I for one am very excited to hear this. Texas has been working for a while now to finish their newest racetrack called "Circuit of the Americas" and they've been doing a lot of hard work to keep it going at a good pace. Initially, there were rumors of getting MotoGP to race there this year even, however, there just wasn't a sure enough completion time and it couldn't be arranged. Now, on the other hand, the track is progressing wonderfully and an agreement has been reached. Therefore, these great states of America will now have a total of 3 events of the worlds most elite motorcycle racers in the world. This is exciting for the fact of popularity of motorcycles in America.
The "Circuit of the Americas" has pushed the excitement of World Class Racing since they started building their dream with a large focus on F1 Racing and MotoGP. It's a great recipe really. Why build an amazing racetrack without setting your targets on the worlds best and most popular racing events? That being said, I would like to know how they're going to regulate the every day riders/drivers that are interested in taking to this new offering of adrenaline creating road circuit courses. Is it going to be over regulated like Laguna Seca? Not that the majority of us couldn't get their tires heated at Laguna Seca but the neighbors of our World Class California racetrack have complained/whined about the noise so if you want to take your baby onto the track your going to need stock exhaust or other exhaust (in some cases stock isn't quiet enough) that will meet the sound limit requirements.
Well, for now I believe their focus is rightly on the Worlds best but I sure hope that the surrounding areas don't have a lot of people that have a lack of understanding that there are thousands of people that can and will enjoy the track and respect the fact that at times you can have a little discomfort in order to provide the thrill to those seeking it.
Thanks for reading my thoughts.
~James
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The Man behind Uncaged
There is the man I used to be and the man I am now. With that said, there are good things and bad things about that. Either way, when I first started this blog I posted a couple personal entries and various business entries but it's been some time since I've written anything personal and so I've decided to change that.
I started up Uncaged Motorsports with the help of a friend back in September 2008 and went from a life of living as someone doing what was needed to survive to a man with a passion focused on the passion regardless of the cost. I lost a lot since then and may continue to lose more in the pursuit of doing what I want and enjoy doing. For the most part, people around me have no idea of my challenges due to the fact that I smile and am happy and today I thought about that a bit.
It came across my mind that I don't spend much time with friends and how much I don't like that. Curious why my brain focused on that fact at the million miles a second it normally runs and it spotted that my stresses and maintenance of a positive attitude causes my "free" time to be consumed trying to escape my world and very little gets done. I really really want Uncaged Motorsports to succeed and that focus has essentially put me in divorce (obviously, under the circumstances, she didn't "Love" me because Love does not fail) breaking up my family (3 amazing children), lost me my awesome truck (2005 Ford F150 Lariat Crew Cab), my house and much of my sanity.
After less than a year of opening the wife left due to stress because finances were extremely tight due to spending all money on the shop to get it going and grow it. I lost everything else not because she took it but because my source of income was my own business and I was now spending so much of my time trying to save my marriage including flying to Alaska (where she ran off to and hooked up with an old friend) to get her to come back. Roughly a year after that all started, I had to give up on the business just to keep my head above water (plus I didn't have a place to run the business anymore since I lost the house to the bank).
I went to work as a Waiter at Wingers restaurant and lived off the tips primarily, because child support took 50% of my paycheck. Then a man, whom I feel I now owe way more than I could ever pay back, contacted me about working on his Benelli motorcycle because of several people recommending me and made me an offer of working to get the business going out of his shop free of rent. This was an opportunity I could not pass up because getting the shop going is definitely something I wanted and even though I felt I wasn't financially ready, a free shop was offered and so it started. The downfall is that I really wasn't ready financially and still had too many debts that I accrued through the past and now I'm back to running the shop which some months cost me to do even with free rent. Now I'm working nights at Roosters Steak and Chop house (Wingers fired me due to complications in scheduling and Roosters is only open at nights) and some of that money earned goes towards growing Uncaged, the kids spending time with me, paying debts and current bills.
Now, the time has come that I have to find a shop of my own and I'm having a hard time finding the financial means to make that happen but I also do not want to give up on Uncaged. I truly feel I can make this work and that it would already be doing fairly well if I had the funds to have a sign made, do a little local advertising and so forth. So I am at a crossroads of decisions and I feel like I'm falling apart due to the type of stress it is causing me. I am currently homeless and have been since a great guy was helping me out by allowing me to live with him until he found a special someone and is now married to that person. So I've been sleeping in my car, the shop, and with my cousin. And I feel like I could possibly, with lots of hard work and little to no play, afford to pay rent but I cannot come up with deposit and such in the time frame that I have.
Homeless and a bit battered up I still manage to keep my self positive but at the cost of not having a best friend or many friends at all that I can manage the time to hang out with and stay connected with. So often I have to deal with my brain telling me how much of a failure I am and that I can't accomplish anything and that I don't deserve anyone special in my life. I expend lots of time and energy in staving off those thoughts that it's taking away from more important things that I could accomplish.
In conclusion, I need to make a decision, possibly a very difficult one for me and one that could create a stronger sense of failure, in order to save myself financially and mentally.
Well, time to get back to it. Thanks for listening to me vent some very substantial information out of my own necessity.
I started up Uncaged Motorsports with the help of a friend back in September 2008 and went from a life of living as someone doing what was needed to survive to a man with a passion focused on the passion regardless of the cost. I lost a lot since then and may continue to lose more in the pursuit of doing what I want and enjoy doing. For the most part, people around me have no idea of my challenges due to the fact that I smile and am happy and today I thought about that a bit.
It came across my mind that I don't spend much time with friends and how much I don't like that. Curious why my brain focused on that fact at the million miles a second it normally runs and it spotted that my stresses and maintenance of a positive attitude causes my "free" time to be consumed trying to escape my world and very little gets done. I really really want Uncaged Motorsports to succeed and that focus has essentially put me in divorce (obviously, under the circumstances, she didn't "Love" me because Love does not fail) breaking up my family (3 amazing children), lost me my awesome truck (2005 Ford F150 Lariat Crew Cab), my house and much of my sanity.
After less than a year of opening the wife left due to stress because finances were extremely tight due to spending all money on the shop to get it going and grow it. I lost everything else not because she took it but because my source of income was my own business and I was now spending so much of my time trying to save my marriage including flying to Alaska (where she ran off to and hooked up with an old friend) to get her to come back. Roughly a year after that all started, I had to give up on the business just to keep my head above water (plus I didn't have a place to run the business anymore since I lost the house to the bank).
I went to work as a Waiter at Wingers restaurant and lived off the tips primarily, because child support took 50% of my paycheck. Then a man, whom I feel I now owe way more than I could ever pay back, contacted me about working on his Benelli motorcycle because of several people recommending me and made me an offer of working to get the business going out of his shop free of rent. This was an opportunity I could not pass up because getting the shop going is definitely something I wanted and even though I felt I wasn't financially ready, a free shop was offered and so it started. The downfall is that I really wasn't ready financially and still had too many debts that I accrued through the past and now I'm back to running the shop which some months cost me to do even with free rent. Now I'm working nights at Roosters Steak and Chop house (Wingers fired me due to complications in scheduling and Roosters is only open at nights) and some of that money earned goes towards growing Uncaged, the kids spending time with me, paying debts and current bills.
Now, the time has come that I have to find a shop of my own and I'm having a hard time finding the financial means to make that happen but I also do not want to give up on Uncaged. I truly feel I can make this work and that it would already be doing fairly well if I had the funds to have a sign made, do a little local advertising and so forth. So I am at a crossroads of decisions and I feel like I'm falling apart due to the type of stress it is causing me. I am currently homeless and have been since a great guy was helping me out by allowing me to live with him until he found a special someone and is now married to that person. So I've been sleeping in my car, the shop, and with my cousin. And I feel like I could possibly, with lots of hard work and little to no play, afford to pay rent but I cannot come up with deposit and such in the time frame that I have.
Homeless and a bit battered up I still manage to keep my self positive but at the cost of not having a best friend or many friends at all that I can manage the time to hang out with and stay connected with. So often I have to deal with my brain telling me how much of a failure I am and that I can't accomplish anything and that I don't deserve anyone special in my life. I expend lots of time and energy in staving off those thoughts that it's taking away from more important things that I could accomplish.
In conclusion, I need to make a decision, possibly a very difficult one for me and one that could create a stronger sense of failure, in order to save myself financially and mentally.
Well, time to get back to it. Thanks for listening to me vent some very substantial information out of my own necessity.
Labels:
business,
Challenge,
family,
Finances,
friends,
life,
mathlin kids,
Motorcycles,
Uncaged
Friday, July 6, 2012
Super Clean ~ 1979 Honda CB750-F
Been way too long since I've kept up on my blog. *Slaps self in face*
Travis did a trade with a friend of his and got himself another motorcycle and it's really cool. That gave me a little spark to get back to blogging about my passion.
Well, this bike he picked up is the 10th of a series that is considered the first "Superbike". Honda decided to offer on a mainstream level some of the technologies being used in racing that had not ever been offered prior. The overhead cam (transverse) Inline 4 cylinder was introduced to the market and it was taken in with open arms. And it would seem to me that it is the father of basically all of Honda's "Superbikes" due to the continued use of it's nomenclature.
A 1979 Honda CB750-F is now sitting here at the shop for me to look at and it is definitely something to look at. It's in amazingly clean condition and it's been modified to increase it's "race" capabilities with aftermarket adjustable rear suspension and stabilizers on the front forks to decrease the shaking due to the small diameter forks. It's a very cool bike and nice to see that it's been so well taken care of over the years.
Now it's time to do some fluid changes on this bad boy and some re greasing/lubricating of some bearings and other moving parts and get it out on the road. Not sure yet what Travis' plans are for this bike and it's likely he will just turn around and sell it. But for now I will enjoy it's presence and get it freshened up from it's long nap. I will supply a better picture once it's all done. :)
Thanks Travis for the inspiration :)
James
Travis did a trade with a friend of his and got himself another motorcycle and it's really cool. That gave me a little spark to get back to blogging about my passion.
Well, this bike he picked up is the 10th of a series that is considered the first "Superbike". Honda decided to offer on a mainstream level some of the technologies being used in racing that had not ever been offered prior. The overhead cam (transverse) Inline 4 cylinder was introduced to the market and it was taken in with open arms. And it would seem to me that it is the father of basically all of Honda's "Superbikes" due to the continued use of it's nomenclature.
A 1979 Honda CB750-F is now sitting here at the shop for me to look at and it is definitely something to look at. It's in amazingly clean condition and it's been modified to increase it's "race" capabilities with aftermarket adjustable rear suspension and stabilizers on the front forks to decrease the shaking due to the small diameter forks. It's a very cool bike and nice to see that it's been so well taken care of over the years.
Now it's time to do some fluid changes on this bad boy and some re greasing/lubricating of some bearings and other moving parts and get it out on the road. Not sure yet what Travis' plans are for this bike and it's likely he will just turn around and sell it. But for now I will enjoy it's presence and get it freshened up from it's long nap. I will supply a better picture once it's all done. :)
Thanks Travis for the inspiration :)
James
Labels:
CB750F,
Classic,
Honda,
Hurricane,
Motorcycle,
Superbike,
Very Clean
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