Joined Jul 2007
5K Posts | 1K+
unda cheese
As some of you may know Jumkie has been helping out Beny Solis in his efforts to race in the AMA Supersport class.
Beny was originally riding a Graves prepared R6 in the DSB class for 2011. I don't know the exact details but from what I've heard Graves support consists of supplying the bike and transport of it. Beny was still responsible for his own travel etc. Basically getting a ride but paying for everything else.
Jumkie told me a few months ago that he was going to try to raise some funds for him.
Beny has had other opportunities to race outside of the AMA but money was the deterrent. The Solis family are regular working class people. Jumkie and Cali Kid put together a dinner at $100 a head to help raise some money for him.
About a week before the fundraiser Jumkie contacted me obviously frustrated and crestfallen because Graves no longer was giving Beny any support. He was on his own looking for a ride. Suddenly the fundraiser had a lot more importance than before. A considerable amount of effort and personable expense was put forth by CK and Jumkie to make this happen.
From what I've heard (in true Jumkie fashion) the formal
dinner ended up being a full blown party.
So Beny found himself a CBR 600 (which is not the bike of choice in that class) to contend in the SS west coast championship. He's basically a privateer on his own.
I made the trip up to Daytona early sat morning in hopes to catch Beny for race 2 which was run at 10 am. Jumkie had told me a number of times that I had to meet Beny and his family not just because of Benys special talent but because of their character. He's told me numerous times that these are really great people.
I get to the track. 45 minutes before the race. My first order of business is to cruise the paddock, grab a good seat and watch the race. Afterwards I would go seek out Beny and say hello.
I start to walk thru the paddock and I see a young kid in leathers walking the other way. He looks a bit familar so I turn around and see the name Solis on the back. Its 25 min before the race so my my first thought is to leave him alone but I say what the heck and go say hello. I tell Beny I'm friends with Jumkie and I came up to watch him race. He chats for a moment and asks me if I want to take a walk with him. We walk back to his garage where he grabs a snack and offers me some water. All the while he's talking with me like I've known him forever. its as if I was talking to my neighbors kid who knows me. I ask him a number of questions about the previous race and his replies are calm and collective as if he's not a 16 year old talking about doing 170 mph at Daytona. He was not fazed at all about riding Daytona for the 1st time. In fact when I ask him about what his thoughts on the banking were he just laughs and tells me how fun it is.
At this point he asks me what time it is and I tell him he's got 20 min before the race. He says ok and we start walking back. I'm a little nervous at this point because we're 5 minutes away from the grid and he should be back by now. I mention this to him and he laughs. I'm thinkin, Ipod on, pre race rituals , nobody get near me attitude but its quite the opposite. He's going for a stroll in the park.
We get to the hot pit where I anticipate security to tell me I can't get in but since I'm with him they say nothing. We walk over to his crew which is sharing a tent with Jake Zemke.
Beny hops on his bike, flag drops and crashes 3 corners later due to mechanical issues. None of his crew is throwing wrenches or dropping F bombs. Beny shortly makes it back looking ok. Has a few words with his dad and crew, looks over at me shrugs and grins. I'm completely blown away at this point by the casual indifference of crashing at speed and their composure after driving cross country and having it end like that.
We walk back to the garage and Beny is explaining to me what happened. I say to his dad how much this sucks and he puts it into perspective by saying, what really matters is that his boy is safe.
Back at the garage I plan to part ways and leave them but they extend their hospitality some more. They throw me the keys to the scooter so I can cruise around and tell me to come watch the 200 with them in Zemkes tent.
I hang with them with the remainder of the day and end up having a great time watching the 200 fm a spot I never dreamed I could be at.
Beny is great kid. He's mature for a kid his age. Smart, personable, totally unpretentious. Half the kids his age are portraying a look how cool I am image. That's not him at all. There's no arrogance about himself or towards others.
Its easy to see that this attitude comes from his dad who is as serious as can be but most often with a smile on his face.
The reason why I post this is twofold. I know a number of people on this site donated towards the fundraiser and I thought it was important to know that their money was well spent. If Benys career as a racer would end today I would still have great respect for him and his dad. Its not easy raising kids. There's no handbook for this sort of thing. To see a kid with so much potential and have such a grounded nature speaks to the character of his family.
Secondly I want to thank Jumkie. His influential tentacles are far reaching. Without all he's done I never would have had the opportunity to spend a day with Beny and crew and most certainly would never been able to watch the 200 from inside Zemkes tent.
Thanks bro
Beny was originally riding a Graves prepared R6 in the DSB class for 2011. I don't know the exact details but from what I've heard Graves support consists of supplying the bike and transport of it. Beny was still responsible for his own travel etc. Basically getting a ride but paying for everything else.
Jumkie told me a few months ago that he was going to try to raise some funds for him.
Beny has had other opportunities to race outside of the AMA but money was the deterrent. The Solis family are regular working class people. Jumkie and Cali Kid put together a dinner at $100 a head to help raise some money for him.
About a week before the fundraiser Jumkie contacted me obviously frustrated and crestfallen because Graves no longer was giving Beny any support. He was on his own looking for a ride. Suddenly the fundraiser had a lot more importance than before. A considerable amount of effort and personable expense was put forth by CK and Jumkie to make this happen.
From what I've heard (in true Jumkie fashion) the formal
dinner ended up being a full blown party.
So Beny found himself a CBR 600 (which is not the bike of choice in that class) to contend in the SS west coast championship. He's basically a privateer on his own.
I made the trip up to Daytona early sat morning in hopes to catch Beny for race 2 which was run at 10 am. Jumkie had told me a number of times that I had to meet Beny and his family not just because of Benys special talent but because of their character. He's told me numerous times that these are really great people.
I get to the track. 45 minutes before the race. My first order of business is to cruise the paddock, grab a good seat and watch the race. Afterwards I would go seek out Beny and say hello.
I start to walk thru the paddock and I see a young kid in leathers walking the other way. He looks a bit familar so I turn around and see the name Solis on the back. Its 25 min before the race so my my first thought is to leave him alone but I say what the heck and go say hello. I tell Beny I'm friends with Jumkie and I came up to watch him race. He chats for a moment and asks me if I want to take a walk with him. We walk back to his garage where he grabs a snack and offers me some water. All the while he's talking with me like I've known him forever. its as if I was talking to my neighbors kid who knows me. I ask him a number of questions about the previous race and his replies are calm and collective as if he's not a 16 year old talking about doing 170 mph at Daytona. He was not fazed at all about riding Daytona for the 1st time. In fact when I ask him about what his thoughts on the banking were he just laughs and tells me how fun it is.
At this point he asks me what time it is and I tell him he's got 20 min before the race. He says ok and we start walking back. I'm a little nervous at this point because we're 5 minutes away from the grid and he should be back by now. I mention this to him and he laughs. I'm thinkin, Ipod on, pre race rituals , nobody get near me attitude but its quite the opposite. He's going for a stroll in the park.
We get to the hot pit where I anticipate security to tell me I can't get in but since I'm with him they say nothing. We walk over to his crew which is sharing a tent with Jake Zemke.
Beny hops on his bike, flag drops and crashes 3 corners later due to mechanical issues. None of his crew is throwing wrenches or dropping F bombs. Beny shortly makes it back looking ok. Has a few words with his dad and crew, looks over at me shrugs and grins. I'm completely blown away at this point by the casual indifference of crashing at speed and their composure after driving cross country and having it end like that.
We walk back to the garage and Beny is explaining to me what happened. I say to his dad how much this sucks and he puts it into perspective by saying, what really matters is that his boy is safe.
Back at the garage I plan to part ways and leave them but they extend their hospitality some more. They throw me the keys to the scooter so I can cruise around and tell me to come watch the 200 with them in Zemkes tent.
I hang with them with the remainder of the day and end up having a great time watching the 200 fm a spot I never dreamed I could be at.
Beny is great kid. He's mature for a kid his age. Smart, personable, totally unpretentious. Half the kids his age are portraying a look how cool I am image. That's not him at all. There's no arrogance about himself or towards others.
Its easy to see that this attitude comes from his dad who is as serious as can be but most often with a smile on his face.
The reason why I post this is twofold. I know a number of people on this site donated towards the fundraiser and I thought it was important to know that their money was well spent. If Benys career as a racer would end today I would still have great respect for him and his dad. Its not easy raising kids. There's no handbook for this sort of thing. To see a kid with so much potential and have such a grounded nature speaks to the character of his family.
Secondly I want to thank Jumkie. His influential tentacles are far reaching. Without all he's done I never would have had the opportunity to spend a day with Beny and crew and most certainly would never been able to watch the 200 from inside Zemkes tent.
Thanks bro
Joined Jul 2007
5K Posts | 1K+
unda cheese
Eslick chunked a tire on about lap 26 and tossed it coming off the banking in the 200.
The herring incident was at start finish line on the last lap of the 200
Just watched SBK race 2. Did Hayes make a mistake and not try to break the draft because he believed he was too far ahead? w
I have never seen a bike make up a gap like, that even at Daytona. It looked as if Blake had a little NOS for the last 200 yards
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
Thanks - guess I'll have to mark up my confusion to poor coverage from Speed Channel - either that or the download I got
was edited. There was no mention of Eslick crashing or any incident between Herrin and co. ..... announcer was too busy
talking about stuff that was of no interest to real racing fans.
Joined Jul 2007
5K Posts | 1K+
unda cheese
There were 2 broadcasts of the race. Part 1 was live but dumped coverage after the red flag went so long. If you were lucky and your dvr picks up all things moto related than you were privy to the last 15 laps of the 200 which they aired at 11pm on sat
Hey Jumkie care to do a fundraiser for me too? I'm in need of funds to support my eating career. Sponsor stickers will be placed on the front of my frost white G&E refridgerator for all to see.
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
Great stuff bro
Im hoping to say hi to the kid at guna this year. You going?
Great write up Johnny! Thanks for the big ups, but I think the peeps that put in deserve all the kudos. I had thought about making a thread to the fundraiser, but I wasn't sure how Ben might receive that since it might be considered spam. So I texted & emailed some of you. I got a great response and would like to thank: JohnnyK (as you were the very first person to contribute, sight unseen, which motivated me to ask others). JohnnyK is a guy who until last weekend, we had never spoke on the phone, only from our exchanges here on PS and texting. I got a check from JK made out to me, before he even heard the sound of my voice. And of course Chopperman, who has become like a brother, as well as Keshva, who got a personal visit from CK in NYC, and sent a check with a few of his stickers (btw, I got the belt buckle you sent, cool!), and of course Frosty, who I've had the pleasure of drinking a few beers with at both MotoGP and WSBK events. When I told Benny's dad and people at the fundraiser about these special contributors, I got looks of amazement. (Btw, guys, look out in the mail, you will be getting a small thank you note). Quite a special group when you consider they all put in knowing they would not attend the dinner and only know OF Benny Solis. It speaks first to their generosity and second to their passion for racing.
I'll admit, I was quite humbled by the whole experience. There were others I asked, but unfortunately at the moment, they didn't have disposable income, and totally understandable considering their circumstance. I felt timid asking, and I hope I didn't offend anybody who may think I overstepped my friendship with them. Seriously, this last part has weighed on my conscience, as I'm sure all of us have been asked for money by somebody and perhaps had the thought it was not cool to be put in that predicament. Also, there are some peeps I didn't ask, partly because I'm nervous about asking for money in general.
Though I will tell you, our work is not done. We need to prepare for a race in May, and I've typed out several proposals to gain some sponsorship from local businesses.
Cali Kid prepared the most amazing meal, filet mignon and lobster. It was first class fine dining. No ........, this guy put up a cook down that would make any bulimic salivate. CK is by far the hardest working human I know. Dude puts in 15-18 hour days, that is no exaggeration. So the last thing he want to do is cook on the weekend. But homebody put on a spectacular culinary show. So big ups to him. (Some peeps who don’t know .... racing even exist showed up when they heard that CK was catering, that is no BS).
As the program progressed, it turned into an all out party. The bottles of tequila came out and I think people actually started calling others to come, because more people started to show up. By the end of the night, somebody made a bon fire out back and I woke up on the couch the next morning not knowing how I got there.
We raised funds to get Benny to Daytona. Here is a link to the press release Benny issued before the season, if you read the thank you to sponsors, he makes mention of the fundraiser. Check it out: LINK And he represented well on a bike he had never ridden up until the second practice session (the first session was cancelled due to rain). A fourth in race one, and ‘fortunately’ he crashed in race 2. I say ‘fortunately’ because the crash may have saved him from serious injury or worse. (I posted the video on this thread: LINK). But as JK said, and we all agree, the only thing that matters is he was ok. Again, thanks to everybody who supported, as well as, there will be more opportunities to continue your support.
Here are a few pictures of the fundraiser. I made compilations to get more pics in. Btw, Benny will be racing at Laguna Seca, and of course we plan on making a big shin dig about it.
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Thanks guys. (btw, Rog & Frost, you scared people).
11568:Fund 5.png]
Attachments
Daytona 200 Debrief
Not really sure why I read the entire thing, but I came across this. Any guesses as to who is getting a smackdown?
Imo, no one should be getting a penalty. In the case of Herrin, extending your elbow is completely normal even if it's your clutch side. If it's Westby, riding on top of people when you're going for a 200 win is completely normal especially when the lead pack is 6 or 7 people. Imo, a suspension is more unnecessary controversy unless it is someone behind the scenes we don't expect.
Not really sure why I read the entire thing, but I came across this. Any guesses as to who is getting a smackdown?
Imo, no one should be getting a penalty. In the case of Herrin, extending your elbow is completely normal even if it's your clutch side. If it's Westby, riding on top of people when you're going for a 200 win is completely normal especially when the lead pack is 6 or 7 people. Imo, a suspension is more unnecessary controversy unless it is someone behind the scenes we don't expect.
Joined Jul 2007
5K Posts | 1K+
unda cheese
Daytona 200 Debrief
Not really sure why I read the entire thing, but I came across this. Any guesses as to who is getting a smackdown?
Imo, no one should be getting a penalty. In the case of Herrin, extending your elbow is completely normal even if it's your clutch side. If it's Westby, riding on top of people when you're going for a 200 win is completely normal especially when the lead pack is 6 or 7 people. Imo, a suspension is more unnecessary controversy unless it is someone behind the scenes we don't expect.
I can only think the AMA has got Herrin (and possibly Eslick) on a short leash this year so their shenanigans don't get out of hand and someone really gets hurt.
I agree that no penalty is warranted but I would be really surprised if it's anyone else than Herrin
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
mine looks like a jail mug shot. Did you like the mex moustach?
Viva Zapata! Tho actually yer noggin looked a bit cold so thought I'd give you a
hat to go with the mustache.
Attachments
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
It may not be the incident at the finish, it could be something that happened during infield that they didn't like. Who knows. I thought it was a good debrief, very detailed, explaining everything that happened. I'm sure of our old buddy Roger E was in charge, we would have got no such debrief.
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
mine looks like a jail mug shot. Did you like the mex moustach?
Nice, all you need now is the tan.
11578:EmilRog.jpg]
Attachments
Joined Jul 2007
5K Posts | 1K+
unda cheese
I've got to applaud AMA in the handling of things thus far. While not the popular or financially sound thing to do (losing your live audience) they are putting safety first. Stopping the 200 and now penalizing a rider for suspect moves is a step in the right direction.
