[BadLuck]

Good luck with it. Should be alot of fun. I love racing at the strip, but am no where near as fast as your going to be on a ZX-14 in a 1/4. If you get the chance to race him he'll smoke ya.

All for a good cause though win or loose. When I cut off my hair it was down to my azz and I donated it to Locks of Love also.

Hope you make it through the steps and have a good time.

[superbike]

It's supposed to be a bracket racing format, so consistency will be the key. Red light? Break-out? Hmmm, I'm reading that Rickey has put the bike (in stock form) well into the nine second range. 145-154 mph in the quarter. 207 bhp @ 10,000 rpm w/122.2 ft.lb. torque. Top speed in 6th gear: 203mph. Programmable launch and shift lights. Three position traction control. New slipper clutch. Yup, it's a long shot.

[OldandReallySlow]

Like you said, it's all about consistency bro!!

[BadLuck]

It's supposed to be a bracket racing format, so consistency will be the key. Red light? Break-out? Hmmm, I'm reading that Rickey has put the bike (in stock form) well into the nine second range. 145-150 mph in the quarter. 207 bhp @ 10,000 rpm w/122.2 ft.lb. torque. Top speed in 6th gear: 203mph. Programmable launch and shift lights. Three position traction control. New slipper clutch. Yup, it's a long shot.

Consistency is key, but not easy to achive by any means. I've been racing my bike for 2 years and have been getting better at it. I still have long way to go though. Doesnt help that I made changes to the bike in the off season last year, so maybe I'll be better this coming season. He11, if I dont red light and beat myself 3/4 of my runs I'll be better than last year.

Keep us posted. Stay safe, have fun and good luck.

[superbike]

Ah, the dreaded "Sophmore curse", year two can be frustrating! It's normal to struggle once you get past the fundamentals, I did, as most do. Year three will be better once you process all you have learned from the previous two years, trust me on that.

Brother, I think the trick is, (like the song says), is to keep on shufflin' everyday! Thanks for the well wishes...

[superbike]

Morning! Here's a "Race Rickey" update... Last week I found an e-mail address for Mr. Gadson and sent him the following note:

Hi Rickey!
I'm signed up! I thought you might like to see a picture taken at a local Kawasaki Dealer in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. I also posted it on one of my favorite websites at the following link. Thought you might want to see what people are saying about the contest out there.

http://katriders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=122734

I know it's a long shot to get in the final phases of the contest, but I'm a Kawasaki fan and a Rickey Gadson fan...nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

Hope you get a smile out of what I'm up to...Jim Bailey.

Now here's the cool part, within an hour, I got the following e-mail back from Rickey...

Wow!!! I think that's AWESOME, and I hope you win the chance!

I support pediatric diabetes and will ride to raise money again this season for the cause.

Keep up the enthusiasm Jim..
Rickey Gadson

9 time World Champion Motorcycle drag racer/Racing instructor
Drag racing school instructor
Rickeygadsondragracingschool.com
Rickeygadson62.com
host of www.motorcycletalk.tv
host of www.ninjamotorcycles.com

Having fun with the dream, daily workouts are going well. My blood sugar has dropped back into "normal" ranges, and that alone is worth the fun I'm having with this!

[Slofuze]

That is so totally cool Jim!

[scottynoface]

Bad ***.

[stretched600]

Right on! As a fellow diabetic I hope you make it all the way! Wish I would have heard of it sooner

[superbike]

March 1st! I thought a "Race Rickey" update is in order. No news from Kawasaki, is no news good news? Maybe, maybe not. There is good news though, from the time I started this thread, I have only missed two daily workouts. On a Saturday back in January I took a twelve hour class, and missed that day. Yesterday, I had the flu (nasty) and I skipped that one. More good news, my blood sugar is holding steady at between the 120-130 range. For me, that is very good.

With as mild a winter as we have had in NW Ohio, I hope to get one of the bikes out and start riding as soon as possible. I need to work on my burn-out and launch skills. Some time on the tree wouldn't hurt either, its been a while...stay tuned.

[Psycho1]

Saw this at the bike show.

[superbike]

Welp, The eight semi-finalists are going to be posted on the Kawasaki website next Wednesday the 14th. I will not be on the list. Oh well, it was a jolly good try and it helped me stick to my winter workout schedule, so it's all good. The voting stage will begin on the 14th, it will be interesting to see who did make the list and their bio's. Good luck to each of them!

[Slofuze]

Your heart's in the right place Jim..... keep it that way .

[superbike]

Thanks Nino!