Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren of the Monster Energy Honda Team decides to light up his tires the old-fashioned way—with pavement. He finished third overall. (A.S.O/Julien Delfosse/)

The 2024 Dakar Rally, by the numbers:

2024 course length, in kilometers: 7,967

In miles: 4,951

Margin of victory by Rally GP winner Ricky Brabec, in minutes: 10.53

Overall time of Brabec’s win, in hours: 51:30:08

Total number of vehicles to complete Dakar 2024, out of 340: 239 Motorcycle finishers, out of 132 entrants: 96

Quad finishers, out of 10 entrants: 7

Truck finishers, out of 47 entrants: 21

Number of Hondas on winners’ podium: 2

Number of Indian motorcycles (Hero), for the first time ever: 1

Number of KTMs: 0

Historically, Dakar is a questionable activity to put humans and machines through, in terms of safety, endurance, and engineering. Even a couple of additional regional armed conflicts weren’t about to change Dakar’s plans.

Building on the 2023 edition, 2024 saw the 46th edition of the Dakar put drivers, co-pilots, riders, and their respective machines through a crucible of heat, cold, sand dunes, and rocks. The fifth event to be held in Saudi Arabia, it began in AlUla (not a typo), along the shores of the Red Sea, passing through thousands of dunes in the Empty Quarter before returning to last year’s starting point of Yanbu, south of AlUla.

Monster Energy Honda rider American Ricky Brabec won a second title to complement his first title in 2020. Botswana native Ross Branch gave Indian bike maker Hero its first Dakar podium, a first for any Indian motorcycle. Dakar die-hard Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren took a well-deserved third place for the first time in his career, also aboard a Monster Energy Honda.

On a sad note, Spanish motorcyclist Carles Falcón perished on January 15, of injuries sustained on January 7, during Stage 2. He was 45 years old.

Enjoy the pictures.

Still printed on scrolls of paper, maps give the barest idea of what awaits. José Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo Florimo, of the Monster Energy Honda team, reviews the route. (A.S.O/Charly Lopez/)

Jean-Loup Lepan heads into hardship during Stage 1, between AlUla and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia. (A.S.O/Florent Gooden/)

Bradley Cox (18), of the BAS World KTM Racing team, does some drifting in the desert. (A.S.O/Florent Gooden/)

Rule 1: Do not jump the dunes. Emanuel Gyenes of the Autonet Motorcycle Team KTM. (A.S.O/Eric Vargiolu/)

Juraj Varga on the Varga Motorsport Team Yamaha, Quad, duets with Jérôme Bas of Team Universal Ride KTM during Stage 2. (A.S.O/Frederic Le Floc/)

Joan Barreda Bort of the Hero Motorsports Team, Rally, works on his thousand-yard stare. (A.S.O/Florent Gooden/)

Jérémie Gerber’s TLDRacing KTM catches air during Stage 2. (A.S.O/Antonin Vincent/)

Romain Dumontier’s Team Dumontier Racing Husqvarna powers through Stage 3. He finished 12th overall. (A.S.O/Charly Lopez/)

Luciano Benavides stretches before manning his Husqvarna Factory Racing Husqvarna during Stage 4. He would finish fourth overall. (A.S.O/Julien Delfosse/)

Everyday riders. Camels, as seen from above during Stage 4. (A.S.O/Charly Lopez/)

Guillaume Chollet of the Xraids Experience Team KTM crests a dune during the Stage 4. (A.S.O/Charly Lopez/)

Libor Podmol of Podmol Dakar Team Husqvarna shows off a shiner and stitches after Stage 3. (A.S.O/Julien Delfosse/)

Creating rooster tails of sand is Skyler “Mustache Man” Howes on the Monster Energy Honda Team Honda during Stage 5. (A.S.O/Charly Lopez/)

Long-exposure shot at night of trucks by the bivouac during Stage 6. (A.S.O/Marcelo Machado/)

Not much of a “rest day.” A mechanic tends to repairs on the Wevers Sport Taurus T3 Max in the Challenger class. (A.S.O/Florent Gooden/)

Ripples, dude. Toby Price of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM in action during Stage 8. (A.S.O/Florent Gooden/)

All roads lead somewhere, hopefully the finish. Landscape during the Somewhere between Al Duwadimi and Hail, Saudi Arabia, Stage 8. (A.S.O/Charly Lopez/)

Dakar Classic brings out Porsches of a different sort, like Tomasz Staniszewski and Stanislaw Postawka’s P-Rally Porsche 944 (or perhaps 924?), Stage 9. (A.S.O/Aurelien Vialatte/)

Anthony Fabre, of Team ARF, guides his KTM through the powdered sand of Stage 9. (A.S.O/J. Lindini/)

Shake a leg. Diego Gamaliel Llanos’ Xraids Experience KTM Moto during Stage 10. (A.S.O/Florent Gooden/)

Whatever the problem, it’s surely electrical in nature. Jun Cai Gang diagnoses problems on his Arctic Leopard Factory Racing Arctic Leopard electric dirt bike in the Mission 1000 class, Stage 10. (A.S.O/Charly Lopez/)

“Rim might be salvageable.” Romain Dumas’ Rebellion Racing Toyota Hilux during Stage 11. (A.S.O/Julien Delfosse/)

Jean-Loup Lepan and Jérémie Gerber at the Stage 12 finish line. They finished 14th and 48th overall, respectively. (A.S.O/Antonin Vincent/)

Ladies and gentlemen, your top three Dakar 2024 Rally GP finishers. In order, Ross Branch (second), Ricky Brabec (first), and Adrien Van Beveren (third). (Honda/)

Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com

Better to lead or follow? Jerome Martiny’s Team Dumontier Racing Husqvarna, left, heads into the Empty Quarter during Stage 11. (A.S.O./Charly Lopez/)

Of course Dakar was invented by a motorcycle racer.

If Dakar founder Thierry Sabine had been competing on four wheels, he would’ve had a navigator. This person might have kept him sane as he was dying of thirst, lost in the Libyan desert in 1977 during the Abidjan-Nice Rally. But stranded alone among the towering dunes for three days and two nights, Sabine was “inspired” to create the original Paris-Dakar rally, run the following year in 1978.

Although the off-road race hasn’t run within 3,700 miles of the West African capital since 2007, it’s fitting the Dakar name stuck. Finishing there meant traveling 12,000 kilometers through brutal Saharan desert in 10 African countries. Paris was just an ironic place to start the journey through hell.

Originally crossing through six countries and about 3,000 kilometers of unforgiving desert terrain, today it runs about 5,000 kilometers through just one country: Saudi Arabia. In 2008, the Dakar was canceled due to political instability in Africa, and held instead in South America the following year. Eleven years of annual Dakar rally raids in South America followed. This year’s Dakar marks the fourth year in the Saudi Arabian peninsula, and by all accounts the race has flourished.

This western-centric concept of adventure has occasionally had an uneasy coexistence with its environs. Motorsports is notoriously apolitical, especially when money is concerned. But this year, the Russian and Belarussian teams of Kamaz and MAZ stayed home, due to FIA’s condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Perhaps they’ll eventually condemn the state-sanctioned murder of journalists and dissidents who criticize the Saudi government.

This year’s Dakar took place over 17 days, from December 31–January 15. Several Americans were in contention, including Ricky Brabec, Mason Klein, and Skyler Howes. But in the end, Skyler “Mr. Mustache” Howes was the lone American on the podium, no mean feat considering he’s only the fifth American to reach a podium at all. Argentinian Kevin Benavides took first, with Australian Toby Price in second.

Let’s dispense with the words and let the incredible photography do the storytelling.

Adrien Van Beveren’s Monster Energy Honda cuts a fine, sandy line through Stage 5, in Hail, Saudi Arabia. (A.S.O./ Charly Lopez/)

Romain Dumontier, Team Dumontier Racing, gives himself and his Husqvarna a breather during private testing before the Prologue and Stage 1. (A.S.O./ Florent Gooden/)

The Dakar 2023 podium finishers, from headshots taken before they’d raced a single mile. Kevin Benavides (ARG), Toby Price (AUS), and Skyler “Mustache Man” Howes (USA). (A.S.O./)

Before the chaos begins, bureaucracy and administrative order reigns inside the bivouac, Sea Camp near Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. (A.S.O./ Gigi Soldano/)

When everything was possible: Ottavio Missoni salutes the waves on the first (and short) Prologue stage near Yanbu. (A.S.O./ Florent Gooden/)

Kirsten Landman, ASP Rope Access International Team, loads her roadbook in anticipation of starting Stage 1. (A.S.O./ Julien Delfosse/)

The No. 1 plate chasing title number three: 2017 and 2022 Dakar winner Sam Sunderland prepares his roadbook before Stage 1. He crashed and was airlifted to a hospital after just 52 kilometers. (A.S.O./ Julien Delfosse/)

Jan Brabec, Stojrent Racing KTM, skips stones during Stage 2, between Sea Camp and Al-’Ula, Saudi Arabia. (A.S.O./ Charly Lopez/)

Welcome to impossible: Stage 3 between Al-‘Ula and Hail. (A.S.O./ Eric Vargiolu/)

Token four-wheel picture: 1984 Porsche 911 Classic Dakar competitor. Note the “Bothmans” sponsorship, in place of the original Rothmans cigarette sponsor. (A.S.O./ Aurélien Vialatte/)

“Whoops” doesn’t begin to describe it. Lorenzo Maria Fanottoli, Tecnosport KTM, hits the dirt in Stage 4, near Hail. (A.S.O./ Horacio Cabilla/)

Luciano Benavides, Husqvarna Factory Team, fits right into the landscape. Stage 4, near Hail. (A.S.O./ Florent Gooden/)

Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo, Monster Energy Honda Team, surfs the sand ridge, Stage 6 between Hail and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (A.S.O./ Charly Lopez/)

Bring it: Jaroslav Valtr, Rene Kilian, and Tomas Sikola, Tatra Buggyra ZM Racing, competing in the Trucks category, Stage 6, near Hail. (A.S.O./ Florent Gooden/)

Next man (and motorcycle) up: Spares lined up before Stage 7, near Al Duwadimi, Saudi Arabia. (A.S.O./ Eric Vargiolu/)

Blaze your own trail, but stay close: Luciano Benavides, Toby Price, and Skyler Howes navigate Stage 8, between Al Duwadimi and Riyadh. (A.S.O./Charly Lopez/)

Ross Branch, Hero Motoports Team Rally, loads his roadbook before Stage 8. He won, making up for having run out of fuel the previous two stages. (A.S.O./ Charly Lopez/)

It rains here? Sergio Vaquero, KTM Namura Bikes, gets in the pool during Stage 9, between Riyadh and Haradh, Saudi Arabia. (A.S.O./ Charly Lopez/)

James Pearson, American Rally Originals KTM, fights the good fight in the mud in Stage 9. (A.S.O./ Charly Lopez/)

Dark horse candidate Mason Klein, BAS World KTM Racing Team, sends up a rooster tail made of sand in Stage 10, between Haradh and Shaybah, Saudi Arabia. (A.S.O./ Eric Vargiolu/)

Skyler Howes, Husqvarna Factory Racing Team, heads to the Empty Quarter during Stage 11. (A.S.O./ Charly Lopez/)

Eufrasio Anghileri, RS Moto Racing, takes stock of his Honda (and whatever went wrong) during Stage 11, between Shaybah and the Empty Quarter. His father, Antonio, competed on a Gilera in the ’90s. (A.S.O./ Charly Lopez/)

Eventual winner Kevin Benavides, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team, finds rare air in the dunes of Stage 13, between Shaybah and Al-Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. (A.S.O./ Horacio Cabilla/)

The romance of victory: Kevin Benavides, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, gives his winning KTM a smooch after Stage 14, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. (A.S.O./ Charly Lopez/)

Ottavio Missoni, privateer, takes stock of his mud-bound Honda during the final Stage 14. But he finished. Dream accomplished. (A.S.O./ Charly Lopez/)

Welcome to the smoking section: Kevin Benavides does a victory burnout at the awards ceremony. Have a cigar, champ. (A.S.O./ Aurélien Vialatte/)

Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com

BMW tastefully updates its six-cylinder-powered K 1600 platform. We test rode its bagger variation in the K 1600 B. (Jeff Allen/)

We appreciate the K 1600 B’s long and low stance. It’s certainly more attractive without the GTL’s top case. (Jeff Allen/)

BMW’s inline-six is easily one of the finest engines in motorcycling. It happily purrs at lower rpm yet provides a wild rush of acceleration at high rpm. (Jeff Allen/)

Motorcycle riders who cover serious distances will value the K 1600 B’s posh cockpit. Its generous 7-gallon fuel tank is another nice plus. (Jeff Allen/)

The K 1600 B’s broad front fairing and electronically adjustable windscreen do a marvelous job of shielding the rider from dirty air. Clever deflectors on either side of the fairing channel air into the cabin during warm-weather rides. (Jeff Allen/)

If you’re into logging miles, the K 1600 B’s cockpit is the place to be. It’s quiet, cozy, and loaded with creature comforts. (Jeff Allen/)

The K 1600 B is especially attractive when viewed from the rear three-quarter angle. We love its giant swept pipes that emit a pleasing exhaust note from the 1,649cc inline-six. (Jeff Allen/)

The K 1600 platform employs a giant 10.25-inch color TFT screen. The display is sharp and easy to read day or night. We appreciate the consistent BMW font and menu navigation. (Jeff Allen/)

BMW’s signature multi-wheel control returns and makes menu navigation easy. The K 1600 B also features an electronic reverse which is handy for getting out of tight parking spots. (Jeff Allen/)

Each lockable hard case is capable of swallowing nearly 9 gallons of cargo. The optional electronic central locking feature is another handy touch. (Jeff Allen/)

More sport-inclined riders will appreciate the sharper, more traditional chassis response of BMW’s K 1600 B versus bikes like Honda’s Gold Wing. (Jeff Allen/)

Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com

Coors in hand, a referee brings order to the Buffalo Chip rodeo games. (Bad Beard Productions/)

Sturgis has always been about fellowship between riders. Biker, motorcyclist, miscreant—it hardly matters how you identify. It’s a celebration of freedom, often in ways unprintable in Motorcyclist.

Opinions will vary as to the wisdom of holding the event these last few years. But two and half years after the pandemic began, risk resumed its rightful place on the surrounding roads and in the dozens of bars that make up this bucolic South Dakota hamlet.

By all accounts, the 2022 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally resumed its assault on tasteful behavior, restraint, and sobriety. That’s a compliment, thank you very much. Sometimes good taste just gets in the way of a good time.

The event was started by the Indian-riding enthusiasts of the Jackpine Gypsies motorcycle club in 1938. That first three-day Black Hills Motor Classic featured stunts and races, eventually including (reportedly) head-on collisions with cars and ramp jumps. Traditional hill climbs and motocross races were early staples of competition, as was the Gypsy Tour, a guided ride through the Black Hills’ breathtaking canyons.

1970 saw 3,000 riders attend Sturgis. By 1980, it was 40,000. In 1990, the official attendance figure hit 400,000. This year’s closely watched total is the subject of some debate, but most agree it was slightly smaller than last year’s. For example, total trash collection tonnage was down by 50 tons, despite Sunday’s rain.

Another interesting wrinkle? The average Sturgis attendee was 54 years old in 2019, but 46.5 in 2021. No word yet on 2022 figures, but it stands to reason the keys are getting passed to a younger generation. Younger limbs, reflexes, and appetites for risk are perfect for carving canyons and hills on Highway 14A, Camp 5 Road, or Vanocker Canyon Road. The lure of partying may be strong in Sturgis, but beer tastes better after riding through danger and sanding the squares off your tires.

Speaking of younger, Bad Beard creative director and photographer Sam Schneider went to Sturgis this year. Judging by his shots, he didn’t choose between partying and riding; he just did it all. Forget the FOMO. Just start making your own plans for Sturgis, 2023.

It can’t be all Harleys: A BMW R 18 B invades the Black Hills. (Bad Beard Productions/)

The power of Holi color powder comes to South Dakota. (Bad Beard Productions/)

Is there anywhere bikes can’t park at Sturgis? Poolside parking. (Bad Beard Productions/)

Roll out the barrels, easy on the clutch: more rodeo games at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip. (Bad Beard Productions/)

Hardtail, hard-ass: A dirt track entrant lines up. (Bad Beard Productions/)

No front brake necessary, apehangers optional: dirt track contest at Sturgis. (Bad Beard Productions/)

Hang on to that sissy bar: Catching air at the dirt track. (Bad Beard Productions/)

A band plays at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip stage. (Bad Beard Productions/)

Catching a Tiger by the tail, Triumph-style. (Bad Beard Productions/)

Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com

Yamaha elevates its liter-class naked bike into the modern era with its 2022 MT-10. (Joseph Agustin/)

We appreciate the MT-10’s more sculpted lines and body panels that make it look less toyish. (Joseph Agustin/)

The MT-10 offers more robust suspension components than the rest of the MT family. This boosts road holding at speed. (Joseph Agustin/)

The devil’s in the details and the Tuning Fork gets it right with its ’22 MT-10 naked bike. (Joseph Agustin/)

As usual the MT-10 impresses with its nimble handling. (Joseph Agustin/)

Yamaha offers liter-class naked bike riders something different with its rowdy crossplane-equipped 998cc inline-four. (Joseph Agustin/)

Styling-wise the Yamaha MT-10 appears much cleaner and lust-worthy than the 2016-2021 model. (Joseph Agustin/)

Riders seeking sportbike-like performance in a more upright and comfortable riding position will appreciate the MT-10. (Joseph Agustin/)

The MT-10 benefits from the YZF-R1’s chassis underpinnings which provides excellent road holding for riders who want to go fast. (Joseph Agustin/)

The MT-10 wears the YZF-R1’s color TFT dash. While it was class-leading when the iPhone 5–sized display debuted, now it appears small. (Joseph Agustin/)

The MT-10 wears the YZF-R1’s color TFT dash. While it was class-leading when the iPhone 5–sized display debuted, now it appears small. (Joseph Agustin/)

Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com

Yamaha gives its top-tier hyper naked, the MT-10, a roster of upgrades for 2022, with engine and chassis refinements complemented by a range of revisions affecting everything from the bodywork to the electronics package. This streetbike hits U.S. dealerships in late Summer, 2022.

We saddle up on Yamaha’s new and improved 2022 MT-10 naked bike in this review. (Joseph Agustin/)

We’re big fans of the MT-10’s improved styling. Although it still looks Transformer-ish, the body lines are more elegant. (Joseph Agustin/)

Cut-outs on either side of the 4.5-gallon fuel tank emit a pleasant sounding induction roar from the reshaped airbox. (Joseph Agustin/)

The MT-10 is an easy handling street bike that affords added road holding compared to its smaller MT siblings. (Joseph Agustin/)

The 2022 MT-10 is powered by the Tuning Fork brand’s tried-and-true 2015-spec YZF-R1 engine that offers a hybrid powerband that feels like a cross between a V-twin sportbike and a high-revving inline four. (Joseph Agustin/)

Real ram air scoops feed the 998cc inline four. We love the intake roar of the MT-10 while riding. (Joseph Agustin/)

The MT-10’s ergonomics package is the sportiest in the four-bike MT line-up. It’s purposeful without being too demanding for everyday rides. (Joseph Agustin/)

The ‘22 MT-10 has a cleaner appearance than the original model. LED lighting helps the MT-10 rider stand out after dark. (Joseph Agustin/)

The MT-10 employs a wheel-style control switch that allows for menu navigation. It could benefit from improved tactile response. (Joseph Agustin/)

Yamaha’s MT-10 is easily the sportiest MT motorcycle in its lineup. It’s a hoot to ride on your favorite backroad. (Joseph Agustin/)

The MT-10 benefits from superbike-derived suspension that offers a good balance between sport and comfort on the street. (Joseph Agustin/)

The MT-10’s saddle is nice and cozy and well suited to long days behind the handlebar. (Joseph Agustin/)

Superbike riders that are seeking a more comfortable upright street bike that won’t break the bank will appreciate Yamaha’s 2022 MT-10. (Joseph Agustin/)

Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com

Ready for hauling beer and race fans: a JDM Suzuki Carry 4×4 Kei mini truck. (Anders T. Carlson/)

More than most tracks, Road America is a celebration of humankind’s victory over walking (read the Capturing Road America With The 360fly 4k Camera article). It’s a shrine to the gods of cornering speed, modern rubber compounds and track bikes. Cars and motorcycles race here because they’re too dangerous to operate in public. Like ants on a dropped Popsicle, race fans are drawn here to consume the thing that makes their little lives livable. In honor of the men and women who go faster than we’re capable of, we ride smaller, less powerful versions of their motorcycles. And we walk as little as possible.

The annual motorcycle race at Road America (called MotoAmerica Superbikes at Road America for sponsorship purposes) accomplishes two things. One, it puts plebes like us in our proper place (the stands) and elevates people like Kayla Yaakov and Danilo Petrucci to their proper place (on the track); and two, it offers the chance to use the weird vehicles we’ve collected over the years. Race weekend is a showcase for two distinct abilities: riding motorcycles and accumulating them.

Make no mistake, Road America’s main attractions are the 14 wickedly fast turns that make up the 4.048-mile track, largely unchanged since 1955. But woven throughout the grounds are dozens of paths, ranging from near-impassable woods to enduro-friendly trails. These are the track’s lifeblood. Approximately 15 miles of authorized roads, paths, and trails connect fans with the track, spectator stands, pits, and generous concession spots. Roads meander through camping sites, four separate bridges cross over the track, with groves of trees helping you feel pleasantly lost.

The headline here? Skip your next car or new motorcycle payment and buy a pitbike or scooter.

It’s the one weekend in Wisconsin where Harley-Davidsons become just another motorcycle. The spectacle of the King of the Baggers race certainly draws a crowd, but the real show is ‘90s-era ABS plastics, people-watching, and oddball vehicle survivors. Superbikes are anything but “run what you brung.” But for those of us not racing, it’s a chance to show off miniaturized, much less powerful caricatures of what we see on the track.

Like most of America, weekends at Road America have gotten expensive. In past years, unexpected camping wristbands added insult to financial injury, leading the faithful to feel they were paying for the sins of the no-shows. But this year we pulled in to gate 4, made up a camping spot number, and were quickly ushered into our familiar playground. Maybe we were part of a trend; this year’s attendance was easily twice last year’s. Without getting into politics and/or pandemics, the party was on in 2022.

The racing’s just a small part of the RA charm. As a “racer” with AHRMA, I never saw Kettle Moraine trail or the single hidden bench above Canada Corner. I never rode the dirt trail alongside the main straight wall leading to turn 5 or the one to the Carousel. Although I rode the track, sometimes well, I barely understood the surrounding geography. I had no idea what I looked like when laboring my way up Thunder Valley. Apparently, it’s uphill.

Although you may only ride plated vehicles in RA, five minutes with a screwdriver can legalize any vehicle. Relax, it’s a pitbike; it’s not like you’ll be riding it 6.5 miles to the Kwik Trip for more beer. For your troubles, you can ride, or at least get close to, much of the aforementioned 15 miles of authorized pathways. Kick that pitbike to life and go find a favorite vantage point.

For the view, it’s hard to beat Hurry Downs, set atop turns 6, 7, and 8. For the lazy, there’s food, beer, and bleachers right there. Maybe you like long straights with downhill corner entrances? Find turn 1. Or turn 5. Or go back to Hurry Downs, grab a beer, and watch who drops balls first and brakes last before the left-hand turn 8 sweep into the Carousel. Or maybe it’s uphill charges into the unknown, minus sight lines; park yourself by the Toyota Bridge and watch racers hurtle headlong into turn 6, or brave the forest by Canada Corner and watch the torque-sapping climb up Thunder Valley at turns 13 and 13A.

The Kettle Moraine trail gives you a zoolike sense of danger as waves of bikes thread their way through the narrow Kettle Bottoms section, caged in by debris fencing. Stay left past the go-kart track beginning at the Kink, which motorcycles skip by taking the safer Bend line. An asphalt trail shadows Kettle Bottoms, letting you feel the wake from passing racers at 150 mph.

The unnamed pedestrian bridge by the North Paddock lets you see riders roll the dice while hitting rev limiters on the final uphill sprint to the flag. RA’s marketing director should look into the naming rights. “Cook’s Champagne Bridge” would speak to hopeful podium celebrations at the top of the hill. You’re welcome.

As a “popular-priced” event, MotoAmerica lets you wander the pits on foot. You can rub shoulders with camera crews, frazzled race techs, and even a few surly European veteran riders. Uniformed personnel push immaculate racebikes through flip-flopped, beer-swilling hordes. Dark tire-change tents are fortified by stacks of qualifying rubber, with dirt-smeared men and women laboring inside. Their hustle is your spectacle.

Back to pitbikes, or whatever you hopefully brought. Most fans bring practical and useful vehicles. But some fans bring it, period. It’s your chance to prove the value of something you barely use. This year, our group brought a vintage Scamp camper, an actual ‘80s U-Haul survivor; a Kawasaki KM100; two ‘82 Honda Passports; a Honda Navi; and an UBCO 2X2 ADV electric scooter. But as soon as we parked, we were put to shame by our neighbor’s JDM Suzuki Carry 4×4 Kei mini truck. Not to mention their three-wheeled, tuk-tuk-inspired truck, which they got at an airport auction. Damn show-offs.

And the races? Some storylines stood out. After a lovely Saturday, rain separated casual fans from the die-hards, offering a quick lesson in rain riding for some. Jason Farrell, 46, the pride of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, put almost 10 seconds between himself and everyone else in Sunday’s Stock 1000 Superbike race on his “home track.” Fourteen-year-old Kayla Yaakov bounced back from a Canada Corner practice highside to take third in the Junior Cup race, which she led until the last hundred yards, when perfectly executed drafts by Cody Wyman and Joe LiMandri Jr. put her on the podium’s last step. Margin of victory? Only 0.024 second, with LiMandri Jr. beating Yaakov’s Altus Motorsports Kawasaki by just 0.002 second.

Danilo Petrucci, formerly of MotoGP fame, brought his Italian pedigree to Wisconsin’s own. His first outing at RA in the premier Medallia Superbike class netted him second on Saturday and third place on Sunday. A mere wheel length (and 0.015 second) separated his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati NYC Panigale V4 R from the Westby Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 of Matthew Scholtz. The South African block-passed Petrucci in turn 5 and somehow held off a surplus of Italian horsepower for the last lap. Petrucci was gracious in near-victory, saying he looked forward to visiting RA after next year’s planned repaving. He’s not wrong to call out the surface; the track’s last full repaving happened in the mid-’90s. The current track features at least five distinctly different asphalt surfaces.

Royal Enfield’s all-women Build. Train. Race. program is doing the Lord’s work of adding fast, talented up-and-coming female racers to America’s tracks. Aboard Continental GT 650′s, 15 women riders and crew get three months to design, develop, and perfect their machines. With chances taken and margins of error challenged, BTR riders raced on Sunday in mostly wet conditions. Kayleigh Buyck and Crystal Martinez, locked in battle throughout the last lap, turned in a fantastically close finish. But lost in their furious back and forth was a last-lap crash that brought out the red flag—which Buyck and Martinez missed, allowing Jenny Chancellor to take home the points. When you’re seeing red, all the flags look the same.

Some sneer at the recently added Mission Foods King of the Baggers series, now in its second year. These people seriously need to lighten up. Perhaps offer them one of your beers? A sport’s purity means nothing without butts in seats and gate receipts, and anyway there’s nothing impure about the racing in KotB; these guys are doing their damnedest to whup each other. Just a guess, but about a third (or more) of everyone at RA specifically came to see the King of the Baggers series. With a concept that channels the genius of loonball baseball owner/promoter Bill Veeck, 620-pound Indian Challengers and Harley-Davidson Road Glides defy gravity, sense, and most laws of physics to turn 2:23 lap times. During practice last year, Kyle Wyman (I believe) hurtled into turn 5 with the rear wheel locked in a 200-foot power slide before tipping in his Road Glide, casually dropping a knee, and painting a 180-sized race-compound stripe all the way up to turn 6. That’s a man who understands his audience. Much respect.

Road America has always been a spiritual homeland for racing and all its Walter Mitty following. Cheese curd smiles and Midwestern manners somehow go right along with ruthless competition, obsessive engineering, and the other more obvious traits of the larger motorcycle racing community; whatever the reason, there’s always room enough in Road America’s rolling hills for hellacious fun when Serious Racing comes to town. It’s a race fan’s chance to raise a little Cain and watch, in the blessed moraines of mideastern Wisconsin, what we all do in our dreams.

And don’t forget your pitbike. We’ll be judging you accordingly.

Score at the airport auction: likely a Piaggio Ape. (Anders T. Carlson/)

One of 148 1968 Oldsmobile 442 convertibles ever made. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Travis Wyman’s King of the Baggers championship-winning H-D Road Glide. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Little ones grow up to be big ones: The Motor Company marketing machine at work. (Anders T. Carlson/)

In order: Honda Helix, political ethos (Anders T. Carlson/)

Ensuring orderly fun: Wisconsin State Patrol Motor Officer Holtz, pulling a plum assignment. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Fear this, OBO. This liter beater could be yours. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Blue skies, green grass, grab a beer. (Anders T. Carlson/)

“I know what I got.” King ’n’ Queen seats, awaiting royalty. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Beer bros and fanboys, coexisting easily. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Hotcha: Rickman-framed Honda CB750. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Barely legal and barely beatable: A 1990 Honda RC30 (one of 296 made) and a 1986 Suzuki GSX-R750. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Something special from Wisconsin: Buell S2 Thunderbolt, with period-correct bags. (Anders T. Carlson/)

But those baffles. Flawless 1974 Suzuki GT750 “Water Buffalo.” (Anders T. Carlson/)

You mad, bro? The Dunlop tent was a hive of activity. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Hard work adds up: the Dunlop tent. (Anders T. Carlson/)

One of the Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducatis is wheeled through the unwashed masses. (Anders T. Carlson/)

What they came to see: turn 5, King of the Baggers warmup lap. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Burnouts and sunburn: Watching the stunt riders put on a show. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Race prep: Royal Enfield’s Build. Train, Race program, Trisha Dahl presiding. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Hold my beer: the Harley-Davidson custom version. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Got boost? Try this 1983 Honda CX650 Turbo. (Anders T. Carlson/)

The view atop turns 6 and 7. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Next stop, Thunder Valley, aka turns 13 and 13A. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Kettle Moraine trail on the inside of Canada Corner. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Canada Corner, one of the better places to break down. Plenty of shade. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Bald eagle and American flag watch over Canada Corner, just in case. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Kettle Moraine trail for fans, Kettle Bottoms for the racers. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Wide-angle view of the Kink, and the Bend (for motorcycle racing). One rider down at the back of the pack. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Honda Spree Gyro, year unknown, reporting for light pitbike duty. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Saturday’s sunglasses, Sunday rain. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Sunday’s rain thinned the crowd, but the wet race action didn’t disappoint. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Explore and you may find out where they keep all the back tire barriers. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Kayla Yaakov’s high-side mishap at Canada Corner, Sunday practice. She took third place an hour later. (Anders T. Carlson/)

Cheap thrills: three pitbikes, hauled courtesy of “El Asstro.” (Anders T. Carlson/)

Source: MotorCyclistOnline.com