“Bristol bicycle riders will honor their departed friend and his family - Elkhart Truth” plus 4 more

Bristol bicycle riders will honor their departed friend and his family - Elkhart Truth
Car lovers compete on the cheap - Orlando Sentinel
Fair, races, more to liven coming days - Aiken Standard
KAWASAKI'S LEANDRO MERCADO WINS AMA PRO SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP ... - Racing West
WSMC Race Director Jay Tanner Fired - RoadracingWorld.com

Bristol bicycle riders will honor their departed friend and his family - Elkhart Truth

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 09:16 PM PDT

After the unexpected death of a teammate, a local group of bicycle racers will hold a benefit ride in his honor.

Randy Carrick, a 53-year-old bicycle racing enthusiast, died of natural causes in his sleep Sept. 29. The loss shocked friends and family, said long-time friend Glenn Bruce.

Carrick is survived by his wife, Cindy, two children, and three young grandchildren that Randy and Cindy had adopted as their own several years ago when the children needed a home, Bruce said.

Bruce said this weekend's bicycle ride was organized by the Road Dogs Cycling team, Carrick's racing team, and will benefit Carrick's family.

Equally as important, the team and Bruce hope the ride will be an opportunity to share the many cherished memories of Carrick's life with the community.

Bruce met Carrick in the 1970s when they were both teenagers and riding dirt bikes. As they emerged into adulthood, Bruce said, they worked together at a van conversion company.

"We were very close," Bruce said. "We played together. We raced together. We worked together."

But when the 1980s rolled around and jobs became scarce, Carrick not only managed to score a job working on vehicles in South Bend, he got Bruce a job, too.

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Car lovers compete on the cheap - Orlando Sentinel

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 08:48 PM PDT

Steven Cole Smith AUTOMOTIVE

October 18, 2009

GAINESVILLE — Tim Suddard didn't need the recession to teach him how to do more with less. That has been his philosophy for 25 years, going back to the time when he founded a car magazine called Grassroots Motorsports near Daytona Beach.

Suddard, his staff and his readers tend to fall into two categories: Auto enthusiasts who like nice, fast cars but can't afford new ones, and auto enthusiasts who can afford new cars, but would rather build one themselves.

Plenty of Suddard's readers — and Suddard himself, for that matter — used to fall into the first category, but as they got older and wealthier, they migrated into the second category. Old habits are hard to break. Shake hands with Suddard and you can tell that this publishing executive still spends more than his share of time in his workshop.

Ten years ago, Suddard thought it would be fun to challenge his readers to a friendly competition: See what kind of vehicle you can build on the cheap. The competition would be held in Florida once a year, and competitors would have to build a vehicle that could compete in three areas: Drag racing, autocross (racing around a course laid out with orange pylons), and a concours, which is a beauty contest that would be judged by four mildly qualified enthusiasts, one of them being me.

The total budget for each team to build a car: Whatever year it is. For the 2009 Kuhmo Tires Grassroots Motorsports Challenge, held last weekend at the Gainesville Raceway drag strip, the budget was $2,009. There is a little fine print: Labor costs don't count, and you are allowed to make up some of the expense by selling parts — say you bought a wrecked car for $1,000 just to get the engine, and you sold off $500 worth of parts, then your expense was $500 toward your $2,009 budget.

Each year, we're surprised by the quality and creativity. Well, mostly: Some competitors show up just to have a good time, like the Colonel Sanders look-alike who arrived in a Saturn disguised as a chicken.

And each year, there is a separate award for the worst bribes for the judges. Nothing this year rivaled the authentic homemade prison tattoo machine from a couple of years ago — all the judges declined the offer to get tattooed then and there — but we did get lots of beer, including fresh from a keg mounted in the rear of the car; a dozen roses; autographed photos of professional wrestlers we never heard of (the "Hardy Boys"?), fresh grilled bratwursts from a rolling grill that accompanied the car, a complete set of "Hello Kitty" stickers, but my favorite: A quart of authentic moonshine, in a Ball canning jar. Anyone know how to get the enamel back on my teeth?

Invariably, one of the entries we look forward to most comes from Andy Nelson and his family, from York, Pa. This year, Nelson showed up with a pristine V-8-powered yellow hot rod, with a narrowed Volkswagen Beetle body sitting on a homemade frame. How does he do it for less than $2,009? Well, the floor, for instance, used to be a Maytag dryer. The accelerator pedal was made from an old file. Nelson even dismantles the trophies he wins to see what usable parts might be inside.

This year's overall winner, though — second in the concours, third on the autocross and third on the drag strip (11.84 seconds at 120 mph) — was Team Gutty's 1988 Honda Civic CRX, built by a group of friends from Grand Rapids, Mich. Astounding attention to detail and beautiful paint complemented the fact that it was screaming fast — the little four-cylinder engine was turbocharged with a turbo from a Ford Thunderbird found in a junkyard. The exhaust header came from a trash bin at a race track.

Team Gutty managed to drop the weight of the already-light car from 1,812 pounds to 1,698 pounds by shedding parts and, for example, swapping the bigger car battery for a small, used motorcycle battery.

Too bad there isn't room to tell you about the hybrid Pontiac Fiero from Oregon — regular V-6 engine in the rear, electric powertrain from a wrecked Chevrolet S-10 up front, powered by Toyota Prius batteries found in a junkyard. Or the 1959 Zamboni ice scraper that sat on a Mazda Miata platform, with a Ford V-8 engine. Or the 1958 Fiat, the Mazda Miata with the Lexus V-8 engine, or the 1974 Ford Maverick that blew up in dramatic fashion.

For more information on those cars, and details on next year's event, log on to GrassrootsMotorsports.com. If you enter, leave the moonshine at home.

Sentinel Automotive Editor Steven Cole Smith can be reached at scsmith@orlandosentinel.com, at 407-420-5699, or through his blog at Enginehead.com.

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Fair, races, more to liven coming days - Aiken Standard

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 08:26 PM PDT

AIKEN FALL STEEPLECHASE

SBlt Fall Fete will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Ford Conger Field, 528 Two Notch Road S.E.; tickets are $90 a person.

SBlt Gates open at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, races are at 1, 1:30, 2, 2:30, 3 and 3:30 p.m.; carriage parade is at 1:15 p.m. General admission tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the gate; ages 6 or younger are admitted for free. General parking is $10 in advance or $15 at the gate.

WESTERN CAROLINA STATE FAIR

The Aiken Fairgrounds is located at 1566 Columbia Highway N.

* Gates and exhibit building open at 5 p.m. Thursday; features include 7 p.m., Jake Owen; 6 and 8 p.m., Balster Magic Show; free antique tractor show; Circle C Petting Farm

SBlt Gates and exhibit building open at 5 p.m. Friday; features include Midnight Madness, $20 rides and admission 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.; 6 and 8 p.m., Balster Magic Show; free antique tractor show; Circle C Petting Farm

SBlt Gates open at noon Saturday; 5 p.m., exhibit building opens; features include 3, 6 and 8 p.m., Balster Magic Show; noon to 5 p.m., $20 Pay One Price Ride Stamp; free antique tractor show; Circle C Petting Farm

SBlt Gates open at noon Sunday; 5 p.m., exhibit building opens; features include 3, 6 and 8 p.m., Balster Magic Show; 6 and 8 p.m., Ball of Steel Motorcycle Free Style Stunt Show; noon to 5 p.m., $20 Pay One Price Ride Stamp; free antique tractor show; Circle C Petting Farm

HALLOWEEN EVENTS

SBlt "Twilight" fans can celebrate heroine Bella Swan's 18th birthday and observe Teen Read Week at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Aiken County Public Library, 314 Chesterfield St S.

SBlt Free showings of "The Corpse Bride" and "Coraline" will be at 2 and 3:30 p.m. Friday at the Aiken County Public Library

SBlt Dacre Stoker will have a book signing for "Dracula: The Un-Dead" from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday at The Book Stall, 413 Hayne Ave. S.W.

SBltThe Little Pumpkins Bash will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Aiken County Recreation Center, 917 Jefferson Davis Highway, Graniteville. The bash is open to ages 12 or younger and includes trick-or-treating, a costume contest and a performance by Porkchop Productions.

SBlt A Spirits of Hallowed Eve Ghost Walk will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the North Augusta Living History Park. Children younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Reservations and a $5 deposit to be refunded at the walk are due in advance. Call 441-8956 or e-mail Pam@colonialtimes.us.

MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT

SBlt The Aiken Community Band will give its Fall Concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday at USC Aiken's Etherredge Center for the Performing Arts, 471 University Parkway. Tickets are $7 for adults or $5 for students.

SBlt A free showing of "Mansfield Park" will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Aiken County Public Library.

SBlt A Wine & Spirits Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Living History Park, 299 W. Spring Grove Ave., North Augusta for $50 a person. Call 441-8956.

SBlt Karen Gordon & Garden City Jazz perform at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Newberry Street Festival Site.

SBlt The fourth annual Sandy Oaks Pro Rodeo Parade will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Lazy J Arena in Edgefield. For more information, call (803) 637-5369.

SBlt Antique Appraisal Day will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Aiken County Historical Museum, 433 Newberry St. Admission is free, $5 per appraised item, up to three items per person.

SBlt The WSI-SRS Team River Run will be at 9 a.m. Saturday at Riverview Park Activities Center, 100 Riverview Park Drive, North Augusta; 10K run $30, 1-mile Kids' Fun Run $10.

SBlt A still-life workshop with artist John Radeck will be from 10 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Aiken Center for the Arts, 122 Laurens St. S.W.; $125; 641-9094.

SBlt The fifth annual Family Fun Day Carnival will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Riverview Park Activities Center, 100 Riverview Park Drive, North Augusta. Admission is one canned good for Golden Harvest Food Bank, and the event is sponsored by the United Way of Aiken County. Call 648-8331.

SBlt Flavors of Fall will be from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday in downtown Aiken. For more information, visit www.downtownaiken.com or call 649-2221.

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KAWASAKI'S LEANDRO MERCADO WINS AMA PRO SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP ... - Racing West

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 06:39 PM PDT

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Leandro Mercado (No. 92 Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R) passed Josh Day (No. 4 Team E.S.P. Yamaha YZF-R6) coming out of the final turn on the last lap of Sunday's AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei National Championship Shootout at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) to win the final race of the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing season by a scant .148 of a second.

Mercado, who was presented with the SuperSport National Championship No. 1 plate for the victory in the winner-take-all finale, led the first three circuits of the 12-lap sprint race. Day passed for the lead in the DIS International Horseshoe on Lap 4 but Mercado stayed close by in second for the rest of the race. Mercado closed on the final lap in "NASCAR" Turns 3 and 4 and passed Day for the win on the run into the Daytona tri-oval as the checkered flag waved.

"It was a really good race," said Mercado, who averaged 113.800 mph in the victory. "I really had to work hard to catch him. The only place I could pass him was in the second horseshoe as I was a little faster there. I was afraid to do it because the bike moved a lot and I didn't want to leave a final draft for him. I didn't have any other opportunities to pass, but on the last lap I had a really good run out of the chicane."

Mercado won his third SuperSport race of the year but the 17-year-old Argentinean wasn't able to mount a title bid in the regular season points championship due to visa-related travel issues that forced him to miss two races. He did win at Road Atlanta and Road America in the SuperSport East division but his third victory, and the National Championship title that goes with it, made up for any regular season disappointment.

"In the middle of the year I had a problem with my visa so I couldn't make it to the races," Mercado said. "So to finish the year like this, winning the SuperSport National Championship, is so awesome."

Day, 20, won the 2009 SuperSport East Championship with a dominating performance in the second half of the season that saw him win four consecutive races. He was also a favorite to capture the National Championship Shootout after winning the pole in Friday qualifying, but the Orlando native wasn't surprised by Mercado's performance.

"Like I said after qualifying, I knew Leandro was going to be fast because he got quite a bit of practice on this track in March when he did the Daytona 200," said Day, who was also on the pole for the season-opening SuperSport race at DIS in March. "I was hoping he would try to pass me because it is a tough position to be in at the start/finish line for the checkered flag. I tried my hardest to put in a fast lap on the white flag lap since he wouldn't come by me. I really wanted him to lead going into the chicane so I could do the same thing that he did to me. We ended up with second today and it's a good way to end the season. At least we were there at the finish."

Despite coming up just short in his bid for the National Championship, Day was satisfied with his 2009 season. Although he crashed out after winning the pole at the Daytona opener, his season later gained momentum at every race.

"It's been a great year for us, especially the end of the season," Day said. "It went better than it did in the beginning. At least this time at Daytona we were able to finish, unlike March. I really would have loved to have ended up with the win to finish the season, but I'll take second place."

Third place went to young Colombian rider Tomas Puerta (No. 12 LTD Racing Yamaha YZF-R6) who prevailed in a near race-long battle with teammate Joey Pascarella (No. 25 LTD Racing Yamaha YZF-R6).

"This is my best finish of the year," said Puerta, who is also 17. "It was a fun race battling with Joey. I want to thank my team for giving me such a good bike to race on."

Pascarella was the only rider to mix it up with Mercado and Day. He briefly led early on and officially crossed the line in second place on Lap 4. He later focused on the fight with Puerta and his fourth-place finish made him the only rider to place in the top five in both SuperSport races at DIS this year. He finished second in March's season-opening race.

"I can't help but be a little disappointed with how the race turned out," Pascarella said. "I led and was in line for a podium, but it didn't turn out the way I wanted and Tomas passed me there on the banking at the end. I got an okay start and I rode really conservative the first couple of laps, I don't really know why. Then I got going and caught up to Leandro and Tomas and actually led the race for a little bit. I was pushing real hard in that part of the race and my tire went off some. I was third for most of it and then Tomas got me at the line. Still, it's a good way to end the season but I wanted a little more."

SuperSport West Champion Ricky Parker (No. 96 Team Graves Yamaha YZF-R6) finished fifth after qualifying seventh but he never challenged beyond the top five. He joined fellow SuperSport Champions Day and Mercado as the year's only multiple race winners with his victories coming at Infineon Raceway and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

"To tell you the truth, I was kind of on my own until I had an off-track in Turn 1 and almost went down," Parker said. "I tucked the front and I guess the Lord was looking down on me because I kept it up. Tyler Odom caught up with me after the off-track and stuck with me, drafting and stuff. I was hoping I would have one more lap to catch up to Puerta and Pascarella but unfortunately I ended up fifth. That's okay, I'm happy with it. The season went pretty well for us. This was our first time at Daytona International Speedway and I had a great time. Great day for us, we had fun and it was a great learning experience for next year."

Odom, who won last March's season-opening Daytona SuperSport race, finished fifth on his No. 46 Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR.

AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. From its Daytona Beach headquarters, the organization operates and manages AMA Pro Road Racing, which includes AMA Pro American Superbike, AMA Pro Daytona SportBike, AMA Pro SuperSport and AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT. AMA Pro Racing also manages and works closely with the day-to-day operational organizations of the AMA Pro Flat Track Championship and the AMA Pro Supermoto Championship Series in addition to other two-wheel and ATV series. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.

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WSMC Race Director Jay Tanner Fired - RoadracingWorld.com

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 06:03 PM PDT