Category: Racing

Genuine’s “Studly” ICE Race

You may remember our trip to watch some ICE Speedway motorcycle racing last year (a long story loosely centered around “Doc” from the Love Boat. Our main takeaway from that adventure was that anyone who shows up a couple hours early with durable boots, a box of tire studs, and a few hundred bucks will get a chance on the ice.

Genuine Scooter Company and/or Scooterworks apparently saw an excuse for a fun night out/cheap marketing stunt and grabbed it by the horns, staging a race between three 50cc Genuine Buddies and a Roughhouse at the recent ICE races in Danville IL. Hard to say who’s who out there, but we’re betting it’s Ryan Jeffries tearing it up on the Roughhouse. Sadly, the video ends before the race does, but we think the Roughhouse had it sealed up.

Sure looks like fun, and it sounds like the crowd enjoyed it… Plus, if they did enough laps, they may be winning the Cold Weather Challenge.

Here’s another video from a different angle:

Thanks (Which may be Ryan?)

Lambretta in MotoGP 125, WTF?

The provisional 2010 MotoGP 125cc Rider list was released today with two riders, Italians Luis Salom and Marco Ravaioli, representing team “Lambretta Reparto Corse” (“Lambretta Racing Department”) Surely, this is a joke, right? One can name a team whatever one likes, but both have “Lambretta” listed as their bike for the season. Both riders were abandoned by Chinese manufacturer Loncin, I can imagine one of the several entities posing as “Lambretta” these days sponsoring a 125cc GP team, but surely they will not be riding anything resembling a Lambretta, modern or vintage, on the track?

Thanks for the tip, Cy.

Taffspeed Closing

Venerable Welsh parts supplier/tuner Taffspeed Ltd. will close at the end of the month after 27 years of service to the worldwide scooter community. Ian Frankland is scheduled for heart bypass surgery, and his former employees will continue running the shop (and dyno) as “Welsh Scooter Parts.” The Taffspeed name will live on in Frankland’s “Taffspeed Special Products” which will still be available from the new shop.

Thanks for the tip, Matt, and best of luck to Ian and the new shop!

Corazzo behind New USTT Foundation

Our friend and Corazzo owner Bradford Duval stepped down from the presidency of the VCOA a couple months ago (Mike Bobadilla of Vespa Club Los Gatos took his place, btw) but he’s putting his time into another great two-wheeled organization. The new United States Tourist Trophy Foundation is looking to send Alaskan Jimmy Moore to the Isle of Man TT in May/June. The backers of the USTTF feel Moore is the man destined to be the first American on the podium in the races’ history, and they need your help getting him (and his bikes) there. Read more at RoadRacerX.com.

When that’s done, Bradford, Eric Almendral and I need your help getting Silent Ron to Dakar on a Blur 220EFI next winter. Eric and I have a new years’ resolution to make Ron the first American to not kill himself in the desert of South America on a Taiwanese moped.

The Pacific Gears Up For 2010 Scooter Racing

Scooter racing efforts begin to churn for a second successive season in the land of Sasquatch, kind bud and perpetual rain. The organization formerly known as the Pacific North West Scooter Racing Association has begun anew as the Pacific Scooter Racing Association. The name change must be in deference to our Canadian brothers and sisters that are rightfully proud southerners. As a reminder to get going on preparing for post winter scootering, the PSRA has launched a new website to let the world know about their endeavors. So get that race bike prepped and find an old set of leathers. Visit the site and click on the photo in the ‘Forum’ tab (it may not be obvious) to get in touch with other racers in the area.

Team S Equipe

Neville Frost

(Isle of Man) regulations stated that “works” teams weren’t allowed, so the guys formed their own team christened “Team S Equipe.” Unknown at the time was the fact that “Equipe” in French means “Team…”

A must-read account of the Arthur Francis S-Type Lambrettas and the men who raced them, with loads of truly awesome photos and memorabilia.
Continue reading “Team S Equipe”

Polini Cup continues Saturday

Late notice again (sorry!) but check out Polini Cup Moped, Scooter, Pocketbike, Goped and Gokart racing live this Saturday and Sunday on MopedTV. The live coverage from Tom Dash Memorial Speedway, Atwater CA, starts at 1pm local time and features interviews, race coverage, and giveaways from Corazzo. Corazzo’s also offering a free t-shirt with all jacket orders placed on June 6th and 7th, just mention Polini Cup when you order.

Polini Cup LIVE Saturday and Sunday

Probably the U.S.’s most exciting scooter race in years, the Polini Cup is happening tomorrow and Sunday in Tom Dash Speedway in Atwater,CA. This exciting event will feature vintage scooters, modern scooters, mopeds, mini-moto and go-peds and almost slipped past 2sb’s attention until Joshua Griffith from Seattle Mopeds let us know that MopedTV and the 1977 Mopeds Blog will feature live coverage all weekend (with emphasis on Mopeds, of course.) Sounds awesome, sorry to not publish this earlier but aaaaarrrrgggh DSL! and now we’re in Cincinnati for WKRP and I should be drinking right now goodbye. But definitely check it out.