Vale continues his return to full form and tests the Italian-made dirt track project Zaeta Ouroboros. A project his dad has been involved with from the beginning. The Doctor got some sliding skill.
Showing posts with label Dirt Track Racing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dirt Track Racing. Show all posts
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
AGV Dainese James Rispoli update From Daytona
The long awaited season opener for the AMA Pro Singles Flattrack season has come and gone. I had such an awesome time the last two weeks and while I feel I could of done better, I was able to achieve a couple of podium finishes for the week and got out of there in 3rd place overall for the championship which was much better than last years start. My highlight of the week was making the podium and getting a second place finish on the new short track on its inaugural night at the famed Daytona Speedway in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 5,000. The only thing better was winning at the famed Daytona Stadium in 2009, the last time anyone will get a chance to do it again. Cool stuff for sure!!!
My trip started out a bit sketchy. Like every Daytona, you prepare all winter long yet some how it always comes down to the last minute for everything to come together. This year was no different. We managed to get it all covered with our new 2009 Cycle Dynamics CRF 450 getting prepped with components from RHC, Boughner Racing, K&N, Motion Pro, Spectro Oils, DP brakes, Engine Ice, Vortex gears and D&D pipe. My trusty Bettencourt Suzuki which I used last year to take a win at Daytona was also prepped with a full rebuild from top to bottom. I was ready for racing. I couldn't have done all the prep work without the support and sponsorship help from my crew chief Dustin Say. Dustin put in a ton of hours stripping my bikes down to the bare frames and rebuilding them back to mint race condition.
On the trip down I stopped off at Neeses SC to get some testing in since I have never ridden a fuel injected dirt tracker before. I changed suspension companies and also wanted to see how well my new Boughner Racing suspension was going to work. The tests went well and the Honda was hooked up and handled better than I expected. The Suzuki felt great too and it was really hooked up as well. I left Neeses and made my way to Savannah, GA for some half mile testing. I sat out the first two nights because I didn't want to put too much time on my new engines. I waited to Saturday night so I could make some money. During the evening it was clear the guys who raced the previous nights had their set ups dialed and already knew which lines were good on the track. It took me a while to get adjusted to the new 09 CRF too, since the fuel injection made throttle control quite a bit trickier. I took my time getting up to speed, qualified fine and was ready to race. In the race I had a problem with my bike really hooking up. I worked the entire track looking for a good line but ended up taking 5th overall. While I wasn't particularly happy I made a few bucks to offset some fuel costs. Later the next day working with Kenny Tolbert we discovered my tire gauge was reading 6 lbs off. That meant I was running like 21lbs in my front Goodyear and 26lbs in my rear. And I wonder why I couldn't get any grip.....
The next day we had a race at Barberville. I made sure this time the air in the tires was correct and went out for practice. The track was really rough, but I like it when the track is challenging like that. I ran pretty good but wanted to slow the bike down a little for the heat race so I added a tooth to the rear gear. I managed to win my heat and got ready for the main event. In the main my bike was working really good and I felt strong. I managed to take a second place finish and collected a few more bucks and continued to learn about the new bike.
I finally made it to the short track at Daytona for a practice day. When I got off the track the first time I was convinced it was not very good and it stayed not very good the entire day. I knew that anything we did to set up the bikes to work in these conditions was going to be useless for the next days race and that was very true. The next day was race one and it started around 10AM with the first free practice. The next two practices would be timed and they would count for the qualifying positions. I had a first good run and was fifth but on the second timed run I ended up eleventh. I was not happy but since I still got a front row start I knew I could do something in the heat . I was on the outside of the front row but got an awesome start. We ended up with a red flag because a couple of riders got into each other. On the restart I nailed it again and managed to run up front chasing Carver as we broke away from the pack. I was catching Carver a little bit at a time but was making little mistakes here and there. We both did, but in the end I had to settle for second place. It was way cool and I really wanted to get up there on the podium the first night and thank all the great people who have been supporting me.
After a little celebration from the night before we knew things were going to be tougher on day two. By now everyone was getting a feel for the track conditions and I expected it to be harder to qualify well too. The track unfortunately was nothing like the night before. Whatever set up worked on Wednesday was not working on Thursday. Mike Boughner came over and worked on the suspension and things go a little better each time but I was really spinning up the rear tire. It was too late but I knew half way through the practice that I should have used my Suzuki instead. The Suzuki has less power and the day before I didn't use it because it hooked up too much! I was committed now and had to make it work. I ended up qualifying like eight and that was a little better than the day before. In the heat I felt confident I could make it work and end up either first or second but I got stuck behind a rider and couldn't get enough grip to make the pass.
In the final I initially got a great start but the race was red flagged. On the restart I got pinched out and had to fight for every position. I just couldn't get a lot of forward motion out of the bike and was forced to settle for a 6th place finish. I was not a happy camper about that. After I had a chance to cool down I reviewed the night with Dustin and realized some things we would do differently. I got out of Daytona by making the main events on both nights out of 75 riders. I made it on the podium in the most prestigious of all short track races and came away with enough points to put me into third place in the championship. Now all I have to do is find the funds to be able to make the west coast rounds so I don't fall behind in the points too much.
I want to thank all my sponsors for all their help. To David Ashi for letting me crash in the RV at Daytona and to all the support, grub and everything. I couldn't do it without friends like you. To my bud Scott Rosey for being the man. To my crew chief Dustin who flew down on his own dime to work with me, I couldn't of done it without you. To Rhonda and Dave Waters thanks for all the help down there I hope I made you laugh, the same to my good friend Broc, who had a tough Daytona but let me crash with him in Savannah.
James"the Rocket" Rispoli
My trip started out a bit sketchy. Like every Daytona, you prepare all winter long yet some how it always comes down to the last minute for everything to come together. This year was no different. We managed to get it all covered with our new 2009 Cycle Dynamics CRF 450 getting prepped with components from RHC, Boughner Racing, K&N, Motion Pro, Spectro Oils, DP brakes, Engine Ice, Vortex gears and D&D pipe. My trusty Bettencourt Suzuki which I used last year to take a win at Daytona was also prepped with a full rebuild from top to bottom. I was ready for racing. I couldn't have done all the prep work without the support and sponsorship help from my crew chief Dustin Say. Dustin put in a ton of hours stripping my bikes down to the bare frames and rebuilding them back to mint race condition.
On the trip down I stopped off at Neeses SC to get some testing in since I have never ridden a fuel injected dirt tracker before. I changed suspension companies and also wanted to see how well my new Boughner Racing suspension was going to work. The tests went well and the Honda was hooked up and handled better than I expected. The Suzuki felt great too and it was really hooked up as well. I left Neeses and made my way to Savannah, GA for some half mile testing. I sat out the first two nights because I didn't want to put too much time on my new engines. I waited to Saturday night so I could make some money. During the evening it was clear the guys who raced the previous nights had their set ups dialed and already knew which lines were good on the track. It took me a while to get adjusted to the new 09 CRF too, since the fuel injection made throttle control quite a bit trickier. I took my time getting up to speed, qualified fine and was ready to race. In the race I had a problem with my bike really hooking up. I worked the entire track looking for a good line but ended up taking 5th overall. While I wasn't particularly happy I made a few bucks to offset some fuel costs. Later the next day working with Kenny Tolbert we discovered my tire gauge was reading 6 lbs off. That meant I was running like 21lbs in my front Goodyear and 26lbs in my rear. And I wonder why I couldn't get any grip.....
The next day we had a race at Barberville. I made sure this time the air in the tires was correct and went out for practice. The track was really rough, but I like it when the track is challenging like that. I ran pretty good but wanted to slow the bike down a little for the heat race so I added a tooth to the rear gear. I managed to win my heat and got ready for the main event. In the main my bike was working really good and I felt strong. I managed to take a second place finish and collected a few more bucks and continued to learn about the new bike.
I finally made it to the short track at Daytona for a practice day. When I got off the track the first time I was convinced it was not very good and it stayed not very good the entire day. I knew that anything we did to set up the bikes to work in these conditions was going to be useless for the next days race and that was very true. The next day was race one and it started around 10AM with the first free practice. The next two practices would be timed and they would count for the qualifying positions. I had a first good run and was fifth but on the second timed run I ended up eleventh. I was not happy but since I still got a front row start I knew I could do something in the heat . I was on the outside of the front row but got an awesome start. We ended up with a red flag because a couple of riders got into each other. On the restart I nailed it again and managed to run up front chasing Carver as we broke away from the pack. I was catching Carver a little bit at a time but was making little mistakes here and there. We both did, but in the end I had to settle for second place. It was way cool and I really wanted to get up there on the podium the first night and thank all the great people who have been supporting me.
After a little celebration from the night before we knew things were going to be tougher on day two. By now everyone was getting a feel for the track conditions and I expected it to be harder to qualify well too. The track unfortunately was nothing like the night before. Whatever set up worked on Wednesday was not working on Thursday. Mike Boughner came over and worked on the suspension and things go a little better each time but I was really spinning up the rear tire. It was too late but I knew half way through the practice that I should have used my Suzuki instead. The Suzuki has less power and the day before I didn't use it because it hooked up too much! I was committed now and had to make it work. I ended up qualifying like eight and that was a little better than the day before. In the heat I felt confident I could make it work and end up either first or second but I got stuck behind a rider and couldn't get enough grip to make the pass.
In the final I initially got a great start but the race was red flagged. On the restart I got pinched out and had to fight for every position. I just couldn't get a lot of forward motion out of the bike and was forced to settle for a 6th place finish. I was not a happy camper about that. After I had a chance to cool down I reviewed the night with Dustin and realized some things we would do differently. I got out of Daytona by making the main events on both nights out of 75 riders. I made it on the podium in the most prestigious of all short track races and came away with enough points to put me into third place in the championship. Now all I have to do is find the funds to be able to make the west coast rounds so I don't fall behind in the points too much.
I want to thank all my sponsors for all their help. To David Ashi for letting me crash in the RV at Daytona and to all the support, grub and everything. I couldn't do it without friends like you. To my bud Scott Rosey for being the man. To my crew chief Dustin who flew down on his own dime to work with me, I couldn't of done it without you. To Rhonda and Dave Waters thanks for all the help down there I hope I made you laugh, the same to my good friend Broc, who had a tough Daytona but let me crash with him in Savannah.
James"the Rocket" Rispoli
Friday, March 5, 2010
Sammy Halbert Wins First AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National to Kick Off 2010 Season
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (March 4, 2010) - (www.amaproracing.com) AMA Pro Racing kicked off the 2010 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship before a standing room only crowd at the "World Center of Racing" on the brand new DAYTONA Flat Track.
The large crowd that braved the cold temperatures were treated to some very hot racing all night. Woody Kyle Racing / Fredericktown Yamaha / Kings Kustoms/AGV/Dainese backed Sammy Halbert blasted around early leader Joe Kopp on lap eight and pulled to over a two second lead by the end of the 25 lap National.
"I just found my line on the track and was able to get out to a good lead," said Halbert. "I looked back late in the race and had a good lead. I yelled a few times in my helmet, I was pretty sure I had it won. It's really special to be the first winner at this new facility."
Kopp had gotten the hole shot and was settling into a lead over Coolbeth when AGV Dainese's Halbert came knocking on Coolbeth's door on lap three. Halbert wasted no time in his charge to the front and by lap ten he had pretty much locked the win away.
The sixteen lap Pro Singles National got off to a rough start when JD Beach hit the ground on the first lap in turn three.The restart saw AGV Dainese's James Rispoli off first but, Jeffery Carver sliced his way into the lead on lap four and was never headed. Rispoli pressured in second while Stephen Vanderkuur grabbed the last podium position. Mikey Avila made his Pro debut a success with a fourth place finish.
RESULTS:
GNC SINGLES: 1. Sammy Halbert (Yam); 2. Henry Wiles (Kaw); 3. Jake Johnson (Hon); 4. Jethro Halbert (Yam); 5. Joe Kopp (Hon);
PRO SINGLES: 1. Jeffery Carver (Yam); 2. James Rispoli (Hon); 3. Stephen Vanderkuur (Hon); 4. Mikey Avila (Hon); 5. Brad Baker (Hon);
Monday, November 16, 2009
James Rispoli Breaks Femur
Road Racer X magazine is reporting that AGV Dainese's James Rispoli broke his femur during motocross training over the weekend.
Wishing The Rocket a very prompt and fast recovery.
Wishing The Rocket a very prompt and fast recovery.
Rispoli Breaks Femur
Road racer, dirt tracker and landspeed record holder James Rispoli had another busy weekend. The young gun release his new web site www.jamesrispoli.com on Friday, tested a big non-Harley twin for an Ohio based team on Saturday, practiced some motorcross on Sunday at a local NY track and took his first helicopter ride after a stalled landing pitched him over the bars and he broke his femur. He was flown to the Erie County Trauma Center where they performed a successful surgery on the clean break inserting a rod into the bone attached by screws. He is resting comfortably and will return home on Tuesday where he will be able to start rehab with an expected full recovery. James wanted to thank all the folks at the practice track that made quick decisions on his behalf that allowed for this successful outcome.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Rispoli gears up for the season finale
AGV Dainese's James Rispoli is on target for his season goal. Good luck from all of us at AGV Dainese USA.
Big supports and good luck to Sammy Halbert who will be dicing it up in the AMA Pro Grand National Twins Championship where Sammy is currently 4th in points.
PR from the "Team Rispoli"
Big supports and good luck to Sammy Halbert who will be dicing it up in the AMA Pro Grand National Twins Championship where Sammy is currently 4th in points.
October 21, 2009 Pomona
James “the Rocket” Rispoli gears up for the season finale of the inaugural AMA Pro Singles Championship at the THE FAIRPLEX AT POMONA, CA. James has already solidified an outstanding second place finish overall out of 68 pro-riders in the championship riding while riding his Weirbach Racing team bikes. For this weekend’s final race of the season, James will be riding a bike provided by Sammy Sweet Racing as part of a one-off-race sponsorship package.
James, a multi-discipline rider came from a significant 19 point deficit after the second race of the season to catch and pass the point’s leader only to give way to a mediocre 5th place finish at the Indy Mile. With a 10 point deficit to make up and three races to go there was still a great chance with the Springfield Mile, Springfield short track and Pomona Springfield mile called for darkness, and races winding down to only two, James laid it all on the line in the last-chance Springfield
“I am really blessed to have such great people who believe in me as I move forward in my career as a professional motorcycle racer,” said James. “Everyone around me gave 110% and we charged back from some mistakes, miss-queues, injuries and set-up problems. It was a shame so many races were rained out or cancelled because I know what I can do both on and off the track and the championship was mine to win. Meanwhile, I learned a bunch from everyone and I can’t thank Dick Weirbach and his crew for a great season. I also wanted to say big thanks to Sammy Sweet and my friends Dave and Ryan Wells. Sammy came up with a frame, stout motor and the labor while the Wells family provided the suspension and wheels. Between them they came up with the parts needed to put a bike together for me to race at Pomona
Thursday, September 10, 2009
AGV Dainese's James "The Rocket" Rispoli lands speed record
Hi everyone;
What insanity! I just finished my mile race at Indy and hopped in the van to head to St. Louis to catch a morning flight out to Salt Lake. You see I had a date with a ten foot black beauty and a chase for a new landspeed record.
I was tired but quite excited at the same time. The flight was non-eventful as we rented a car and headed out on 80 west. This is an all familiar road I had just traveled on a few weeks earlier on my way to Lodi Cycle Bowl. This time however the race discipline I was about to do was one I never tried before. The bike, was one I never sat on, and the record, one that stood tall for a lot of years. My dad flew out with me and I was going to meet up with my sponsor, Charlie Benton, an incredible guy and someone who believes I have what it takes no matter what I do. Charlie is a quiet guy but an engineer who not only can build an awesome motor but is a world class fabricator as well. He built the bike in his work shop in North Carolina and start to finish it took him three months. In those three months Charlie kept me and my dad up to speed on the development as well as the testing. Charlie was concerned about the stability of the bike and personally performed the initial tow in airport runs as well as the power runs with a stock motor. It wasn't until he was satisfied with the bikes handling that he gave me the OK that we were going to Bonneville 100 percent.
When we arrived at the hotel I rested and prepared myself for the next morning. It was 5 AM when the alarm went off and we headed down to meet Charlie and Jim his helper in the lobby. It would be our morning meeting place for the next four days. We headed out to the salt flats which were several miles away and waited till 6 AM when they released a line of cars, trucks and rigs out on to the salt. It was amazing as we followed each other out for what seemed like 10 miles until a small city of trailers, trucks and cars started to appear in the middle of the salt bed. The sun was just coming up and I was in awe of the whole thing. My dad, who was driving was flipping out because this was the first time he was ever at Bonneville. I had a chance two years earlier to be part of a team that built the record breaking NASCAR machine so some of this was familiar. All and all it was cool because for the next (4) days I would be on the salt with over 250 other record seeking competitors from (8) countries from around the world.
We checked in and I went to the riders meeting at 7 AM. I stayed a little afterward so I could ask some additional questions and then I headed out for a short walk around the pit area. I went over to Chris Carr's BUB number 7 pit and Chris gave me a some input about the salt and what it was like to ride on it. It was helpful but his streamliner vehicle is way different then what I was about to do. After our little chat I headed to my pit and worked with Charlie and my team to ready our bike. In about an hour later we were on line waiting our turn to head down to the zero starting point. We chose to go on the "run what you brung" short course first so I could get a feel for the bike, the shifting points as well as a feel for the salt before I went all out for a record. When it was my turn to go out I staged and awaited the green flag. Once I took off it was incredible as I headed down slowly shifting trying not to spin up the wheels and eased it into higher gears as I went along. I ended the first run at a speed of 136 MPH without trying and the bike was as stable as a rock. I was mentally ready to do a record run.
The team was excited that we did so well without really trying too hard and we brought the bike back and readied it for another run. At Bonneville you can make as many runs as you can, as long as you get in line and wait your turn. Sometimes it would take 2-3 hours of sitting on line before you got a shot at a run, so getting in three or four runs a day is about as good as it gets. That makes for a long day and at times a frustrating one as well, especially if you get close to a record, but don't go over it like I did.
We set up for the second run on the AMA short course and got the call to the line. The bike and I were ready and I headed out. I went through the gears clean but had a head wind that I could feel start to push me around a little bit. I steadied the bike and headed through the time traps. My time was 143 MPH and the record for the 650cc class I was in was 147.471. I thought I did everything right but the top speed escaped me. We adjusted some things on the bike and went out one more time getting to 144 MPH before we called it a day.
Our second day on the salt went as good as our first. We did a total of (4) runs and came as close as .001 MPH to the record but just couldn't get over it. It was crazy and I was starting to feel this whole record thing might be a silly idea. On Thursday we all vowed we would get it and made some gearing changes, and actually took some components off the bike that were hanging out in the wind, maybe adding some extra drag. It was our third run on Thursday when I got a start with almost no wind, and the salt was really starting to get hard from four days of sun. My down run got us over the record with a 148.250 and I was super excited, however a record is not real unless you can back it up the opposite direction. The problem was it was already 5 PM and the course shuts down at 6 PM. We had an hour to prepare our bike and make a run the opposite way on the course with a speed above the record again. This was getting close and we all rushed around to get everything in order. We drove the bike down the other end of the course and waited our turn. When we got the OK to go I was a little nervous since this was the first time all week I was on this course and the salt felt a little different since not that many bikes went on it. I took off and squeezed the throttle and went through the gears being careful not to spin up the tires. I got the bike up to full speed and shifted into sixth gear as I went through the mile marker. I came out the other side and new from my speedo and tach that I backed up the record. The official speed was 149.950 MPH and I couldn't have been happier. We stayed around for Thursday and were going to test to see if we could break the partial streamline record as well which stands at 152MPH. We did one run at 151.500 MPH and then called it quits.
I want to say it was an incredible week of land speed racing. The salt is like nothing you ever raced on before, and their are so many factors that cause you to lose a little speed here and a little speed there. I found that we need to think through tire spin, cross winds and its effects on my distance to the finish line and drag.....that funny thing that slows you down fractions of a second all the way through the mile markers. I also can't thank my friend Charlie Benton enough for thinking of me when he thought he wanted to go for a land speed record. Charlie and I won the Daytona Moto-ST when I was just 16 years old and now at 18 years old we have a land speed record together as well. I look forward to working on new projects and challenges Charlie comes up with and promise I will do whatever it takes to continue to put us in the record books. At the end of this season I promised Charlie I would autograph the helmet I used to break the record and give it to him to place with the bike which will eventually end up in a museum for sure. Also, a huge thanks to my dad who helped worked through the details and coordinated this week long event. I love you!
Till next time...do what I like to do GO FASTER...
James"the Rocket" Rispoli
Monday, August 10, 2009
James Rispoli wins at Motorcycle mecca in Sturgis
So far what a trip its been. Yep I left Attica NY with my left coast buddy Chad Cose to travel to Sturgis, the Mecca for motorcycles the first week of August each year. This was to be my first time heading there and I was going to chase several races leading up to both the AMA Hot Shoe and AMA GNC half mile in Rapid City South Dakota to earn a little money and test out a few new things on my bike. It also was my first road trip as a 18 year old and both Chad and I intended to be on the road for two weeks until we made it back to Ohio for the AMA GNC mile event August 16th. The initial trip had us traveling around 1,100 miles to the Black Hills but on the way we were stopping off for a short track and TT just over the boarder in South Dakota to earn a little cha-ching. I was able to enter three classes, for the short track and TT running my Weirbach Racing/Bettencourt Suzuki. I manage a 2nd, 5th and 8th place finish on a slick one line groove track. I lost to some locals but still managed to make some cash to support my two week road trip as well as gain additional track time on the slick groove tracks that make up the South Dakota dirt track market in preparation for the AMA Pro races coming on the following Monday and Tuesday.
After our racing there we loaded up and headed out to make it to Sturgis for the AMA Hot Shoe event and stopped to sleep in the back of a Burger King parking lot. We arrived at the track at around 11 AM, unloaded and started to work on the bike changing tires, prepping some gearing and making sure we were ready to rock when practice came out. The track was a cool track and in the first practice I was like 5th fastest.. We made an adjustment to the gearing, wire brushed the tire to deglaze it a little and changed the air pressure and went out for the next timed qualifying runs. In the heat race I had both Carver and Texter and I got a great start. Carver and I did a little bump and grind in the first corner but I came out in front and led the entire heat race. There were two heats with identical overall times of 1:24.008 so in the final I was given first choice on the front row. In the main event I got a smoking start and led pulling away while running the bottom groove. Unfortunately the groove down there was drying out and was getting really slippery. I was moving around to find some traction when Baker caught up to me. I made a huge mistake coming out of turn two and drove it way too hard into turn three and four to make up time and ran it wide on the tenth lap slipping the groove . It was a drag race to the line but Baker got me going into turn two when the red flag came out and ended the race. I was given the race win when the reverted back the one lap and that was awesome. This was my first AMA National race in Sturgis and my first Hot Shoe this year and to take a win here was really special. It was special because my good friend and fellow Coolskunk rider national #64 Aaron Creamer was killed in Sturgis at a race 5 years ago. I thought of Aaron while I was out here and I know he rode on my shoulders taking in the great view from the front of the pack. I dedicated that race win to him.
With the hot shoe under my belt I was hyped to race the AMA GNC half mile the following night. I was going to change bikes and ride our Weirbach Racing Honda and I was pretty confident we would run up front again. I met Dick Weirbach at the track the next day and we checked over the bike and had a spare bike with my number plates ready as a back up. The track looked like it was going to be good and in practice I was like second fastest. The gearing we choose was good but my rear tire was spinning really bad. I discussed the situation with Dick, and even called my dad to see what he thought. We made the adjustment and went out for the final qualifying where I was clearly in the hunt. We got ready for our heats but we were questioning our tire pressure the whole time. I had dropped it significantly and while I was able to hole shot and run up front, we were a little afraid the rear tire would heat up too much and start the loose traction. That's what happened. I had the lead but was caught by Chebultz. He went by me really hooked up late in the race when my tires were starting to fail me. I learned a huge lesson in that race and was going to be much better prepared for the final. But then the rain came! It poured and the race was called. We ended up qualifying but all of received (1) point so no one gained any advantage from this race. It was too bad because I really felt we could have won that race too it it went the distance.
So we headed out of there with half our purse winnings and saddled up the next day with another half mile race that Del Shelsted was promoting. I only had my Suzuki and I knew it was going to be a challenge since the yellow bike is set up only for short track racing. The engine is in the 50 HP range and that plus its lightning fast handling make it ideal for slippery or cushioned short tracks. I knew on the half mile I would be giving up a lot of straight away speed. And, that's exactly what happened. I qualified 2nd but on the straights was getting pulled (2) bike lengths. I made up all my time in the corners driving it in realllllllllllly deeeeeeep and was squeeeezzzzing the rear brake a lot to hold it on the groove. It was working but I was really pissed how easy riders were going around me down the front and back straight. After the race national #4 Chris Carr called my bike a "turd" like I needed to be reminded. I was just glad this wasn't a national. In the final 15 lap race I worked every angle on the track that I could and I ran it in as hard as I could as well. On the last lap I came in really hot and got under like three riders and managed to jump off the corner to take the last podium position which was mad cool. The position paid better a lot better than getting paid third at the national so it was a sweeeeeet race to play at. I also remember why we never race the "yellow-one" on anything bigger than 16 second lap time!
With the Sturgis races gone it was time to make our way back home. But we had a little twist. Chad wanted to head to Lodi California because there was a race this weekend August 8th. I was OK with going along since my bike and gear was already packed in his truck. I called dad, let him know the change of plans and next thing I knew we were on our way. We arrived at Chad's house on late Wednesday and on Friday we took a ride to see some sponsors, Motion Pro and A&A racing. It was really cool to head over to the Motion Pro guys since they have been great sponsors for me for years. I got to sign a life size poster I sent them of me on the Aprilia Twin on the Springfield Mile as a thank you gift at the end of last season that they have hanging up in their warehouse and that was so cool. The Motion Pro folks are so cool and it is awesome to finally see their facility and they were so pumped I stopped in while I was making a pit stop on the West Coast. It was equally cool to stop in to see Ray and Rochelle at A&A since they are now distributing the TOP ONE OIL we have been sponsored on for a couple of years.
Anyway, my trip is only half way over and Saturday night August 8th I race the famous Lodi Cycle bowl again. From there Chad and I head back across the country where we will stop at my motor builder in Michigan and then off to the mile race in Ohio.
Till next time...do what I like to do GO FASTER...
James"the Rocket" Rispoli
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
First AMA Grand National Twins victory for Dainese's Sammy Halbert
Cyclenews.com - June 20, 2009
It’s been nearly five years in the making, but Sammy Halbert finally broke through to earn his first AMA Grand National Twins victory, his second overall Grand National victory, Saturday night at Volunteer Speedway.
It’s been nearly five years in the making, but Sammy Halbert finally broke through to earn his first AMA Grand National Twins victory, his second overall Grand National victory, Saturday night at Volunteer Speedway.
Sammy, the younger of the two racing Halbert brothers, nearly made a clean sweep of it riding the high-banked red clay 3/8ths-miles on his Halbert Family/Kings Kustoms Harley-Davidson XR750. He was the fastest in timed qualifying, won his heat race, the Dash for Cash and the National.
Despite Halbert’s obvious speed all day the victory didn’t come easy. Halbert battled all race with Blue Springs/Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson’s Jared Mees, who won this race in 2007, and dealt with a late challenge by Kenny Coolbeth on the factory Harley-Davidson.
Halbert led early, but was passed on lap five by Mees, just before a red flag stopped the race when A.J. Eslick laid his bike down between turns one and two. On the restart Mees for another half-a-dozen laps, before Halbert took back the lead on lap 12 of 25. The leading duo battle so hard that it allowed a smooth riding Coolbeth to close the gap and join the battle foe the lead. For several laps it looked like the race would come down to a three-way, last-lap fight, but Halbert turned in a couple of picture-perfect laps to open a gap in the closing laps.
Halbert crossed the line .565 of a second ahead of Mees, with Coolbeth a close third.
“It’s been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait,” Halbert said of his first win on the big bikes. “Jared and I had a great race and fortunately I was able to buckle down and turn in a strong last five laps. It feels great to get my first Twins win. Everything seems to be going in a good direction for me now.”
Halbert’s victory was even more surprising since he crashed hard last weekend in Dayton, Ohio, along with his brother and Nick Cummings, injuring his shoulder in the process.
After two rounds of the GNC Twins Series, Coolbeth now leads by five points over Mees, 43-38. Chris Carr is third with 32 points; Sammy Halbert has 30 and Matt Weidman rounds out the top five in the standings with 27 points.
Brad Baker, riding a Brothers Power Sports/Mike Velasco Honda, won the rain-shortened Pro Singles final over Red Bull/Team 95 Honda’s J.D. Beach and Shayna Texter on the Lancaster Harley-Davidson/Screamin’ Eagle Suzuki. The victory, Baker’s second of the season, put him back in the Pro Singles Series lead by seven points over James Rispoli, who finished fourth.
The series moves to Lima, Ohio, next Saturday.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
#43 Sam Halbert's latest race report: Willow Spring, CA
AGV Dainese's man of dirt, Slammin' Sammy Halbert had another great racing weekend, at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond CA, and took the AGV and Dainese brands on the podium again. Congrats to Sammy! Here's his race report:"I was super excited to be back racing another Eddie Mulder WCVDTS event and ready to put my fresh out of Jim Kelly’s race shop H-D XR 750 engine to the test. At the last event I rode here I led the first 19 of 20 laps in the final so I was very motivated to make sure I led the last lap this time around.
The day started off great, as we rolled into the track there was a dump truck dumping a load of dirt on the track and I knew that it was going to be a fun day of throwing a roost off the back of my H-D. I was in the second heat race and pulled a nice holeshot and never looked back. I rode hard for the first 5 or so laps and then backed it down a notch and still had the fastest heat of the day. That set me on the pole for the $1,000 to win Dash for Cash. More...
A special thank you to everyone who has ever supported the Halbert Family Racing Team!"
Results:
Digger Open Pro:1. 43 Sammy Halbert
2. 3 Joe Kopp
3. 37 Jimmy Wood
4. 54z Mikey Rush
5. 26 Brandan Bergen
6. 21 Jared Mees
7. 69 Jethro Halbert
8. 51 Steve Murray
9. 42e Kayl Kolkman
10. 28 Shaun Russell
Photo’s by Jamey and Janice Blunt
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Flat-Track: Sammy Halbert race reports
"Neeses, SC * 03/07/09
short track in South Carolina.My Daytona set-up did not feel very good at all on this track so I was still trying to get comfortable when practice ended. I made a couple changes before my first heat race and was being led around by local Garth Brow and was chasing Aussie Luke Gough when all of a sudden down the front straight away my motor locked up. It sounded like the chain may have fallen off, but as soon as I saw it wasn’t the chain, I knew that it wouldn’t be pretty inside my engine.
Since we had already taken my stock Yamaha 09 engine out of my frame and given it to my engine builder, I was without a bike to finish the night. Matt Weidman and family stepped up and pulled Matt’s practice bike out of their truck for me to race..."
More at Sammy Halbert's Race Reports
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)