plus 3, Sports car racing still snubbed - Florida Today

Sports car racing still snubbed - Florida Today
Moto pooch: Part racer. Part best friend. All canine. - Journal Times
2010 250 Motocross Test Commences - Motorcycle USA
Drug-related arrests occurring more often - Parkersburg News & Sentinel

Sports car racing still snubbed - Florida Today

Posted: 30 Jan 2010 10:09 PM PST

DAYTONA BEACH — Isn't it ironic that the one series -- and the one race car -- least suited to race on road courses is the one that generates the most attention.

NASCAR and its school bus-like Sprint Cup race cars -- in comparison to cars specifically designed to turn right and left -- draw the largest crowds in their two road races a year and the most attention in mainstream media, pulling a total eclipse on the Grand-Am and American LeMans sports car series once their marquee events are finished.

While the Grand-Am Sports Car Series' Rolex 24 at Daytona, which wraps up at 3:30 p.m. today, certainly has developed a pedigree in its 48th year, as has the American LeMans Series' 12 Hours of Sebring in its 57th, their respective series cede the stage for the remainder of their seasons.

Much like soccer has yet to expand its fan base beyond its loyal cadre of aficionados in the U.S. -- the World Cup and Olympics excluded -- sports cars just can't get over the hump and become relevant beyond their marquee events. And it's a fair question to ask if they ever will.

While the 24 shoehorns thousands into Daytona's massive infield for its annual spectacle, the massive grandstands are all but empty. OK, road racing is best seen from the infield anyway, and when Grand-Am races at Watkins Glen, its compelling show plays to good attendance, including grandstands.

Sports car racing and its manufacturers such as Porsche and Peugeot and Audi and Acura and so on and so forth suffers from the perception that everyone who attends wears ascots, caps and cardigan sweaters and sips wine and munches on cheese while looking down the slope of their pointed noses at those who would dare swear allegiance to the roundie-rounds as NASCAR racing is derisively described, or drive American cars.

So while there were more than a few Porsches in the Daytona spectator lots and more than a few on the track, the perception is just that and misguided at best. The pre-race consensus in the garage was the 24 was in the hands of a good, old American brand, Ford, which had fast drivers and faster cars and was in a position to punt the Porsches and the BMWs at the elite Prototype level.

And if it couldn't, the defending series champions, GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing which won two of the past three titles with Pontiac power was now powered by Chevy, and could pick up the mantle.

So while the GT class is chock full of Porsches and Mazdas, there are Corvettes and Pontiacs and Camaros competing as well.

What's not to like?

There are American drivers behind the wheel, they're not all from overseas, and the racing can be really good over 24 hours and downright compelling in the shorter sprint races.

So maybe the fans who poured into the speedway along with Saturday's mid-day rain were on to something. Then again, the more loyal among them have been in on the secret for years. Now they need to let the cat out of the bag.

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Moto pooch: Part racer. Part best friend. All canine. - Journal Times

Posted: 30 Jan 2010 10:17 PM PST

PERRIS, Calif. - Opee is only 8, but he's already a popular veteran in the down and dirty sport of motocross.

He can pull 6 Gs. He's been the centerfold for Cycle News and poses regularly for fan photos. He's a survivor of the grueling Baja 500 and has racked up more than 10,000 hours on a dirt bike.

Sometimes, you can barely see the

70-pound pooch - a blue merle Australian shepherd - through the dust on his goggles and his custom helmet, complete with cam.

"I am his biggest fan," said Mike Schelin, Opee's owner, race partner and a purveyor of used motorcycle parts from a shop next to his mobile home.

Schelin got the dog in 2001 shortly after his divorce. He raises him with other dogs and two horses at a spread he calls Miracle Flats. Known as "The Dogfather" to some in the sport, Schelin always takes a back seat to Opee.

"He was my instant best friend," Schelin said. "He slept in my tool bag. There was something about him. He's had charisma since Day One. I knew I had a dog who could make a difference."

Schelin, 41, realized he had a four-legged motocross fan as a pet when he started riding in the desert with Opee on the chase.

"I felt bad for him, he would run so long." So Schelin bought a four-wheeler and they went desert riding together. The dog didn't like the dust in his eyes, so Schelin got him goggles. One day, Opee ditched the four-wheeler and hopped on the motorcycle tank, where he's been ever since, Schelin said.

If the bike isn't moving, Opee will just fall asleep on the tank. They keep it bare because they've never found a covering that's comfortable for the dog, Schelin said.

Reaction to Opee was magic. He was an instant canine ambassador to

off-roading. Finding sponsors was no problem and soon Opee had his own custom gear, including a specially made neck brace, inflatable vest, backpack, water supply and several jerseys. He got his American Motorcycle Association card and his SCORE International card, the latter so he could race in Baja.

The dog does lots of other things, too. He's been a search and rescuer, a California assistance dog and visits kids in hospitals with Schelin. They regularly work crowds at races in the area, including the Supercross in Anaheim.

Opee appears to be Schelin's biggest fan as well. "From what I see, he loves Mike and would go anywhere with him," said Ricky Johnson, a seven-time national motorcycle champion who owns Perris Raceway near Schelin's place.

Opee and Schelin race, but not to win. Because they're different and for safety's sake, they always start in the rear and they only compete with the cyclist in front of them, Schelin said.

Schelin's greatest triumph came when his five-member team - with Opee in the driver's seat for 276 miles - finished the cross-country Baja 500 with 10 minutes to spare - in 17 hours, 49 minutes, 36 seconds - and ahead of half the pack.

"The average person races eight times before he finishes," he said.

In the beginning, Schelin had trouble seeing around Opee, but they worked out shifts and leans and it's seldom a problem now. Schelin also uses voice commands.

"When we come up to a jump, I tell him to set it up and he will drop down and give me more of a view," Schelin said. If they're at the bottom of a cliff or big hill and there's too much weight, he just tells Opee to get off and meet him at the top.

Schelin doesn't go racing without Opee these days. "I can't go as fast without him. I can't jump as far without him. I don't feel as safe without him. He's become a natural part of the bike with me. We have this natural rhythm."

Even the most skilled motocross racer has a plaster cast past and Opee is no exception. His worst crash came in the 2006 Baja 500.

"We took a spill at 75 mph in the dirt and went into a 40-foot skid," Schelin said.

The dog isn't attached to the bike or Schelin in any way. He skinned his nose and scraped his paw. Schelin sliced his leg. The injuries weren't enough to put them out of the race though.

"I would never do anything to hurt my dog," Schelin said. "Opee keeps me in check at all times. If he doesn't jump up on the bike, we don't go."

Schelin is not only racing partner but stage dad for his dog, with a few goals for the future: Do a back flip with Opee into a foam pit ("he would hold on the same way I do - gravity"); see Opee recognized as the fastest dog on the planet (he's written to Guinness); take a tandem skydive; and go to the movies to see Opee in a major motion picture.

Schelin answered a Hollywood agent's TV ad three years ago, but he hasn't heard back and is looking for representation. Opee, he said, is too talented to go undiscovered.

"The only thing missing is the cape."

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2010 250 Motocross Test Commences - Motorcycle USA

Posted: 30 Jan 2010 09:41 PM PST

Salutation friends, it's your virtual motorcycling pal Adam here. I just wanted to let you guys know what's been going down the last few days in our world. We've been hard at it testing four shiny new '10 250F motocross bikes from Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, and Yamaha.

Yesterday we spun laps all-day at fabulous Piru Motocross Park. And man I can't believe how well suited these 250Fs are to Piru's twists, turns, climbs, and dives. The recent hurricane that blasted Southern California has certainly helped give the dirt almost perfect consistency, not to mentions making the surrounding hills and valleys explode with color.

Today we tested the bikes by actually racing them at Glen Helen in the REM motocross racing series. We each raced every bike in a 20-minute moto in order to understand what these bikes perform at full-on race pace. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the latest crop of 250Fs is just how close they are in terms of overall performance. As opposed to the 450 Motocross bikes, were the differences between engine, suspension and ergonomics are clear cut, these bikes literally feel so similar that it's far more difficult to sort out the individual intricacies of each performance factor.

Tomorrow, testing continues, this time around at Racetown 395. They're we're going to spin more laps and conduct performance tests including our holeshot simulation and 3rd gear roll-on tests in order to determine which one of the bikes is truly the best.

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Posted: 30 Jan 2010 08:36 PM PST

Reading the arrest column these days is more depressing than ever. It used to be the arrest column contained items concerning an overuse of alcohol, and often some guy who had overdone it with the whiskey bottle was planted in a jail cell to sleep it off.

Sometimes the door to the cell was left open so the drinker could use the facilities during the night. I might add, the arrested individuals were always men.

Today, the majority of arrests are the result of drug acquisition, and the variety of substance is unbelievable. Age doesn't matter and neither does sex, with teens to 40s mostly filling the bill.

I have never been able to understand why anyone would take a chance to use drugs, knowing what the end result might be. No one finds it an easy situation to quit drugs, and for those individuals considering the use, just look at the young folks who are entertainers and involved with drugs. They end looking as though they are years older than the calendar states or their acting or singing ability is gone and death is the final step.

It's not just the individual who suffers from drug use, but it destroys family members who care about the user.

The only thing one can say to someone who might be tempted to use drugs is, look around you and see what drug use can do.

This is a pretty interesting and enjoyable world if you stay on the straight and narrow. I think the future offers some pretty interesting opportunities, if you're willing to give it a try.

***

I miss the street cars that used to travel around Marietta. We lost them, so I've been told, because bus companies came into Ohio and bought the street car companies, putting them out of business.

Street cars began operation in Marietta in 1890 with the Marietta Street Railway, an operation which ran all of two miles. The means of transportation was cars pulled by mules, and the barns were located at the end of Third and Ferguson streets. The route was down Montgomery to Fourth Street, to Putnam Street, and then to Front Street. When it arrived at Front Street, the mules were unhitched and taken to the other end of the car, which was then driven back over the line in reverse order. The company started the operation with three bob-tailed cars. By 1898 a power plant was built on Second Street across from the courthouse to run electrified cars.

***

The O&LK subdivision of the B&O Railroad ran one first-class and three third-class trains between Parkersburg and Zanesville in 1951. The trip to Parkersburg took 50 minutes from Marietta, and Inter-Urban was formed. It ran both the street car systems as well as the interurban line.

Rail passengers holding tickets to Marietta arrived at Parkersburg, for which there were no convenient connections, and they were issued tickets via the Monongahela West Penn Public Service Company to Marietta upon request from the Sixth Street Station agent. The Monongahela West Penn Public Service Company was the new official name of the interurban line, although local citizens still referred to it by its former name. The interurban hauled freight, including hay, livestock, vegetables and almost anything else. Passenger cars came and went almost every hour of the day.

***

All old-timers remember Marietta's famous pilot "Scotty." Lyle Harvey Scott flew out of Professor Swan's field, which in the 1920s ran along the Ohio River below Wayne Street. Scotty had an arrangement with Professor Swan to use his land as a flying field complete with hangar. He had a Curtis JAN "Jenny," purchased as WW1 surplus for $50.

Scotty was born in Dyersville, Ohio, in 1886. He went to Dayton, Ohio, in 1900 and took flying lessons from Orville Wright. His favorite trick was to fly under the Ohio River and Muskingum River bridges. He was even remembered for doing loops over the Washington County Courthouse with his daughter, who was born in 1922. Scotty died in an aerial circus performance at Arnettsville, W.Va., in 1925.

***

On May 16, 1912, Lincoln Beachey made two airplane exhibition flights at the Washington County Fairgrounds before a crowd of 700 people. Beachey was using a new plane for the first time, and it took two hours of test runs and three encounters with fences before he was able maintain his ascent. His first successful exhibition run included racing a motorcycle driven by Robert Brenan. His second run included delivering a mail sack of 1,100 letters and 400 postcards already canceled by postmaster Ava Davis McCoy. The delivery was from the fairgrounds to the post office. McCoy and other dignitaries hurried to the post office ahead of Beachey and watched as the mail sack landed in the lockmasters yard next door.

***

I remember Harry P. Fischer who was an outstanding photographer in Marietta. He was born in Marietta in 1879. He attended the Muskingum Academy and then in 1902 opened his own photography studio on Front Street.

His sense of humor and ease with people were obvious in his work. Known for his industriousness, Fischer created hundreds of glass plates and more than 14,000 negatives. Much of his work was documented on postcards, which Fischer also created and sold.

Joan Pritchard is a long-time columnist for The Parkersburg News & Sentinel.

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