LIKE MY SPONSOR!!!
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Sinful Flesh Clothing Enters Third Year With Team Johnny Killmore

Sinful Flesh Clothing has been a sponsor of my race team since we started doing sidecars in 2009. Head on over to their Facebook page and “like” it, and take a look at some of the designs. We are currently working on doing a limited run design to celebrate our continued sponsorship. The more people that are interested, the more we can end up printing, so cruise over and check it out!

“LIKE” them on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/sinfulfleshclothing

And check out their website as well!

www.sinfulflesh.com

-Johnny K-

Sidecar Videos

Just amassed a few videos from the past season and wanted to share them. One is the official SRA-West 2012 promo (the series I normally race with) which we make several appearances in. Second is a video a stand-in passenger, Nathan Urbanovsky, made from some practice footage on a helmet mounted Go Pro at the Las Vegas Classic Course. Gives a fair I idea of how manic it is as a passenger. The third is the RBK-F1 promotional video, featuring the more high-dollar British Sidecar Championship. Shows just how much they raise the bar over there. I really need to compete over there to get to the next level. Anyway, here we go:

Jay Leno’s Garage Shows Off Sidecars

Pretty cool skit. Bill Becker of Becker Moto Works is the former President, multi-time (and current) SRA-West champion, and a great fabricator. He’s currently working on my own bike actually, widening the rear suspension and installing a more modern shock. His efforts to bring back a vintage class to the west coast is also really cool. I’ve been to the shop and he is building about six different machines with BMW or Yamaha power. Very nice to see them come along. Maybe I can secure a ride for the 2013 season. He has mentioned building a vintage to do the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, which would be super-cool.
One cool anecdote: when Bernard mentions how he tried as passenger for two laps and was exhausted, he was on my bike. We did a taxi-ride session during an April race. Really cool guy. Very enthusiastic about racing, whether 2,3, or 4 wheels.

video

So WSMC is folding, which hosts 3 of our events. We can pick up others, but travel will increase. What will the racers decide?

Stumbling forward in the RIGHT direction, just increases velocity in that direction. It’s still better than standing still, waiting for ones’ funeral to

arrive. Forward is forward, even if it isnt graceful.

Funny Story

I don’t think the link will work without a log-in, so I will just post it. This story is on the blog page for te Patriot Guard Riders, on the website www.motozania.com. The PGR rides to funeral services and other gatherings of soldiers and their families. The group began to counter the Westboro Baptist Church from disturbing the families of soldiers killed in action. The churches famous “God Hates Fags” signs and their loud and angry protests outside military funerals is too much for many to tolerate. Well, a handful of PGR members rode from Colorado to Kansas to protest outside the Westboro Baptist Church, to see how they like it. Hilarity ensues. The Patriot Guard can be found at www.patriotguard.org , and joining is free. You do not have to go on missions- or even own a motorcycle- to join.
Story follows:

For those of you that don’t know about the Westboro Baptist Church they are the ones that are openly protesting and disrupting military funerals and openly saying that our soldiers are killers not heroes.

Charley Barnes and Motorcycle Buddies Go Behind Enemy Lines at Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka Kansas

By: Charley Barnes

I decided when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church months ago that I was going to make a trip to Topeka Kansas and express my right to free speech as well; on their doorstep. True to my word, I made that trip this weekend and let’s just say that we were heard!

My best friends Kenny Oldson and Jay Tamlin, along with Chad Blanco, rode out with me early Saturday morning on a long awaited journey for justice. It was a great day to ride through Kansas ; completely overcast and it was like a sign that what we were about to do was the right thing to do.

OUR ARRIVAL IN TOPEKA
We arrived in Topeka early Saturday evening, set up camp at Forbes Landing RV Park and then went in search of the Westboro Baptist Church to see what was up, how hard it was going to be to even find and how to execute the plan. What was the plan? No idea! But we were there to execute it…

Sunday morning we were up bright and early and back at their complex, parked right at the front door by 6:30am. I rang the buzzer and asked on the intercom what time services were and nothing.

Maybe I’ll try again in a few minutes.

Now, we knew they were there, because the flags were all down Saturday evening when we first got to WBC and now the flags were all up so we knew they were close, but where?

I know, I will ring the doorbell and try the intercom again, darn, nothing!

Would Fred Phelps bring us weary travelers from Colorado donuts and coffee? I hope so…I needed some coffee.

Well, there was no coffee service so I made a trip down to the corner to get some java and some old guys that had passed by earlier as we waved our flags gave me the skinny on their compound. Turns out that every house on that block, with the exception of one, is owned by WBC and all fenced off into one big compound.

Wait, is it the ultimate block party?

It just wreaked of cult all the way around. So, after finding out this information it explained all the looks we got as we walked around the block with our flags earlier waiting for them to get out of bed and face the day; couldn’t figure out why so many were un-american. 4 guys, ultimately turned the entire block into a frenzy by 8:19am.

THINGS TURN UGLY WITH THE WBC

I know your asking yourself if the Topeka Police Department was called so let me answer that now by saying, yes, yes they were.

Three squad cars showed up; I guess one for me, one for Kenny and One for Jay but alas, they were on our side.

Now the guy who called in the complaint {pic included} was impossible to talk to and just plain mean and nasty. NOT what you would you call a man of God by any stretch of the imagination. He and I had been having a heated conversation for the past 1/2 hour and the man never would tell me his name. He must be hiding something but all be darned if I could figure it out.

So Topeka ’s finest arrived and talked with “the man with no name”and assured him that we were more than in the right to walk down the sidewalk with our flags without permits. The ‘man with no name’ got so mad he changed the time of their service to start at 9:30am {it was 9:18am at this point} because you can’t protest or picket within 50 feet while a “church” is in service.

How convenient!

We agreed to leave on our own accord after the police explained to us what our rights were so we just walked the sidewalk for a few minutes and then began to pack up our flags and head down to a park where we knew another group of them were picketing a very well known War Memorial there.

That’s when Cindy came out of her home from across the street and asked if we were getting “run off,” to which we replied, we were, and she offered her lawn and driveway for us to use. So, that’s where we went.

The smile on the face of the ‘man with no name’ was priceless as we saw it slip right off his face.

Another win for team Colorado and still no donuts!

So as we moved across the street the ‘man with no name’ made the Topeka Police department MEASURE the distance. The officer stopped about 10 feet from us and said, with a thumbs up and smile, “You’re Good.”

The ‘man with no name’ behind his wrought iron fence wasn’t smiling anymore…everyone was ushered inside and that was it.

Another win for team Colorado !

You know, I found it very odd that he would not come out and confront me. In the hour he and I were there together, hoping I would punch him so he could sue me but he never did. Strange, I invited him to do so and even promised I would NOT call the police.

MORE FLAG WAVING – STAGE II

Time now for stage II and head to the park for more flag waving!

We thanked Cindy for her kind gesture and cold ice water then gave her one of our personal big flags we had been waving and we were on our way to 10th and Gage.

Sure enough, there were about 20 of these cult members on the busy corner spewing their nonsense so we parked the bikes behind them in the parking lot, assembled our flags and walked through the park to join them on the corner; shoulder to shoulder. I am going to be honest and say I openly wept on that corner Sunday at the outpouring of cheers and car honks we got in the very short time we were there.

They didn’t like us very much there either and we were constantly filmed, especially me, as Fred’s daughter actually followed me around! At one point I stopped right in front of her so my flag draped right down across her camera. It was obvious, very quickly, that we were not going away as I stood on that corner {pic included} and whistled “God Bless America ” and the “Star Spangled Banner.”

They finally got so upset that they left in a dash for the parking lot; all this taking place in less than 10 minutes. We left with them to make sure they were leaving and followed them directly through the park, to the parking lot and their vehicles all the time waving goodbye. Can’t even tell you how good that made us feel…the big bad boys from out of town!

Another win for team Colorado !

WAS IT WORTH IT?
I have to say that on the ride home I felt 10 times better than I thought I would. I knew I would feel good but ‘good’ doesn’t do it justice. We DID make a difference and we were only 4 bodies from 600 miles away and we rocked their entire day! Was the 1300 mile trip worth it in high humidity with temps at 101? You bet!

Another job well done and our voice WAS heard…next?

Thoughts On Tape

People do still ask me from time to time, “why do you do it?” Racing. Why spend all that time and money to risk your life and health to go around in a circle faster than someone else? Well, I obviously feel that’s n oversimplification that totally misses the point. The goal in life has never appeared to me as a game of risk management. It has never looked like the winners took the least amount of risk. As best I can tell, the game is just a series of experiences, and the “winners” are those who are richer in spirit for the experiences they have had. Racing is simply a stage for this game to be played. It has very little to do with trophies or people waving different colored flags. It is an opportunity to move beyond what you think is possible; to move beyond yourself. As a sidecar racer, doing that with another person simultaneously  controlling the vehicle is pretty awe inspiring. Really though, none of this comes to mind while I’m in the bike holding the controls. The answer is so simple. Why do I do it? Because I choose to. I race because it is what I choose to do.

I was pondering this while watching a video today. It’s a video I’ve seen before, and I don’t know if it truly can convey what I’m saying. It comes as close as anyone can I suppose.  The idea isn’t really to beat the other guy. The idea is to see a limit so far ahead of you that it seems inhuman to surpass it, then to surpass it with such velocity that you fail to even realize it. In short, it is to make every second counts:

California State Championship Adds Sidecar Class

California State Championship Back For 2012 Season With Exciting Changes

January 11, 2012

The California State Championship is back for 2012, with some exciting changes and a new format. Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association (CVMA) and Sidecar Racers Association-West (SRA-West) will be included for this year’s championship, bringing the motorcycle road racing sanctioning bodies total to five, making the California State Championship the largest multi-club championship in the country.

“Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association (CVMA) racers welcome the opportunity to represent CVMA in the upcoming CSC 2012 season. This newly-formed racing organization enjoyed its inaugural season in 2011 and looks forward to sharing in the enjoyment of racing with CSC and other racers from other race organizations,” says Rich “Cowboy” Stampp, CVMA Race Director.

“It’s a great opportunity to have the SRA-West sidecars on board with CSC this season. The series is a great idea and I’m glad we could be a part of it. Plus, we can take part in the pit bike races and prove we don’t race on three wheels due to a lack of balance,” says John Wood, Vice-President, SRA-West Inc.

Also new for 2012, San Diego BMW Motorcycles has come on board as the new title sponsor for the event.

“San Diego BMW Motorcycles is very excited to continue our support of the California State Championship in 2012. As it enters its third year, we expect the Championship series to continue to bring together the best road racers from all over the Southwest. These athletes will compete at various tracks around the region and ride the most advanced machines to the absolute limits in order to have the chance to be crowned Champions. They represent the very essence of BMW Motorcycles – the most technically advanced machines working in perfect harmony with their riders to produce the best possible outcome. Please join us in supporting and cheering for these riders and help us to reward their hard work and incredible talents,” says Gary Orr, Owner/General Manager, San Diego BMW Motorcycles.

The next significant change for the event this year is the format. The California State Championship will be run as a double-header shootout, winner-take-all. The championship round will take place November 3-4, 2012, at the Las Vegas Classic Course with WERA and will run in conjunction with their double-header event, giving racers two full days of racing. Participation in the championship will require participation in at least two races weekends with the clubs included in the championship: AFM, CVMA, WERA, WSMC, and SRA. Racers wishing to compete in the California State Championship have until October, 2012, to complete the mandatory race weekends, and results will be verified. The age for the CSC competitors with an Expert license has also been lowered to 14. There will be a practice day on Friday, November 2 preceding the event provided by Racer’s Edge Performance.

For fun, Saturday evening after the races, there will be a “slow bike race” and a “best paint“ contest run simultaneously.

In addition to the class champions, there will be an Overall Heavyweight, Overall Middleweight, Overall Lightweight, and Overall Sidecar Champion crowned at the conclusion of the races on Sunday.

“WERA Motorcycle Roadracing is very proud to have the CSC hold its 2012 shootout with us at our November WERA West round presented by Lucas Oil. This will add some additional excitement to a season-ending event and will give some riders who have never experienced the Classic Course at Las Vegas the opportunity to do so. Shandra works very hard to make the CSC something to be a part of, and we look forward to working with her in November and throughout the course of the 2012 season,” says Evelyne Clarke, President WERA Motorcycle Roadracing, Inc.

“2012 presented some challenges to work with to have the Championship this year,” says Shandra Crawford, California State Championship Organizer. “The changes that I made this year were based on racer feedback and taking into account all of the races taking place on the West Coast. It was going to be difficult to run the three-round format that I have been running and allow everyone to participate that wanted to. I also did not want to schedule anything that would conflict with an AMA weekend, as many racers expressed interest to do both the West Coast rounds and the California State Championship. I borrowed some structuring from WERA’s Grand National Finals to come up with the concept for this year. Racers will still have to participate in two races weekends to qualify for the final, but this way they can do it as their time and schedules allow. This will also not conflict with another race weekend, and allow racers to have a break between race weekends and not have to run back-to-back. This way people can concentrate on their goals for their home clubs and AMA races and at the end of the season have a championship round after everything is completed. My hope is that this makes it a little more budget- and schedule-friendly for everyone.

“I would like to thank the clubs for their continued support, and especially WERA for hosting the round this year. The opportunity for racers to go to the other clubs and experience different tracks and race organizations makes better racers and expands our sport. I would also like to thank San Diego BMW for stepping up their level of support this year. It’s very exciting to have them involved at this level.

“My heart felt thanks also goes out to Dunlop for their support for the last two seasons as the title sponsor and for this season’s continued support of club level contingency and trackside tire service. I’m very confident and excited about the quality of the new tire product I’m seeing.”

The state championship will be open to any racer 14 years or older with an Expert license in 2012. Class structures, sponsors, trackside vendors will be announced in a separate release.

For more race club, track, or track day provider information, see the Tracks and Clubs page at: www.CaStateChampionship.com

For more information, contact:

info@castatechampionship.com

818-370-3613

California State Championship
Attn: Shandra Crawford
2121 N Buena Vista St
Burbank CA 91504