Jim Haraughty warms up his Triumph salt bike as Motorcycle Performance owner and Ducati salt Maestro, Bill Whisenant (standing) provides technical input.
Jim Haraughty warms up his Triumph salt bike as Motorcycle Performance owner and Ducati salt Maestro, Bill Whisenant (standing) provides technical input.
Team MS Racing Founder, Jim Haraughty at work on his 1967 Triumph TR6 salt racer at Motorcycle Performance in Madison, WI.
The Team MS Racing colors are on my toolbox and other gear in our tiny pit area at Bonneville.
Team MS RacingFor most racing teams, there are a fairly well defined set of drivers and vehicles. There is also a pretty crisply defined objective: go faster than anybody on the track and be the first to the checkered flag.
However, in the case of Team MS Racing, things are a little more broadly defined. For one thing, the team is more or less open to new members and supporters.To be sure, team founder Jim Haraughty displays the Team MS Racing logo on his land-speed world record holding Triumph partial streamliner, but you may see the Team logo on many other competitors’ machines in a variety of other sports, as well.For example, Bill Whisenant, owner of Motorcycle Performance in Madison, Wis., and pilot of the fastest Ducati in America (212.959 mph), Joe Burke, Rookie of the Year in the Rally America car racing Series, Aaron Frank of Motorcyclist magazine, and Niall McShea of X-games fame to name a few.And, in the spirit of full disclosure, my Hondas and pit gear all bear the Team MS Racing colors, as well.Of course, publicity is an important part of the mission of getting the word out about multiple sclerosis (MS). Haraughty’s core mission is to let people know that the diagnosis is not an end point; an active, full lifestyle is possible and he proves it every day.Diagnosed with MS ten years ago, he decided to reconnect with his passion of the 1980s — motorcycle racing. In the process, he decided to create a charitable foundation with that mission in mind and Team MS Racing was born.Running a 1967 650 Triumph TR6 in American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) events on road courses, then a Suzuki SV650 in WERA endurance racing, and finally entering motorcycle land speed racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Haraughty has indeed lived his passion for motorsports — MS notwithstanding.In 2009, Haraughty campaigned a partially streamlined, supercharged vintage Triumph at the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) World Finals at Bonneville and, though he didn’t reach the top speed he was hoping for, he did get enough speed to establish a world record in his class (650cc APS/BP/F) at 122.359 mph.Haraughty has been back to Bonneville each year since, but between bad weather, mechanical gremlins and a family emergency, his efforts to push the record higher have been snake-bit. But 2014 is coming and Jim Haraughty shows no sign of slowing down — literally.Visit Team MS Racing online by clicking here.
Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory + Steve ’Stavros’ Parrish
byMotos and Friends by Ultimate Motorcycle
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly podcast—Motos and Friends. My name is Arthur Coldwells.
Our first segment features the new Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory. Senior Editor Nic de Sena brings us his report on the flagship version of Aprilia’s upright middleweight machine. He gives us insight into whether it’s worth spending the extra money on the Factory version, and also of course, whether this sporting Aprilia is really the motorcycle for you.
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The next guest segment of Motos and Friends is brought to you by the faster and most technologically advanced, 2023 Suzuki Hayabusa—one of the most iconic sportbikes ever. Check it out in person at your local Suzuki dealer now, or visit suzukicycles.com to learn more.
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In this segment, Associate Editor Teejay Adams chats with (arguably) one of the most interesting Suzuki race riders of all time. the iconic RG500 alongside teammate double World Champion Barry Sheene. The two were almost as famous for their exploits off-track, as for their success on it. Those were the days! Steve also raced the Isle of Man TT for about ten years where he won 13 Silver Replicas, and got a podium finish. His insight into that particular brand of mayhem are fascinating.
But there’s waaay more to Steve Parrish than his motorcycle racing. He is also the most successful Semi-Truck racer ever, and, little known piece of useless trivia—he’s my birthday twin: 24th February. He is a natural entertainer and you can’t miss his recounting of the world’s most entertaining—and arguably terrifying—double-decker bus ride ever. If any of you were actually on that hell-ride then we’d love to hear from you!