From the Seat!

Walk this way, Talk this way, Boys and girls racing season is here! No doubt Old Man Winter has been reluctant to give up his icy grip but the time has come.

All kidding aside 2005 looks like an exciting season. The Midwestern roadracing scene looks set for revitalization now that the CES vs. Mid States rivalry has come to an end. Fields and the racing itself should be noticeably stronger as long as gas prices don't keep everyone off the road. The same can be said at the National "Pro" level with the demise of the SKUSA Pro Moto Tour the Stars of Karting series should have the headlines to themselves in that arena. TAG USA? Well this organization finally has an actual rulebook with actual dimensions. This coupled with the announcement of the TAG World Championships at my newly adopted home track of New Castle Motorsports Park bodes well for the future of this revolutionary category. Even gnarly old WKA seems to have hit their stride with huge fields and tight competition abounding in their various national series.

Ahhhhhhhhh life is good.

As this is being written we are less than a week away from NCMP's announced date for the beginning of open practice and the first race only 3 weeks away. Team Rapid Racing will once again for the most part be forsaking the road in order to concentrate our efforts on NCMP's growing program. This aging veteran will be running a Tony/Parilla Leopard in the Pro Endurance races (200 laps this year) and running enough events in TaG Senior (International?) to qualify for the TaG World Championships this fall. This along with a few guest shots in a 125 Shifter (Still my true love) and the same intensive testing program as last year should keep me and the amazing Gooseman (?) busy for sure. Joining us this year will be good friend Pete Gross as teammate for the Endurance races and a qualifier for Tag Masters at the TaG World Championships.

The winter has been long and hard but this writer feels rejuvenated and can hardly wait to hear the scream of racing engines echoing across the race tracks this spring. As I stated at the beginning "The time has come!"

Got to get to work, so, until next time, Race Hard, Race Safe and God Bless America!

"When in doubt, gas it. It won't help but it ends the suspense."