CrotchRocket
Moderator
Bracket Racing with Betsy
Posts: 8038
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posted December 18, 2004 07:37 PM
Rickey Gasdon back in DragRacing...
Rickey will be opening his own Performance Bike shop!!!
DragRacing in NHRA Pro-Stock!!!
May start an all new SportBike school again!!!
Best of Luck Rickey 
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Jason Miller StreetBike Seminars
*****DragRacers do it better, because they dont cut Corners*****
   
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tccycles84
Expert Class
Posts: 124
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posted December 19, 2004 05:28 AM
where is Rickey's shop?
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W.O.F.the only way to ride in Germany and now LA 189mph
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zx12r4play
Novice Class
Dirty South
Posts: 79
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posted December 19, 2004 06:19 AM
quote:
Rickey will be opening his own Performance Bike shop!!!
DragRacing in NHRA Pro-Stock!!!
May start an all new SportBike school again!!!
Best of Luck Rickey
Where is the shop located??
C'mon you cant make a statement like that and not give details
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rac4it
Needs a job
Bergie
Posts: 3009
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posted December 19, 2004 06:57 AM
Original post by Richard Gadson (his nephew) on Psychobike forums:
Well guys, as we all know, my uncle recently announced that he will no longer be Team Kawasaki. Afterwards, we all, including myself, wondered what would be of the multi-time dragracing champion. It was the million dollar question. Well, get ready because he will be announcing it soon. I dont know if I'm actually supposed to be making this post, but I think you guys have been in the dark long enough. I overheard him talking recently and I dont know what all the details are, but it will be the third largest program(in terms of $$$$$) in NHRA to date, behind only that of the GO ARMY team and SCREAMIN' EAGLE . He will have a beutiful cycle with some great motors. I believe he will get the job done with this program and he will be sitting on top of the line equipment. I hope he comes behind me and post the news b/c i know the questions are coming and i dont know what to say and what not to say. you know, politics crap!!!
Besides that, he is in settlement right now finalizing the deal of his own sport bike shop. I believe it will specialize in customizing, minor performance(mapping, dyno, clutch setups, etc.), parts, and alot of other stuff. i dont remember it all, just in general an all-round motorcycle shop. Rickey G also hopes to kick his dragracing school of fresh and new for 2005.
I guess you can't keep a good dog down! He is making moves for himself and he is embarking on a whole new plank and I wish him the best. So for all the curious, Rickey G will be ok and will have a promising NHRA program to compete with in 2005. Lets just hope he can still ride a pro stock motorcycle!! He hasnt ridden one since 1997 for Pierre Elliot and Diamond Powersports.
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zx12r4play
Novice Class
Dirty South
Posts: 79
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posted December 19, 2004 09:30 AM
cool
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craigb29
Novice Class
Posts: 86
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posted December 19, 2004 09:58 AM
I hope he is still going to be riding Kawasakis. Him on a suzuki looks..well... wrong!
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MadMike
Moderator
FEAR THE BLACK FLAG!!!!!!!!
Posts: 6579
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posted December 19, 2004 02:58 PM
He is done with Kawasaki! from the looks of it, he will be on a Buell or Harley....
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200-MPH CLUB MEMBER!
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wannabe
Pro
Posts: 1931
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posted December 19, 2004 06:47 PM
quote:
He is done with Kawasaki! from the looks of it, he will be on a Buell or Harley....
That seems to be where the NHRA is going. I'd bet on the Buell.
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RedBull
Expert Class
Posts: 406
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posted December 19, 2004 07:46 PM
Victory ?
quote:
quote:
He is done with Kawasaki! from the looks of it,
he will be on a Buell or Harley....
That seems to be where the NHRA is going.
I'd bet on the Buell.
Perhaps a Victory, with an S&S motor ?
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kawpower
Zone Head
Mr kawasaki 2 you!
Posts: 887
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posted December 21, 2004 12:20 PM
I talk to Rickey on the phone last friday he said that he will be posting on his web site what he will be doing in the upcoming year.
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zx12r4play
Novice Class
Dirty South
Posts: 79
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posted January 04, 2005 08:03 AM
By Rob Geiger, NHRA.com
01/03/2005
"All the races and championships I've won mean nothing when we roll up to the starting line in Gainesville."
- Rickey Gadson
Pro Stock Bike team owner Harry Lartigue has teamed with seven-time world champion rider Rickey Gadson to pilot his Lucas Oil Suzuki in 2005. Gadson is a former factory rider for Kawasaki who has earned world titles on the AMA/Prostar tour in five different categories - Top Gas, Pro Comp, Streetbike Shootout, 600cc Supersport, and Pro Superbike. He also has experience as a stuntman and motorcycle test pilot.
"Anyone that follows any kind of motorcycle racing knows Rickey Gadson," Lartigue said. "He'll have the respect of the other riders and he'll be good for the NHRA in general because he's a great person. The question is can he ride a Pro Stock Bike? We'll find out. I do know he's a damn good racer on Sunday, and that counts for a lot."
A 38-year-old, lifelong Philadelphian, Gadson has amassed 107 victories in his career, including wins in the five classes in which he's won world titles as well as Pro Mod, Funnybike, and Pro Stock. He's never finished a season below fifth place in the rankings and has posted career best numbers of 6.86 seconds at 198 mph.
"I first met Rickey in the early 1990s and I told him at the time that he needed to get some experience," Lartigue said. "He remembered that conversation because last year he handed me his portfolio and said, 'Is this good enough?' We had a good laugh about that.
Gadson set a South African record with this pass at West Bank Raceway.
"He's done everything right. He's become a tremendous rider on several different kinds of motorcycles and he's prepared himself very well to reach this top level of drag racing. Since word of this has started spreading around, several people have asked me why he hasn't come over here to the NHRA to race before now and the reason is simple - he got into a contract with Kawasaki that was too good to pass up. Now that Kawasaki is getting out of the sport of drag racing completely he's ready to come on over."
Gadson and Lartigue should be legitimate contenders in the class from the start. Since adding Gadson and his credentials to the mix, Lucas Oil has substantially stepped up their financial involvement with Team Tigue to a level Gadson estimates puts them at a funding level of a top-three bike.
"Harry and I flew to Lucas' headquarters and presented them with a marketing package they really liked," Gadson said. "I know how to sell product. I sold a lot of motorcycles for Kawasaki over the years. Harry is very sharp in his world and together we showed them what a successful motorcycle team could do for Lucas Oil. And this is just a starting point. I expect bigger and better things once we get rolling."
Bob Patison, the executive vice president at Lucas Oil, liked what he saw from the enterprising Gadson and 25-year veteran Lartigue.
"We're impressed with the quality of this program and the intensity Harry and Rickey have for the sport," Patison said. "We're looking for this sort of commitment to help round out our involvement with the Pro Stock Bike category in the NHRA. The addition of Rickey Gadson will give us a very strong presence in the class. Rickey's an individual that has a lot of talent. He's proven himself to be a very tough competitor on the AMA series and we're all looking forward to seeing what he can do in the NHRA."
Gadson's turbocharged Streetbike Shootout ride
carried him to the 2003 AMA/Prostar championship.
Lartigue and Gadson nearly got together several times over the years but one thing or another always seemed to get in the way.
"At first I didn't have much experience and I probably didn't deserve that ride," Gadson said. "Then I started to get a reputation for winning but also for being a big mouth that would street race and do other crazy things. Harry would see me from time to time and tell me I had talent but that I needed to clean my business up and I might actually go somewhere in life. He was right because when I did get it together I got the deal with Kawasaki and I learned so much about the corporate world.
"I would still get mad at Harry every time he hired another rider because I felt like he was purposely overlooking me. I'd think up voodoo curses to put on his teams. But in hindsight everything he said to me was 100-percent right. I had to learn."
The talented duo will soon take delivery of two new powerplants from Vance & Hines and will begin testing within days in Florida. They also plan to test Feb. 5 at the Pontiac Pro Stock SuperBowl at Houston Raceway Park in Texas.
"I know it will be a challenge," Gadson said. "But we're thinking about a top-five finish this year. Pro Stock Bike racing in the NHRA is the pinnacle of drag racing. All the races and championships I've won in the past mean nothing when we roll up to the starting line in Gainesville. But the good news is we all start from zero."
This story is copyright 2005 National Hot Rod Association. It may not be reprinted or retransmitted in any form without the express written permission of NHRA.com.
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fish_antlers
Administrator
The Truth is Out There
Posts: 21895
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posted January 04, 2005 09:49 AM
This is kinda like when Art Bell quit ! (anyone who listend to the radio might remember that!)
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What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
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rickeyg
Novice Class
Posts: 60
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posted January 05, 2005 03:09 PM
Testing
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Rickey Gadson
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rickeyg
Novice Class
Posts: 60
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posted January 05, 2005 03:25 PM
Just wanted to say I know it is hard to believe but yes it is true I will be riding Zuke in NHRA.
I hope this does not cause a mutiny????
Seriously though I really appreciate the ongoing support from you guys on this forum, i do read the forums(all of them),just never really get a chance to post.
If and when the success comes in Pro stock it will be a Kawi guy riding what he has to to win, cause I am a kawasaki enthusiast from the heart.
And Yes I am opening up a used Motorcycle dealership called Rickey Gadson's Sportbike Zone in NJ about 15 min from Philadelphia and 10 min from Atco Raceway.
The focus will be on service, accessories, parts and tuning, along with chassis setups, air shifters,swingarms,and all high performance parts.
I will be a distributor for Muzzys,Orient,Brock Davidson,world wide bearings, PM wheels,Hyper plates(aluminum clutch plates) and Lucas high performance motorcycle line of oils.
Won't do alot of engine building(only for a select few). Any engines done will be contracted out to Carpenter or Muzzys.
We have a Dynojet 250 dyno on premises.
Will do transmission work, power commanders,turbo systems, and more.
Welcome all.........see you at the shop!
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Rickey Gadson
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