The Sounds Of Angry Motorcycles...

The fires of a man’s passion are often ignited by a scent that is like no other. That heady aroma had me in its throes now and was driving me to perform an act nearly as old as written history, and certainly as old as epic poetry. I followed the scent to its source, anxious to touch it with my lips. Barely an inch away, I felt my nostrils flare like a stallion in heat. There is nothing like the spicy allure of Irish Whisky, especially after a hard day of fingertip dancing on a keyboard. Yet my lips had barely closed on the rim of the classic “rocks” glass, when the telephone rang, effectively throwing a wet blanket over my reverie.

“This better be good,” I hissed into the mouthpiece.

It was... Rather than the voice of some damned telemarketer, I heard the unmistakable rage of a motorcycle engine being driven on the thin edge of the red line, building in intensity, and then screaming for the right of way as it rocketed past a phone held in some unidentified hand.

“Did you hear that,” asked a voice that was vaguely familiar. “Well here it comes again!”

This time it was the anger of a bunch of motorcycles, separated by inches, judging from the synchonicity of multiple engines downshifting and getting the throttle within a partial second of each other.

Race Official and Mac-Pac Member Jim Ellenberg (man) with wife Dot 

giving the "red flag" to Twisted Roads at Leguna Seca in 2006.

(Photo courtesy of Jim Ellenberg -- Click to enlarge)

“This unbelievable,” screamed the voice of a man who knew he had my undivided attention. “I’m standing inside Turn #1 at the Daytona 200 and you’ve just got to see this to believe it. These bikes are passing me at around 130 mph... And so close that I could reach out and touch them.”

The "Long and the Short of It..." Vern Troyer (Mini Me of Austin Powers fame) 

and "Big Jim" Ellenberg on the track at Leguna Seca.

(Photo courtesy of Jim Ellenberg -- Click to enlarge)

The classic sound of a big time motorcycle race instantly conjured up images of bikes leaning into turns at impossible angles, with riders throwing themselves from one side of the seat to the other, cheating gravity in one instance and centrifugal force a mille-second later. The scene was as clear in my mind as if I was standing there alongside my friend, at the “Big Track,” during Bike Week in Daytona. I took a deep breath, half-expecting to smell burning rubber and engine oil hot enough to brown French fries. What I got was a close second best, a snoot-full of 20-year-old Irish whiskey. It won’t leave you breathless but the euphoria is similar.

Greg White from the "Speed" Channel interviewing Ben Bostrom,

the winner of the Daytona 200, last week.

(Photo courtesy of Jim Ellenberg -- Click to enlarge)

The caller was my pal and Twisted Roads’ motorcycle racing correspondent, “Big Jim” Ellenberg, checking in from the best vantage point on the track. “I’d have to be in the race to get any closer,” he said. Jim has invited me to join him at Daytona, and a handful of other events, knowing full well that work precludes me from getting away at this time of the year. So he does the next best thing, calling me from one of the tightest turns, the most frenzied of the pits, or the nearest tattoo parlor, to make sure I understand he’s having a good time.

All The Gear All The Time... How many reasons can you count for drinking Corona?

At Twisted Roads, this is our idea of a "stimulus package."

(Photo courtesy of Jim Ellenberg, Corona, and 10,000 years of evolution --

Click to enlarge)

A current race official, Ellenberg is a well-known face at this event, and others, whose credentials get him into the thick of things. He reported that while several events filled the stands, it was obvious that the huge crowds of prior Daytona Bike Weeks was substantially down for 2009.

“You could walk across the street from the track right into the lobby of the Holiday Inn, and they’d have a room for you,” said Ellenberg. “That hasn’t happened in years!”

My question: “Was it the growing ages of the participants, the economy, or the weather that kept attendance down?”

“The economy is certainly playing a huge role in events like this, from sponsorship levels to what the average guy can spend this year,” said Ellenberg. “While the vendors seemed busy enough, the absence of bikes in motel parking lots and from the street five miles outside Daytona clearly indicated fewer riders were around. And pricing was way down too!”

Ever wonder what the Geico gecko does in his spare time?

(Photo courtesy of Jim Ellenberg -- Click to enlarge)

Ellenberg also noted that gray hair was in abundance, testifying to the advanced age of many attendees. “It was apparent to me that many of these folks were in their mid-sixties,” he said. “Then again ’60” is supposed to be the new ’40,’ or something like that.” He claimed this was evident at the dirt track race in Metropolitan Stadium. Yet the Super Cross event easily drew 30,000, with the age of the attendees an apparent 25 and under.

Classic skull and cross bones remains a timeless fashion symbol among bikers.

(Photo courtesy of Jim Ellenberg -- Click to enlarge)

The weather had raged north of Florida during Bike Week, dumping record amounts of snow in Georgia and Tennessee, all the way westward to Texas. That too may have had an effect on the number of riders who had planned to attend, but didn’t want to ride in winter conditions. “The temperature dropped to 31º on one night, and it felt like we were camping out at my brother’s place, which had no heat,” said Big Jim. Yet it was a balmy 68º last Friday night (March 6, 2009) when he called me.

Concern mounts as riders careen around the track at Daytona, hiting speeds of 189 mph.

(Photo courtesy of Jim Ellenberg -- Click to enlarge)

There were three major innovations introduced at this year’s Daytona 200, according to Ellenberg. The first was that the race was held at night. The second was the gates between the stands and racers’ waiting area were opened, allowing the crowd to meet their favorite riders and pick up an autograph or two. The third was to use a pace car start, eliminating the popped clutches and the mad scrambles that generally ensue at one of these races. “The pace car start is actually somewhat safer in my estimation,” said Ellenberg.

Leather can save your legs in a tumble. Boots work well too!

(Photo courtesy of Jim Ellenberg -- Click to enlarge)

Ellenberg serves as an “All Events Official,” but was attending in a volunteer capacity this year.

In The Next Post;
The conclusion of my “Free” GPS installation ($14,000 and climbing)
My Twin Children (as envisioned by Dick Bregstein) From One Roadside Affair
One Man’s Opinion -- Frivolous Bike Gear Spending

©Copyright Jack Riepe 2009
AKA The Lindbergh Baby (Mac-Pac)
AKA Vindak8r (Motorcycle Views)
AKA The Chamberlain -- Perdition's’ Socks (With A Shrug)