Author Topic: Brushes with greatness? (Read 15533 times)

SteveD CB500F · « **Reply #75 on:** June 21, 2010, 12:22:23 AM »

I met Phil Read, Ago, Colin Seeley, Wil Hartog, Mick Grant and David Hailwood in the BSB paddock at Brands Hatch last August. I was spannering the ex-Kenny Roberts Yamaha that Phil was riding in the classic parade laps.

I'll never forget that epic battle between Roberts and Sheene at the British GP in 1979 - and I'm dismantling the front end of that bike (or at least, one of the Yamahas from that year... gulp...)

There are some pictures here.

Gonzowerke · « **Reply #76 on:** June 21, 2010, 01:31:30 AM »

Steve,

Hailwood's Honda is the best looking in the bunch, especially since it's showing just enough leg for you to see the dry clutch.

Don R · « **Reply #77 on:** June 21, 2010, 02:23:01 AM »

Just a few drag racers, Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney and her son, Joe Amato, Tim Wilkerson used to know us by name, Tony Pedregon, Don Prudhomme, Tom Hoover, Rick Jones and son Ricky, Pro stock drivers. Tom Hammonds, pro stock and NBA. I met an actor on I80, Tracy___ can't think of his last name but I know you've seen him.

Peterbylt · « **Reply #78 on:** June 21, 2010, 02:55:02 AM »

In 2009 I got to meet and ride with world famous Drag Bike racer Sam Green on the first leg of his USA tour.

Peter

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #79 on:** June 21, 2010, 02:57:46 AM »

Quote from: Peterbylt on June 21, 2010, 02:55:02 AM

In 2009 I got to meet and ride with world famous Drag Bike racer Sam Green on the first leg of his USA tour.

Peter

Not that weirdo with the white suit ?......

Mick

Swoop · « **Reply #80 on:** June 21, 2010, 02:59:08 AM »

I used to sharpen John Candy's skates....a few years ago....

KeithTurk · « **Reply #81 on:** June 21, 2010, 04:53:36 AM »

First time I went to the Bonneville salt flats... I hung out one night at the bend in the road.... guy was cooking burgers... so I stopped and hung out... he and Trixie had me sit down and eat with them..... Ed Roth was genuinely a nice guy.... ( Big Daddy, Rat Fink )

So after burgers I walk across the road and hung out with this motely group... drinking and swapping lies.... somehow I ended up being the guy they were telling stories too.... classic "first liar" stuff.... The Group...

Tex Smith ( Hot Rod tech guy and genuine early hero of car guys )

Gray Baskerville ( Hot Rod magazine forever )

Dick Peirson ( Pierson Bros coupe fame )

Ed Iskydarin (sp ) Cam God...

It was an incredible evening hanging out with the fathers of Hot Rodding in America... these guys were simply a group not to be duplicated.... Tex was a fighter pilot in WW2 and was telling me stories about Spanking Donald Healey's ass on the Nurnburg ring with his 100 4 cylinder while Donald couldn't keep up with this 6 banger.... ( Had to be true the first 6 was a dog ) Gray was there in his flip flops... Isky was a guy who just didn't know you couldn't ... and Dick was simply a gentleman... ( and honestly interesting ... least famous outside of a very small circle... but genuinely had these guys attention )

spent an evening backstage with Poison ( the band... Brent Michels, Ricki Rockett... and so on )Ricki is hard core Triumph folks.

Oh and in 08 I was hanging out a Bville and ran into Tonya Harding... .. now that was funny....I had no idea who she was.... just another bimbo on the flats.... but she was driving so we get to gabbing about this and that....and it dawns on me who she is .... Just as my wife shows up... ( also in a drivers suit ... 247mph Record stuff ).... I didn't fair well on that fray in to infamy...

K

Sam Green Racing · « **Reply #82 on:** June 21, 2010, 05:22:12 AM »

Last year, i got to chat with Keith Turk on a forum...............

he was over the moon.

Sam.

Sam Green Racing · « **Reply #83 on:** June 21, 2010, 06:01:49 AM »

Quote from: Peterbylt on June 21, 2010, 02:55:02 AM

In 2009 I got to meet and ride with world famous Drag Bike racer Sam Green on the first leg of his USA tour.

Peter

Damn Peter, you sure do lead a quiet life.

How's the good lady and those 3 giant cats of yours?

Sam

KeithTurk · « **Reply #84 on:** June 21, 2010, 08:00:47 AM »

Now Peter there's a bloke I'd truly enjoy meeting in person....

K

754 · « **Reply #85 on:** June 21, 2010, 09:11:09 AM »

There is a lot of really cool people at Bonnevile..

In 07 1080 and I were thumbing in from LandsEnd and got a ride in a motorhome, with Boris Murray, Dave Campos and Daves daughter.. nice people. Got a ride with the guy from Klockwerks too.

Last year got to meet again, Leslie Porterfield, got a cool pic taken with her. We had a fellow named Green visit the streamliner pits the day we went to SLC..we missed it.. rumour has it he is the fastest man on earth.. Got to meet SS Slim & Nancy from Landracing.com.. also Freud the photographer and Ray theRat.... and a lot of others.. made it to Salt Talks..@ Bend in the Road..

A few weeks later, we were back at BuB, got to hang out with that guy that worked with Russel from Exile on a bike TV show.and a few other folks..

Great times..

Peterbylt · « **Reply #86 on:** June 21, 2010, 09:43:59 AM »

Quote from: SamCB750A on June 21, 2010, 06:01:49 AM

Quote from: Peterbylt on June 21, 2010, 02:55:02 AM
In 2009 I got to meet and ride with world famous Drag Bike racer Sam Green on the first leg of his USA tour.

Peter

Damn Peter, you sure do lead a quiet life.

How's the good lady and those 3 giant cats of yours?

Sam

Although not as famous or would that be infamous As Sam Green,

We also got to meet the fastest DragBike racer on the planet, Larry "Spiderman" McBride
and Bracket racing Legend Chad Isley driving his 77 CB750A (wHo is also a member of this forum)

Peter

sangyo soichiro · « **Reply #87 on:** June 21, 2010, 10:24:31 AM »

Quote from: Peterbylt on June 21, 2010, 09:43:59 AM

Although not as famous or would that be infamous As Sam Green,

I don't know if this is an old wive's tale or not, but I heard that Sam Green once raced a bullet, and won.

Sam Green Racing · « **Reply #88 on:** June 22, 2010, 12:08:07 AM »

Quote from: soichiro on June 21, 2010, 10:24:31 AM

Quote from: Peterbylt on June 21, 2010, 09:43:59 AM
Although not as famous or would that be infamous As Sam Green,

I don't know if this is an old wive's tale or not, but I heard that Sam Green once raced a bullet, and won.

You're so right So, it was back in 1966 when I out ran a Royal Enfield 350 Bullet on my 150 Honda benly, might have been a different outcome had they produced this concept bike back then.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/upload/251502/images/ROYAL%20ENFIELD%20BULLET%20SPORT%20CONCEPT.jpg

Sam.

Don R · « **Reply #89 on:** June 22, 2010, 10:21:22 PM »

I did also get to meet Ed Roth, I watched for a long time while he painted a rat fink on red plexiglass. It unfortunately was already spoken for. I would have liked to have met Baskerville, I enjoyed his stories in Hot Rod.

fastbroshi · « **Reply #90 on:** June 22, 2010, 10:52:40 PM »

I was wandering the pits at a vintage auto race at the Navy base air field near San Diego back in '03 or '04, can't remember the island name now, but you have to take the huge bridge to get there. Point Loma? Anyway, all of a sudden I hear this wonderful racket and look over and see this huge bright red Edelbrock trailer with a few Camaros in front, and whaddya know, it was Vic Edelbrock out there warming up one of them. It was gold and black, maybe one of Smokey Yunick's. The damn thing was so loud I could barely hear him from a foot away.

azuredesign · « **Reply #91 on:** June 23, 2010, 04:11:18 AM »

Quote from: fastbroshi on June 22, 2010, 10:52:40 PM

I was wandering the pits at a vintage auto race at the Navy base air field near San Diego back in '03 or '04, can't remember the island name now, but you have to take the huge bridge to get there. Point Loma? Anyway, all of a sudden I hear this wonderful racket and look over and see this huge bright red Edelbrock trailer with a few Camaros in front, and whaddya know, it was Vic Edelbrock out there warming up one of them. It was gold and black, maybe one of Smokey Yunick's. The damn thing was so loud I could barely hear him from a foot away.

Coronado?

KeithTurk · « **Reply #92 on:** June 23, 2010, 05:44:34 AM »

Oh man.... Smokey Yunick.... I'll try and make this short.... but we had a Very in depth conversation on the aerodynamic characteristic's of the retreating blade of a Helicopter in forward flight... ( one blade is going forward and one is going backwards ... forward speed is added and subtracted accordingly )

Smokey was a Helicopter pilot and engineer... I was teaching folks to fly Attack Helicopters.... He was sucking up knowledge... fascinating conversation... we got cut off by the dinner we were attending....

Fast foward one year... to the same Event.... Smokey walks up, calls me by my first name... and we pick up the conversation almost exactly where we had left it the year before... The man was Brilliant.... asked incredibly detailed questions and listened intently to the answers.... got immediately to the heart of the matter and understood the nuisances of minutia that my most advanced students wouldn't have come close to....

Inquisitive... would be my single word answer to the who Smokey was....

So... I not only met Smokey....the guy knew my name.... that left me stunned... he was truly one of my hero's...

Industrial Cafe · « **Reply #93 on:** June 23, 2010, 06:47:44 AM »

I met Jeff Goldblum and Jeff Donovan hanging out together when I was working security at the entrance gate of the superbowl.

I didn't recognize either of them until I asked Goldblum to lift his shirt cause his big ass buckle went off when I wanded him..
he had a ridiculous set of six pack abs...
the other Jeff said 'he didn't know they did strip searches here and asked if he gets tips if he stripped'.

they were very cool dudes.

I also bumped into Cuba Gooding Jr. there.

fastbroshi · « **Reply #94 on:** June 23, 2010, 10:48:50 AM »

Quote from: azuredesign on June 23, 2010, 04:11:18 AM

Quote from: fastbroshi on June 22, 2010, 10:52:40 PM
I was wandering the pits at a vintage auto race at the Navy base air field near San Diego back in '03 or '04, can't remember the island name now, but you have to take the huge bridge to get there. Point Loma? Anyway, all of a sudden I hear this wonderful racket and look over and see this huge bright red Edelbrock trailer with a few Camaros in front, and whaddya know, it was Vic Edelbrock out there warming up one of them. It was gold and black, maybe one of Smokey Yunick's. The damn thing was so loud I could barely hear him from a foot away.
Coronado?

Yup, that's it. I don't know what it is, but that chick in Burn Notice is one of those gals that's hot, but odd looking at the same time. Same thing with Christina Ricci.

Lenny55 · « **Reply #95 on:** June 23, 2010, 07:31:03 PM »

When I was 16, Motorhead walked into the Mcdonalds I worked at and I served Lemmy a filet o' fish.

The star of the tv show JAG is married to a woman from my city and they were visiting her family at Christmas. He and his wife both bought full ski packages from the shop I worked at. Nice guy.

Kevin Durand is also from here, he was home a couple of years ago and I met him at a mutual friend's Christmas party.

Meeting Lemmy was the highlight though. Motorhead rocks.

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #96 on:** June 23, 2010, 07:57:05 PM »

Quote from: retro rocket on July 05, 2009, 09:33:20 PM

I went to a Motorhead concert back in the 80's and after the gig we met Lemmy and the boys, i said to Lemmy, "hey Lemmy, you must have guys buying you drinks and offering left handed cigs all over the world" he said " yeah but whats your point" i said "well how about shouting me a drink" {pretty cheeky i know} and he said " i have never had that said to me in my entire days of gigging, i drink Vodka and orange, will that do," i said yes and we got slightly plastered on Vodka and orange.... and yes i did shout as well. He is a very interesting and funny guy, he also gave me a heap of momento's like picks and song lists for the tour.

Mick

Quote from: Lenny55 on June 23, 2010, 07:31:03 PM

When I was 16, Motorhead walked into the Mcdonalds I worked at and I served Lemmy a filet o' fish.

The star of the tv show JAG is married to a woman from my city and they were visiting her family at Christmas. He and his wife both bought full ski packages from the shop I worked at. Nice guy.

Kevin Durand is also from here, he was home a couple of years ago and I met him at a mutual friend's Christmas party.

Meeting Lemmy was the highlight though. Motorhead rocks.

Thought you would like my old post....

Mick

Uncle Ernie · « **Reply #97 on:** June 24, 2010, 08:03:44 AM »

Spent an evening farting around with Canned Heat. One of them was impressed with my electric recorder (the wooden instrument).

Got to know -no, just meet- (how can you know this guy?) Robin Williams before he got famous. We both hung at the Holy City Zoo fairly often in San Francisco. He must vibrate when he sleeps.

I talked to Sam on the phone once.
I've been a nervous wreck ever since.

I used to cut John Paynes hair- although he never looked like it. One of the world's great welders and sculptors. (IMO)

sangyo soichiro · « **Reply #98 on:** June 24, 2010, 08:17:38 AM »

Quote from: Uncle Ernie on June 24, 2010, 08:03:44 AM

I talked to Sam on the phone once.
I've been a nervous wreck ever since.

I don't know if this is just an old wive's tale, but I heard that Sam Green once raced a missile, and won.

Lenny55 · « **Reply #99 on:** June 24, 2010, 09:26:29 AM »

[/quote]

Thought you would like my old post....

Mick
[/quote]

Yeah Mick, I read that earlier. Lemmy's been mentioned more times than anyone else is this thread I think eh?

News:

Author Topic: Brushes with greatness? (Read 15533 times)

Swoop