The Transcontinental Motorcycle Cannonball Adds an Extra Day and a Stopover in Hot Springs, Arkansas

Contact: Felicia Morgan, Director of Communication

morgan.felicia56@gmail.com

(916) 777-6263 office; (916) 307-3606 mobile

Sturgis, South Dakota, Dec. 29, 2009 – Lonnie Isam, Jr., the promoter and owner of Jurassic Racing in Sturgis, South Dakota, and the Motorcycle Cannonball announced today that an extra day has been added to the transcontinental event now set for 17 days in September 2010. Additionally, a rest day in the event will now be held in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

According to Isam, the endurance ride for pre-1916 classic motorcycles will still get underway in Kitty Hawk, NC on Friday, September 10. A week into travel on September 17, riders will have a day of rest, repairs, and some festivities in the resort town of Hot Springs, AR. After a total of some 3,325 miles, the ride is now slated to conclude on Sunday, September 26 in Santa Monica, CA.

“With input from our participants and other experts, we’ve been fine tuning the Motorcycle Cannonball route by adjusting the mileage for some days and re-mapping a couple of the stages,” Isam said. “As a result, we really like the way the route has shaped up.”

During the Motorcycle Cannonball event, participants will ride vintage pre-1916 motorcycles such Pope, Sears, Flying Merkel, Excelsior, Henderson, Indian, Triumph, and the Harley-Davidson’s Silent Grey Fellows. According to Isam, the event is not a race but will be a test of both the riders’ endurance and the roadworthiness of their respective machines as they navigate non-Interstate roads across the United States.

Isam said that, while organizers and Motorcycle Cannonball Course Master John Classen are still working out the final details of some of the stops, it’s clear that the first week of the event will be challenging as riders make their way along the initial 1,400 miles from the Atlantic shores to Hot Springs. Throughout the run, according to Classen, riders will follow several scenic national parkways and roads like historic US Route 66. Plans are also being made to include some social events as well, with more details to follow.

The Motorcycle Cannonball 2010 has drawn entries from around the world and all walks of life, including motorcycle museum owners, authors, bike collectors and restorers. Entrants come from the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and across the continental United States as well as Hawaii. Complete information about the Motorcycle Cannonball, including route details and some rider profiles, is available at www.motorcyclecannonball.com.

A service of RiverRock Communication, RiverRockCommunication@gmail.com, 916.777.6263

Cannonball Run on a Pre-1916 Motorcycle

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Maybe you didn’t grow up watching Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise in the Cannonball Run, but most everybody knows the premise. A Cannonball Run is a no-holds barred, cross-country race where winner takes all. Technicalities like speed limits are often overlooked as riders push it to the limit for a chance to win big money. But somehow I don’t think too many speeding tickets will be issued for this latest rendition I came across called MotorcycleCannonball.com, which will make the coast-to-coast run on Pre-1916 Motorcycles.

Think you’re an iron butt? Then try riding across the country on a motorcycle with a thin seat pan, no suspension, and a top speed of maybe 35 mph tops. This is going to be a true test of mental and physical endurance. Most of the old bikes haven’t seen this type of action, either, so keeping the motorcycles in running order will be the other major challenge. We’re talking almost 100-year-old motorcycles, here, back when companies like Sears, Flying Merkel, Excelsior, and Henderson competed against infant Harley-Davidson, Indian, and Triumph companies.

The classic Cannonball Run will take place from Sept. 10-26, 2010. It will start in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and will end 3300 miles later in Santa Monica, California. It is scheduled to take place over 16 total days, 15 of them being on the road with one rest day in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in between. The route will avoid busy interstates, instead sticking to rural country roads as much as possible. Most days the ride will be 250 miles or shorter and are scheduled to run predominantly during daylight hours.

No machine built after 1915 can compete in the run. The motorcycles must be powered by an original engine and will be divided into three categories. Class 1 is for Single Cylinder, Single Speed motorcycles, Class 2 is for Twin Cylinder, Single Speed bikes, and Class 3 is Multi Cylinder, Multi Speed motorcycles with two- and three-speed transmissions.
Just think about it. What a nostalgic ride, doing it the way Erwin ‘Cannonball’ Baker did it back in the day. Baker set his first record on an Indian motorcycle back in 1914 when he traveled coast-to-coast in 11 days. He would go on to set 143 driving records from 1910 through the ‘30s.

I’m nominating Motorcycle USA’s Bart Madson to compete on our behalf. Bart-man took part in the Grave Robbers Ride during the summer which pitted motorcycles that cost less than $1000 and had been ‘resurrected from the grave’ on a run through the wilds of Idaho. Bart fudged the rules slightly by riding a couple of modern classics so this time I think he should have to play by the rules and do the Cannonball on a Pre-1916 motorcycle. Bad part is, Motorcycle USA doesn’t have any Pre-1916 bikes in our garage to fit the bill. Is there anybody out there with an old Henderson or Flying Merkel sitting in their garage that would like to help out the cause? Maybe we could get Monkey Butt to sponsor him, too!

From Motorcycle-USA.com.

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First American Woman to Ride in Motorcycle Cannonball Run

San Francisco, California (December 21, 2009) - Three-time Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee and author of the newly published book, The American Motorcycle Girls: 1900–1950, Cristine Sommer-Simmons today announced that she will be riding in the Motorcycle Cannonball Run next year.

Sommer-Simmons will be one of only two women riders in the cross-country endurance run of the century. The Motorcycle Cannonball Run is gathering momentum to launch a pack of riders on vintage motorcycles for an historic ride across America in September 2010.

The brainchild of Lonnie Isam, Jr., promoter and owner of Jurassic Racing in Sturgis, South Dakota, The Motorcycle Cannonball Run of 2010 requires that participants ride classic pre-1916 motorcycles such Pope, Sears, Flying Merkel, Excelsior, Henderson, Indian, Triumph, and the Harley-Davidson’s Silent Grey Fellows.

Sommer-Simmons will make the 3,320-mile transcontinental ride on September 10 on the east coast in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on her 1915 Harley Davidson.

“This is the thrill of a lifetime!” exclaims Simmons, “It’s an honor to be a part of such a historic and monumental race, and even more exciting to be the only American woman registered for the event!”

For more information about the Motorcycle Cannonball Run, visit www.motorcyclecannonball.com.

From RiderMagazine.com

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[Editor's Note] The other woman rider registered for this event is Katrin Boehner traveling all the way from Ingolstadt, Germany to ride her 3.5 H.P. 1908 Triumph across America.

Motorcycle Cannonball Run Readies for U.S. Coast-to-Coast Romp and Endurance Ride, September 10-26, 2010

For Immediate Release

Contact: Felicia Morgan, Director of Communication morgan. felicia56@gmail.com

Sturgis, South Dakota, Dec. 9, 2009 – Conjuring up the spirit of famed motorcycle daredevils and cross-country endurance riders of the previous century like Erwin “Cannonball” Baker and George Wyman, the Motorcycle Cannonball Run is gathering momentum to launch a pack of riders on vintage motorcycles for an historic ride across America in September 2010.

The brainchild of Lonnie Isam, Jr., promoter and owner of Jurassic Racing in Sturgis, South Dakota, and the Motorcycle Cannonball Run of 2010, said the event requires that participants ride classic pre-1916 motorcycles such Pope, Sears, Flying Merkel, Excelsior, Henderson, Indian, Triumph, and the Harley-Davidson’s Silent Grey Fellows.

The 3,320-mile transcontinental ride is currently scheduled to start September 10th on the east coast in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. To the greatest extent possible, the ride will utilize non-Interstate roadways and will conclude on the west coast two weeks later in Santa Monica, CA.

“We expect this to be a grueling coast-to-coast pursuit as riders navigate the back roads and byways of our great nation on bikes that are over 90 years old” said Isam, “and it’s likely that some may not complete the ride. There should be plenty of drama along the way.”

Motorcycle Cannonball Course Master John Classen reports that a painstakingly mapped out route was chosen in order to avoid having the riders enter a single interstate whenever possible.

“We’ll have 12 hours of daylight each day,” Classen said, “and the goal is to have every rider check in daily at the ending point one hour before sunset to avoid wildlife and other after-dark safety issues.”

To date, the Motorcycle Cannonball Run 2010 has drawn entries from around the world and all walks of life, including motorcycle museum owners, authors, bike collectors and restorers. Entrants thus far come from the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and the United States. Complete information about the Motorcycle Cannonball Run, including entry requirements, is available at www.motorcyclecannonball.com.