Franks Biker News July 23rd archive

MetroRacing.com backs dirt-track racing at the AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is pleased to welcome MetroRacing.com's support of the dirt-track races at the inaugural AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships, which takes place Friday, July 24, in Ashland, Ohio, as part of AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.

The AMA Racing Vintage Dirt Track Grand Championship, presented by MetroRacing.com, will crown AMA Racing National Vintage Champions on the Ashland County Fairgrounds half-mile. Dirt-track racers also will accumulate points toward one of the weekend's highest honors: The AMA Track Racing Vintage Grand Championship, which will be won by the rider with the highest cumulative point total in dirt-track and road-racing events.

"With their period gear and T-shirts, MetroRacing.com not only sells some of the coolest threads in the industry, but they are one of vintage motorcycling's staunchest supporters," said AMA Director of Racing Joe Bromley. "They are a perfect fit for the first-ever AMA Racing Vintage Dirt Track Grand Championships, presented by MetroRacing.com."

MetroRacing.com Owner Don Miller said he has been a motorcycle enthusiast as long as he can remember and, in fact, counts as one of his greatest memories, "hanging over the fence at an AMA flat-track race in Delaware as Kenny Roberts sprayed dirt all over us through Turn 1."

Miller said that he is a long-time supporter of vintage racing, whether through his business or as a racer himself.

"After riding motorcycles my whole life, I started vintage racing in district events, and I've been hooked ever since," Miller said. "I love vintage racing and vintage motorcycles. It's easy to explain to a motorcycle person how cool it is to hang around with Don Castro, but to non-riders I just say it's like having Reggie Jackson come to your house to play catch."

Miller was excited when he heard about the inaugural AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships.

"It's perfect that the AMA is going back to its roots with vintage racing," Miller said. "The AMA's history goes way back, whether it's gypsy tours, protecting riders' rights or competition, the AMA is everything motorcycles. There's nothing more fun than racing on period-correct machines. Everyone is out to have fun racing, and it's just a big party afterward. I've met some of the greatest people in the world racing vintage motorcycles."

The AMA Racing Vintage Dirt Track Grand Championships, presented by MetroRacing.com, are part of the AMA Racing Vintage Grand Championships, which also feature competition in motocross, trials, hare scrambles and road racing, all of which will go down at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington this weekend, July 24-26.

The dirt-track program will start Friday evening a short drive north on I-71 in Ashland at the Ashland County Fairgrounds. Gates will open at 4 p.m. Box seats can be reserved by calling (419) 289-0466. General admission tickets also are available for $15 per adult. Senior tickets are $10 and kids 12 and under get in free.

Directions and additional schedule information are available at AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.com.

About AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days
AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, all proceeds of which go to support the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, includes national-championship vintage racing, North America's largest motorcycle swap meet, bike shows, demo rides of current production bikes, motorcycling seminars, stunt shows, the new product Manufacturers' Midway and club corrals featuring marque and regional clubs, and the Federal/Allied AMA Used Bike Corral. The Marque of the Year for 2009 is BSA, whose bikes became synonymous with racing in the United States when the brand swept the top five positions at the Daytona 200 in 1954. The Classic Clubs this year will be the Sandcast Only Owner's Club (SOOC), and the International CBX Owners Association.

About the American Motorcyclist Association
Since 1924, the AMA has protected the future of motorcycling and promoted the motorcycle lifestyle. AMA members come from all walks of life, and they navigate many different routes on their journey to the same destination: freedom on two wheels. As the world's largest motorcycling organization, the AMA advocates for motorcyclists' interests in the halls of local, state and federal government, the committees of international governing organizations, and the court of public opinion. Through member clubs, promoters and partners, the AMA sanctions more motorsports competition and motorcycle recreational events than any other organization in the world. AMA members receive money-saving discounts from dozens of well-known suppliers of motorcycle services, gear and apparel, bike rental, transport, hotel stays and more. Through its Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, the AMA preserves the heritage of motorcycling for future generations.

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Bikers bought shampoo to clean residue - Winnipeg Sun - Apparently, in the biker world, Head and Shoulders shampoo isn't just for dandruff.
On the way back to Winnipeg in the hours after a bloody night on Wayne Kellestine's farm, the Manitoba chapter of the Bandido motorcycle club needed to stop at a Barrie Wal-Mart for supplies.
Dwight Mushey, one of the six men who has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of first degree murder, picked up a bottle of Head and Shoulders.
"Dwight said it's good for removing g.s.r," said M.H., a former Winnipeg Bandido who is the star witness at the Bandidos trial. "That's gunshot residue," M.H. explained.
On his fifth day in the witness box, M.H., 40, described the trip back to Winnipeg and his hooking-up with police investigators in the aftermath of the biggest mass slaying in modern Ontario history.
The jury also heard conversations between the bikers recorded during police telephone intercepts and while M.H. was wearing a body pack.
M.H. said he and Mushey, 41, Marcelo Aravena, 33 and Michael Sandham, 31, left Kellestine's farm in Sandham's red GMC Jimmy the morning of April 8, 2006 after the eight men's bodies had been driven off the property and left on a quiet rural road.
They needed to stop at the Wal-Mart because Aravena and Sandham had no footwear -- theirs had been burned in the Kellestine fire pit after the bodies had been disposed.
Along with the Head and Shoulders, they picked up some chips, pop, Cheesies, a couple pairs of sandals and razors. They stopped for gas and continued on their journey.
No one discussed what had happened hours earlier, even though the radio was on in the SUV.
The four men went on to a truck stop in the same community -- later identified as the Cobalt Truck Stop -- where they each had a shower, and Sandham and Mushey shaved off their facial hair .
The four men slept four hours in the Jimmy. Once over the Manitoba-Ontario border, they concocted their alibi -- they would say they left Ontario on Friday before the shootings and arrived in Winnipeg on Saturday night.
But within a day or two of returning to Winnipeg, M.H. called Winnipeg police officer Tim Diack.
At first, M.H. said, he was not truthful and stuck to the cover story. In subsequent meetings with Diack, M.H. told him more. Then Diack took him to a hotel room where he told his story to two Ontario police officers. He drew sketches of the area and the farm and his statement was videotaped.
M.H. explained he entered into an agreement with the Ontario attorney-general promising to tell the truth, co-operate and provide DNA and fingerprints. In exchange he was granted immunity.
M.H. said it was Diack who spoke of $750,000 in the negotiations. But in the end, M.H. said the agreement was made for no money.
After M.H. contacted police, the Winnipeg Bandidos continued on, although there were not as many "church meetings."
But there were some discussions about what happened in Ontario.
In the weeks after the shootings, M.H. had some gall bladder problems. He was taken to the emergency room of a Winnipeg hospital where Mushey and Aravena visited him. And it was there Mushey talked about victim Jamie Flanz, and how the last man to die at the Kellestine property looked before "he went to finish him off."
Mushey said Flanz's eyes were "big and how Jamie was trying to say something," M.H. recalled. Then Mushey laughed "like it was a joke or something."
Aravena, M.H. said, talked about how scared he was that night. Mushey kidded him, saying Aravena said "If you have to shoot me, don't shoot me in my pretty face" when they were driving the bodies away from the farm.
The trial continues today. 

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Police hunt bikie who knocked out bouncer - NEWS.com.au - DETECTIVES are hunting a man - believed to be a Rebels bikie - who they say violently attacked a bouncer and threw a bar stool and beer bottle at patrons of a Scarborough pub.
The crowd controller was knocked unconscious as he attempted to break up a fight at the Stamford Arms at 2.30pm on Sunday, police said.
Several pubgoers had been drinking and singing at the bar when the Rebels member aggressively told them to stop singing, before throwing a bar stool towards them.
It hit the edge of the bar and rebounded into one of the patrons, causing a minor head injury.
Police said a 42-year-old crowd controller, who witnessed the incident, was then punched in the face and knocked unconscious as he attempted to intervene and speak to the attacker.
The bikie then picked up a full stubby of beer and threw it at the other group before other men with him ushered him out of the pub.
Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Post, from the anti-bikie taskforce Operation Jupiter, said police investigating the incident believed the man is an interstate Rebels member, possibly from New South Wales.
``This is a vicious and unprovoked attack on patrons and staff at the hotel,'' Sgt Post told PerthNow this afternoon.
``Nothing would justify that kind of violent reaction.
``We would like to hear from anyone who can assist us to confirm the identity or to let us know about this person's whereabouts, or any other witnesses present at the hotel at the time.
``They can always contact police anonymously and confidentially through CrimeStoppers.''
Police today released photographs of a man they wish to question over the incident, and his associates, in the hope that people will come forward with information about his identity and current whereabouts.
He is described as being about 190cm tall, of solid build and possibly of Pacific Islander descent.
At the time of the attack he was wearing a Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang jumper with RFFR (Rebels Forever, Forever Rebels) emblazoned across the front.
Anyone with information can call CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000. 

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Former Dunstable man killed in road crash - Dunstabke Today - A former Dunstable resident died after suffering serious injuries in a crash in St Albans.
Derek Hayward, 38, formerly of Cheyne Close, Dunstable, was involved in a crash in Harpenden Road on June 23, and died on July 6.
Mr Hayward, of Rye Close, Harpenden, was riding a Suzuki motorcycle which was in collision with a Nissan Qashqai at the junction of Harpenden Road and Green Lane.
He was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital by air ambulance immediately after the accident.
His funeral was held on Friday. 

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Elite riders enjoy first look at Thunderbolt - Vineland Daily Journal - MILLVILLE -- Elite motorcycle racing made its New Jersey Motorsports Park debut Tuesday and, despite a rain-slowed morning, plenty of feedback was provided.
The top riders from the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) Pro Racing series got their first glimpses of Thunderbolt Raceway in the form of a two-day test session in preparation for the group's return for an official race Sept. 4-6. The riders will also be testing at the track today from about 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. and admission is free.
Rain and damp conditions kept the track quiet for most of the morning, but the afternoon session saw just about every bike take laps, allowing riders to finally taste their series' newest stop.
"I think the track is a whole lot of fun," said Josh Hayes, a Yamaha rider in the Superbike class.
Hayes wasn't alone in praising the track.
"I has a really nice flow to it," said Neil Hodgson, a Honda rider in the Superbike class and former British and World Superbike champion. Hodgson said the track has a distinct European feel.
"A lot of tracks in America, they have a lot of tight chicanes to slow everyone down and it ruins the flow of the track."
There was some concern expressed over safety issues about the track, but nothing major enough to keep riders from taking test runs. Superbike class Ducati rider Larry Pegram was concerned about how close the walls are to the track, especially with without any gravel traps to help stop riders from hitting the tire barriers in the event of a crash.
"They just need to get some gravel traps added and get some (barriers) moved back and we'll be in good shape," Pegram said. "I think it's a good layout. It's going to make for some good racing. There's some places to pass."
Aaron Gobert, a Superbike class rider on an Aprilia, agreed with Pegram about the location of the fencing.
"It seems like the fence is a long way away from the edge of the racetrack," Gobert said. "But it's a long way away in the slow turns, but it's really not that far in the fast turns."

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Biker died in my arms, says Weymouth mum - Dorset Echo - A DISTRAUGHT mum has told how she cradled a biker in her arms as he lay dying on the road.
Aaron Spring, 26, of Weymouth, died when he crashed his Honda motorcycle into a wall in Chickerell Road close to the Admiral Hardy pub.
An off-duty fireman found him outside his house and was helped by Miss Crowley, who lived across the road as he gave first aid But Mr Spring was confirmed dead at the scene by ambulance men.
Miss Crowley was at home making her Sunday lunch with her daughter and her friends when she heard a bang outside her home in Chickerell Road.
She joined the off duty fireman as he tried to save Mr Spring’s life.
Miss Crowley said the fireman could not find a pulse and they felt no heartbeat but she found a faint pulse and spoke to Mr Spring as she lay next to him.
She said: “I was making the Sunday lunch when I heard the bang. I looked out of the window and dropped what was in my hands and screamed at the kids to call an ambulance.
“I didn’t look twice I just ran across the road with no shoes on.
“I ran over and laid down beside him.”
Miss Crowley said Mr Spring’s helmet came off during the crash and the piece of wall that he hit was knocked across the pavement and in front of the next house.
She said: “I kept talking to him but he wasn’t conscious.
“The off-duty fireman could not find a pulse but I found a slight pulse in his arm.
“He was getting cold so I was screaming ‘get an ambulance.’ “And I was holding his hand and cuddling him with blankets around him.
“He had probably already died but that faint pulse must have been the last running around his body.
“We checked for a heartbeat but could not find one at all.”
“I’ll never forget his eyes."
Miss Crowley – whose son Thomas, 11, is still recovering the use of his legs after coming off his bicycle – said she has agonised for the family since the man’s death.
She said: “My heart has actually broken for that poor kid’s mum.
“To think of anybody getting that knock is the most horrible thing and he is only a kid.
“He really is only a kid.”
Miss Crolley’s daughter Mary Ann Crowley, 13, was at home with her mum and friends Amy Biddle, 13 and Chantelle Jackson, 14.
Mary Ann said: “We went outside and he was just lying there.
“It was horrible.” 

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Bulldog bash wins battle to ban festival - BirminghamMail.net - A Stratford-on-Avon council committee has decided not to revoke the licence of one of Europe's largest biker festivals despite police fears of violence at the event.
The district council licensing committee said it had been presented with no evidence that the Bulldog Bash was "anything other than a well-managed public event" organised by law-abiding individuals.
Warwickshire's Assistant Chief Constable, Bill Holland, had asked the panel to consider revoking or altering the licence of the festival amid police fears that the intense rivalry between the Hells Angels and the Outlaws may lead to violence.
Held for the past 18 years at Long Marston, the Bulldog Bash was granted a 10-year licence to operate by the council in May last year.
But Warwickshire Police sought a further review of the event's licence, claiming tensions between the two gangs following the jailing of seven men for rioting at Birmingham International Airport poses a "serious risk" to innocent members of the public.
In submissions to the panel, counsel for the force, Simon Walsh, said: "Events that have taken place since that hearing mean that the risk, as far as the police are concerned, has increased."
The Bulldog Bash attracts tens of thousands of bikers and music fans each year and police acknowledge only a very small minority of those present pose a risk of violence.
Michael Bromley-Martin QC, representing the organisers of the event, said: "There is nothing in the history of the Bulldog Bash which suggests that the risk of violence is any greater there than anywhere else."
The Bulldog Bash hit the headlines in August 2007 when Hells Angel Gerry Tobin was killed on the M40 as he returned home from the festival.
A spokesman for the event, who asked to be named only as Bilbo, said outside the council offices: "We are not organised crime - we are just a bunch of guys who like riding our bikes."

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Cops investigate motorcycle fatality - Canada.com - A 52-year-old Comox woman died Saturday after crashing her motorcycle on the Pacific Circle Route between Port Renfrew and Mesachie Lake.
Police were called to an area of Old Hillcrest Road -- about 3.3 kilometres southeast of Mesachie Lake -- at about 4:30 p.m.
Police said Veronika Lebar had been riding with another motorcyclist but when the lead rider reached Mesachie Lake, it became clear that Lebar was no longer following.
The lead rider backtracked and eventually found that Lebar's bike had left the paved portion of the roadway and struck an embankment on the right hand side of the road at a small bridge, police said.
Passersby who stopped and performed CPR were unsuccessful but ambulance crews raced her to Cowichan District Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Police are still investigating the crash.

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Family, friends mourn Bethel motorcyclist killed in Danbury - Danbury News Times - DANBURY -- Jesse Woodward had girlfriends and liked his job, but the thing he enjoyed most was riding his motorcycle.
"He loved to ride," his brother, Rich, said Tuesday. "It was his favorite thing in the world."
The 23-year-old Bethel man was riding his 1999 Yamaha to work Monday morning when an oncoming van made a left turn into his path on Federal Road.
His younger brother never had a chance, Rich Woodward said. Jesse Woodward died at Danbury Hospital several hours after the 8:59 a.m. accident.
"He was wearing a helmet, leather jacket, boots, everything. He had no time to stop," Rich Woodward said.
Woodward, who lived on Granite Drive in Bethel with his brother and their mother, Jackie, was born in San Diego and lived with his family in Darien before moving to Bethel about a year ago.
For the past six months, he'd been working at Harley-Davidson/Buell of Danbury on Federal Road, less than a half-mile from where the accident happened.
"He wasn't with us that long, but he was a good fit," said service manager Bob Carey. "He was a good worker, amiable, and everybody liked him. He never hesitated when somebody asked him to do something."
Carey said another employee passed the accident on his way to work and told the manager about it when he arrived.
Some of his co-workers went to the hospital to be with the Woodward family, Carey said.
Police identified the driver of the van as Scott Rawlings, 48, of
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Pocono Ridge Road, Brookfield. Woodward was headed south and Rawlings was driving north when the van made a left turn near Mitchell Oil.
No charges have been filed, and the accident remains under investigation, police said.
"He was a free, care-giving guy. He didn't let too much bother him," Rich Woodward said. "And he had friends all over the place."

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Family, friends mourn Bethel motorcyclist killed in Danbury - Danbury News Times - DANBURY -- Jesse Woodward had girlfriends and liked his job, but the thing he enjoyed most was riding his motorcycle.
"He loved to ride," his brother, Rich, said Tuesday. "It was his favorite thing in the world."
The 23-year-old Bethel man was riding his 1999 Yamaha to work Monday morning when an oncoming van made a left turn into his path on Federal Road.
His younger brother never had a chance, Rich Woodward said. Jesse Woodward died at Danbury Hospital several hours after the 8:59 a.m. accident.
"He was wearing a helmet, leather jacket, boots, everything. He had no time to stop," Rich Woodward said.
Woodward, who lived on Granite Drive in Bethel with his brother and their mother, Jackie, was born in San Diego and lived with his family in Darien before moving to Bethel about a year ago.
For the past six months, he'd been working at Harley-Davidson/Buell of Danbury on Federal Road, less than a half-mile from where the accident happened.
"He wasn't with us that long, but he was a good fit," said service manager Bob Carey. "He was a good worker, amiable, and everybody liked him. He never hesitated when somebody asked him to do something."
Carey said another employee passed the accident on his way to work and told the manager about it when he arrived.
Some of his co-workers went to the hospital to be with the Woodward family, Carey said.
Police identified the driver of the van as Scott Rawlings, 48, of
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Pocono Ridge Road, Brookfield. Woodward was headed south and Rawlings was driving north when the van made a left turn near Mitchell Oil.
No charges have been filed, and the accident remains under investigation, police said.
"He was a free, care-giving guy. He didn't let too much bother him," Rich Woodward said. "And he had friends all over the place."

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Hogs, leather and toys roars through valley - Victoria Star - With the sound of thunder rolling down the St. John River Valley Saturday afternoon, patients and staff at the Upper River Valley Hospital were not steering away from windows with a threat of lightening.
Hospital cribs were overflowing with toys delivered on the annual Toy Run.
Click to Enlarge
Photo by Devon Judge
Toy Run participants arrive at the Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville.
Carleton County Toy Run president Bruce Vail leads Saturday's bike parade from Centreville to the Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville.
Instead, with just a light mist of rain in the air, the windows were lined with watchful eyes as the 19th annual Carleton County Toy Run made its first-ever stop at the Waterville facility.
Around 150 motorbikes in all shapes, colours and sizes roared through the area on the annual run for local children.
This year's Toy Run began as usual at the Centreville Community School, but for the first time was a focal point of the village's Summerfest activities.
With events going on around the school property, the Toy Run took centre stage at 1 p.m. as bikers guided their bikes decorated with toys down Route 110. The run continued through Florenceville-Bristol, on down to Hartland where it crossed the World's Longest Covered Bridge, and on to the Waterville hospital.
Staff from the hospital greeted the bikers, accepting generous donations along the way.
"We are quite pleased you have chosen to come here this year," Dean Cummings, executive director of the Upper River Valley Hospital, told the Toy Run participants as they gathered in front of the facility.
"We are quite pleased with what this association has done here for hospitals in the Upper River Valley over the years."
In addition to the cribs full of toys, the Carleton County Toy Run was also raising funds and gathering donations in support of pediatric health care in the Upper River Valley. In past years, the monies raised from the annual event have been divided amongst area hospitals, along with Sanctuary House in Woodstock.
"Each year we receive generous donations," Cummings said. "If it wasn't for this group here ... we wouldn't have the extras, like the toys in the crib ... and the equipment we can buy. I want to express sincere appreciation to all of you."
The annual Toy Run began unofficially on Friday night, as nearly 600 people gathered in anticipation at the Juniper Rec Centre.
Following Saturday's run, the Rec Centre was again the place to be for the Adult Party, which included motorcycle games and bands throughout the night. "Although we got some damp weather, it didn't dampen anybody's spirits," said Toy Run president Bruce Vail.
"Everybody is still enthusiastic. They say everybody can have fun in good weather, but bikers can have fun in the rain."
Bikers and their riders converged on Carleton County from throughout the province, N.S., P.E.I., Maine and Alberta. An annual B.C. participant was unable to take part this year.
"This is like a family reunion for us, we get to see friends we do not see over the winter months," Vail said.
"Everybody is having a good time and we are raising what we can for the children and the people of this community."

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Man dies in motorcycle accident on US 219 - Beckley Register-Herald - A South Carolina man died Monday evening following a motorcycle accident in Greenbrier County.
According to Sheriff James Childers, the accident happened around 5 p.m. on U.S. 219, just south of Coffman Hill Road.
Lowell Burnett, 65, of Florence, S.C., was traveling north when his motorcycle ran off the road onto a gravel shoulder. Deputies say Burnett lost control and struck the guardrail.
Burnett was transported to Greenbrier Valley Medical Center for injuries and was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m. 

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Couple avoids serious injuries in motorcycle crash - The Herald-Mail - FALLING WATERS, W.Va. — A Rhode Island couple avoided serious injuries Tuesday afternoon in a motorcycle crash on Interstate 81 in northern Berkeley County, police said.
Bernard and Gale Mansuetti of Wakefield, R.I., were returning home from a KOA campground in Lexington, Va., when Bernard Mansuetti lost control of the BMW he was operating between the highway’s 23rd and 24th mile markers, according to Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Ron Gardner.
“Protective clothing saved them,” Gardner said.
Gale Mansuetti, 50, was taken to Washington County Hospital for treatment of wrist and ankle injuries, Gardner said.
Her husband was not injured after he lost control while attempting to change lanes where road construction crews had removed pavement from one of the lanes, Gardner said.
The accident was reported at 12:38 p.m., and the northbound lanes of I-81 were closed for 30 to 40 minutes, Gardner said.
No one was cited in the accident, Gardner said.