Bee in the News...

Check out the article on dragbike.com (to see included photos) @ http://www.dragbike.com/dbnews/anmviewer.asp?a=5198&z=3. Huge thanks to my friend Paul Cavanaugh for writing the article about me and my company! :)

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Flight of the Bumble Bee
Tuesday, September 08, 2009 By Paul Cavanaugh

Flight of the Bumble Bee
By Paul Cavanaugh

I do not know how many of you have heard “Flight of the Bumble Bee” by Rimsky-Korsakov, to be quite frank, it completely drives me crazy.
Fortunately, this article has nothing to do with it.

What it does have to do with is a woman by the name of Annette Rob who I met through www.sponsorhouse.com back in 2005 when I first started racing and was trying to find sponsors. Annette had also newly started racing and was on the website doing the very same thing. Sponsorhouse is sort of a social networking site where racers of all types try to find sponsorship. You can have friends much like Facebook and all of us drag racers have a tendency to find each other like magnets.

The Bee learns to fly.
Annette learned to ride on a dirtbike as a child under the tutelage of her father. As she got older Annette learned to ride on the street with a friend’s early model GSXR1100 and finally bought her own 2005 Kawasaki ZX636R where she had her first taste of drag racing at Sacramento Raceway in California.

She managed to do well ET racing getting the bike to run 10.75s. Then she had a slight mishap, which resulted in her waking up under the timing tower answering a bunch of trivia questions like, “What is your name?” “What is the date?” “Who is the President?” “Where do you live?” Admittedly, Annette told me she did not answer the questions very well so the paramedics awarded her a trip to the hospital for losing their quiz show.

It took a few months after the “looptie off the line loop” incident to get back in the swing of things. As time passed she got back to the 10.7 range again only to have to sell the bike for financial reasons.

A friend had been bugging her to ride his wheelie bar drag bike and Annette asked him if he realized she had wrecked her own once on the track. He did not seem to mind and told her to give it a shot. At first Annette was a bit apprehensive about letting the clutch go, wheelie bars or not and her first runs were in the blistering 14 second range (The blisters were on her feet from pushing the bike down the ¼.). Three months later she became comfortable and started knocking out 8.80’s.

She entered in S/C at the NHRA West Coast Motorcycle Challenge and was running all over the board from 11’s to 9’s while somehow managing to make it to the finals. The bike she had to race looked like a Pro Stock bike and she feared the worst. Annette said the run felt good but nothing spectacular stood out about it. At the track she was racing you do not know whether you won or lost until you get your ticket, a white one for a win, a yellow for a loss. When the lady at the ticket booth gave her the white one and congratulated her, Annette thought the lady had made a mistake. It turns out Annette had run an 8.904 for the win.

The owner of this bike had run into financial issues of his own and sold the bike. This left Annette without a ride again. Next, it turns out the company she was working for had financial issues of its own and downsized Annette out the door in October of 08.

4 months and 220 applications later Annette had not one interview for a job and started seriously questioning her ability to be hired. She had been to job fairs where 7 employers would show up to hire and there would be anywhere from 300 to 1,500 people there trying to get these jobs.

Annette did some soul searching and thought about the things she was talented at; marketing, and the things she liked to do; motorcycle racing. Putting them together she came up with www.bumblebeemotorsports.com.

While Annette’s dream is to pick up a Pro Stock ride, for now she is content enjoying herself at the track using her creativity to market her fellow racers.

Now that is something to buzz about.


See ya on the track!

Highly recommended... from my family to yours!

Now everyone has done the family photography sessions at JCPenney's or Sears or even maybe the Portrait People or something like that, right? And typically that is where we have taken our family photos. However, I am beyond delighted to share with you a recent experience I've had with an amazing photography company.

BMG Image is a very professional, personable and trustworthy company. Its hard to find a photographer that not only makes you feel comfortable but someone who you know has your best interest at heart! BMG Image is that someone... they are very attentive to your concerns and help you flourish in your images. Brett and Kathryn Gardenhire are beyond amazing people, I just love them. I could sit here and tell you a 100 reasons why they are amazing, the truth is their work simply speaks for itself!


Check them out and consider them if you need some photography services, whether those needs are family or professional! Check out the images below to get a taste of just some of their work...

I wouldnt trust just anyone to photograph my only Mother Daughter photos, I trust and love our photographer, BMG Image. And so should you!

CLIENT APPRECIATION

I'm certain many companies enjoy the people they work with, but I get absolutely giddy when I can do or create something for one of my clients that they not only like but love. This appreciation is not only because my clients are all amazing at what they do, but they are genuinely great people!



I am very excited to have Sullivan Racing as a new client. Kalifornia Katie has been making history not only in her own right, but in NHRA. Katie has had a whirlwind year, including graduating from high school, attempting to qualify at Atlanta for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, taking runner-up at Dragbike Challenge/MDRA, qualifying and winning a round against her childhood hero, Karen Stoffer, at United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Chicago, and attempting to qualify at Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Denver all within the last 75 days. Now I don't know about you, but my last 75 days was no where near as busy or fun! We have been discussing ideas and tools to assist Katie in her quest to obtain sponsors and fulfill her goal of racing NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle full time. Out of those discussions came a sponsor packet, autograph cards, a website and T-Shirts (coming shortly).

For those of you who personally know Katie, you know she is a very dedicated and determined racer. Her heart is into the sport and her passion is just one of the things that fuels her to succeed. For those of you who do not know her, trust that the somewhat reserved happy girl you hear about or see at the track is more than just a petite sweet woman, she is a fierce competitor who will eat you up on the lights if you fail to be on your game in the slightest fraction. This is her dream and nothing will stand in her way.

So as the next week quickly comes upon on, join us at the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, July 24-26. And when Katie Sullivan "Kalifornia Katie" comes up to the staging lanes on her Pro Stock Motorcycle, put your hands together and root for her! If you can't make it to the races or just want to visit with her, stop by her new home on the world wide web at www.kaliforniakatie.com or on Twitter @KatiePSM745.

As the year progresses, Bumble Bee Motorsports will be attending more races, taking more photos and continuing to build relationships with the great competitors and companies involved in our sport/industry. If there is anything we can do for you, please let us know. Or if you have any questions or comments, we are always available. Visit us at http://www.bumblebeemotorsports.com/ or call me at 916-670-4349.

Special thanks to all my clients: Greg Means of Means Racing, PTS Xtreme Transmissions, Fields Performance, Portagee Racing, Modern OG Collective, Dragbike Promotions, Mike "Dragbike Mike" Scott and MMA.

It's been awhile...

Well it's been awhile and I feel like my days run into my nights lately! Sorry for the long delay... They say for every opportunity that you exhaust that being open and flexible will bring new opportunity. Right? Anyway... things did not pan out with MDRA, I got to meet and know some great racers and I am thankful for that - in addition to the experience. But MDRA is a struggling organization and they still have a lot to learn about the sport. I wish them the best of luck if for no other reason than for us West Coast racers to have another place to lay down some rubber.

However, as a racer and business person... I can see how the line can get blurred. But in this sport it is extremely important for that line to be defined...to be CLEAR! Racers put a lot of money and time into a sport that they know will not show them the financial return. We do this because we LOVE it... it really is that simple! It is hard for a person who does not drag race to always think from a racers perspective and yes, I understand that there are times when thinking like a racer will not be beneficial. But it is critical to any race organization to be in the trenches and know the language... to walk the walk not just talk the talk. Having love and respect for your racers is a great start, but it is so much more than that! In the end... say what you mean and mean what you say!

But on to bigger and better things... I have a continued opportunity to work with Big Charlie again for the remainder of the 2009 season and to look at options for the 2010 season. The most important thing to me is to continue to stay involved in drag racing on multiple levels, because this is what I LOVE! I am fortunate enough that my family is always right there beside me!

In between all this craziness, a good friend of ours (you may have heard of her - Katie Sullivan) made the field at the NHRA Chicago race and made it past first round against Karen Stoffer. Miss Kalifornia Katie, she's had a whirlwind month, from winning runner-up at the MDRA May 31st race to graduating from High School to making another hit at the big times with Pro Stock Motorcycle all at the tender age of 18. I have so much pride and excitement for what she has achieved, it gives me goose bumps and she's not even my daughter. I have a lot of respect Katie and her family. Her father Charlie, is by far one of my favorite people. He's always so positive and fun loving! I will continue to root for Miss Katie and I look forward to seeing her obtain sponsorship and make a name for herself! MUCH LOVE and RESPECT!

If you haven't been by my website lately, check it out (www.bumblebeemotorsports.com). Drop by and leave us a comment, we'd love to hear from you or better yet help you out with your marketing needs!

Till next time...BEE safe!
BB

Ready...Set...LAUNCH

Check me out...

MDRA Lost Wages Jackpot Race | Las Vegas, NV April 18-19, 2009

LOST WAGES JACKPOT RACE MDRA April 18, 2009

What a great weekend, loonngg but great! We took off Friday for our weekend in sin city. Cuda, Big Rob hauled Joey's bike to the track (thanks guys), so he rode with them; while Sara and I drove my car. Its always fun to take a road trip, especially to a city you've never raced in! We've heard great things about the Vegas track and presume it to be everything everyone has stated. Besides it has to be awesome... the big boys were just there on April 5th.

The drive was boring but some parts were pretty! Despite its remote location Tehachapi is actually pretty. Sara: Te-Hay-Chapi (LOL...You're awesome)! Anway, it was a decent drive but we were all very happy to get to Vegas! Once we all got settled we headed to dinner and then went to do a little site seeing, as this was Sara's first trip to Vegas (not just the airport).

We arrived at the Las Vegas Strip about 7am on Saturday and it was cold. The wind was blowing and it did not feel anything close to Las Vegas weather! But the morning warmed up quickly! It was time to buckle down, test the track and endure the wind and sun! All of which we were elated to do. The track was everything everyone has said about it, awesome track prep, phenomenal traction and yes even the head wind we've heard about more then a few times! We had a great turn out, somewhere close to 70 bikes!

Joey shown above... Think he's happy to be racing in Vegas??? No way!

Big Rob below on a qualifying pass...

Joey on a qualifying pass...

Another qualifying pass...

We qualified number 1 (nice place to be) in Super Bike and paired against Racer Steve in first round eliminations on Sunday! We were excited and ready for another great day of racing!

Due to some unprofessional drama by another competitor, Cuda's class was eliminated Saturday. However, he was able to join the ranks of FUNNYBIKE to compete for the event. Now that has a nice ring, right... FUNNYBIKE MIKE!!! I like it! Mike is always spectacular to watch, always provides such showmanship and skill! Can't wait to see him race his street tire bike against the 12" tire/wheelie bar bikes tomorrow!

LOST WAGES JACKPOT RACE MDRA April 19, 2009 ELIMINATIONS

Big Rob paired againt Thad in first round eliminations and won! WooHoo Rob!

In the finals, Rob paired against Daryl Wiltz and unfortunately backed out of the beam and the official DQ'd him.

No your eyes are not decieving you, that is Mike Fields, Sr. paired up against Roy Sears in the Funnybike class.

Just a little rump difference! ;) Time to get down to business...

Cuda takes the win against Roy Sears and due to a racer experiencing mechanical failure, Cuda earns a bye into the Funnybike semi-finals. Unfortunately, the run against Sears also hurt his motor. Next round, Cuda knows his motor is not going to make a full run without full detonation so he chooses to stage and breaks the beams. Yet another racer experiences mechanical failure and this earns Cuda runner-up place in the Funnybike class!

We paired against Racer Steve in First Round eliminations and we took the win, which put us into the finals for Super Bike.

Finals paired us against Wil Kimbrough... and for the first time... WE TOOK HOME THE WIN!

We wrapped up our winning trip to Vegas with a quick bite to eat and then headed home! WooHoo, JOE FARIA winner winner of the Lost Wages SUPER BIKE class!

Launching a new website for my first client...

www.portageeracing.com

Check it out...

Started out sunny...

The week started and ended with a prayer to the "sun" gods, we wanted to test the new clutch set-up and of course break-in our new tire. So when today rolled around, we were excited to see the sun as we opened our sleepy eyes. We loaded the truck and headed off to the track. Not many cars or bikes out when we got there, in fact, no one really showed up till about noon or a bit after. So we settled in for a nice "anxious" wait... and hoped that they would do some track prep.

As the morning inched along, a few more bikes showed up. Including one of my favorite racers, Katie Sullivan. Recently, she's been a topic of discussion on dragbike.com/mdra. Some months back she purchased a look alike Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Her and Charlie (her father), attended Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School in Florida awhile ago. Their goal today was to obtain three passes under 7.90 in order for Katie to get her Pro Stock Motorcycle License. Honestly, I can't think of any other female that I would love to see get picked up in Pro Stock [except me, of course ;)]. Overall, they are working hard to try and get everything complete so Katie can play with the big boys and girls at Gator Nationals just a few weeks away. So I was very anxious to see her make some passes. Unfortunately, the conditions were marginal (at best) for what she needed. Plus they are still working out some bugs with a new motor as well as Katie getting used to the bike. Overall, I think she did great and can't wait to see her rock NHRA.

Katie wasn't the only one facing challenges today... so were we. It just wasn't coming all together. Our 60' times were off, our E.T. was off, our MPH was off, overall, the day was off. We didn't have traction problems, although the track is down to concrete in both lanes.

Time to bring in the fat tire cars...only they were slim today. But this one caught our attention, what a beautiful race car!

We LOVE it when Joe comes out, he's such a great person! After we were done fiddling around, we let Joe take his shot at the track with no promises of a good return for his time. He was happy to just not be pushing, towing or riding Rob's tow scooter. :) LOL!!!

Unfortunately, Joe didn't get much out of her either. Big Rob was out playin with his Fields Performance monster today too and he did pretty good! Ran a few 8 second passes and learned a little more!

We did see a guy go down after popping his oil pan. He came down from a wheelie and it got slick from there on out. He rode it out as best he could, before he couldn't control it anymore. He walked away from the accident, but he was experiencing some signs of head injury (concussion, etc.), so they were gonna take him to the hospital just to be safe! Good thinking! We wish you a speedy recovery and hope to see you back at the track soon!

By the end of the day the sun had disappeared and it was cold. Now its time to head home, rest a bit and head off to watch the AMA Arenacross Series at Arco! ;)

Practice, Practice, Practice...

We made some fine tuning adjustments and headed out for a day of testing. We headed 20 minutes from our house to Sacramento Raceway on January 31st for a day of fun! These are the days we love, when the air is crisp (which equals horsepower) and the sun is shining (which means a warmer track). We hit our personal best MPH at 155.61 and a half track MPH of 125.20. The half track 125 mph pass gave us a 9.28 ET and with those numbers we know there is more to tap into. Now back to the garage for some additional tuning...

Overall, we had a great day and got in about 9 passes! If the weather works with us, we'll head back out this coming weekend for some more testing! ;)

Jan. 17-18, 2009 | MDRA Race Season

The new year started off rocky, lots of unknowns. Its difficult to be excited about racing when you have so many looming things on your mind. After much indecision, we finally took the leap and left for Fontana Saturday night. We couldn't leave any earlier, because I had an obligation to fulfill. And as usual I am USELESS when it comes to night driving. Really, its quite pathetic. My body is so programed to shut down at 9-10pm, by the time we hit the road (11:20pm) my eyes were already heavy. I give all the kudos to Joey for his impressive ability to stay awake and drive (no matter the hour).

We arrived at Auto Club Dragway at a bit after 5am. Surprisingly the track was open and since we had never been there before, we asked the guard at the gate if we were in the right place... he had jokes. However, due to the hour AND the long drive behind us... we didn't necessarily see him as "funny". We decided to end our day and start our morning with breakfast. So after finding a place that would not give us "dysentary" as we were advised... we settled in for a quick bite and a full day of racing!

Upon getting into the track, which is no joke, in the parking lot of California Speedway. Despite its location, it actually is a very well prepped track. So we settled into our home for the day near MDRA and got ready to have some fun. I met up with Brandy and made my official transition into Crew Chief/Media Director. We were pleased to see all the bikes that showed up, especially with it being January and a bad economy. It was turning out to be a nice day, warming up quickly!





There was one Pro Gas bike but since he was the only one, he decided to run an ET Class. And despite our Championship in Pro Gas in 2008, we decided to run the Super Bike class this year (9.50 Index). There were five bikes (including us) in our class, which gave us a chance to actually compete.

Unfortunately, Auto Club Dragway does not have lights for evening racing, so they were unable to complete qualifying on Saturday. They buttoned up qualifying for those that did not get to complete Saturdays session and started eliminations.

Our first run was spot on, against Wil Kimbrough, with a 9.51 @ 148.36 mph. Not bad for our first pass on a brand new track after driving all night. [Seems to be our thing...drive all night, race all day, to drive all night home... LOL!!!] Due the odd number of bikes registered in the class, our next pass produced a bye run for us. WooHoo! It was a great opportunity for us to see what we could get out of her without hesitation. She gave us a 9.40 @ 151.39, not bad!! Now we're in the finals and we pair up against Laverk Harper (2008 Super Bike Champion). What a great way to start the 2009 season, the 2008 Super Bike Champion and the 2008 Pro Gas Champion, running head to head (of course within the index) in this round. In the end, we rode away with runner-up! The race was such a great display of two racers, two bikes, that push each other to perform at the highest degree. We were happy with the day overall, the race was fun and the weather was phenomenal!

Photo by Hooliganunderground.com

We wrapped up our race at Fontana around 4pm, headed to an early dinner. Now compared to our drive to Arizona, it surely wasn't a "long" drive... But considering the drive less than 12 hours earlier and the 7 hours ahead, it was for all intensive purposes a long drive home. Again, with astonishing amazement, Joey pulled off the driving feat with little to no effort (sorta). He rocks, seriously! We pulled into the driveway around 11:30pm. So within 24 hours we drove to Los Angeles, raced all day, and drove home. WOW, we are crazy! ;)

Overall, we had a great time, with several bikes and great competition! We can't wait till Vegas in April.

For more information about rules, schedule, pics, and winners visit http://www.mdra4u.com/.

2009 MDRA Season starts January 17-18th

Do you need new tires, sprockets, a chain or fuel... it's race time!

The first race of the MDRA season is January 17-18th!

For more information visit: http://www.mdra4u.com/ or contact Brandy at brandy@mdra4u.com.

CONGRATULATIONS to our 2008 Champions!
View the link below:
http://www.dragbike.com/dbnews/anmviewer.asp?a=4585&z=13