The Next Rambo?

No word's to describe, just watch the video!

My hero!

I can only hope I am this cool when I am this guys age.  Looks like I'll play me a little battlefield tonight!

Ridiculous

Please tell me what is wrong with the below picture?  I swear I didn't step a foot outside more than to move the sprinkler and couldn't even imagine riding in this weather.  Hope we get some rain soon as it looks like the middle of August in my back yard. Dry, dry, dry!

Darth Fiesta

Although they will only be using this livery for test mules, it sure does look menacing on the Fiesta.  Check out how small that motor is in the engine bay.  1.6L@300+bhp!

The Monster defeats the Mountain

23 years of trying and Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima has finally beat the 10 minute mark up Pikes Peak in the 2011 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.  Setting the previous record in 2007 at 10:01:408, Monster smashes the record this year at 9:51:278.  I have followed this peripherally over the years I love to see all the classes race up the mountain and it is really something to watch the open class cars.  Some say the record will come with an asterisk as there are only about 3 miles of gravel left and considering Rod Millen put in a 10:04:06 on 12.42 miles of gravel in 1994, some say it's a wonder it took this long.  In any case, this is still a run to watch and I was actually cringing at some of the drop-offs!  See record run below.

WRC Pace Notes - Explained

See short video below showing 3 different ways that 3 different drivers write their pace notes for the same corner.  Interesting indeed.

I'm Back! Almost...

Per my previous post related to a pinched nerve in my neck, I was continuing to have difficulty sitting upright in a chair without extreme pain and after a full day of work sitting at a computer, I was in no mood/condition to sit at a computer at home no matter how much I might want to!  That being said, I haven't been on my computer over the last couple of month much more than to check my mail or do a few searches and have seriously neglected my blog.  That will hopefully change as having exhausted all avenues in seeking relief from my pain, I decided to undergo anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery and was operated on 06/21/11.  The surgery was a success and two weeks later, I am pain free from the pinched nerve but still recovering from the surgery itself.  I have been back to work for a week and am able to do some limited driving but no motorcycle riding for a minimum of 8 more weeks.  Other than that, things are looking up and I am happy to say that the pinched nerve has been relieved of pressure and sitting in a chair is no longer a problem!  I will be in a soft collar for another 3 weeks and then I hope to be able to begin some light rehabilitation, eventually regaining full strength/range of motion in my neck.  See link below for a general idea of the kind of surgery I underwent.

Osama Bin Laden Dead!

We finally go the bastard!  More to come as news is released.

Where Have You Been?

Well, it appears that the knock I took on the head during the snowstorm in early February did more damage than I initially thought as I am now exhibiting symptoms consistent with a bulging disc at the C5/C6 vertebrae.  Long story short, I was shoveling snow out in the blizzard and had only opened the garage door to about five feet to keep the snow from blowing in.  Finished up the driveway, pulled my hood down tight and sprinted to get in the garage with my eyes down and....  Well, you can imagine the rest.  Hit myself square in the top of the head, perpendicular to my spine, and almost knocked myself out cold.  Neck hurt for a week or so but didn't seem to bother me after that until about three weeks ago at which time I started exhibiting real pain in the upper left quadrant of my back, radiating up the left side of my neck and down my left arm.  Two trips to the Doc, one to the Chiro and now Physical Therapy with no real relief yet.  Really hate that I haven't been posting more as there has been quite a bit of WRC news I would like to share but to let you know just how much it hurts to sit in front of my computer, I haven't done any gaming for almost 2 weeks!  If my condition doesn't improve quite a bit in the next few weeks, the Rally may be questionable.  Updates as I receive them.

Crysis 2 = Awkward!

Started playing Crysis 2 over the weekend and ran across this beauty in a savage fire fight on the docks.  That truly is planting someone headfirst, no?

FINALLY!

Ordered the clutch cable a week ago tomorrow and I suppose I wasn't really thinking when I expected it to be here before last weekend but Saturday came and went with no clutch cable and a beautiful day of riding missed.  Coming home from work today, I saw the package on the porch and knew I was in luck.  Quick dinner and then out to the garage to get the bike running for the nice days we are going to have this week before a weekend full of rain.  As you fairinged guys know, 80% of the battle with a job like this is removing the plastics and although mine is nowhere near as bad as a full-fairinged bike, to clean up the sides of the motor, they pile everything on top and it was quite a chore snaking the clutch cable through the spaghetti.  Cable in, adjusted and a quick ride showed that my cable pull had been degrading much longer than I noticed.  With the shorter bars, it had put the initial metal elbow off the lever perch in a bind as it snaked through the cable loom bolted to the top triple so upon re-installation, I routed it outside the loom with no binding.  Clutch pull is much, much smoother and no clank on getting it into first gear!  Really wish I would have thought to buy an air filter as mine really needed changing but I wanted to ride tomorrow so I bolted her back up.  Now for some tires and the Fizzy is ready to roll.  As for the ZRX, well that's a different story entirely...

Monster Truck Backflip

Even if you don't like monster trucks, this is flat out badass! Although not the first backflip done in competition, I believe it is the first someone drove away from.

Bike Night Barbecue

Had the guys over Saturday to enjoy the evening and eat some barbecue.  We also welcomed a new rider, Steve Young, to our group and look forward to getting him out to Arkansas sometimes soon.  Steve is a new employee at Scott&Goble architects and rides the black and copper Kawasaki Vulcan.

Good looking group

Gazing lovingly over our machines

Dave's Triumph Daytona

Deekster's Kawasaki ZRX

Phil's BMW F800S

Brett's Honda Shadow

Steve's Kawasaki Vulcan

Just getting started

About 4 hours later

Serving it up

Brett's "get that out of my face" look

Phil's "please take my picture" look

Steve seems genuinely excited to be here

Enjoying the fellowship

The Iceman Comes to NASCAR

This guy must be exceptionally bored!  Although I have enjoyed watching him in WRC last year and this, I think he realizes how "out of the water" he is with top-tier WRC drivers and feels he can make more of an impact in circuit racing.  It will be interesting and I look forward to watching Carl Edwards take him out at Talladega at 200+ mph!

Ouch...

Well, Ken Block's Rally Portugal got off to a rocky start to say the least.  Too bad as this was a rally he had done before and I was hoping he would have at least a top 10 finish.  Oh well, I just hope he doesn't get frustrated.

Arghhhhh...

Snapped the clutch cable on the Fizzy heading home for lunch today, from downtown, in road construction.  Only 3 miles but all midtown traffic so needless to say I had to be creative in getting the bike home which included flat out running a couple of red lights.  Oh well, made it home safe and the cable is only $50 if I can find a place to order it.  Sucks as the weather is perfect and I'm getting tired of putting gas in Ta Tonka!

Spring is Here II!

It's getting there!  Hope to get the fence in the backyard completed in the next week and then I can finally build my horseshoe pits!  HicklQue 2011, here we come!

Spring is Here!

I cam always tell spring is here as the crawfish are in season.  Put together a little crawfish boil for my buds Saturday night and everyone seemed to have a good time.  Some good food, better fellowship and then UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones.  What a great night and only could have been better with a zip through the twisties prior to us eating.  Oh well, that's coming soon enough and if the weather stays nice, I see us getting to Arkansas before the middle of April.  Next on the yard party agenda, HicklQue!

 

2011 WRC Rally de Portugal

Finally it's here, the first "real" test between Ford and the Citroen!  The first rally, Rally Sweden, is a specialist rally with the Scandinavians typically taking victory.  Rally Mexico is atypical for the elevation the rally runs at, some of the stages at altitudes higher than any stage run in Europe.  This really saps horsepower and makes it tough to compare the cars head to head.  Rally de Portugal is typical European gravel rally fare and is where we will be able to see if one car has an advantage over another.

See link here for the official WRC YouTube channel where you can get a fix on some older rallies.  From 2004 onward, the rally reviews are quite complete but prior to that, the day-end reviews are a mess with nothing being in order.  In any case, it's a good place to get some background on the current players and I highly recommend 2005, 2006 and 2007!

Ken Block Mancrush

Perhaps you are wondering "who in the hell is this Ken Block guy and what's up with Chuck's mancrush on him?" Well, there's not an altogether straight answer to this question but it starts with my newfound passion for the World Rally Championship. I have always been aware of rally racing peripherally, and am familiar with the general history of the evolution of cars prior to Group B to the present, but didn’t start following WRC full time until about halfway through the 2009 season when I was able to get access to footage through the internet. Long story short, I was hooked from the first stage I watched and just can't get enough!

Ken Block comes into the picture because he is the first American to drive in the WRC and score points since 1988 and although Ken understands he will probably never win a rally, much less the championship, that still hasn’t dampened his passion for the sport. I could bore you with the details of Ken’s background but the short version is that he is 42 years old, the founder of DC shoes and discovered a passion for rallying in his mid-30s. Ken raced in the American Rally Championship for about 5 years then made the switch to WRC fulltime in 2010. I believe he has a 3-year contract with Monster Energy drink and look to see him make rapid improvements through the rest of this year and into the next. Ken has a great attitude and is just what the WRC needed for a personality. Following Ken gives me the emotional investment that makes following any sport that much more fun and I look forward to him winning a stage outright before the end of the year!

As for the WRC itself, this is a great time to be getting into it as it is on the upswing. Since the worldwide economic downturn of 2007, the championship has degraded to only 2 manufacturer’s with only Ford and Citroën fielding factory vehicles. BMW is bringing the Mini Countryman into the series mid-season and Saab, Toyota and VW are making noises of rejoining the championship. Along with that, a Russian billionaire has purchased North One Sports, which provides coverage of the WRC, and has promised much improved coverage of the championship.

All in all, this is a fantastic time to be getting involved with the WRC and I’d be more than happy to provide you guys with the videos so you can follow along as well. There have been only 2 rallies thus far and I will reupload Sweden and Mexico to my FTP so you guys can have access to them to catch up. Rally Portugal is this coming weekend and I will upload those files as I get access to them. In any case, if you want a more in-depth history on the championship, I have 35G worth of WRC year-end reviews going back to the early 80s so just give me a shout.

Honorary Hoonigan

No words needed.  Whole video is worth a look!  Thanks to Phil for forwarding this on.

It's That Time!

Not to bring anyone down but with riding season coming up, the following clip kind of brings it all into perspective.  What a close call! Thanks to Ryan for forwarding this on to me.

Congrats!

Phil surprised me last night saying he was headed to Memphis this morning to pick up a new bike, a BMW F800S. SWEET!  Can't wait to see it and get Phil back to Arkansas for some fun in the twistys.

We're live!

Although I have enjoyed posting on the Hooliecrew blog over the past couple of years, I really wanted a place of my own where I could post without having to worry about whether or not it would be interesting to anyone in particular or not.  Now I can post all of my entries here and easily port over posts to other blogs if I feel they are appropriate.  I thought long and hard about what to title my new blog and wanted something along the same theme as Hooliecrew and wouldn't you know, Ken Block came through for me.  In a slow-mo video of him launching over Colin's Crest on the Vargasen Stage in Sweden earlier this month, I noticed the moniker "HOONIGAN" emblazoned across the radiator grill opening and there it was, my blog title! In any case, tired of messing with this thing tonight but glad to have it up and running.