It's the fourth of April and, incredible as it seems, in exactly four months the truck and trailer will be rolling out of my driveway and headed westward to the Bonneville Salt Flats. Much has been happening and there is still plenty of scheduled action between today and that August departure.

Our engine development team has been mighty busy. The specially modified cylinder head from Carpenter Racing (http://www.carpenterracing.com/) is complete and in hand, as are our Titanium connecting rods and lots of other "trick" stuff. Over the next several weeks master engine builder Steve Knecum of Knecum Performance Engines (http://www.knecumpower.com/) will be working his magic by assembling our 1000cc BMW monster. When the engine's ready it'll get plugged into the chassis and then it'll be off to both the A2 Wind Tunnel in Mooresville, NC and then over to KWS Motorsports (http://www.kwsmotorsports.com/)in N. Charleston, SC for dyno tuning. If, and only if, all that activity goes according to plan, the competition debut of our unfaired "Hooligan BMW" could come as early as the June 7-8 meet of the East Coast Timing Association on the "Ohio Mile" course in Wilmington, Ohio. In any case, over the next thirty days or so we will file entries for both the 65th Annual Bonneville SpeedWeek and the 10th Annual BUB Speed Trials, both held on the legendary Utah Salt Flats in August.     

At least as exciting as all that race prep progress are developments surrounding our initiatives in support of the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer (www.hatcherfoundation.org/). We are pleased to introduce the Corporate Supporters who have already stepped up as Hatcher Foundation Pledge Partners. Each has committed to donating $1.00 per MPH for our fastest speed through the measured mile at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2013. They are:

Suffice to say we are delighted to have each of these pledge partners on board in support of the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer. We'll be telling you more about each of these partners, as well as our other great product supporters as we go along. In the meantime, check them out by clicking on their tabs at the top of the page. Gotta go now.Hey, there's a lot to do and only four months to do it!

 

Ballistic Performance Components joins our list of supporters!

Ballistic Performance Components is the maker of the amazing killer LiFeP04 powersports batteries. Super light weight, and amazing cranking power! It's just what we'll need to crank that high compression BMW S1000RR at the Bonneville Salt Flats in August. Check 'em out at www.ballisticparts.com With Ballistic now on board as a 2W4K supporter we've got that starting task handled! Thanks Ballistic for caring enough to join us in our parallel efforts - namely going fast and helping the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer (www.hatcherfoundation.org)

2 Wheels 4 Kids Takes a New Turn !

I’m pleased to announce that 2Wheels4Kids will continue as an ongoing initiative to raise funds and awareness for selected children’s charities through motorcycle based events and adventures.

One year ago 2Wheels4Kids raised thousands of dollars with an 11,000+ mile ride around the USA in support of the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer ( www.hatcherfoundation.org )

For 2013 we’re changing gears a bit. And speeds. Rather than ride thousands of miles around the country on public highways, I’ll only be riding one mile. But what a mile that is. The famed “measured mile” at the Bonneville Salt Flats, where performance enthusiasts have been setting speed records in cars and on motorcycles for the better part of a century.  

In partnership with Pandora’s European Motorsports of Chattanooga, TN. (www.pandorasmotorsports.com) I’ll be privileged to compete at Bonneville on a specially prepared BMW S1000RR motorcycle. This 2013 program aspires to duplicate last year’s fund raising success and to raise further awareness for the Austin Hatcher Foundation by successfully establishing several new motorcycle speed records on Utah's legendary salt flats. 

My little Pennsylvania based PerformanceWerx racing team will compete with a very special BMW S1000RR. The class leading 1000cc Sportbike is being uniquely modified to compete in the unfaired, “naked” or so-called”streetfighter” configuration that is so popular among custom bike enthusiasts. Firmly in the team’s crosshairs are “naked” benchmarks in the record books of both major Bonneville sanctioning bodies, the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) and the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA.) Why a “naked” bike? It’s fairly simple. The unfaired bikes are pretty close to my heart.I set my first Bonneville record on a naked bike in 2008, and also earned membership in the exclusive Bonneville 200MPH Club on a naked bike. Besides, some of us think the look is mega cool. We’ve taken to calling ours the Hooligan BMW!”  In due course entries will be filed for the 65^th Annual Bonneville SpeedWeek, August 10-16, 2013 as well as the 10^th Annual Bub Speed Trials (www.speedtrialsbybub.com/ ) on August 25-29. 

PerformanceWerx has pledged $1.00 to the Austin Hatcher Foundation for each MPH top speed achieved in officially sanctioned competition at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2013. But that is just a beginning. We invite other interested supporters to join us in this campaign.

Additional details regarding the program and the innovative ways that supporting sponsors can become involved will be announced in the coming weeks!

Exactly six months from today we will be at Bonneville. WooHoo!

The Ride is Over, but The Mission Continues!

Well, it's been over a week now since I returned home and I finally feel as though I am substantially "recovered" both physically and mentally. There is, however, still much to do on the home/personal business front. I never doubted that being away for a month would leave me plenty to do when I got home.
Likewise, there is still much to do in the battle against Pediatric Cancer and the devastation it brings to kids and to their families. The 2 Wheels 4 Kids Ride has already raised over $7000 for The Austin Hatcher Foundation, and we hope to get to $7500 before we are finished. It is not too late to add your donation to the tally.  Would you like to help? Here are two very simple ways to make a donation.

-CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE - This will take you to the Austin Hatcher Foundation Donation Page. Take out your credit card and make a secure donation online. Please remember to put "2W4K" in the comments field so that your donation is correctly credited.  

-TEXT THE WORD "WHEELS" to 501501. A $10 donation to The Austin Hatcher Foundation will be added to your cell phone bill!

Either way, you will get the satisfaction of having done a wonderful thing for others in need. Thank you so much for your support.

Day 28 - May 21, 2012 Wytheville, VA to Malvern, PA. Mission Accomplished!

After a carrying around a feeling of "winding down" for several days, today really was the end of the riding! It didn't go out with a wimper either. 491 miles in the saddle took me from Wytheville, VA to my home in Malvern, PA. And, after all those days (weeks actually...) of nice weather I finally got to ride in the rain again - for quite a while! As has been the case for most of the ride the morning dawned beautifully. I took advantage of both my early start and the nice weather to take a detour through part of Southern West Virginia to do some riding through the mountains. Well worth the time, especially all the scenic beauty just after dawn. Even with the detour, though, I was able to cover 250 miles before noon. That's been a kind of benchmark for me on the longer days. However as I rode northeastward through Virginia, the skies became increasingly ominous. It was no surprise as all the weather forecasts I'd seen said I was in for a bit of the wet stuff. Following I-81 I started to get rained 0on before I got to Winchester, VA and the precif continued, in varying degrees of intensity for about 3 hours until I was well past Harrisburg, PA. At least I got to ride the last 50 miles or so in the dry. A little summary of the ride goes like this. 11,478 miles. 32 States. 4 Time zones. I rode every single day and averaged well over 400 miles per day. High mileage day was 661! I pretty well burned down a set of tires but the only mechanical issue with the bike was that I had to replace a headlamp bulb in Albuquerque. As difficult as the trip was, it just really couldn't have gone much better. Best yet - we raised just under $7000 for the Austin Hatcher Foundation and I have high hopes that we will cross even that threshold in the upcoming days. We are still taking donations and will do so for 30 days or so. YOU CAN DONATE SECURELY ONLINE BY CLICKING HERE. If you donate online, please remember to put 2W4K in the comments field so your donation is properly credited. You can also donate $10.00 immediately by texting the word "wheels" to 501501. The $10 donation will be added to your cell phone bill. This has been an absolutely amazing experience and all the readers , followers, and lurkers here are a great part of what has made it so fun!

Beautiful early morning in the mountains.

New River Valley.

Rain all around.

Nice roostertails. Rode in varying degrees of rain , from moderate to downpour, for about 3-4 hours.

Arrival at home!

Day 27 - May 20, 2012 Chattanooga, TN to Wytheville, VA

So, here I sit in my hotel tonight. 10,988 miles under my belt and just this one more solitary evening on the road. All that remains is the challenge of covering an additional 475 miles or so and the 2 Wheels 4 Kids ride will become part of my history. I am excited to get home but also slightly sad that it's all coming to a close. This has been quite the journey of discovery. The discovery of new places, new faces, and quite a few feelings that, if not quite new, had been latent for too long. Mostly I'll remember the kids and their families and how good it felt to make them laugh if only for an instant. 

We've raised over $6500 dollars for the Austin Hatcher Foundation and are still taking donations. If you can find it within yourself to help please CLICK HERE to make a secure online donation. If you want an even simpler way, just text the word "wheels" to 501501 and a $10 donation to The Austin Hatcher Foundation will be added to your cell phone bill.

Here are a few pics from today top enjoy. I'll be back tomorrow with (hopefully) some details of the final day on the road.

My lodging last evening. The guest cottage at the home of Justin and Angie Prann in Signal Mountain, TN. That's my buddy Kaiser in the pic. He's a BIG boy!

And here's Kaiser with his little sister Ophelia!

Actual twisties coming down the mountain from the Prann home early this morning.

Fireworks. A major Tennessee industry.

Getting into some decent views in the middle Appalachians.

More good mountain views.

And yet another.

I-81. Famous for delays. Here a traffic stoppage for construction near Marion, VA.

Day 26 - May 19, 2012 Smyrna, TN to Chattanooga, TN

Short riding day today - just about 150 miles in all but a very productive day. My early morning destination was Pandora's European Motorsports in Chattanooga.

Early morning arrival at Pandora's

Pandora's has been an incredibly supportive sponsor of the 2 Wheels 4 Kids ride and today they just went over the top with their support. Aside from providing their showroom as a forum to talk with others about my ride and it's objectives, they did a major service on the bike, including the installation of new tires. Their open house went well and I met some new friends, and got some additional donations - the total is now over $6500. I also got to spend time with the founders of the Austin Hatcher Foundation, Jim and Amy Jo Osborn and I also got to meet Mackenzie who designed my helmet for the ride

That's Mackenzie who won the contest to design my helmet!

All in all just a great day hanging out at a bike shop. I'm overnighting here in Tennessee at the home of Justin Prann, the owner of the Pandora's dealership.

With Justin Prann, dealer principal at Pandora's European Motorsports.

I guess today really marks the end of all the scheduled activities for the trip. All that remains now is the approximately 800 mile ride home over the next 2 days. With a fresh tune up on the bike, and new tires, that trip should go smoothly. I'm going to try for a great night's sleep tonight and not even set an alarm. We'll see how that goes. The plan is to ride into Virginia tomorrow and to finish up Monday. Stay tuned. Not quite finished yet!