and-bike group is the Night Riders. The two-wheeled pub-crawlers meet twice a week (Sunday and Wednesday) at The Chat Room Pub and pedal into the night, jumping from bike seat to bar stool. Anywhere from 10-80 people show up for the bi-weekly ride. In addition to swarming bars, the group is also raising money for charity and doing its part to improve bike culture in the Fort.

Recently, the Riders held its second annual BBQ Fundraiser, and raised $500 for the West, Texas volunteer fire department.

“[The donation was] nothing extreme in terms of dollar amount, but substantial for a completely volunteer, non-official and free cycling group,” said George Gdovin, one of the group’s leaders.

The cyclists also successfully raised $900 through raffles and donations and installed a publicly accessible bicycle fix station, where riders can stop by and make minor repairs, pump air into their tires, and make minor adjustments to their bikes. The first such station is bolted to the bike rack of their home base at The Chat. Here is a picture of it on the Fortworthology blog.

Gdovin said the group is in talks with other bars and hopes to install more stations in the near future.

“We started talking to other bars that are going to chip in [towards the cost],” said Gdovin, “or we’ve arranged it that if we go to a bar, a certain portion of the proceeds [from sales] will go towards getting them installed.”

The Night Riders have also started a Fort Worth Bike Polo Group that meets once a month.The owners of Trinity Bicycles donated the mallets and balls, and a group from Denton came down and taught the bikers how to play.

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Source: Fort Worth Weekly (Griffey, 5/31)

Bikers Shut Down Los Angeles Freeway For Epic, Illegal Marriage Proposal

 Hector "Tank" Martinez set a new standard for marriage proposals on Sunday when he popped the question to his girlfriend Paige on one of the busiest highways in Los Angeles during a "Unity Ride," an event where solo and club bikers ride together.

Martinez began planning the proposal in October, clearing his ideas with the Unity Ride organizer and purchasing a special tire that released pink smoke for the big moment.

"When Paige and I talked about my proposal, she mentioned that she wanted it to be in the bike scene, but she also wanted her family to be there," Martinez told BuzzFeed via email.

"By proposing on the freeway and having all of our family members on the overpass watching, I was able to give her the best of both worlds."

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Source: BuzzFeed (Hall, 1/28)

SCHUBERTH COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR S2 HELMET

 S2 customers have been eagerly awaiting the SRC-System™, Schuberth’s in-helmet Bluetooth® communication system which is based on the Cardo Scala platform.

The S2 full face is the only motorcycle helmet in the world with built-in FM and Bluetooth® antennas which plug directly into the SRC-System and enhance the communication distance between paired helmets as well as the FM radio reception.

The SRC-System™ allows up to three riders to communicate wirelessly with each other simultaneously and supports Bluetooth®-enabled peripheral devices such as cell phones, GPS units and MP3 players. The most important functions can also be operated by voice commands.

The system is integrated into a replacement neck collar that is a ‘snap’ to install and fits into the helmet perfectly.

The S2 SRC-System™ and S2 helmet are available now from authorized Schuberth dealers.

SRC-System(TM) for S2:

- USD $429

S2 Full Face Helmet:

- Solid Colors: $699

- Hi-Viz: $729

- Graphics: $749

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Source: Cycle World (11/21)

Blind woman becomes first to travel globe

55 YEAR-old Cathy Birchall from Warrington, riding pilion with her husband Bernard, has become the first blind woman to circumvent the globe on a motorcycle.

Cathy suffers with retinitis pigmentosa and has been blind for much of her life. She met husband Bernard Smith seven years ago, while he was working as a teacher for the Royal National Institute of Blind People and she for charity Action For Blind People. She had never been on a motorcycle before she met Bernard, who, long harbouring a desire to travel the world on his 1990 BMW R100RT, convinced her to take a year-long sabbatical.

Their journey began in August 2008, but now, with the release of their book 'Touching The World: A Blind Woman, Two Wheels and 25,000 miles', her extraordinary story is coming to light.

The couple's travels encompassed Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and North America and took a year. In Peru, Cathy also became the first blind woman to climb Huayana Pichu, Machu Pichu's sister mountain.

Cathy recorded her experiences on a tape recorder as she went, describing the pair's experiences. Using an intercom system, Bernard would describe the scenery through which they passed. Speaking to Manchester Evening News, Cathy described her experience of the journey:

'I could smell the heat of the deserts, the cool from the mountains. I could hear the silence when you are up in the mountains. I could hear the hustle and bustle as we were going through street markets. I could feel the temperature. All the other senses kicked in and gave me a full picture.

“And I spoke to people – the everyday people we came across. That made the trip.'

Sadly, six weeks after their return from the trip, Cathy was diagnosed with breast cancer for which she is still being treated. Writing the book, she says, has given her focus throughout the treatment.

In publishing the book, Bernard and Cathy hope to get visual impairment literature 'into the mainstream in a positive way.'

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Source: VisorDown (Dodd,9/19)

Australian built Hoverbike prepares for takeoff

Don't feel like driving to work?
(Credit: Chris Malloy)

Riding a motorcycle can be a pretty dangerous mode of transport, but obviously, not everyone agrees or the Hoverbike wouldn't have been built.

Designed by Australian engineer Chris Malloy, this hybrid vehicle combines a dual-propeller helicopter and a racing motorcycle and looks incredibly cool. It's retro-styled and has some fancy propellers made of Tasmanian Oak. It also has a 1,170cc 4-stroke engine and a carbon-fiber driveshaft, the latter being a lighter alternative to steel or aluminum. To lift off, the driver increases the thrust with the right hand via a throttle grip that's exactly the same as the throttle on a motorbike and can reach an airspeed of 150 knots (173 mph), according to Malloy.

While the idea of a flying motorcycle may pique the interest of daredevils, there aren't any videos (or pictures) of the Hoverbike in flight yet save for a few images of the contraption hovering while tethered to the ground. Also, its flight specifications--which are untested so far--do cause concern. For example, the "bike" is designed to reach a maximum altitude of 10,000 feet, which is incredibly high for such a small aircraft. Malloy calls the Hoverbike "very safe," and fortunately, it comes with two explosive parachutes that deploy in case of an emergency.

While we aren't sure if the Hoverbike will ever be approved by aviation authorities, we can't deny the attraction of personal flying vehicles. Just a few months ago CNET wrote about the FlyNano, a personal floatplane that looks a lot safer by comparison.

The Hoverbike achieves liftoff, though we're not sure how stable it'll be untethered.
(Credit: Chris Malloy)

Source: Gizmag