Ups & Downs
UPs & DOWNs
UP: To our friends at Ironworks magazine, for putting aside intramural competition and awarding CW's Web Surfer project bike Best Sportster honors at the big L.A. Calendar bike show hosted by FastDates. Builder Richard Pollock was on hand to accept the trophy-lucky dog!—and the $3000 credit in goods that came with the win. So, if we subtract that figure from the $8000 parts-and-services tab for the bike, the Web Surfer pencils in at $5K. How's that for a bargain?!
UP: To couch potatoes worldwide, for watching MotoGP on television and improving the value of motorcycle racing. A record number of viewers tuned into the British Grand Prix from Donington Park; figures from the BBC showed a 50-percent increase in viewers, breaking the previous record by a million. Even more telling were the same weekend’s numbers in Spain where 2.34 million people watched Sunday’s MotoGP race. That’s more viewers than the same-day coverage of the Tour de France (won by Spaniard Alberto Contador), or of the Hungarian Formula One event. The story has been the same across Europe all season; the Mugello Italy round saw more than 4 million Italian viewers tune in, while almost 7 million from the boot-shaped country watched Rossi’s win at Catalunya in Spain. Keep up the good work, and pass the chips!
UP: To Jeff Lytle, for doing his part to give Harley-Davidson a lift in a tough economy by purchasing the very first 2010 model sold in the country.
Lytle, a 38-year-old Army National Guard recruiter from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, stopped by Milwaukee H-D coincidentally on the very day the
dealership was uncrating the first of its 2010 models. “I went in looking
for a 2009 Ultra Classic Electra Glide but was blown away by the 2010 Ultra Limited’s additional standard features and original design,” said Lytle. He sold his 2004 Road King in the MHD parking lot as the paperwork for his new FLH was being processed. Two days later, Lytle was on his way to Sturgis for the annual biker rally. Our kind of guy...
DOWN: To Mat Mladin, for hanging up his leathers after collecting his seventh AMA Superbike title. The 37-year-old Australian, who is still in top form, will retire from competition having taken AMA titles in 1999-2001, ’03, ’04-05 and ’09. Mladin has been a vocal critic of the new AMA
roadracing structure implemented under ownership of the Daytona Motosports Group, and DMG’s leadership was a factor in his decision. “I would like to thank Rockstar Makita Suzuki for their constant hard work,” said Mladin. “Without a fantastic team, my 80-plus-race wins and multiple championships would have not been possible. If I had my time again, I would not change a single decision I’ve made in life or in racing.”
