plus 4, Callaway-Corvette successful in November - Motorsport.com |
- Callaway-Corvette successful in November - Motorsport.com
- AMA/FIM Supercross Returns to New Orleans - SuperCross.com
- Interview: Travis Pastrana - SuperCross.com
- Olga Kevelos - Daily Telegraph
- S.A. Raceway closing out 2009 with four drag racing events - MySanAntonio
| Callaway-Corvette successful in November - Motorsport.com Posted: 26 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST Callaway-Corvette successful in November Customer teams victorious at Vallelunga and Dubai Leingarten, 26.11.2009. Callaway built GT3-Corvette kept their winning performance in November. At Vallelunga, a Corvette Z06.GT3 developed and built by Callaway Competition in Germany won the GT3-class of the classic 6h race, while another Callaway customer team was successful in the UAE-GT-championship at Dubai. Class victory at Vallelunga: Callaway's Italian customer team Scuderia 22 finished sixth in last weekends six hours of Vallelunga and won the GT3-class in the nineteenth edition of the Italian endurance classic. The Corvette of Emanuele Pirro / Elio Marchetti and Carlo Graziani beat two Ferrari, one driven by no one else then current motorcycle world champion Valentino Rossi. Especially the five times winner of the 24h of Le Mans, Emanuele Pirro, who drove a Callaway built Corvette for the first time, expressed his enthusiasm about the Corvettes great performance and handling characteristics. Callaway Competition team principal Ernst Wohr was pleased with the latest success: "The Corvette raced by the Scuderia 22 is one of the first GT3 cars built by us. It's great to see that this car is still competitive after so many racing miles and proves the durability of our Corvette." The second victory in Dubai The Corvette Z06.R GT3 of Callaway's latest customer team "House of Portiers/TAM Engineering" is still the car to beat in the UAE GT-Championship. Karim Al-Azhari won also the second round of the new championship at the Dubai Autodromo and extended his lead in the championship. Big interest in Callaway built Corvette Z06.R GT3 The European sports-car season is barely finished, but preparations for the 2010 season are already well underway. During the last weeks, Callaway Competition tested several times with interested teams and drivers at the Hockenheimring. "The drivers and teams were exceptionally impressed by the Corvette", Callaway's ADAC GT Masters-driver Christian Hohenadel said, who explained the Corvette to the drivers. "All drivers were surprised of the really easy handling of the Corvette." "We have a big interest from a number of teams for next year", Callaway-team head Ernst Wohr revealed. "Our Corvette is not only quick and extremely reliable, but offers also one of the best price-performance ratios of all current GT3 sports-cars." -credit: callaway.competition This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| AMA/FIM Supercross Returns to New Orleans - SuperCross.com Posted: 26 Nov 2009 03:34 PM PST
Courtesy Feld Motorsports In just two races, Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Chad Reed stopped San Manuel Yamaha's James Stewart's seven race win streak and began a two-race win streak of his own, setting the stage for the return Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship to New Orleans Superdome, this Saturday, March 14 for the first time since 2002. A press conference will be held Thursday, March 12 from Noon - 2:00 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Room at the Superdome. The featured riders will be Louisiana's own Kevin Windham and the Rockstar/Makita Suzuki team, featuring Reed, Michael Byrne, Mike Alessi and Nico Izzi. Last Saturday at the Daytona International Speedway, Reed, who is the defending AMA Supercross class champion, moved into the lead with four laps left in the main event, passing Yamaha rider Jason Lawrence and picking up his second win of the season. Heading into Daytona, Reed and Stewart were locked at 199 points in the championship. Stewart suffered from a first-turn crash and finished a disappointing seventh place and now trails Reed by 11 points. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Christophe Pourcel cushioned his Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites class points lead to a comfortable 15 as he picked up his third win of the season Saturday night in Daytona. "The return of the Monster Energy Supercross to the Superdome is great news for all of fans throughout the Gulf region" said Alan Freeman, general manager, Superdome. "This is another of the big sports events that keep coming back, because they love New Orleans and they want to be in the Superdome. We're glad they're back and we can't wait for March 14." Windham, a 14 year veteran on the Monster Energy Supercross tour, won the AMA Supercross class main event at the Superdome in 1998. In 2008, he earned four wins en route to finishing second overall in the point standings. He began racing professionally in 1994 and won the 1996 Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites class championship. He has 16 career AMA Supercross class wins. "In my long career of 14 years there are some races that will always stick in my mind" said Windham. "One of these those is my win in New Orleans in '98 in front of my friends and family." Since hosting its last supercross in 2002, the Superdome has undergone dramatic changes due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. As part of the city's rebuilding process, Monster Energy Supercross will return to the Superdome March 14. After reopening on September 25, 2006, the Superdome's increasingly busy schedule is synonymous with its rich heritage in the French Quarter. In February this year Monster Jam set an attendance record by selling out the Superdome with 60,362 fans attending only the second motorsports event at the venue since 2005. Adding Monster Energy Supercross to the list of the Superdome's premier events is part of the developing economic growth taking place in New Orleans as the city returns to business as one of the country's most popular destination cities. Five-time AMA Supercross class champion Ricky Carmichael holds the class' all-time win record at the Superdome with two and is the only rider to win at the venue in both racing divisions. Defending AMA Supercross class champion Chad Reed won the AMA Supercross Lites class race at the Superdome in 2002 as a rookie and can join Carmichael as the only riders to win in both classes.
AMA Supercross Class Stats:The first race in New Orleans was held June 4, 1977, and Marty Smith won on a Honda. That was Smith's last AMA Supercross class win. On that night, there were eight different brands of motorcycles on the gate: Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Bultaco, Maico, Husqvarna, and Can-AmFrom 1977-1980, the AMA Supercross was held in New Orleans. In 1980 the race was a double header and it was the last race in New Orleans until 1998 From 1998-2002, AMA Supercross took place in New Orleans This will be the 11th time the gate will drop for an AMA Supercross race in New Orleans In 1979, Jeff Ward competed in his second-career AMA Supercross start and finished 9th. It was the first of many top ten finishes Suzuki hasn't won in New Orleans since 1980 when Mark Barnett won one of the double headers AMA Supercross Class Wins by Brand in New Orleans: Honda (4), Yamaha (4), Kawasaki (1), Suzuki (1) AMA Supercross Class First Time Winners in New Orleans - Steve Wise, 1979 on a Honda
Chad Reed #1 - Defending Supercross Champion, and current points leader  This content has passed through fivefilters.org.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Interview: Travis Pastrana - SuperCross.com Posted: 26 Nov 2009 03:34 PM PST
TRAVIS PASTRANA: Yeah, super pumped. St. Louis Supercross 2009. I don't know … I haven't ridden this much on a motorcycle for this many consecutive days in a row without being hurt in forever, … it's only been two weeks but for me ... I haven't been able to put two weeks consecutively on a bike since probably 2002!
TRAVIS PASTRANA: I have been - as seriously as you can do. You know - the general motto for us is "under-prepared and overenthusiastic." But you know, I'd say it takes about three months of consistent training and riding. I've had a little over two weeks on the bike, but definitely, oh I'm sorry, three weeks. I've been on the bike three weeks now!
TRAVIS PASTRANA: Yeah. Yeah, why not? I first went to the current Supercross Champion's house (Chad Reed) about three weeks ago and I was about 5 seconds off his pace. I thought to myself ... "Oh boy, this is going to be rough" and then I went to Davi Milsaps house last week and picked up quite a bit of time on my speed and laps. Still not, not quite on par with those guys, but I feel really good, for maybe about 15 laps right now.
TRAVIS PASTRANA: My main goal is still to be charged up at the end, and finish my first Supercross Main Event since … heck I think '04, or maybe '03 was the last time I finished an AMA Supercross Main Event.
TRAVIS PASTRANA: Hah! There's really no pressure in my situation. In fact, you know I'm just going to go out there and have a really good time. It's going to be awesome! All the Nitro Circus Crew is coming there to back me up. They're all going to be in the pits. You know, we're going to have a really good time there and talk to the fans. And the coolest part I guess was the last two weeks. You know, just being able to put everything else on the side and get back to my roots. Just ride dirt bikes. You know, in the middle of nowhere where there's no cell phone coverage, no Internet, no worries in the world except for riding a dirt bike and training. So that was really cool, and I was riding with good friends.
TRAVIS PASTRANA: Ha, ha, ha, ha. I have side bets with everyone. I talk a lot of trash and I haven't been able to back it up for a long time, but maybe - maybe we'll get lucky this weekend, you know. I mean honestly the speed has come so far since I was competitive back in '02 & '03. So if I can get out there and get some good starts, I think I can mix it up for a few laps and then fake some speed. But man, if I can get top ten I'd be thrilled.
TRAVIS PASTRANA: I sure hope not. But no, I mean, honestly, the LCQ, with the mistakes that some of the guys have been making to end up in the LCQ. For example, Nick Wey, he's probably right about my speed and he didn't even qualify for Daytona. So, it's definitely a possibility, but, I'm also definitely gonna' try to put my Suzuki up near the front in the first turn and … it'll be great.
TRAVIS PASTRANA: When Kevin Windham and I were back on the team, it was awesome, it was always the exact set-up that I wanted. I haven't done a test day since 2002. But those guys always give me the top stuff from what they were working on. When Ricky Carmichael was on the team, we're just so different in size it was pretty much useless testing for me. There was a, I shouldn't say this, but, it was almost like a circus bike for me. But now with defending Supercross Champion Chad Reed on the team, the bike is so good. I got on it, and instantly liked it the very first lap. I thought "Man, this is a bike that I can be really competitive on!" So I'm pretty pumped on that.
TRAVIS PASTRANA: Well, I've been wanting to get out there and race another Supercross for so long. Time has really passed me by to where I still think I could get out there and run near the front. I would like to at least see the front for a little bit. And hopefully still be able to make the Supercross Main. And, you know, without really practicing every day, every year being a front runner gets further and further from reality. And with injuries, I haven't been able to put more than two or three days on a bike without my knees swelling up, or having to get surgery on shoulders and knees or whatever. Over the past six months I've had knee surgery, I had my hip kinda' done and everything is kinda' fixed up. So, I figured now is as good a time as ever to see if I can make it. I was really excited that my body held up for the training these past three weeks.
TRAVIS PASTRANA: Well, I'm trying! Ha ha! Honestly, so far, so good. If we don't get in a car crash on the way there, or fall out of the bleachers or something during press day for the supercross, then I should be okay. I'm just looking forward to showing up at the starting line of a race healthy for the first time since '02. It's going to be great!
TRAVIS PASTRANA: Quite a bit. One of my friends, Hubert got Roland, our redneck buddy from Tennessee, to go to help Rich Winkler and the guys from Dirtwerks build the track. I basically told them what I wanted. As of right now, I don't think it's going pass any real safety tests though, that's what I've been told. I've got a quad jump section that's 96 feet, with 12-foot tall take off-ramps, and there's no triples on the track. There's, well, the one triple is actually a whoop section on the takeoff and a whoop section on the landing. So that's technically your 65-foot triple. And then on the 96-foot quad, they had to take out a whoop section 'cause I completely forgot to put in a finish line. Ha ha! They actually just told me that, which kind of sucks. I was really looking forward to that particular little section. I basically designed this track so there's two lines to take on everything. If you don't like jumping on and off tabletops, go big and jump over all of it, but I think it's gonna' to be about the same lap times, and that really comes down to the track builders. I've talked a lot to the Dirtwerks guys, and Hubert, and I think they're gonna' try to build it so there's two distinctly different ways to take every single section. We also brought back the 80's old-school split lane crossing back and forth on the switchback across the start, so I'm hopped up on that.
TRAVIS PASTRANA: Yeah, I could never do what everyone else could do quite as well as they could. So I always went like to a 'Plan b'. You know, nothing sounds more official than a 'Plan b'. And hopefully this track will allow for a lot of that. St. Louis probably has the best dirt for me, because I have more of an explosive style versus a smooth & carry momentum style. And St. Louis probably has the best traction on any of the courses on the circuit. The dirt is not as hard packed like California, and it's not real tacky like Atlanta, where if you come up short or long it sticks and you're pulled over the bars. So, yeah, I'm definitely racing the track I feel that I have the best chance to be as competitive as I can be, … but I'm not delusional to think I can go win it, although I will be giving everything I've got on the course, to be as close up front there as I can.
TRAVIS PASTRANA: Well, right now we're in the Rally (Car) Championship. I'm actually in the middle of training for that, and had to go and do a race. The Team was a little put out because of what I'm doing with this supercross, … I had to miss some test sessions, but everyone's been super cool. With MTV, I had to skip a lot of the press and stuff that they were gonna' do to launch the series. But, you know, I just told everyone, "Look, I want to take this just as serious as possible and try to be healthy and do the best that I can."
And, for the rest of the season, I'll definitely be back focused to doing Rally Cars. But right now, I'm taking some time and we're gonna' put our best foot forward here for the St. Louis Supercross!
TRAVIS PASTRANA: Gee. It's absolutely amazing. But I can always walk in and out of that fantasy world. But, you know now, it's pretty insane. For instance - we just went to dinner and some lady in her 50's was driving by and started freaking out yelling "Nitro Circus!!!!!!" That was sweet. And a couple weeks ago, while I was sleeping on an airline flight, there was a kid poking me shoulder … and I woke up and was like, "What?!" And right before I could say anything, there was a line of about 10 people down the center aisle of the airplane, all in line for an autograph. So it is pretty neat that, I get to travel around the world with my friends and hang out. And, now everyone is getting paid, or at least having their medical bills covered. And we're having fun. I couldn't ask for anything more.
TRAVIS PASTRANA: Well, thank you so much. It's really good talking to you again. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Olga Kevelos - Daily Telegraph Posted: 26 Nov 2009 04:03 PM PST In 1943, when she was 19, she saw an advertisement in The Times, placed by the Department for War Transport, inviting women to train for work on the canals. Quitting her job at the Royal Observatory, Olga Kevelos spent the next two years with all-female volunteer crews which manned barges carrying vital war materials along the Grand Union Canal between London and the Midlands. She and her fellow crew members were nicknamed the "Idle Women" after the initials IW on their badges. Officially, IW stood for Inland Waterways, but the traditional boat people alongside whom they worked were jealous of the newcomers and gave them the name, which stuck. But Olga Kevelos made it clear that life had been far from idle for this exceptional group of women: "[It was] hard work with no respite at all... We worked an 18- to 20-hour day, and nobody ever stopped." Nor did the Idle Women receive the extra rations enjoyed by the more celebrated Land Girls. "We subsisted on cocoa with condensed milk, national loaf and peanut butter," she remembered. "I was always hungry Рall the time." In all, some 45 women took charge of the canal boats, which were worked in pairs, each pair crewed by three women. After initial training, the volunteers would take the helm of massive barges transporting Spitfire or machine parts from the London docks to Birmingham; on the return trip they would haul coal from Warwickshire to London. After a three-week round trip, they would have the option of a week's unpaid leave. As Olga Kevelos discovered, the work was arduous and could be dangerous and unpleasant. She encountered the drowned bodies of unwanted babies and more unexpected hazards, including a transsexual colleague who constantly proposed marriage to other crew members. Meanwhile their cargo was often disguised, with weapons and even gold bars concealed as more innocent freight. Living conditions were rough, and the girls were often cold and wet as well as hungry. The weather could be appalling, and their craft were sometimes icebound. For the daughter of a middle-class family who would normally never have been allowed to go out to work, the war was a unique experience of manual labour and heavy physical toil. Olga Valerie Kevelos was born at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on November 6 1923, the daughter of a wealthy Greek financier and his English wife, whose first husband, an Indian Army doctor, had died of wounds sustained in the First World War. From the King Edward VI High School for Girls, Olga went on to study Metallurgy, and with the country at war, worked for a time in the laboratories of William Mills, manufacturer of the Mills bomb. Always passionate about astronomy, she was lured to London by the offer of a job at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. But enemy bombing forced the observatory's closure soon afterwards, and she was evacuated along with other members of staff to the Admiralty at Bath. Her arrival dismayed at least one of the Admiralty's senior managers, Donald Sadler, who later recalled that "Olga Kevelos... could not do arithmetic and terrified people by stalking around with a large knife in her belt." He did concede, however, that "she seemed an interesting woman". Neither was she especially pleased to be working with Sadler: there was no stargazing to be done, only endless piles of paperwork. When National Service for women began in 1943, Olga Kevelos became one of the few who joined the waterways as a volunteer; no boating experience was called for, but applicants had to be "of robust constitution". After the war, she was awarded a government grant to study French Medieval History for a year at the Cit̩ University in Paris. Fit and strong after her wartime exertions, she recalled bicycling all over Paris and travelling extensively in other parts of Europe. "I was one of the first backpackers," she later noted. Returning to Birmingham, Olga Kevelos started her own travel agency, harnessing her new-found knowledge of Europe. She also helped her father and other members of the family run the Cherry Orchard restaurant in the city centre. A boyfriend keen on motorcycle racing encouraged her to try the sport herself. Despite having received only a few basic lessons, Olga Kevelos soon impressed with her natural aptitude and was immediately offered a bike and sponsorship by the James Motorcycle Company. The following year, she rode to San Remo in Italy to take part in the International Six-Day Trial. Once there, an accident left her with a broken wrist and ankle. Undaunted, she rode back home still in plaster. In 1949 Olga Kevelos went on to win the first of her two gold medals, riding a 500cc Norton in the International Six-Day Trials in Wales. She was to ride with varying degrees of success in every Scottish six-day trial until she finally retired from the sport in 1970, and in every International Six-Day Trial until 1966. During that time, she won the backing of almost every major British motorcycle manufacturer, and the Italian and Czech manufacturers Parilla and Jawa/CZ respectively. In 1964 Olga Kevelos risked the wrath of the East German authorities by handing out to local children some fruit that had been expensively imported for her fellow competitors. She was unaware that such luxuries were forbidden to the local population Рand, in any case, the children had no idea how to peel a banana. She raced in several other countries behind the old Iron Curtain Рincluding Poland, Czechoslovakia and Russia Рand retained sympathy for the collective sufferings of their people for the rest of her life. Her close links with Czechoslovakia led Olga Kevelos some 40 years later to be invited to a Foreign Office reception held to celebrate the Czech Republic's accession to the European Union. The then prime minister, Tony Blair, apparently spent some time discussing with Olga Kevelos her views on Genghis Khan, a subject about which she had once answered questions on Mastermind. "He [Blair] probably wanted a few tips on how to invade other people's countries successfully," she commented afterwards. Olga Kevelos eventually gave up racing and for 26 years helped her younger brother Ray to run his pub, the Three Tuns, at King's Sutton, south Northamptonshire. She could light up a room with the gleam in her eye, and leave people in convulsions of laughter with her mischievous sense of humour. She was a woman of firm convictions but never allowed seriousness to interfere with her sense of fun. Olga Kevelos, who died on October 28, is survived by her brother, Ray. An elder brother died earlier this year. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| S.A. Raceway closing out 2009 with four drag racing events - MySanAntonio Posted: 26 Nov 2009 10:12 AM PST San Antonio Raceway will close out the 2009 racing season by hosting four events at the quarter-mile drag strip near Marion. The first of the four-scheduled events for the months of November and December will be held on Friday and Saturday night at SAR. This weekend track officials will host the inaugural Winter Brawl, featuring a San Antonio versus the World and a Ford versus Chevy Shootout. Drivers from San Antonio will battle racers from Houston, Dallas, Austin, Corpus Christi and the Rio Grande Valley. In addition, the top 10 Ford drivers will face off against the top 10 Chevy drivers. Racing will also be held in all divisions and classes, including motorcycles. Entry fees are $20 for one day or $35 for both days. Spectator admission is $15 for one day or $25 for both days. ?SAR will host a Jackpot Bonanza on Dec. 5, from noon to 8 p.m. The cost to compete is $20 per driver/car. A test and tune session will be offered for $20 for those drivers who don't want to compete in the jackpot race. ?On Dec. 13, SAR will host the NOS Energy Drink Import Face Off. The race will be the last event of a 22-race series that has been contested this season across the country. The Import Face-Off event is known nationwide for being the most innovative Import series in the nation. Despite the quarter-mile drag racing competition, the event also features a car/truck/bike show, a stereo crank it up contest, model expo, bikini contest, burnout contest, break dance battles and motorcycle and skydiving stunts. Event officials said that more than $100,000 in cash, trophies and prizes are given out each year. For more information, visit www.importfaceoff.net. ?SAR will close out the 2009 season by hosting the monthly Midnight Madness and Extreme Warrior Freak Show on Dec. 19. The event, considered in South Texas as the largest street-legal gathering of race cars, will feature more than 150 street-legal cars and drivers competing in side-by-side drag racing competition. These drivers will compete in the Radial, Import, Truck, Extreme and Motorcycle Warrior classes. Gates open at 8 p.m. and the racing action will be held from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. The cost is $10 to watch or $15 to race. For more information visit, www.samadness.com. Thanksgiving motocross race: Cycle Ranch Motocross Park near Floresville will celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday by hosting the USA Motocross Championships this weekend. On Saturday the second and third Moto sessions begin at 8 a.m. and continue throughout the day. For rules, payouts and additional information, visit www.cycleranchmx.com. The quarter-mile dirt track will kick off the season on March 13. Nineteen Saturday night races are planned. The track will close out the season by hosting the Thousand Buck Shootout on October 22-23. This is Mike Haag's final area motor sports notebook of the 2009 racing season. Email Mike at MTH1234@aol.com. For updates on area motor sports during the off season, visit Mike's Blog at MYSA.com.
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