Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance 2012

This year, the featured marques at the 16th Annual Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance included Historic Racing Ferrari's, Cadillac and Classic Motorcycles. The beneficiary of the event is Thorncroft Equestrian Therapy, a very deserving organization that provides equine therapy to those in need.

 

 

Radnor Hunt Special Guest Don Emde, winner of the Daytona 200 motorcycle race in 1972, John Lawless, Dr. Frederick Simeone and Ron McGill with the Testa Rossa Ferrari owned by The Simeone Foundation (www.simeonemuseum.org)

 

Ron, Don , Mike Tilson (founder of the RH Concours) and John with the Carriages, which are a unique touch to the show at Radnor Hunt, America's oldest Fox Hunting Club. Tilson is also master of the Hunt.

 

Don and father Floyd Emde (photo courtesty of the Don Emde Collection)

Mr. Emde was in town to complete the final leg of his Cannon Ball Baker Cross Country Trip(www.cannonballproject.com)

 

The 1963 prototype Ferrari 250LM being driven onto the showfield by Ed Tatios in the early morning hours. The car belongs to Luigi Chinetti, Jr. and was on loan from the Simeone Museum

 

Modern 2002 Enzo Ferrari packed with F1 technology

 

Ace, Henderson, Indian, Harley and many, many more unique

 and interesting motorcycles on the terrace.

 

 

Derek 'Nobby' Clark, dapper as ever and about to be inducted into the

AMA Hall of Fame in November 2012.  Mr. Clark recently was the

recipient of the Sportbikes Inc. Lifetime Achievment Award.

(Photo by Dawn Deppi)

 

 

Glorious weather greeted the crowds at RHC on September 9, 2012

 

Don Emde awards 'Best of Show' to Doug Strange for his ex-Red Wolverton,

Charlie Cole Ace endurance racer, a preserved, original equipment machine.

 

Marine Honor Guard and Harley-Davidson tuner Charlie Kowchak discuss motorcycles and life in the service. Charlie honed his considerable machinist skills in the US Navy. 

 

A 1938 Indian Four stands guard by the Two-Stroke Racing Motorcycle collection

 

1978 Yamaha TZ 750, TZ350, a pair of TZ 125's followed by a pair of Honda  MTR125's, 1976 Aermacchi RR250 and a 1978 TZ750 were just a few of the stellar bikes on display.

 

 

At the Black Tie Gala with Gary Maucher, JL, Don Emde, Nobby Clark and Bob Coy

RH Trophy volunteer Brittany Schwab likes what she sees in the jewelers case at the Black Tie

 

Dr. L. Found the new car of her dreams today

 

Cooper Formula car was another fine example of the competition oriented showfield this year.

 

                                                   Chief motorcycle judge Bob Coy
                                                (Radnor Hunt featured Artist 2011)             
                                             and his fellow judges sort out the details.

 

For complete details, see www.radnorconcours.org

 

 

Simeone Museum Classic Motorcycle Show featuring Kevin Cameron, Cook Neilson and Nobby Clark

                                      

Motorcycle tuner extraordinaire, Derek 'Nobby' Clark was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Simeone Museum in Philadelphia from Sportbikes Inc magazine, a digital Sport Bike oriented motorcycle magazine. Sport Bikes Inc magazine Publisher and editor, Allan Lane was on hand with staff writer Michael Lawless to present the award to Mr. Clark, better known simply as 'Nobby'.

Nobby has spent a life in the using his engineering skills to tune both Grand Prix motorcycles and classic Ferrari automobiles. The list of 17 Grand Prix Champions that have enjoyed his services is staggering:
Gary Hocking, Jim Redman, Mike Hailwood, Luigi Taveri, Ralph Bryans, Kel Carruthers, Rodney Gould, Kent Anderson, Barry Sheene, Jarno Saarinen, Giacomo Agostini, Kenny Roberts, Marco Luchinelli, Phil Read, and Bill Ivy.

He's recently been back to his homeland, South Africa (formerly Rhodesia) to be honored at a festival to honor the late racer Gary Hocking. Nobby took the train from New York to Philadelphia's Simeone Museum for a surprise award. He was sure he was just coming to support friends Cook Neilson and Kevin Cameron to celebrate the history of Two-Stroke Racing Motorcycles, American Four Cylinder Motorcycles and Vintage Motor Scooters for the launch party of the exhibit. Mr. Clark was duly thrust into the spotlight when it was announced he would honored on this evening, much to the delight of his fans who were on hand.

Cycle World magazine columnist Kevin Cameron was introduced by longtime friend Cook Neislon, the former editor at Cycle Magazine in its heyday. Mr. Neilson also achieved a great deal of notoriety first on his drag racing Harley-Davidson and later his 1977 Daytona AMA Superbike race win on 'Old Blue', the legendary California Hot Rod built by Cook and Phil Schilling.


                                              

                                  

Flanked by a recently restored Yamaha 1978 TZ750 E model and a 1980 Suzuki RG500 Mk VI, 'Professor' Kevin Cameron took the attentive audience on a journey through the history of racing two-stroke grand prix motorcycles and how they evolved and eventually became extinct. It was insightful and entertaining with a depth of knowledge that only a lifetime in the pits and speaking with riders, technicians and motorcycle designers could provide.Kevin has a knack for taking complex mechanical theories and practices and explaining them in a manner which most folks can comprehend easily. His monthly column in Cycle World magazine and books, Top Dead Center and The Grand Prix Motorcycle, a Technical History.

Immediately after the seminar on two-strokes, a Yamaha TZ750 and Suzuki RG500 (ex-Gina Bovaird) race bikes were wheeled outside, where light rain was beginning to fall. Without loosing a moment, the two bikes were bump started and were running around the large parking lot behind the museum, where demonstrations of the facilities stunning collection of the worlds best sports racing cars takes place. And so it was with the two motorcycles which dominated the racing world for a decade. They had very different sounds yet both were an auditory delight to the enthusiasts ears who gathered around. These machines burn both oil and fuel and have largely been legislated out of existence. Seeing and hearing them in action has become a rare sight even at race tracks. There are, however a fervent group of die-hards who keep the flame alive. Several members of 'Team USA' will be taking some of these very machines to Philip Island, Australia in January 2013 for a " Forgotten Era' vintage motorcycle race that will pit riders from all around the globe on these classic two-strokes.


                                


                                     

                                     

The exhibit runs until September 6, 2012. The bikes will be transported to nearby Radnor Hunt Club in Malvern, PA  for the for the 16th Annual Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance where Historic Ferrari motorcars will share the bill. Don Emde, winner of the 1972 Daytona 200 race will be the featured guest at that event. His win on a Yamaha TR3 marked the first win for a two-stroke Yamaha at the famed speedway. It would be another decade before someone developed a better weapon (via a rulebook change) to unseat them.Please make plans to visit Radnor Hunt this September.

For more information, check out www.simeonemuseum.org and www.radnorconcours.org

For sponsorship opportunities with ' Team USA', contact TZRusty@yahoo.com

All photos courtesy of Eye of the Beholder, Inc , photograher Dawn Deppi

The Best of 2011

 After starting my race career on a 1967 Ducati 250 in 1989, I moved on to modern sportbikes, but it was inevitable that I would return to vintage bikes, they are why this blog was created afterall. Whether it's singles, twins, triple or four cylinder machines. Two stroke and four are both welcome too.Some of my racebikes over the last ten years are pictured below. The Honda 350 Four, MV Agusta 350 twin, Yamaha TZ 125 & TZ350 resting as my focus has shifted in the last few years. A couple of racing Norton's had come my way.

2011 has got to be the best year ever in my motorcycling life. Seriously. I can hardly believe where I've been and who I've met, not to mention what I've ridden as well.  I've been very, very fortunate. What a year its been. Let's look back.

 I decided to start this blog to share my personal journey with the motorcycles that cross my path. I run and annual classic bike auction, but have been brokering some private sales as well and some good stuff comes along from time to time. This year I've sold a number of classics for clients. Recently I sold a 1951 Vincent Rapide and a 1938 Triumph Speed Twin, both blue-chip collectibles.  Just handling machines like those for a brief time brings enjoyment too, even if I don't own them.  As I look back now, with readers all over the world, I am certain that our hobby has a devoted global following. About fifty percent of the you are from places other than the USA.  Thanks for viewing and sharing your comments and experiences with me.

The year got off to a good start with a trip south in late February. I was racing the  Team 20/20 Vintage Racing 1961 Norton Manx 500cc at Robeling Road Georgia in the Antique Historic Racing Motorcycle Association Classic 60's class. Strong competition was present and the best I could manage was 2nd and 3rd places during the two-day solo outing. It was a memorable weekend with warm weather and the company of good friends.

We jumped forward to the 9th Annual Chadds Ford Classic Motorcycle  in April where a great collection of  vintage bikes and parts changed hands. A number of Indian and Harley-Davidson's were featured this year. The poster was designed by Robert S. Coy of New Hamsphire. Mr. Coy was the featured artist at the 2011 Radnor Hunt Concours.

June had us on location at a private estate in Delaware to continue shooting for TV show we're working on. Having two Norton Manx and a TZ750 running at speed for the cameras was a once in a lifetime experience. More on that later.

July brought us back to Mid Ohio where we shared garage space with the Royal Enfield based Badger raced by Stu Carter and put together by Leon Stanley and his crew.The Manx ran well again and another memorable weekend was gone in a flash. Below, a TZ750 gets what's needed before the next practice session.

                      
Early August saw the opening of the exhibit I prepared for the Simeone Museum in Philadelphia featuring Ducati and other Italian motorcycles. Former Cycle magazine editor and AMA Superbike race winner on 'Old  Blue' Ducati Cook Neilson was a delightful guest for the opening party. Our gracious host, Dr. Frederick Simeone's museum was recently named, "Best Automotive Museum in the World" , an astounding honor for this local gem. Please make sure you visit museum sometime soon.                                  www.simeonemuseum.org

 Earlier in the year, noted photographer Michael Furman shot a small group of bikes for the poster. The 1979 Ducati MHR was created to honor the legendary comeback  victory of the Mike " The Bike" Hailwood at the Isle of Man in 1978. It would be a fitting choice as the late Mike Hailwood's son, Dave was to be our guest of honor at the Radnor Hunt Concours.

                                                 

The 15th Annual Radnor Hunt Concours d'Elegance happens the first full weekend in September every year and this one was really special. We arranged for the entire collection of 50 motorcycles from the Simeone exhibit to be on display at Radnor Hunt for judging by our esteemed guest judged.
Special guests included David Hailwood, Nobby Clark, Gary Fisher, Eraldo Ferracci and Cook Neilson for the weekend. Dave stayed on for a few days and we got to do some motorcycling before he headed back to the UK. Our friend, former AMA racer Ron McGill supplied the hardware for that adventure. Check out www.radnorconcours.org  and www.mikethebike.com

              

                                                             
Two weeks later, we were southbound. We made our way to Barber Motorsports Park for the final AHRMA round of the season for us. A huge turnout meant intense competition on the track, but the bike acquitted itself well enough for a 6th and 7th place finishes. The museum itself was a knockout and hanging out with guests Kevin Schwantz and Cook Neilson, Paul Smart and Jason DiSalvo made it a very special weekend.

As the season wound down, we put things in high gear to wrap up production on a TV series trailer we've been working on for some time now. It captured some of the very best moments of the year with some great people and machines. We're pressing on with getting things going on that front as quickly as possible. It's called Retro Moto.

Racing an 8 hp Yamaha TTR125 might seem tame by comparison, but when your sharing the saddle at a four hour endurance race, it can provide big fun. The tiny Yamaha may have been underpowered compoared to the winning team's Honda, but we managed to have enough laughs for the Mini Moto GP to make the list. We'll be back next year for more fun at NJMSP.

On the racing front, the Yamaha TZ750 E model is nearly ready for a return to the track. We hope to have it ready for Roebling Road in February as the final details are being finished as we write this. It's taken a year and a half to piece together the parts needed to put it right. The big 750cc four cylinder two stroke weighs about 340 pounds and produces about 130hp!

 

Happy Holidays to you and Best Wishes for the New Year !