Out riding upstate out of Ossining, my friend came in hot around a blind, off-camber turn somewhere right on the New York / Connecticut border.
One second I was on his tail, as we were ripping through horse country, and I saw him go wide, then get a little wobbly, before running off the road and hitting some soft mud, instantly going down and winding up completely enveloped in a pricker bush.
I just saw him dissappear, so I gunned the throttle (so as to not be caught when I made a U-turn) back to see how he was.
Accidents can mean mayhem, but everyone stopped without too much drama,
And made sure El Duro was alright.
His pride was more wounded than anything else, but I dove into the thorny brush and pulled his bike out.
There wasn't a huge amount wrong- one of the clip-ons was busted off alongside the brake cylinder,
plus a few scratches on the clear-coat.
But Teddy from HVMC was already talking about a Panigale Speciale, so this bike might go to salvage.
A tow truck finally came, and he loaded this limited edition bike onto a flatbed.
We ended up in Rhinebeck sans El Duro, but had a drink in his honor nonetheless.
I'm so ready for the track. As much as I thought I "wouldn't be one of those guys" hassling their friends to come out to the track and thinking and talking about nothing else- but I guess I'm one of those guys now.
My buddy Jeff needed a serious weld on his frame (after going down on his 848 at New York Safety Track), and bailed out on a weekend down to New Jersey to NJMP. I thought I might swing down to Pa for a bit along the way, but after learning my sister and her family were spending the weekend in Ship Bottom, Long Beach Island,
I showed up at the family friends' beach house and slept on a pullout couch, waking up at 5am.
Driving into the track you realize how massive the compound really is. The circuit is comprised of two racetracks (Lightning and Thunderbolt) plus a go-cart track, as well every amenity you could possibly imagine.
There is a hotel literally sitting on top of the start/finish of Thunderbolt, with garages situated downstairs, so you can basically roll out of bed and onto your bike for tech inspection the next morning.
The grounds are massive, and include a country-club-styled pub, a concession stand, and a store stocked with racing gear, apparel, and then basic necessities you might want on a race day.
Tech inspection happens in a big hangar, and there were a ton of people out this particular Saturday.
I set up my canopy in the middle of the field, and immediately made friends with my next-door neighbor Jeff and a few guys riding CBRs a few feet away down the paddock.
The session was packed though... I think there were over 60 riders in E2
The first few sessions I was a little squirrely, as even though NJMP has much more run-off and no blind corners (compared to NYST's trees and hills)
My friend Paul showed up racing his Ducati Supersport, and offered to show me the lines. This led to his friend Sean showing me the lines as well, and they got me out of my shell to ask for some help from a coach.
After the few coaching sessions, I realized I had SOOO much more runoff than I had initially expected. Though I wasn't focusing on lap times, a review of my sessions throughout the day showed I dropped from over 2 minutes a lap into the lower 1:50s.
The second to last session, I scraped a knee, and on the final session, I started to drag both knees a couple times around the track.
Elated and exhausted, I grabbed dinner with Paul and Sean, and waited for another few friends to arrive.
My boys James, Jerry and Tommy were coming down, and had rented a hotel room and a garage.
If you ever have the chance to visit the countryside around Modena in Northern Italy, you'll find one of the most exquisite collection of Maserati cars collected from the last 100 years. Nestled in one of the barns of a working family farm, you can get a tour of a Parmesan cheese factory, and experience one of the finest displays of antique cars, a collection so incredible it's been colloquially called "Museo Maserati." Parmesan cheese!
The Collezione Umberto Panini Motor Museum houses hundreds of bikes and cars, with the majority of the collection devoted to the vaunted Italian racing and luxury brand "Maserati."
Spotting a "Mas" has become more and more commonplace in NYC, under the mass production of Fiat ownership, but spotting a pre-1990 Maserati is a rarity anywhere outside Italy. So if you have a chance to visit, this is an experience like no other private collection I've ever seen. The collection is truly incredible; you can spend several hours taking in the cars, and not even get a chance to see all of the bikes and other prototypes stacked together upstairs. But I'm doing my best below to lists the makes and models of the various models of Maseratis at the Panini Museum below:
COLLEZIONE UMBERTO PANINI MOTOR MUSEUM
1934 Maserati 6C 34
Monoposto Competizione
1936 Maserati 6CM
Monoposto Competizione
1953 Maserati A6GCS '53 "Berlinetta"
In order to compete in the Sports Prototype World Championship, the A6GCS/53 was developed with an engine generating 170 bhp. It was a spyder designed by Gioacchino Colombo and built b Medardo Fantuzzi and Celestino Fiandri. The A6 GCS claimed important victories such as the Italian Grand Prix in 1953 and 1954. Four Berlinetta by Pininfarina were built, made to order for the businessman Guglielmo Dei who purchased the chassis from Maserati."
1954 Maserati A6G 54 2000 Allemano
1957 Maserati 250F V12
Seven seasons of F1, a World Driver's Championship (in 1957, with Fangio), leaders in numerous Grand Prix, and the merit of introducing the first woman in a Grand Prix: Maria Teresa De Filippis in 1958. The "250F" ("250" stands for 2500 cm³ and "F" for Formula) was created based on the 1953 "A6 GCM" from which the six-cylinder inline engine was taken: all in aluminium, seven main journals, with double overhead camshafts and dual ignition. Initially it delivered 240 hp at 7400 rpm, but it was to reach more than 270 hp at 8000 rpm with the V12. This is the prototype with which Fangio tried in vain to qualify at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1957, an attempt which failed due to excessive engine power.
1958 Maserati 3500GT
" 3500 Testimony to the transformation from a factory of racing cars to a factory of road cars was the 3500 GT, placed on the market in 1957. It was created directly from the experiences of the six-cylinder racing cars, the engine was nothing more than the road version of the 350S. The 3500 GT proved itself to be guarantor of Maserati’s future contributing with its significant sales success to the rapid economic recovery of the company. The body was produced by Touring of Milan and was always true to the motto: “Weight is the enemy; air resistance the obstacle."
1961 Maserati TIPO61 Drogo "Birdcage"
Recognized by all as the best interpretation of the sports car, the "birdcage" was first studied in 1959 for the Tipo 60 (2000 cc)version and then later for the Tipo 61 version with the common concept of light weight and high stiffness represented by the unique construction of the chassis,
consisting of more than 200 small segments of pipe with a diameter of 10, 12 and 15 mm forming a lattice weighing only 36 kg.
Carrozzeria Drogo,
Motor: 4 Cylinder inline, Cylinder Capacity: 2890ccm, Max.Speed: 280Km/h, Max.Power: 250HP at 6500rpm, Weight: 580Kg, Panini Motor Museum, Modena
1961 Maserati TIPO63 Serenissima
The natural technical evolution of the Tipo 61 was born with theTipo 63. This new sports car with a rear engine was tested in December 1960; the chassis was essentially the same as that of the 61, but with the rear-wheel independent suspension and two side tanks for fuel.
Initially, the tested 4-cylinder 2890 cc was chosen but in April 1961 Alfieri fitted the 63 with the V 12 which was originally designed for the 250F for the 24 Hours Le Mans.
These cars are truly incredible.
The details and craftsmanship, like this "Superleggera" are amazing as well.
1965 Maserati 5000 GT
Carrozzeria Touring, Motor: 8 Cylinder in V, Cylinder Capacity: 4937ccm, Max.Speed: /, Max.Power: 325HP at 5500rpm, Weight: 1600Kg, Panini Motor Museum, Modena
1968 Maserati Simun Prototipo
1969 Maserati Ghibli 4.7 Spyder
1969 Maserati Ghibli Ghia
Carrozzeria Ghia, Motor: 8 Cylinder in V, Cylinder Capacity: 4700ccm, Max.Speed: /, Max.Power: 330HP, Weight: 1500Kg, Panini Motor Museum, Modena
1967 Maserati Mistral
1974 Maserati Tipo 124
Prototipo Carrozzeria Italdesign,
Motor: 8 Cylinder in V, Cylinder Capacity: 4900ccm, Max.Speed: /, Max.Power: /, Weight: /, Panini Motor Museum, Modena
1975 Maserati Khamsin
Carrozzeria Bertone, Motor: 8 Cylinder in V, Cylinder Capacity: 4900ccm, Max.Speed: 275Km/h, Max.Power: 320HP, Weight: 1680Kg, Panini Motor Museum, Modena
1975 Maserati Bora
Carrozzeria Italdesign, Motor: 8 Cylinder in V, Cylinder Capacity: 4930ccm, Max.Speed: 270Kmh, Max.Power: 320HP at 5000rpm, Weight: 1400Kg, Panini Motor Museum, Modena
