About half past two in the afternoon on Saturday, April 23, I looked up at the grandstands behind where I sat and realized that, though the crowd was not pathetically small, it wasn’t standing-room-only, either. It should have been. Because that afternoon—sunny, not too hot, a bit breezy—the Salinas, California, rodeo grounds were home to some of the most dazzling displays of American-style TT racing you could ask for, and then some. From where I sat, near the start-finish line, I could see that the other grandstands around the dirt track were nearly empty, despite the skill and talent out there in the form of AMA Grand National Pro and Expert TT racers like CW’s own Mark Cernicky and Team Cycle World Attack Performance Kawasaki’s JD Beach.

Mark shares his experiences at Salinas elsewhere, but from where I sat, he and the others put on the best AMA TT show on two wheels I’d seen since the Johnson Administration, which was the era in which I’d last been to an American TT. (Though I did my own TT racing for Team Cycle World in the Isle of Man.)

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How do Roman gladiators show their bravery these days? They fend off assaults from chaotic traffic on their ever-faithful Vespas! I experienced this craziness first-hand while taking part in Vespa’s 65th anniversary party, held earlier this month in Rome. The event culminated in a parade of more than 5000 PX 125/150s from all over Europe.

During “Vespa Days,” I circulated Rome solely on Vespas, from the highly refined and solidly performing 300 GTS to the nostalgic PX 150. The latter is an incredible leftover from the 1980s that brought back memories of a hilarious story told to me by the late Gordon Jennings. The article was published in Car & Driver and illustrated with a cartoon. The artist drew the little Vespa as a monster, its kickstarter morphing into the long neck of a snapper turtle ready to sink its teeth into Jennings’ right calf.

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In 2008, when I rode a Can-Am Spyder GS in the Northern California Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Ride for Kids, I was surprised at the diversity of riders. I’d expected the mom-and-pop Harley and Wing riders, but not the mix of sportbike knee-draggers, dual-sporters, cruisers and others, including several Spyder Ryders. We had a great time, a great ride and raised a lot of money for the kids. What’s not to like?

Nothing. Which is why I shouldn’t have been surprised to discover that the American Legion’s “Legion Riders” program has been the most successful recruiting and money-raising program the Legion has had in living memory. So far, the Legion Riders membership is more than 106,000 riders in more than 1000 chapters. Since 2006, the Riders’ annual Legacy Run has raised money to provide scholarships to children of U.S. military personnel killed since September 11, 2001.

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Repsol KTM rider Marc Coma wrapped up the third Dakar victory of his career with a fifth-place finish in today’s 181-kilometer stage. The Spaniard completed the difficult race with a 15-plus-minute advantage over his nearest rival, Cyril Despres. BMW-mounted Frans Verhoeven won today’s stage. Street was 13th and is 12th overall. Fellow American Quinn Cody recorded an impressive ninth-place finish in his first Dakar Rally.

We hope to hear from Jonah tomorrow with his final thoughts on the event.

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Photo by Joe Bonnello.

Jonah Street checked in today one stage away from reaching Buenos Aires and the finish of what has proven to be an immensely challenging 2011 Dakar Rally.

Here’s the latest, straight from Street:

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Photos by Jonah Street.

Jonah Street made a solid effort in the Dakar Rally today, completing the stage without any major mishaps. The course was brutal, though, and, on the heels of yesterday’s unavoidable crash and unfortunate navigational troubles, it took its toll on the American racer.

Here’s the latest, straight from Street:

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Here’s the latest, straight from Street:

“I had a crazy, crazy day today. I misread the road book and missed the first waypoint. It was a rookie-type screw-up—something I haven’t done in five or six years. By the time I found the waypoint and got back on course, [rally front-runner] Cyril Despres had just gone by, so I followed him into the sand dunes. The dunes were super tough. Then, we hit some sand hills—actually, sand mountains. It was really hot, and my Yamaha’s fuel system vapor-locked. I was stuck for quite a while. The bike would barely run, so I did a bunch of switchbacks to get up the last hill. Once I was over the hill, the bike ran better because I was moving faster and the airflow cooled things off.

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Photo by Joe Bonnello.

American Jonah Street won Stage 9 of the Dakar Rally after back-to-back days of mechanical misfortunes that pushed him out of the top 10 overall. Today, Street finished more than 3 minutes ahead of second place to earn his second career Dakar Rally stage win. He was relieved and happy when he called. Here’s what Street had to say about his victory:

“Did you see that I won today!? I’m so happy with the way I rode. The terrain suited me really well. The rocks weren’t the random sizes that we’ve experienced the past few days, and nothing went wrong with the bike. I’m stoked!

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Dakar Rally fans await the arrival of American Jonah Street.

Jonah Street suffered another mechanical setback at the 2011 Dakar Rally, losing more than an hour to his competition for the second straight day. Street managed to finish today’s stage without a functioning front brake or an odometer. Using his road book and GPS, he found ways to navigate and even pass a few riders. Despite all the bad luck he’s endured recently, the American still has a positive outlook on the race. He’s not quitting.

“I made it in, and I’m safe. No crashes. But 178 kilometers into the 508-kilometer Special, the front brake and ICO [odometer] lines came off and got stuck in the front tire. I had no front brake and no odometer. It was not awesome.

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Photo by Joe Bonnello.

Jonah Street had one of those days today. Approximately 140 kilometers into the special section, the American Yamaha GYTR pilot suffered an electrical failure, which, in turn, shut down the engine of his WR450F. Street quickly went to work, tearing into his machine until he found the problem. He eventually got his bike running again and finished the stage, albeit with disappointing results.

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Jonah Street and the rest of the 2011 Dakar Rally enjoyed a well-deserved break from the rigors of competition today. Street’s lubricant sponsor, Top 1, brought a group of customers from Chile, Ecuador and Peru to the bivouac in Arica to meet Street. Chilean President Sebastián Piñera also visited the rally this morning.

Street did not call today to file his usual daily report, but he did send the accompanying photos. The Washington State privateer Yamaha rider is currently seventh in the overall standings. Fellow American Quinn Cody is 12th. Marc Coma (Spain), Cyril Despres (France) and Francisco Lopez Contardo (Chile) lead the bike standings.

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Jonah Street's Yamaha WR450F has a new seat!

American Yamaha GYTR rider Jonah Street checked in from the bivouac after Stage 6 of the 2011 Dakar Rally. He sounded upbeat, but the grueling demands of this race are clearly taking their toll on the friendly Washington State resident. Unofficially, Street is seventh overall—a great position for him right before tomorrow’s rest day. Read on to learn more about Jonah’s adventures today.

“Will it weird you out if we talk while I go to the bathroom? I’m not ashamed. You can’t be ashamed of much in the Dakar Rally. For example, I haven’t taken a shower since the race started. I changed socks a couple days ago. I swapped goggles today after yesterday’s dust bath. I’ll switch my riding shorts for Stage 7 or so; they’re getting a little rank.

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Jonah Street: “I want to be smooth and keep putting in solid, mistake-and-problem-free rides. Let the other racers have all of the problems! Photo by Joe Bonnello.

After dropping out of the top 10 in the high altitudes of Stage 4, American Jonah Street charged into the deserts of Chile, gaining ground and picking up momentum heading into the toughest stages of the 2011 Dakar Rally. With one more grueling stage to go before the rest day, Street is in high spirits, ready to reach Arica and for a day off to regroup. He has another tough day tomorrow (265 kilometers of liaison and 456 kilometers of special). Street says he’s in a great position to continue gaining on his competition.

Here’s the latest, straight from Street:

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American Jonah Street is looking to break back into the top 10 at the Dakar Rally. Photo by Joe Bonnello.

On paper, today was a rough day for Jonah Street and the #7 Yamaha GYTR Dakar Rally team. Yet when we spoke with the privateer American today by satellite phone, he was in classic Jonah form: optimistic, ready to get back on his bike and looking forward to another day of racing. Two days before the first rest day, Street is unofficially 11th overall, about 30 minutes behind rally leader Marc Como. Unfortunately, Street’s hopes of recovering 5 minutes or more yesterday due to a strange situation with his GPS went unrealized.

Here’s the latest, straight from Street:

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Learn the lingo: Jonah Street is providing an insider's perspective of the 2011 Dakar Rally. Photo by Joe Bonnello.

When we were discussing the events of this year’s Dakar Rally with Jonah Street, the topic of Liaison Sections (also called “Transfers,” “Neutralizations” or “Road Sections”) came up. Since not everyone is familiar with the dynamics of rally racing, we asked Street for the down-and-dirty details. So, here’s a quick rundown on rally stages and what they mean:

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