Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Announces Barry Boone to Return as Official Announcer for 2013 Season

Round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season saw the stars of The Rolling Thunder Show sharing the stage in Indy with the 5th Annual Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP Weekend, returning alongside the premier road racing series in the world after the cancelation to the schedule from the previous year due to the tragedy suffered at the Indiana State Fairgrounds during the Sugarland concert.

AMA Pro Racing's Barry Boone holds the mic for Bryan Smith after the Michigan resident had taken the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki 650R-based parallel twin to the win in the Dash for Cash early in the evening, while the lovely ladies representing AMA Pro Flat Track's best display the $1000 bonus check awarded to Flyin' Bryan for his popular win on the evening.

Earlier today, Boone was again officially announced to be returning to his official announcing duties with the Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Series for the 2013 season, and is also looking to fill his busy schedule with his open weekends also providing announcing duties for the AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles Grand National Championship Series. 

This is another great announcement from the DMG-led Blue Crew as Barry does a wonderful job, alongside Scottie Duebler, of keeping the fans abreast of the action on the track during each event throughout the season.  This is one fan looking that much more forward to the full season ahead, and we shout-out a big 'congrats' to Barry and look forward to seeing him back at the track again this year, keeping us all entertained!

Check out the full press release below thanks to AMA Pro Road Racing!

Barry Boone to be AMA Pro Racing's Official Announcer for Second Consecutive GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing Season

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 8, 2013) - AMA Pro Racing is pleased to announce that Barry Boone will resume the role of Official Announcer for the 2013 GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing season. The one-of-a-kind voice will be treating fans to in-depth race coverage and insightful commentary throughout every event this year. This season will mark Boone's second full year of announcing at GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing events, and his fifth year of announcing for AMA Pro Flat Track presented by J&P Cycles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barry Boone is shown while performing his announcing duties at one of the 2012 Geico Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing events.  AMA Pro Road Racing photo by Corey J. Coulter.

 

 

"I couldn't be more excited to be back on board with GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing again in 2013," said Boone. "It's an honor to speak on behalf of AMA Pro and our great promoters. I'll continue to focus on entertaining the fans while delivering them the information they deserve at each event this season. We are the premier road racing series in America and I can't wait for our next event."

 

Boone has built a solid reputation for himself as a man with an innate ability to keep fans up to date with all of the on-track action, as well as the off-track drama. Listen for Boone's voice at GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing's next event, the Subway SuperBike Doubleheader at Road America, scheduled for May 31-June 2, 2013 in Elkhart Lake Wis. 

 

Tickets for the Subway SuperBike Doubleheader at Road America start at just $20. For more information, please visit http://roadamerica.com/Races/RaceInformation.asp?id=240. 

 

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.  Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.     For additional information contact:   AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

A BIG Thanks to the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour & NBC Sports Group for the Airing of the AMA Pro Flat Track Pomona Season-Finale

With the year winding down and the racing season having long ago ended, we were treated to a season-ending treat today with NBC Sports' airing of the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour coverage of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season-finale at Pomona from back in mid-October.  In what was excellent coverage of round 16 of the AMA Grand National Championship, the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour group hit it out of the park in bringing us up-front coverage of The Rolling Thunder Show's final race of the year.

And what a race it was, with Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. putting on a runaway clinic to take the win, and battles all around the track with riders Brad Baker, Bryan Smith and the rest putting on a show for the fans of the greatest sport on wheels in the world.  The camera crew on-hand did a thumbs up job of capturing the action all around the 5/8ths mile oval from back on October 13.

If you were fortunate enough to check out today's coverage on NBC Sports, please take the time to contact them and the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour people and let them know how much we appreciate their airing of this great sport.  If you didn't see today's race coverage, you'll have another chance to catch it on Monday, December 31 at 3:00 PM EST.  Details on that airing can be found at the link at the bottom of this write-up.

The links to contact both NBC Sports and the LOMH people can be found below--please take the time to thank them!


In the shot above from round 13 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile II, the bikes are ready for their riders to show up as the 25-lap National main event gets ready to roll out onto the legendary Illinois State Fairgrounds mile oval on September 16. 

RIDE Academy owner and rider coach Mike Hacker (back to camera) watches over Kenny Coolbeth, Jr.'s #2 Screamin' Eagle/Harley-Davidson Motor Co-sponsored factory XR750 while talking with Jake Johnson and Zanotti Racing's crew chief, Ted McDermitt just behind Johnson's #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D-backed XR.

In the background, left of center, Werner-Springsteen Kawasaki Racing's Bill Werner talks with Howerton Motorsports' Jeff Gordon, while team member Donnie Jones gets an earful listening in to two of the most colorful and knowledgeable people in the world of motor sports, with either two or four wheels. 

Brandon Robinson's #44 Werner-Springsteen/Wosner Pistons-backed Kawasaki 650R can be seen partially obscuring Bryan Smith's #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki.  JB Beach's #95 USC Racing/Red Bull-sponsored Kawasaki can be seen in the back of the shot.


You can contact the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour folks here.  If you took the time to watch the excellent coverage of round 16 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Pomona Half-Mile, then you already know what a super job these folks did in covering the races.

Please take the time to let them know so that they can bring us more coverage of The Rolling Thunder Show put on by the Blue Crew of AMA Pro Flat Track.  Look for the 'contact us' tab at the top right of the homepage from the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour:

http://motorsportshour.com/

And you can also send an e-mail to the NBC Sports Network to thank them for airing the final round of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season at Pomona.  Here is their e-mail:

nbcsportshelp@nbcuni.com

And in case you missed today's original airing of round 16 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship season at the L.A. Fairplex in Pomona, you can find out when and where this will air again on Monday, December 31 here:

http://stusshots.blogspot.com/2012/12/ama-flat-track-nbc-sports-to-air-pomona.html

 

 

AMA Flat Track: NBC Sports to Air Pomona Half-Mile Season-Finale Round 16 on December 29

Bryan Smith acknowledges the crowd after winning round 13 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile II on September 16. 

Flyin' Bryan had just taken the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing/Guts Wear/MPH-sponsored Kawasaki 650R to it's second victory of the season at the weather-delayed Illinois State Fairgrounds mile oval over runner-up Sammy Halbert and 3rd-place finisher Jared Mees.

While AMA Pro Flat Track official announcer Barry Boone talks to the crowd, Halbert and Mees ponder their race finishes with just three rounds remaining in the 2012 season.  Mees would go on to win the 2012 AMA Grand National Championship over 2nd-place man Halbert and 3rd-place finisher and defending 2-Time AMA Grand National Champion Jake Johnson at the season-finale in Pomono, just shy of a month later after collecting the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Singles Series Championship the night before the Springfield Mile II round.

After winning the Sacto Mile event earlier in the season, Smith would go on to take the ceremonial 2012 Twins Series Championship at the season-ending round at Pomona.

AMA Pro Flat Track announced today that NBC Sports will be airing the season-finale at Pomona this Saturday, December 29.  You can check out the full press release below for air times and a handy guide to get your DVRs set-up to find where NBC Sports airs in your area.

Tune-In Alert: Pomona Half-Mile Airs Saturday (December 29th) on NBC Sports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (December 26, 2012) - AMA Pro Flat Track's racing action from the Law Tigers Flat Track Finals at Pomona Fairplex will be aired this Saturday (December 29) at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT. with a re-airing on Monday (December 31) at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT.                             Bryan Smith #42 leads Jared Mees #9, Sammy Halbert #7 and Jake Johnson #1 during action at round 16 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Pomona Half-Mile on October 13.  NBC Sports will air the season-finale round this Saturday, December 29 at 1:00 PM EST.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.     How to catch the action: See NBC Sports' TV listings and channel lineup by going to http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/   NBC Sports Channels on Select Providers:   * Dish Network - 159 * DirecTV - 220 * AT&T U-Verse - 640   Please check your local listings for a channel line-up to find NBC Sports. Search Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour or Motorsports Hour if you don't see the program listed.   Stay connected with AMA Pro Flat Track at www.twitter.com/AMAProFlatTrack and www.facebook.com/AMAProFlatTrackSeries.

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. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com. For additional information contact:   AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

AMA Flat Track: Bryan Smith #42 Talks About How He Lost the Santa Rosa Mile & Howerton Motorsports' Plans to Run Pomona Half-Mile Season-Finale

Round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile saw the usual highlights throughout the day for an event that runs in the same city that hosts the premier road racing championship series in the world just down the street.  With the 5th Annual Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP Weekend taking place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, everyone knew the real racing was going on at the Indiana State Fairgrounds as The Rolling Thunder Show was ready to take center stage to a stellar crowd of European and American fans alike.

One of the new highlights and surely one of the big hands-on favorites to win the first race back at Indy after last year's cancelation due to the tragic stage rigging collapse just days before the best racing show on wheels in the world was slated to hit the track, was the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki/Guts Wear/Dreyer Motorsports-sponsored mount of Bryan Smith. 

In it's third overall event and first since winning their first race together, Flyin' Bryan and the west side Indy-based Howerton team headed to the mile oval for the first race to return to the final weekend of the Indiana State Fair in over a decade with high hopes, broad expectations and a home-track advantage that bouyed all of the first year team's hopes.  But as fate and rotten tomatoes would have it, in the end the might and fury of the long-running Harley-Davidson XR750 of one Sammy Halbert National #7 would overcome in the end and leave with the spoils of victory over the new and rocket-fast Kawasaki one-off.

Although what was attributed to a faulty battery in Smith's Kawasaki which caused the bike to lose fire, before the evening was finished Smith and the Howerton team had made their mark and had wowwed the fans and folks on-hand in winning their heat and the Dash for Cash event to show everyone in the house that a new force to be reckoned with had hit the dirt ovals of America and was not going to go away soon.

As has been evidenced in every one of the five mile events the machine has campaigned this season, there is a new breed of winning horse in town and a not-so-new sheriff aboard it.  In five outings, the team's finishing numbers read 3-1-14-1-3 for a not-too-shabby Olympic scoring average of 4.4.  And with the fresh announcement from Wednesday the team has one more round to contest in next weekend's season-finale at Pomona.

Last weekend's final mile event of the season saw Smith start to runaway with the Santa Rosa Mile in what early looked to be a cakewalk to the top step on the victory podium, but as with all things in life this one took a different turn when the high line went away in Sonoma, and again Sammy Halbert came on to take his second mile victory of the year with Bryan having to settle for a mere 3rd-place finish.  Still not too shabby in anyone's book!

In the shot above, Flyin' Bryan talks with AMA Pro Flat Track announcer Barry Boone at round 10 at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on August 18 after winning the Dash for Cash event.

Bryan was a little hard on himself for the way things turned out last weekend at Santa Rosa, and talked with AMA Pro Flat Track's video team about how things transpired throughout the 25-lap National main.  Check it out!


Thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track for this great video of action from the Santa Rosa Mile at round 14 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season last Sunday in Sonoma County, California, and for the great crew of Will Fulford & Yve Assad from The Fast and Dirty.com for putting this together:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPjLvHD1iik&feature=plcp

And for those that missed the announcement from Wednesday, October 3, here is the link to the original press release story about Howerton Motorsports announcing they will now run the season-finale at the Pomona Half-Mile on Saturday, October 13 to help Bryan out in his chase for the Twins Series Championship and looking forward towards the 2013 season:

http://stusshots.blogspot.com/2012/10/ama-flat-track-crosley-radiohowerton.html

 

AMA Flat Track: Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports Team Announces They Will Run Pomona Half-Mile Season-Finale on October 13

Rider Bryan Smith, lead mechanic Jeff Gordon & team owner Rick Howerton get ready to roll out the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports/Eaken Racing Kawasaki prior to the Springfield Mile II event on September 16, 2012. Bryan and the team won their second Grand National main event together at the two-week rain delayed event. Photo by Mike 'Stu' Stuhler/Stu's Shots.

 

 

AMA Pro Flat Track Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports Team Announces They Will Enter Their Kawasaki for Bryan Smith #42 at Pomona Half-Mile Season-Finale

 

Indianapolis, IN., October 3, 2012 – The Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Team would like to announce that we are expanding our 2012 schedule in the AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season by one event as entering our pair of Kawasakis for team rider Bryan Smith to campaign at the 2012 Pomona Half-Mile season-finale round on October 13.

In it's first year of existence the Twins Series team has climbed heights and obtained goals that only the very best in The Rolling Thunder Show could aspire for in just five short events. Starting off out of the gate at the Springfield Mile I round over the Memorial Day Weekend, Smith and the team won their first points paying event of the day in the Dash for Cash event after having qualified in the first spot for the National main at the Illinois State Fairgrounds mile oval. By the end of the day we had stood on the podium at a Grand National event when Bryan took home a hard-fought 3rd-place finish.

Since that time the team has been blessed to have won two National main events (Sacramento Mile and Springfield Mile II) and have won three of the five Dash events (Lucas Oil Indy Mile and the Springfield Mile II rounds).

As far as the added race, "The team decided to run this one extra event to end the season," stated team owner and builder Rick Howerton. “Bryan's been asking me since mid-summer to run some of the other events, and although we originally were just going to run the five mile events this year, we decided to go ahead and help support Bryan in his effort in the Twins Series Championship (where he currently lies tied for the 2^ndplace spot with Sammy Halbert, behind Zanotti Racing's Jake Johnson) and see what we could do on a half mile track, “ continued Howerton.“We have been really happy this year with the results, but know next year will only be harder" stated the long-time IndyCar, NASCAR and NHRA engineer and fabricator, "by running Pomona it will give Bryan more information for his half mile program next year."

 

 

One of the low points of the season was the loss of Skip Eaken, the teams engine builder and motorcycle mentor. “It was a rough time with Skip passing away last week, so we went into the Santa Rosa round wanting to win that one for him. I believe he was the second all time winningest mechanic in the sport, and we wanted to add one more for him. He could appear to most as being cold and grumpy, but once you got to know him he was just the opposite, “ stated Rick a few days after Eaken had passed away due to a heart condition. Howerton still thinks of the conversation him and Skip had after Springfield 1. He called a few days after that race and said "seriously Rick, I watched you guys all day and you guys really made me proud." That meant the world to me as Skip didn't give many compliments. "I will never forget that conversation."

“It has been real fun all year, as all of us on the team get along fantastic. Jeff and Dink are super mechanics, and even better friends. Having a rider with Bryan's capabilities on a mile and a bike like this the rest comes together well, and we're really proud of what we've been able to do in just one season, “ elaborated Howerton.

The team also added another 3rd-place finish to their season total at The Santa Rosa Mile on Sunday, September 30, to make their finishes in five events as two 3rd-place finishes to go along with their two wins and the 14th-place effort at Indy.

 

 

Crosley Radio is a company based out of Louisville, Ky. that specializes in modern retro-look sound and entertainment devices, and they are a first-time sponsor in the world of AMA Pro Flat Track's Rolling Thunder Show, bringing a new, bright and great sponsor to the series and to the new team. Having been friends with Rick, it was a great fit having the folks from Crosley on-board to sponsor them according to Crosley Radio president, Bo LeMastus.

The Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports team checks out the action on-track during round 13 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile II, where they were able to take the win thanks to their potent Eaken Racing Kawasaki powerplant and the stellar riding ability of mile specialist Bryan Smith. During the fan-walk at all AMA Pro Flat Track events the team encourages the fans to come by and chat it up with the team, check out the bikes and listen to some of the great music playing in their pit area compliments of Crosley Radio's jukeboxes on-hand. Photo by Mike 'Stu' Stuhler/Stu's Shots.

“We are just thrilled with the job that Bryan, Ricky, Jeff and the rest of the team have done this first season, “ stated Crosley's Bo LeMastus, himself a long-time fan of flat track just like Rick, Jeff Gordon and the rest of the crew on the Howerton team. “It just felt right to go ahead and extend this season into a sixth event to not only help Bryan out with his Twins Series goal but to see what we could work for and towards in the upcoming 2013 season. We hope this will springboard us to be able to announce something in the near future about maybe running some more events for next season together.

 

 

“These guys work awfully hard but yet have such a great time together doing it, we're proud and happy to be a part of it and to showcase our products to the legions of Howerton Motorsports, Bryan Smith and AMA Pro Flat Track fans that pay their hard-earned money to come to these events and see the greatest racing in the world, and we open them to come by and visit at each of the events to check out the bikes and listen to some of the music playing from some of our Crosley Radio products,“ continued LeMastus.

 

 

The Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki team family celebrates their second win of the season at the Springfield Mile II round on September 16, 2012. Back row, from left include Joey Manns (transportation specialist), Bo LeMastus and Jeff Gordon. Middle row, from left Dink Glidden, rider Bryan Smith, team owner Rick Howerton and his wife Colleen, and Donnie Jones. Rick and Colleen's boys, Dillon and Jared grace the front of the Kawasaki 650R-based parallel twin AMA Pro Flat Track Twins Series' winning machine. Photo by Mike 'Stu' Stuhler/Stu's Shots.

With two rounds left in the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Tucson Half-Mile on October 6 and the season-finale round at the Pomona Half-Mile, the time is now for you to get in on the great racing in The Rolling Thunder Show, and the Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki team hopes that you will all come out to enjoy the great show at round 16 of the season at the Pomona Fairplex and take the time to come visit us in the pits as we debut our efforts on a half-mile oval and look and listen to the future not far down the road.

Howerton Motorsports would also like to thank these sponsors for their help, support & efforts during our 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season campaign:

Dreyer Motorsports, Tucker Rocky, Midwest Performance Hardware, Guts Wear, Carbonix USA and Freelance Graphics.

 

 

 

 

Team contacts:

Ricky Howerton

Howerton Motorsports/Howerton Racing Products

360 Gasoline Alley

Indianapolis, IN. 46222

(317) 696-2664

rick@howertonproducts.com

Bo LeMastus

Crosley Radio “Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow”

1220 East Oak Street

Louisville, KY. 40204

(502)387-5930

www.crosleyradio.com

bo@crosleyradio.com

 

 

 

 

 

Press release prepared by:

Mike 'Stu' Stuhler

Stu's Shots

Indianapolis, IN.

317-373-0522

http://stusshots.blogspot.com

stuman714@yahoo.com

 

 

AMA Flat Track: MavTV & NBC Sports Announce Airtimes for Sacramento Mile

Round 13 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season saw Bryan Smith take the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki to his second win of the season aboard the freshly updated parallel twin after having taken his first of the season (and the new-for-2012 team) at the Sacramento Mile in late July. 

Sammy Halbert #7 and Jared Mees #9 flank Flyin' Bryan on the podium at the Springfield Mile II on September 16 after what could best be described as a 25-lap power struggle between the XR750-mounted 2nd and 3rd-place finishers and the potent Kawasaki that is enjoying it's first full season in Twins Series mile competition in The Rolling Thunder Show.

Now you can get a chance to catch up with the action in the greatest racing series on wheels in the world as MavTV and NBC Sports today announced along with AMA Pro Flat Track that the Sacto Mile event will be broadcast for our viewing pleasure. 

So check out the full press release below thanks to AMA Pro Flat Track and get your DVRs programmed for this weekend's airings and next week's replays of one of the great races in the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season.

And while you are checking out the action on the tube you can also watch along online as the series heads to the return of The Santa Rosa Mile this weekend in round 14 of the series and it's first of three events on the West Coast to wrap up the great year of racing, unless you are heading that way or in the area then you definitely need to head to the track to catch up and check out the great weekend of racing going on in Santa Rosa. 

Tune-In Alert: Airtime for AMA Pro Flat Track's Action from Sacramento Mile on NBC Sports and MAVTV

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 27, 2012) - AMA Pro Flat Track's racing action from the Sacramento Mile will be aired Sunday (September 30) evening on NBC Sports at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT with a reairing on Thursday (October 4) evening at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT.

 

Also, on Thursday October 4, MAVTV will air the Sacramento Mile at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT with a reairing at midnight.

 

 

How to catch the action:

 

See NBC Sports' TV listings and channel lineup by going to http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/

Find out how to get MAVTV by going to http://mavtv.com/get-mavtv.html

 

NBC Sports Channels on Select Providers:

• Dish Network - 159
• DirecTV - 603
• AT&T U-Verse - 640

MAVTV is available nationwide on:

• Dish Network - 361

Please check your local listings for a channel line-up to find NBC Sports and MAVTV. Search Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour or Motorsports Hour if you don't see the program listed.

 

 

Next Up

 

AMA Pro Flat Track is headed to the Santa Rosa Mile. Event Info | Tickets

 

Stay connected with AMA Pro Flat Track at www.twitter.com/AMAProFlatTrack and www.facebook.com/AMAProFlatTrackSeries.

 

 

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. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com. For additional information contact:   AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com

Flat Track & Road Racing Loses Another Icon of the Sport: RIP Skip Eaken, the Brains & Brawn Behind Eaken Racing & The Man Behind the Motors for the Bryan Smith/Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports Rocket Kawasaki

The sport of AMA Pro Flat Track (and motorcycle road racing, too) was dealt another blow within the last 24 hours when it was learned that long-time tuner/wrench to the stars and master motor builder, Skip Eaken, had passed away late yesterday due to complications due with a congestive heart failure illness that had just most recently flaredup at the Knoxville Half-Mile a few weeks ago.

Eaken, who was the man behind the Honda flat track effort in AMA Pro Flat Track in the early-late '80s that saw Honda come into the sport long-dominated even in those days by the Harley-Davidson factory and it's omni-potent XR750 purpose-built mount, had most recently been campaigning his own version of a hot rod Kawasaki with help from his nephew Dave and several other close friends and family, as well as being the motor magician behind the new-for-2012 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki rocket that has taken Bryan Smith #42 to two wins in four events this year at the Sacto Mile and most recently at the Springfield Mile II.

Having just gotten off the phone with Rick Howerton, the man behind the building of the machine that has taken AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Twins Series racing to new heights of competition and excitement, posed some insightfull comments about the big man's passing yesterday. 

"Having grown up around Skip, he was a little intimidating back in those days with Honda when I started hanging around at their shop down the road here.  But if he liked you, he'd talk to you and let you know what was going on.  And he always treated me great and was somewhat of not only an authorative figure to me but also almost like a father," stated Howerton.  "I left him a message a couple of days ago (Howerton mentioned that after Skip's collapse at Knoxville on September 8 that they had just flown him back to the Cleveland area early last week after he had been bed-ridden and held at a Des Moines hospital just 40 or so miles out of Knoxville.)  I had wanted to try and get him fired up about not only our thing, but his with Rob Pearson and even before with Luke Gough in the seat, and kind of press him for some info on the engine work." 

Eaken had done all of the motor work in both of Howerton's rockets, and had most recently just before the Sacto Mile taken down the motor in the #1 bike while he was rebuilding one of the #62 motors just to check it out.  According to Howerton and team stooge/best friend and team member, Jeff Gordon (Speedway Engine Developments), Gordon had just flown over to pick the motor back up just before leaving for Sacramento, and after the Springfield Mile I in late May where the new wonder made it's debut to a fine 3rd-place finish and the win in the Dash for Cash event with rider Smith in the seat, the motor didn't have a mark on it after running the weekend's events.  That is a testament to the durability of the Kawi 650R-based parallel twin as much as it is to Eaken's ability to build a solid mount.

"He really made me feel good after that first race," continued Rocket Ricky.  "A couple of days after I was kind of down on myself (like Howerton too-often gets after not ending an event at the top of the box, taking the load of responsibility onto his shoulders like any team owner and builder would), and Skip called me and told me we really did a great job, and that he was really proud of me.  That really made me feel good hearing it from him after having looked up to him for so long.  Now we're just going to have to go out to Santa Rosa and win this one for Skip and Linda (Eaken's wife)."

In the shot above, Eaken can be seen conversing with team owner Howerton and Jeff Gordon in the Howerton Motorsports pit area at round 10 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Lucas Oil Indy Mile.  This was the event just prior to Knoxville, that was held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on August 18. 

The first-year variation of the rocket Kawasaki that Rick Howerton started as his dream racer project in late 2010 poses along with it's rider, motor man and builder at the Springfield Mile I round on May 29, 2011.

Australian Luke Gough #62 was tasked with breaking in the new machine during the 2011 season, and was starting to get some solid top-10 results and even scored a 4th-place finish on the bike last year as well.  Motor master to the stars Skip Eaken (center) can be seen smiling over another one of his fine-tuned pieces, and master builder Rick Howerton also glows over the scene the machine started to create last season, and the scene stealing it would lead to in the 2012 season.

Of note, Eaken could and would come off at times as a little gruff, but bottom line the man was focused on his art, that of building the best, most solid and fastest machines around.  So to get a picture of him smiling, in itself, is golden.  I hope Rick, Luke and Skip upstairs will appreciate this one.

And to that I say, RIP Skip Eaken, one of the best in the business, those upstairs with you like the late Ricky Graham will surely have some fun and fast times with you again and now, and are surely blessed to have you up there with them.

God Bless big man, and thanks for all the memories that I will cherish always, and forever!

AMA Flat Track: Crosley Radio-Howerton Motorsports' Bryan Smith Wows the Crowd at Springfield Mile II

When the green flag finally flew after a two week delay on round 13 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season at the Springfield Mile II, the fans on-hand got one heckuva show from the great stars of The Rolling Thunder Show as a battle royale hit the track and for the second time this season the rocket fast prototype Kawasaki of Bryan Smith was crossing the finish line ahead of the competition and leaving them in the dust.

Smith, who led a race-high 20 laps at the stripe during the 25-lap National main, took until lap 6 to get to the front and keep it there on the #42 Crosley Radio/Howerton Motorsports powered by Eaken Racing Kawasaki/Midwest Performance Hardware/Gut Wear-sponsored mount as he battled to work his way from a sixth-place start off the start of the race.  But once he got there, there was no doubt who had control throughout the day's final as he kept it there and took the second win of the season for the new team.

With 2nd-place going to Sammy Halbert on his #7 The South Ass/South East H-D/Mo Vaughn Transport/LZ Racing-sponsored XR750, the Slammer kept himself in the title hunt with three races remaining in the season on the west coast  In the run to the white flag above, Sammy gives it his all to stay glued to the Howerton Kawi in hopes of trying to pull out and draft by in the final corner.

Willie McCoy, the defending double-winner at Springfield, made the trip again to Springfield to try and add to his two stellar wins on the mile oval, but slipped to 7th on the last lap on his #59 Harley-Davidson of Wausau/Independence H-D/Tucker Rocky/Arai-backed XR, and finished just behind 6th-place finisher Kenny Coolbeth, Jr. on the Harley factory #2 XR750.

Jake Johnson, who led the 'best of the rest' with four laps on the day on the #1 Zanotti Racing/Schaeffer's H-D/Boughner Racing/Arai-backed XR and also fell back on the last lap to finish 5th on the day, and keep within sight and 12 points of overall leader Jared Mees.  Mees kept up his run of solid results this season by rounding out the podium on the #9 Rogers Racing/Blue Springs H-D/Saddlemen/National Cycle-sponsored and Brent Armbruster-tuned XR and ended the day .263 seconds behind winner Smith, and also led the remaining lap at the start/finish line during the National main.  JD Beach brought the #95 USC Kawasaki home in 4th-place for a great run in his weekend off from his road racing duties in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Series.  Beach will head to Homestead-Miami Speedway this coming weekend to race in the penultimate round of the 2012 season.

The Smith-Howerton Kawasaki wasn't the only 'Mean Green' machine to run up front throughout the day, and for the first time in memory Kawasakis won all of the heat races, the Dash and one of the semis.  Beach got the fastest heat race win, while Smith and Werner-Springsteen Racing's Brandon Robinson #44 took the others, and BRob44's team mate, Stevie Bonsey again took the #80 mount home to a win in his semi race.  Jeffrey Carver, Jr. on the #23 Kiesow Racing XR was the only non-Japanese import to win a race during the day.  And to paraphrase Yve Assad-Fulford (one of THE great shooters from The Fast and Dirty.com) it really does look like Bill Werner and Jay Springsteen have found a great pair of riders to make a big difference on the team's overall efforts this season.  Great job from those guys without a doubt!

The whole Howerton Motorsports team gets in on the after-celebrations on the podium at the Springfield Mile II on Sunday, September 16, minus Bryan's Dad Barry (who we should note may not seem as involved with the super team effort that Rick and Company bring to the mile events this season, but that doesn't mean his input to the team isn't invaluable.  You never overlook what that man has to say with all of the great efforts and wins he has been a part of over Bryan's career!)

Some of the team and family members on-hand for the big celebration after round 13 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season include team wrench Dink (glasses, left side), Bryan, Jeff Gordon (behind Smith), Rick and his lovely wife, Colleen Dallenbach-Howerton, Donnie, and Rick and Colleem's boys.

Just a note--to those of you that follow or have followed either Indy cars or NASCAR over the years, the name Dallenbach may ring a few bells.  Colleen's father, Wally, Sr. raced for many a team owner back in the '60s and '70s in the Indy 500, but most notably the Andy Granatelli team that also included the late Swede Savage, Mario Andretti and many others high-profile open wheel racers.  Her brother, Wally, Jr. has raced for, among others, Hendrick Motorsports, and now is involved in the broadcast booth with TNT's coverage of the NASCAR races.  Both father and son have taken part in many events at the Pikes Peak Hillclimb as well.

So Rocket Rick not only has 'go fast' in his own blood, but he married into it as well.  Racing runs pretty darn deep in this family, so you know they're going to be hard to beat just about anywhere.  They were impossible to beat yesterday with Bryan twisting every ounce of juice out of the Eaken Racing Kawasaki powerplant at the Illinois State Fairgrounds mile oval.

Ten feet from the checkered flag, the difference between 1st-place finisher Bryan Smith #42 and runner-up Sammy Halbert #7 is about a half a wheel, and the winning margin of victory just .041 seconds as measured at the stripe by the AMA Pro Flat Track transponders and finish line beam.  Sammy stated on the podium that he could get into Flyin' Bryan's draft, but when he fell out of it he would lose his momentum.

You can check out the official press release below thanks to the great Blue Crew at AMA Pro Flat Track, and stay tuned as the week goes on as we will be back with more reviews and highlights of the summer-ending and Midwest-ending events at the Springfield Mile II from yesterday!

Bryan Smith Dominates Springfield Mile II

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (September 16, 2012) - Bryan Smith (Crosley Radio/ Kawasaki) notched his second AMA Pro Flat Track win of the season and looked outstanding the whole way during Sunday's AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and Lucas Oil main event at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Smith got the most out of his Kawasaki today as dominated the straightaways at the legendary Springfield Mile.

"I couldn't have done it without my team, they built one awesome bike, I'm very fortunate to be able to ride for them," Smith said. "I felt going in that I'm the best on mile tracks and I definitely got the best out of my bike today. This was a big win for me."

Smith's resume indicated that he was one of the favorites going in to today's race as he consistently excels at mile-long tracks and today was no exception. The Michigan native claimed the lead on lap 5 and though he had it taken away several times coming out of the turns, he promptly reclaimed it every single time on the back and front stretches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bryan Smith #42 leads Sammy Halbert #7, Jake Johnson #1, Willie McCoy #59 and the rest of the field during the Springfield Mile II, round 13 of the 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com season on September 16.  AMA Pro Flat Track photo by Dave Hoenig.

 

The major threat to Smith's lead came on lap 24 when he slid a little too wide in turn 2 and surrendered it to Sammy Halbert (Southeast Harley-Davidson). Smith dropped back a couple slots on the mishap but it seemed like it was all part of the plan as he slammed the throttle on the back-stretch and crushed all hope of any rider thinking they had a chance.

Halbert, Jake Johnson and Jared Mees (Rogers Racing/ Harley-Davidson) gave Smith a good run but on this day, on this track, it was inevitable that Smith was deemed the victor.
 

Halbert ran an impressive race, maintaining second place almost the whole way and finished just .041 behind Smith. Jared Mees looked sharp finishing in third as JD Beach (USC Kawasaki/ Kawasaki) and Jake Johnson (Zanotti Racing/ Harley-Davidson) rounded out the top five.

AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles

The AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles main was an absolute thriller as Cody Johncox (Sunnyside Cycle/ Yamaha) won by a scant .004 seconds over second-place finisher Zakk Palmer (Western Hills/ Honda). The race was literally up for grabs coming down to the final turn as riders were four wide going down the back stretch. Palmer slammed the throttle on the final stretch and came away with a big win.

"I tried the whole race to get down low, and when I did, I finally got some traction and was able to pull out the win," said Johncox. "This is definitely the biggest win of my career and I'm so happy it came here in Springfield. I really have to thank my sponsors and team, they are a huge reason why I'm standing here today."

It was a tight clean race the whole way up until lap 9 when two riders went down, resulting in a staggered restart. Riders were four-wide for the better half of the remaining laps with several lead changes all the way up until the end. With three laps to go, Stephen Vanderkuur (Parkinson Brothers Racing/ Honda) had the lead and looked as if he might take the win and increase his lead in the point standings but it just wasn't in the cards today as he finished in seventh place.

Michael Bickerton (Hogwrench Racing/ Honda) had one of his best races of his career as he found himself on the podium for a third place finish. Cole Anderson (Diesel Minnesota/ Honda) and Jason Isennock (High Dairy Stores/ Honda) finished in fourth and fifth places, respectively, to round out the top five.

Next Up

The stars of AMA Pro Flat Track head west to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, Calif. for the Santa Rosa Mile, scheduled for September 30, 2012. For tickets, please visit http://www.showclix.com/events/12165.

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. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.  For additional information contact: AMA Pro Racing Communications, (386) 492-1014, communications@amaproracing.com