Weathertech Raceway

This storm had been parked off the coast of Washington for a couple of days and like the local weather man said, “It decided to release the parking brake and move in!” The teams scrambled to make decisions about whether or not to run on slicks. Josh Herrin chose the slicks and placed 11th. Cameron Beaubier pulled out and decided that risking further injury to his heel was not one he wanted to take with Laguna Seca two weeks away. Riders using their clear face shields made for some great shots of their facial expressions as they powered through Turn 5.

Through The Lens: Laguna Seca Look-Back

by Geoff & Barb Nickless | Jan 22, 2024 | Industry & Racing | 3 |

Laguna Seca is one of the most famous racetracks in the world. Built in 1957, the fabled track is just over 2 miles in length, with 180 ft of elevation change. Best known for the notorious “Corkscrew” tight turn near the top back of the track, it boasts a blind left crest at Turn 8 immediately followed by a hard right plunge down to Turn 8A in only 450 feet, with a drop of 5.5 stories in elevation. The whole track is insanely challenging, for automobiles and motorcycles alike.

Nine Ways To Miss

by Ted Edwards | Jul 28, 2023 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads | 9 |

I miss the anticipation of the trip, the packing, the excitement of cramming my saddlebags full of warm clothes and strapping camping gear everywhere until it was heavily laden like a Yukon bound pack mule seeking a golden fortune. However, instead of heading for the frozen north, we were pointing our front wheels south to mine our memories from the golden shores of the Pacific Coast Highway. Levering my weighty bike off the kickstand and thumbing the starter felt like a leap into the unknown, the first steps of a thousand mile journey, my Honda VFR’s repaired electrics held together by electrical tape and happy thoughts, partly because I got lazy, party because it finally worked and I didn’t want to mess with it lest the whole mess unravel.

A Superbike Slugfest At Laguna Seca

by Road Dirt Crew | Jul 10, 2023 | Industry & Racing | 0 |

On a completely resurfaced track at the legendary Laguna Seca Raceway, on which riders in every class struggled to find and hold grip as well as the race lines all weekend, Gagne and Beaubier battled for points and position across an unusual three-race weekend, with Gagne taking race 1 on Saturday, but Beaubier doing the double on Sunday. Six race rounds into the season, the “MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest At Monterey” was a thriller in every way. Crashes, lead swaps, photo finishes, and a former champ tightening the screws on a current champ came to define the weekend in coastal central Cali.

Fighting the Giant

by Ted Edwards | Jul 22, 2022 | Industry & Racing, Ride Life | 8 |

Don’t be surprised if you have never heard of Max Flinders. Some have, most have not. However that is part of the underdog script, unknown, under the radar and under-supported. Such is Max Flinders. Max has never won a MotoAmerica Superbike race and never finished on the podium. If you want to find his name on the race results you have to scan down toward the middle. He has few sponsors, no entourage, and his truck driver is also named Max Flinders because, well, it’s him.