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Speed Dating: July 6 – 12
July 6, 2009 by Matt Coffey
Filed under Speed Dating
July 6
RRX contributor Mark Gardiner (CA) was born on this date in 1955. Gardiner’s work has been featured in motorcycle magazines around the world, including Cycle World, Cycle Canada, and Motorcycle Classics. A former advertising executive, Gardiner quit his job and sold just about everything to compete at the 2002 Isle of Man TT. His excellent book, Riding Man, follows his experience racing at the island. A documentary, One Man’s Island, was also created based on the experience. Look for Gardiner’s weekly AGV Backmarker column on www.roadracerx.com.
Visit ridingman.com to pick up a copy
July 7
Andreas Meklau (AT) was born on this date in 1967. Meklau competes in the International German Superbike Championship, riding for Team Suzuki International Europe. Meklau is tenth in the IDM Superbike points this season.
Rich Alexander (US) was born on this date in 1972. Alexander is the technical director for Michael Jordan Motorsports and crew chief for Aaron Yates. Alexander was also a longtime AMA road racer, winning the 1998 750 Supersport championship. He continues to serve as an instructor at Jason Pridmore’s STAR motorcycle schools, and also manages the parts and service departments at the family dealership, Hudson Valley Motorcycles.
Colin Edwards (US) won his first AMA Superbike Race on this date in 1994 at Mid-Ohio. Edwards rode a Vance & Hines Yamaha to victory, a feat he would repeat twice more that season. After finishing the 1994 season in fifth, Edwards left for the World Superbike championship, where he would eventually become a two-time WSBK champion.
AMA Superbike competitor Jamie Bowman (US) was killed on this date in 2000 during practice for the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca round of the AMA Superbike Championship. Bowman was fatally injured after striking an unprotected wall in a single-bike accident.
July 8
Regis Laconi (FR) was born on this date in 1975. Laconi has ridden in the World Superbike championship since 2001. Prior to his WSBK days, Laconi participated in the 500cc world championship, where he scored a win in 1999 at Valencia with the Red Bull Yamaha team. Entering the 2009 WSBK season, Laconi made the move to DFX Ducati, after three years on Kawasakis, but Laconi was seriously injured in a practice crash during the South African round at Kyalami. He was placed in a medically induced coma and underwent surgery to address two fractured vertebrae in his neck. After initial fears of paralysis in one of his legs, Laconi has made excellent progress during physical-therapy sessions, and is expected, with time, to make a full recovery.
Former Harley-Davidson racing manager Dick O’Brien (US) was born on this date in 1921. O’Brien served as H-D director of racing from 1957 to 1983, and was responsible for overseeing the development of the XR750 dirt track racer. O’Brien died in 2003 at the age of 81.
July 9
On this date in 2000, Valentino Rossi (IT) scored his first premier-class win, at Donington Park. Riding for the Repsol Honda team, Rossi would score an additional win that year at the Brazilian Grand Prix, finishing the season second in the standings behind Kenny Roberts Jr.
Valentino Rossi - Andrew Northcott photo
July 10
Tray Batey (US) was born on this date in 1960. Batey has won multiple sprint and endurance racing championships with WERA and FUSA. He is a member of the Vesrah Suzuki endurance team, and is also an instructor at the Kevin Schwantz Suzuki Riding School.
Dean Mizdal (US) was born on this date in 1964. Mizdal has raced in the AMA Superbike championship since 1999. After finishing fifteenth in last year’s series, Midzal has missed three rounds this year and is twenty-fifth in the standings. He finished seventeenth in this past weekend’s race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. When not at the track, Mizdal operates the M Racing performance shop in Glendora, California.
On this date in 2005, Nicky Hayden (US) scored his first MotoGP victory, at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. Riding for the Repsol Honda team, Hayden beat Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi to the flag. Hayden finished the season third in the standings, and would take another victory at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca the following year during his 2006 championship run.
Nicky Hayden - Andrew Northcott photo
Ian Lougher (UK) was born on this date in 1963. The Welshman has collected ten Isle of Man TT wins, eight North West 200 wins, thirteen Ulster Grand Prix wins, and hundreds of other real-roads racing event wins. Still a strong competitor, Lougher finished second in the 2008 Duke Road Racing Rankings, which tracks riders competing in real-roads events. Lougher is also the owner of Team Blackhorse Yamaha, which competes with rider Conor Cummins in the British Superstock 1000 Championship.
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