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ESTOK NIPS BEMISDERFER FOR DAYTONA THUNDERBIKE WIN–DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 29, 2004) – Harding Harley-Davidson rider Dave Estok rode a Buell Firebolt to a photo-finish victory in the opening round of the 2004 Formula USA Thunderbike series at Daytona International Speedway here today.
Estok, the reigning Thunderbike champion, crossed the finish line just .069 seconds ahead of his teammate Bryan Bemisderfer, also aboard a Buell Firebolt, after the pair battled throughout the final six laps of the nine-lap race. Kosco Harley-Davidson/Buell rider Joe Rozynski rode a Buell to claim the third podium position. Baton Rouge Harley-Davidson/Buell rider Kurt Miller rode a Buell Firebolt to fourth place, edging Brian Parriott on a BMW R 1100 S.
It was a triumphant conclusion to a difficult weekend for Estok, who joined the Harding team just two weeks ago and struggled though practice and qualifying with mechanical and set-up problems with the new motorcycles. ?We had a lot of bad luck this weekend, and I just want to thank this Harding team for working so hard on the bikes,? said Estok. ?This is a great win considering we had very little track time before the race.?
Bemisderfer took the lead in the race on lap three after Hal?s Harley-Davidson/Buell rider Dan Bilansky crashed in the dog-leg section of the course. Estok quickly passed Bemisderfer on the high-speed oval portion of the course, but Bemisderfer was faster than Estok through the tight infield section of the track. The two drafted together on the oval and pulled away from the pack, setting up a final dash for the finish line. Bemisderfer set up for a classic Daytona drafting pass and ran very low on the track apron coming out of the last turn.
?I tried to go down low to cut Brian off, but I could see that his bike was really loose down there and gave him plenty of room,? said Estok. ?As it turned out I had just enough left to hold on for the win.?
Bemisderfer, who is over six feet tall and thus aerodynamically challenged at high-speed tracks like Daytona, was happy to come away with second-place points to start the season. ?I?m racing for tractor money this year,? said Bemisderfer, who recently bought a small farm near his home in Greencastle, Pa. ?It?s not so bad to lose to Dave when he?s on your team. He?s going to be my biggest challenger for the championship this season.?
Daytona Harley-Davidson/Milwaukee Harley-Davidson rider Richie Morris took the Thunderbike pole aboard his Buell Firebolt with a fast lap of 2:03:537 in very windy conditions for qualifying on Saturday. Morris led the first lap of the race on Sunday, but dropped out with a mechanical problem on the second lap.
The next stop on the eight-race Formula USA schedule is April 23-25 at Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.
The Formula USA Thunderbike class is open to a variety of production-based motorcycles. Buell-mounted riders competing in the eight-event 2004 Thunderbike series are racing for a share of the $70,500 contingency fund posted by Buell Motorcycle Company.
THE STEALTH REPORT–It seems that lately there is a growing trend of excuses from guys as to why they can’t have a bike, can’t buy that new part or get that new paint job to name a few. These are four excuses that I hear day in and day out.
The first is “My wife would kill me if she ever found out that I bought a bike.” This is about as weak as you can get. There was one guy who got a bike and as soon as he left the store went and got a storage unit to keep the bike in because he was afraid to take it home. This is a true story! This has gone on for 18 months. This guy needed a new wife more than a new bike! If he was that afraid of her, I am sure he really didn’t have the balls to ride. I haven’t seen him lately. I wonder if I should check the missing persons list at the police station? Maybe she did kill him?
The next one is “I would really like that to have that part, but my girlfriend won’t let me spend that much money.” How lame is this? There are no legal ties and she controls what you spend after you work for it! Grow some balls! Maybe you really don’t need that new part because you would probably have to ask “Is it okay if I put this on my bike?” and I know you would not want to start anargument over this!
The next one is “I would really like to have a bike, but I just can’t afford it.” Let’s take a minute to examine this one. The same guy who whines about not being able to afford the bike can’t wait until Friday and Saturday night rolls around so he can lay $100 down on his bar tab. Let’s do the math here, $100 every weekend, 4 weekends per month, so $100 X 4 weekends = $400.00! That $400.00 would make a nice bike payment or save it and build your own bike. So in this case you just didn’t want that bike bad enough to make a sacrifice, did you?
The last one I hear is “I gotta get rid of my bike, I am getting a divorce.” I have never understood this one. Are you divorcing your wife or the bike? I don’t think it is written anywhere that you have to automatically get rid of your bike because you are getting a divorce. Yeah it is tough and you may have to give up some other things, but dammit, the bike is the last thing you give up! Work a second job for awhile, do what it takes. To me my bike is part of my soul and a part of who I am. and I would never sell my soul. Get tough and find a way to hold onto your bike. Time will pass and the divorce will be over and you will still have your bike. You might want to ask me if I have had to deal with this. The answer is yes, two times and I still have my bikes in the garage!
I am sure others of you out there have heard all of this too! I am not saying neglect your responsibilities, all I am saying is hold onto what is close to your heart. Being a biker is about independence and making your own choices and not always having to ask permission to do something.
A lot of the above situations have to do with finding the right woman. and I for one will tell you that can be like looking for a needle in a hay stack. I think that is why “THE MEANEST” and I get along real good. She takes interest in bikes and bikers and is a strong force behind The Sixth Annual Run For Breath “In Memory of Justin Pullin.” She understands how I feel about being a biker and how I feel about my bikes. Don’t get me wrong, she will speak her mind when she feels the need to, but I like that about her. I respect her for that, and I respect her opinions.
So I guess that is enough on this and I will close this out with an old saying that goes like this, “Each of us holds the key to unlock our own chains.” You just have to have the courage to put the key in the lock and open it!
See you down the road!
–Mike (THE STEALTH)
But Mr. Stealth, I wanted a V-Rod, but my mom won’t let me have one.–Snake
STURGIS REPORTS ALREADY?–Buffalo chip sturgis rallyMONDAY, AUGUST 9, 2004 ZZ TOP8:15 pm W CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND 9:00 pm TBA 10:10 pm W ROSS & ROTTEN 10:30 pm W ZZ TOP!!!!!!!!!! ZZ TOP ZZ TOP ZZ TOP ZZ TOP ZZ TOP
12:30 am W CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND
TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2004 THE BEACH BOYS
10:00 am K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND 11:00 am K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND Noon K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND 1:00 pm K The Harley Hypnotist10:30 pm W THE BEACH BOYS – THE BEACH BOYS!!!!!!!!!!!! Midnight W Miss Buffalo Chip Semi-Finals12:30 K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2004
5:00 pm K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND 6:00 pm K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND 6:00 pm Championship burnouts @ Dual Competition Burnouts Pits 6:30 pm B The Harley Hypnotist 7:00 pm B Pitchfork Fondue 7:00 pm K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND8:30 pm W REO SPEEDWAGON
THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2004
Noon K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND 1:00 pm K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND 2:00 pm K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND 2:30 pm Weinie Bite Contests + The World’s Longest Happy Hour ($1 dogs & $1 drafts) 3:00 pm K Captain Jack
12:30 am W CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND
FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2004
5:00 pm K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND 6:00 pm Skywalk Dual Competition Burnouts 6:00 pm K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND 6:00 pm B The Harley Hypnotist 7:00 pm B Pitchfork Fondue 7:00 pm K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND
SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2004 GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS
10:00 am K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND 11:00 am K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND Noon K CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND 1:00 pm K The Harley Hypnotist10:30 pm W GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS12:30 am W CHARLIE BRECHTEL BAND
TOMBSTONE HEARSE BUSINESS BOOMS–DAYTONA BEACH — Tombstone Hearse debuted at Bike Week last year by carrying the ashes of Karl “Big Daddy Rat” Smith in a parade down Main Street.
Photos of the glass-walled hearse pulled by a motorcycle trike showed up in biker magazines. Business boomed. This year the founders of Tombstone Hearse returned to Bike Week to discuss franchising opportunities.
Prepaid packages are selling for a flat rate of $899.
In February, Harley Davidson introduced its own wedding collection, everything from silver cake cutters to 14-karat gold karat rings to black leather bow ties and white leather garter belts.
By JIM HAUGBUSINESS WRITER
–from Rogue
WORST PRESIDENT– The following appeared in the Durham, NC local paper as a letter to theeditor. This will put things in perspective:
Liberals claim President Bush shouldn’t have started this war. Theycomplain about his prosecution of it. One liberal recently claimed Bush was the worst president in U.S. history.
Let’s clear up one point: We didn’t start the war on terror. Try toremember, it was started by terrorists on 9/11.
Let’s look at the “worst” presidents and mismanagement claims:
Franklin D. Roosevelt led us into World War II. Germany never attacked us:Japan did. From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost, an average of 112,500 per year.
Truman finished that war and started one in Korea, North Korea neverattacked us. From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost, an average of 18,333 per year.
John F. Kennedy started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam neverattacked us. Johnson turned Vietnam into a quagmire. From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost, an average of 5,800 per year.
Clinton went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent, Bosnia neverattacked us. He was offered Osama bin Laden’s head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attackedus on multiple occasions.
In the two years since terrorists attacked us, President Bush hasliberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Lybia, Iran and North Korea withoutfiring a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people. We lost 600 soldiers, an average of300 a year. Bush did all this abroad while not allowing another terrorist attack at home.
Worst president in history? Come on!
–from Chris T.
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