plus 4, PS Laser Racing Team day one report - Motorsport.com

PS Laser Racing Team day one report - Motorsport.com
'Eat it drink it live it do it' - Longview News-Journal
Buying Supercross Motorcycle Racing Equipment - PRLog (free press release)
TRACK TALK: Cleary, Richardi brothers in running for title - Enterprise
Dakar Rally makes symbolic start in Buenos Aires - The Sun News

PS Laser Racing Team day one report - Motorsport.com

Posted: 01 Jan 2010 08:06 PM PST

Long wait is over as 2010 Dakar kicks off with massive support

More than 35 000 spectators witnessed the Dakar caravan in the heart of Buenos Aires for the past three days whilst the final inspection and approvals were done before the ceremonial start of the 32nd Dakar rally from the La Rural exhibition centre. South Africa's Dakar legend, Alfie Cox, and his German co-pilot and team-owner of PS Laser Racing, Jurgen Schroder passed scrutineering and had an easy 317km drive to Colon, this afternoon, after passing through the streets of Buenos Aires lined by an estimated half-a-million people.

For the second consecutive year, the 9 000km Dakar Rally is held in Argentina and Chile. Rally director Etienne Lavigne said: "I expect this years' event to be a classic". As far as the competition amongst the cars is concerned, Lavigne said: "competitors' primary adversary will be the terrain" with 5 000km of special stages in the race before the finish back in Buenos Aires on 17 January 2010.

After a relatively smooth opening trio of stages the race will head into terrain in Chile which is the most unforgiving anywhere on the planet, not least the bone-dry Atacama desert, a lifeless, ultra-arid zone which is said to be 50 times drier than Death Valley.

Last year Carlos Sainz (Spain) lost the Dakar after an accident three days from the end. This year the race will be in the dunes from day three and so there could be large time gaps early on.

Great entertainment and contact with the public was arranged in the Dakar village over the past three days, ranging from handouts by sponsors to BMX and skateboard riders doing impressive stunts. One of the biggest efforts was that of the VW Amarok being put through its paces over a man-made obstacle course with some of the passages several metres above the ground. Public involvement, exposure and the magnificent support remaining one of the biggest factors to consider, if the organisers consider taking the race back to Africa.

The PS Laser Racing Team of Alfie Cox and Jurgen Schroder with their Navara passed scrutineering and lined up with the other teams today at 14:30 (19:30 SA time) after the first motorcyclist departed for the street exhibition and starting podium at the foot of the Argentinean Obelisk on their way out of Buenos Aires.

A very relaxed Cox said: "Glyn Hall did a great job and we are very confident about our car. We look forward to the race; at least the waiting around and the meetings are over, now we can spend two weeks in this four- wheel office and enjoy what we have worked for all year long." Racing in his third Dakar in a car, Cox hopes to collect his tenth finisher's badge this year. "I have had mixed success in the car category; in the BMW I finished tenth overall, in my opinion an excellent achievement, whilst we really battled last year in the two-wheel drive buggy. We know this car is capable of finishing on the podium, it has achieved top-five finishes, which in a way puts pressure on us, we would also like a good finish," remarked Cox in a somewhat more serious fashion. A total of 151 bikes, 134 cars and 52 trucks started the 2010 Argentina Chile Dakar Rally this afternoon.

KTM's Marc Coma (Spain) and Cyril Despres (France) are confident about their chances with the 690cc machines, even though they lose a lot of power on the big machines with air-intake restrictors required by the new rules. They will rely on their experience, knowledge and skill gained over the last ten years in the Dakar race. BMW, Yamaha, Aprilla and Sherco will do everything possible to put pressure on the KTM team with their new specification 450cc motorcycles.

In the car category "Volkswagen's other drivers are all very strong," said the South African, Giniel de Villiers, who won the race last year: "and then there are the drivers from BMW, Hummer and Mitsubishi. It'll be a tough race". Some critics feel that the 'no team-orders' rule in the VW camp could spell problems as team-mates Carlos Sainz (Spain), Nasser Al Attiyah (Qatar), De Villeirs, Marc Miller (USA), will try so hard to out- drive each other, that they could damage their cars or even crash out of the 17 day event.

Tough as the race is, the 44-year-old Stephane Peterhansel (France), a six- time winner on a bike and three-time winner in a car, cannot wait to do battle once more, he said: "Dakar is a passion," having threatened to retire, after quitting on stage seven last year. He joined BMW this year and says: "this is really different. This time I am with a team which has never won Dakar. Maybe I'm an outsider but in my head I'm up there with the favourites."

Tomorrow - Saturday, 2 January 2010

Colon > Cordoba

Tomorrow's first stage will feature several WRC-style high-speed tracks through the Calamuchita Valley and cars will tackle a 32km longer special stage than the bikes. The main reason for doing this is safety, keeping the bikes and cars apart on the high-speed dusty sections, improving visibility and preventing accidents.

A 349km liaison takes teams to the start of the competitive action and a shorter 84km liaison then guides crews into the overnight halt in Cordoba, situated in the foothills of the Sierra Chicas, 390 metres above sea-level, on the Suquia River; one of the oldest former Spanish colonial capitals.

-source: ps laser rt

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'Eat it drink it live it do it' - Longview News-Journal

Posted: 01 Jan 2010 07:52 PM PST

The shutter is always clicking in David Mecey's world.

From a boyhood colored by pencil drawings at Broadway Elementary in Gladewater to a second career as a race car driver, Mecey has drawn from Texas virtues bestowed by his grandfather.

Those values of discipline, focus and a genteel manner didn't hurt his first career, either. Mecey plied a knack for photography he picked up as a Longview teen into a 23-year assignment with Playboy Enterprises.

"The Playboy thing was completely an accident," he said recently, in town for the holidays to see his mother, Opal Mecey. "But a Playboy shooter — it never entered my mind."

After falling in love with the art of pencil drawing in grade school, Mecey entered high school with a cornet in his hand. Four hours of practice a day landed the freshman in the first chair of the trumpet section, quickly taking a solo spot in director Don Cartwright's jazz band. A kiss blown to the audience at a University Interscholastic League competition, at the end of the solo in Herb Albert's, "This Guy's in Love with You," must have helped charm judges. The kid from a 2A high school was named to the Outstanding Band of Individuals, comprised almost entirely of musicians from larger campuses.

He still has the trophy, and tells the tale of shyly descending the auditorium balcony to collect his prize with a raconteur's zeal.

"(Band) gave me the kind of personality, and I think, identity, that made me capable of working for an international company like Playboy," Mecey said. "It kind of honed me and gave me a sense of myself and enough confidence to do that."

Mecey, 57, parted ways with Playboy in 2002, feeling its "standards have changed a little bit" from the tasteful benchmark set by founder Hugh Hefner. Although he continues photographing beautiful women around the world — in swimwear, lingerie, sportswear — the 57-year-old more recently was caught by the roar of engines.

"I've always been a car guy," he said. "I started racing in 2000 and have been on the podium, in the top three, a number of times."

Mecey followed a familiar track in learning to navigate the race world. A fantasy lesson with the BMW Car Club of America in 1996 inspired him to become a racing instructor and eventually form his own racing events outfit.

"I studied it," he said, describing the approach that's made his life work. "I studied the art of driving, everything."

He became an instructor in the Los Angeles chapter of the BMW Car Club of America and today holds the title of Chief Driving Instructor for the car club. His Precision Performance Driving produces races out West.

Before the Beemers, or the Porsche Cayman S that brought him this past week from his home in Venice, Calif., Mecey was tooling a motorcycle down the mean streets of Longview. Mean, because of the driver who pulled in front of him in 1973.

An assistant manager for Dairy Queen, in what today is McCann Street Grill, Mecey was on his merry way to work one day when he broke an ankle sliding across the car of a driver who turned in front of him. He couldn't walk for a year, but kept his footing with his pencil drawings. A shutterbug doctor who saw the works suggested he try photography.

Heeding his doctor's advice, the lad saved up to buy a Canon 35mm camera, a couple of lenses and some books. Studying was the first step, as it always had been.

"Whenever I want to do something, I set myself on fire and eat it, drink it, live it, do it," he said. "You have to set yourself a place to be. I always try to raise the bar to where I'm able to do it the best."

East Texas roots

Opal Mecey was a single mom, creating the opening for a strong bond between her son and her father. Fred Moore died in 1999, but his grandson said he instilled in him a work ethic and moral sense that peeks out when models of the gentler sex learn he is from Texas.

"They say, 'That's why you're such a gentleman,' " he said. "It's the Texas thing, it's my grandfather. It's the teachers that I had growing up in high school."

Friends didn't hurt, either.

A part-time sports photo-grapher in the mid '70s for the Longview Daily News, which with the Longview Morning Journal are today's Longview News-Journal, Mecey was the first shooter the newspaper sent to the new Texas Stadium in Irving.

"My career somewhat started with the Longview paper," he said.

Then-sports editor John Inman dispatched Mecey, in part because the young shooter had taught himself to use a lens that did not require a flash bulb. He also was among the first sideline photographers to use a monopod, a one-legged camera support that is standard in the profession today.

It also was the first year the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders graced the sidelines at Cowboys games. One of those '70s icons, Dawn Stansell, was a Longview woman who dated one of Mecey's buddies. So, why hang out with photographers on the sidelines?

"I could approach the cheerleaders because of her," he recalled.

Meanwhile, Mecey's self-imposed home-schooling had shifted to the lighting disciplines. Perhaps a light bulb went off in his brain when a friend of a friend asked him to photograph his college-age daughter.

"I got this insane, gorgeous picture," he said. "I don't know. I just had this ability to relate to women."

Photography career

Many frames later, he thought a chance meeting in Dallas with a Nikon representative might launch his sports photography career beyond Longview. Looking through his portfolio, the official was captured by the beauty photos, tucked in the back since Mecey considered them more of a hobby.

"He said, 'You may like sports, but your forte is this,' "

Mecey recalled. "He goes, 'Why don't you shoot for Playboy?'

He was hired on his second visit to the headquarters, and the kid from East Texas soon was working with some of the most enticing women in the world.

One might wander how he kept his mind on business.

"The word is discipline," he said. "It's discipline and concentration. Those two words, I think, play into everything I've ever done, from my musical days to art to getting into Playboy to being a pro driver and racing. I'll always have a part of me that goes back to my grandfather being of the old school. I'm not going to say, harsh — he wasn't — but he had rules he lived by, his standard of ethics. I do, too. I'm very focused — that's not a pun — but it is something that, that's how I am. I'm so absolutely focused on what I'm doing. I'm completely, all business but at the same time I'm all fun."

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Buying Supercross Motorcycle Racing Equipment - PRLog (free press release)

Posted: 01 Jan 2010 08:49 PM PST

PR Log (Press Release) – Jan 01, 2010 – Are you looking to participate in supercross motorcycle racing? If you aren't, what about your child? Regardless of who is interested in supercross motorcycle racing, there will come a time when you need to purchase equipment. Whether you or your child plans on racing at a local indoor supercross track, an outdoor motocross track, or just wants to practice out in the backyard, the right equipment is essential. This equipment is not only essential for performance, but for safety as well. That is why it is important that the right equipment gets purchased.

Purchasing the right equipment, it sounds easy enough doesn't it? Unfortunately, isn't as always as it seems. When it comes to getting started in supercross motorcycle racing, not everyone is an expert in the sport. In fact, many children want to idolize and be just like their favorite supercross racers. Many adults choose to participate in supercross motorcycle racing, not only because they want to be like their favorite racer, but because the sport looks fun. Unfortunately, if you are not an avid supercross motorcycle racing fan, especially one who is familiar with the sport, it can be difficult to purchase the needed equipment.

Although it can be difficult for some to purchase supercross motorcycle equipment, it doesn't necessarily mean that you shouldn't purchase it. Whether you, yourself, want to participate in supercross racing or your child does, everyone deserves the chance to follow their dreams. Essentially, this means that you should take the time to familiarize yourself with supercross motorcycle racing, including the equipment that will be needed. In addition to an off-road motorcycle, you will also find that you needed safety equipment. That safety equipment should include knee pads. If you or your child is just getting started in off-road racing, it may be a good idea to protect yourself even more. Once you get going, you can remove the extra safety gear, with caution of course.

Once you have taken the time to better understand supercross motorcycle racing and the equipment that is needed, you should be better prepared to start shopping. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find a local sports store or outdoor recreational store that carries supercross equipment. For off-road bikes, you will find that it is often best to shop at an outdoor recreational sports store. Also, you may be able to find a specific motorcycle store. For instance, Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki sell off-road bikes that are designed for supercross motorcycle racing. If you are able to find one of these stores, you are sure to find what you are looking for. Many even have a fairly large selection of youth motorcycles.

Wherever you purchase an off-road supercross motorcycle, you should be able to purchase the safety equipment too. If you already have an off-road motorcycle or made the decision to purchase one privately, you should still be able to find supercross safety equipment at most sports stores or outdoor recreational stores. However, as previously mentioned, it really all depends on where you live. Not all cites and towns, in the United States, have recreational sports stores and not all of those stores are guaranteed to have what you are looking for. If that is the case, you may want to consider shopping online.

Online shopping is nice because it often gives you a large selection of products to choose from. However, as with just about anything else in life, online shopping does have its disadvantages. One of those disadvantages is that you cannot personally try out off-road bikes or safety equipment. For adults, most of the equipment needed to participate in supercross motorcycle racing can be considered one size fits all, but that isn't always the case with children. You will find that youth bikes tend to come in a wide variety of different sizes, this is because all youths aren't the same height or weight. You can still purchase supercross equipment for your child online; however, you are advised to proceed with caution.

By keeping the above mentioned points in mind, you should be able to successfully go about finding and purchasing supercross motorcycle racing equipment. In the event that you have any questions, whether you are shopping locally or online, you should be able to find a company representative who would be willing to assist you by answer any questions that you may have.

For more about Supercrossing : http://blogfor- supercrossracing.blogspot.com/

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TRACK TALK: Cleary, Richardi brothers in running for title - Enterprise

Posted: 01 Jan 2010 06:26 PM PST

Local drivers Corey Cleary of Plymouth and the Richardi brothers, Dave and Rob, of Easton are among the competitors who will be looking to claim the 2010 Pro Four Modified championship.

Others in the field include the 2006 champion, George Sherman of Framingham, 2007 Pro Four Modified rookie of the year Phil Lausier of Hudson, N.H., founding member Dan Meservey of Chatham and Brian Vincent of Rhode Island, driver of the No. 10 Pro Four Modified.

It appears to be a wide-open chase because the 2009 Pro Four Modified champion, Norm Wrenn of New Hampshire, may only run a partial schedule this year as he looks to move up and campaign in the Modified Racing Series (formerly the True Value Modified Series).

Also looking for an improved season is 2009 Limited Pro Four Modified champion Stan Mertz of Whitinsville, who will make the move up into the Pro Four division and hopes to be a contender this year as well.

The Pro Four Modifieds of New England Racing Series also announced its 2010 schedule of 17 race events. These dates take the series to eight tracks in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine.

The Pro Four Modifieds always provide exciting side-by-side racing at every track they go to, and 2010 will not be an exception.

The races will be held at Waterford Speedbowl (March 27 and April 17), Beech Ridge (May 1), Monadnock Speedway (May 15, June 19, Aug. 14 and Sept. 25), Lee USA Speedway (May 22, July 24 and Aug. 21), Seekonk Speedway (June 5, July 21, Sept. 4 and Oct. 9), Stafford Speedway (July 6), Canaan Speedway (July 31) and Thompson Speedway (Oct. 16).

Banquet on Jan. 16:

The New England Dragway banquet and awards ceremony will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Danvers on Jan. 16 from 5 p.m.-1 a.m.

Winning the Hot Rod and Top Eliminator was Ray Knight of Fall River. Josh Luck of Newport, N.H., came home with the Jr. Dragster title while Kyle Berns won the Street ET class. The Modified Eliminator went to Jeff Nunes of Somerset while Mike Vizzo of Shrewsbury was the Top Bike Champion aboard his 1996 Suzuki 750 GSXR.

New England Dragway also has a new venue for motoX, dubbed MotoX 101, and plans to run a full schedule in 2010 starting on April 3. Also, NED plans to have Monster Truck and Tractor Pulls this year in an adjacent area, according to its latest newsletter.

Truck touring series:

The All-Star Race Truck Touring series is already planning for the 2010 season with a new owner behind the wheel.

Lorraine Pard, assistant race director, with the ARTS series past owner Bob Gelsi of Vineland, N.J., has stepped up to take the challenge.

Said Pard: "I'm inviting all the All-Star Trucks out there that are sitting or for sale, to come back on board and let's show how important and professional the touring race trucks are to the sport in the New England Area.'' With plans underway, Pard is working on the 2010 schedule, setting dates with New Hampshire, Connecticut and New York tracks. A date will be set for a registration owners/drivers meeting early this year.

The schedule: Here's what's going on in southern New England this weekend: Today, the Redline Diner in Framingham offers a year-round cruise event starting at 3 p.m.

There's no shortage of winter racing action in the North Country if your willing to travel. This afternoon, Riverside Speedway in Groveton, N.H., offers the fourth annual Hangover 150 at 2 p.m. In the event of bad weather, it goes tomorrow at the same time.

The start of ice racing for stockcars in the North Country is Sunday because the recent cold weather has resulted in favorable ice conditions. On the Berry and Lee Ponds in Moultonborough, N.H., ice racing goes off at 1 p.m.

Lake Contoocook in Jaffrey, N.H., offers 4 Cylinder and Modified stockcars, also at 1 p.m. At the same time at Me-Te-Jo Campgrounds in Milton, N.H., there's also Modifieds and Street Stocks. Admission there is $10 per carload.

Also on Sunday, Jolly Roger Motorsports Park in East Lempster, N.H., goes with motorcycles, quads and ATV ice racing starting at 9 a.m.

Correspondent Lou Modestino's Track talk appears Saturday in The Enterprise. Information comes from various referenced sources, press releases, notes and other sources.

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Dakar Rally makes symbolic start in Buenos Aires - The Sun News

Posted: 01 Jan 2010 03:06 PM PST

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