Written by Bob after watching the races in Daytona on Saturday

Last Saturday was the 73rd running of the Daytona 200 since the race began on the beach in 1937 and was won on (you guessed it) an Indian.  Saturday's race was one of firsts and lasts.  It was likely the last 200 for the SuperSport class.  After the 2004 race Formula Xtreme replaced the SuperBike class.  At that time motorcycle technology had outpaced tire technology.  The big liter bikes were going too fast for the tires and the track, resulting in too many crashes.  The new class was a confusing mix of 600cc in-line fours from the Japanese manufacturers and an assorment of twins and triples of various displacements.  This enabled marques such as Ducati, BMW, Buell, and Triumph to compete---sort of.

 

In 2009 the Formula Xtreme class was replaced by the SuperSport class, the class that raced the 200 Saturday.  The race was won by Danny Eslick on his 675cc Triumph triple.  The street version of the bike is named the Daytona.  You may recall the original Triumph Daytona from the sixties.  It was the first win for Triumph since Gary Nixon won the 200 on his factory machine in 1967.  In 2015 the SuperBike class will return to the Daytona 200.  The word is that tire technology has caught up with liter-bike speed.  Unless Triumph comes up with a bike that can compete with the big Japanese in-line fours it will be the last win for Triumph at Daytona.

 

Eslick will have the honor of being the last SuperSport rider to win the 200.  Despite winning the class championship twice and winning the pole-sitter's Rolex for the second time this week, Saturday's race was his first 200 win.  Eslick is, as the saying goes, colorful.  In a happy combination of events those watching the race world-wide got to see a close-up of Eslick flipping off another rider.  I'm pretty sure that's a first.  The rider fully deserved the gesture.  As Eslick was lapping the slower rider the rider decided it would be cool to race Eslick.  Very unsportsmanlike.  As he made the the pass Eslick reached back and gave the rider the famed salute.

 

Such footage would probably never make it onto national television.  We got to see it because the race was live-streamed on the internet at FansChoice.tv, another first.  I was suprised that I could find none of the Bike Week races on TV.  Now I know why.  Apparently from now on that is the way the races will be broadcast.  The footage was great so it's fine with me if we've seen the last of live motorcycle racing broadcast on television.

 

Meanwhile the Factory Wars tradition begun by Indian and Harley-Davidson back in the day continues in the SuperBike class.  Today's Factory Wars are between Suzuki and Yamaha.  For years I've been tired of watching the Almighty Suzuki GXR (affectionately known as The Gixxer) win race after race.  I was happy to see a Yamaha win Saturday's SuperBike race. 

 

My current ride is a Yamaha.  I've always been found of the brand.  Amongst other things they have a penchant for making nice knock-offs of classic Brit bikes.  Take their 650 vertical twin of the seventies.  It was like a Triumph that ran.  It was also the bike that Robert Persig rode when he wrote "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".  This year Yamaha's big thumper, the SR 400, returns to the states.  It clearly pays homage to the famed BSA Gold Star.  No electric leg for the SR.  It's strictly kick-start.  Can't wait!

First day of spring

I wore a special outfit for the first day of spring and the last day for the seniors before spring break. Teal tights by Hue, brown Cole Haan fisherman sandals, a Boden skirt of charcoal grey with tawny polka dots, an LL Bean beige and cream striped sailor shirt, and topping it off (of course) an Adrienne Vittadini scarf of brown, black, burgundy, and teal with a pattern that looks a detail from a painting by Gustav Klimt. Oh yes, and concentric round-cornered square hammered brass earrings by Ann Dick. Now if that isn't a fashion mish mash I don't know what else to add. A spritz of Shalimar?

I felt especially decked out and festive. (To paraphrase Lady Jones in Beloved: She looked like a chippy, but it was no mistaking she was a teacher.) This marks the third day that I have worn Real Shoes to work this year (instead of Birkies). It was fun.

Passing the torch

All along Rose was teaching, and I thought she was just establishing her dominance over the new cats. My husband says she was instructing them in How to Keep the Humans from Being Bored. Now Nick scatters bits of food around his plate, whereas before he was a tidy eater. Now Daisy is the one who sits at the top of the stairs to see me off when I leave for work in the morning.

Frida hasn't changed. She has always gone her own way independent of the other cats. There was never any need for more cats after she came to live with us, she has told us time and again.