2011 Season Kicks Off

Qatar in March is an oddity. A race in the cooler evening air, floodlit. If that’s not different enough for you, throw in a covering of sand which makes any excursion from the thin, black racing line an adventure in optimism or blind faith depending on the rider. So Qatar is not a good race [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/motogpblog/postfeed/~3/XYILsE4aFCQ/1225

Chris Anderson Fergus Anderson Hugh Anderson John Anderson Kent Andersson George Andrews

July 2011 Elvis Auctions -- Part 1


July was a good months for auctions containing Elvis memorabilia items.  Gotta Have It had 25 of them up for bidding that closed on July 22, and Heritage Auctioneers had 48 Elvis items in an auction that ended July 29.  The first had a generous assortment of Elvis clothing and could be evaluated as a bigger success of the two.  So, let?s take a look at the Elvis wardrobe items that changed hands at The Rock and Roll Auction from Gotta Have It.

 

1969 Return to Las Vegas Outfit:

                  

 

This black mohair jacket and pants (plus the boots and scarf) attracted the second-most bids and brought in the highest price.  The winning bid of $36,772 (including the auctioneer?s premium) was above the expected $20-30,000 range.  The reason it was so popular is that this is the outfit Elvis wore when he returned to live shows at the Las Vegas International Hotel in the summer of 1969.  It was before the jumpsuits came along, but as the auction website said, ?During Elvis? first engagement in 1969, Elvis? costumes were more subdued, but Elvis looked the best he ever had, and the suits he had designed for this engagement were simple and stunning.?

Here are two of the hundreds of photos taken during this engagement.  Note the red satin kick pleats in the pants foreshadowing an iconic feature of Elvis? future jumpsuits.  Included in the ensemble is the pair of the ?Verde? boots Elvis loved so much and wore during the engagement.  The buyer also received one of the scarves Elvis wore at that time.  However, these were accessories and not used like the ones he would come to give away to screaming fans several years later. 

There is no question that this set is the genuine thing.  There are custom labels and Elvis? name in indelible ink inside the coat and pants verifying they belonged to him.  In addition, a letter of providence from Elvis? long-time wardrobe manager, Richard Davis, seals the deal.  This is a major, big-time Elvis collectible.

 

IC Costume Blue Shirt:

                 

This hand-tailored blue shirt received the most bids, and it went for $8,983, a price near the topside of the expected range.  Because Elvis never gave the shirt a favorite name, the auction website simply calls it the IC Costume Blue Shirt, named after the store where he got it.  The shirt had all the requirements needed to generate bidding interest:  a custom label, a color photograph of Elvis wearing it, and a letter of authenticity from his long time buddy Alan Fortas.

 

Lansky Bros. Outfit:     

           

There was no doubt this suit and shirt combo would go for big bucks.  As the label shows, Elvis got it from Lansky Bros. Men?s Shop.  He subsequently wore it for all sort of photography sessions in 1956.  It even appears in a picture on the back of his first album, Elvis Presley.  The happy new owner of this iconic outfit shelled out $25,725 to get it                              

             

 

Jailhouse Rock Shirt (Sort of):               

                 

The expected range for this brown, black and gray shirt was $5,000 to $10,000, but it brought only $3,146.   The reason can be found in the fine print on the auction website description.  Four color variations of this shirt were bought for the movie Jailhouse Rock, but the red version was chosen for Elvis to wear in it.  In a nice display of honesty, they even admit that Elvis is wearing the red one in the accompanying photo taken on the set with co-star Judy Tyler.  There is no letter of provenance to prove that Elvis ever wore the auction shirt, so bidders were understandably cautious.

 

IC Costume Shirt, Pants and Belt: 
                                         

The shirt in this outfit is similar to the other one from IC Costume Co. above, but pants and gold metallic belt are also included.  You would think it would bring considerably more, but the whole package went for just $10,631, about half of that expected.  I don?t get it.  It comes with a supporting photograph taken in front of the Graceland front door, and it has a letter of provenance from Harold Lloyd, Elvis? first-cousin and Graceland gate guard.  This looks to be a good bargain for the lucky bidder.

 

Shirt, Vest and Pants Outfit from Lansky Bros: 

                

The auction photos all show just the white rayon shirt and the red vest, but the set included a pair of black pleated and cuffed pants.  The shirt and vest both have personalized Elvis labels as well as standard Lansky Bros. labels.  Publicity photographs featuring Elvis wearing this outfit accompany the lot.  The auction website says the photographs were most likely taken during the King Creole film period, but the outfit does not appear in the film.  With the photos of Elvis wearing the clothes and a letter of authenticity from buddy Alan Fortas, the three-piece set equaled expectations and topped out at $13,798.

 

Monogrammed Purple Terry Robe:

You have to look closely to see the EP monogram at the top of this robe.  The auction website says it was obtained from Felton Jarvis who was Elvis' record producer with RCA Records.  Felton received the robe from Elvis during the Jungle Room Sessions held at Graceland on February 5, 1976.  There was no accompanying photo of Elvis wearing the robe, but it was accompanied with letter of authenticity from Elvis biographer, Hal Noland, and it achieved a high bid of $5,445,

 

Army Shirt Worn in Germany:  

I guess this shirt is authentic, but there are several things in the auction website text and pictures that make me wonder.  Three shots were displayed showing different printed or stamped images and words on the inside of the shirt.  The two below both contain stamps of ownership:  Elvis Presley in script and Presley E A in block letters.
       

             

 

The next picture shows inside the collar, and the blow-up shows the shirt size at the top:  14½ ? 32.  Elvis may well have had a 14½ inch neck back in his Army days, but just a 32 inch sleeve length?  Seems pretty short for a guy who was 6?1? tall.  I Googled Elvis? vital statistics but couldn?t find anything on that.
    

            

Farther down on the blow-up, we see SP 4 Elvis Presley, a rank Elvis achieved.  But, if the rank is printed on the inside of the shirt, why isn?t the insignia sewn on the shirt?   Do you think two extra stamps besides the one inside the collar seems like too much? 

The thing that put up the biggest red flag for me on this shirt was in the auction website text.  It actually said, ?Comes from the Vince Everett Elvis Presley Museum in the UK with a signed COA from Vince Everett himself.?  If the name Vince Everett sounds familiar to you, it should.  That was the name of Elvis? character in Jailhouse Rock.  So, they were offering a certificate of authenticity from a fictional character?

The high bidder thought this was worth $5,069.  If I had that kind of money, I think I?d look for less questionable Elvis memorabilia to spend it on.

 

©  2011    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net
 

Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Source: http://www.elvisblog.net/blog/_archives/2011/8/6/4873305.html

Takuma Aoki Hiroshi Aoyama Shuhei Aoyama Andre Luc Appietto Robin Appleyard Junya Arai

News ? Yamaha Head Back to the USA for the Indianapolis Grand Prix

Yamaha Head Back to the USA for the #Indianapolis Grand #Prix


The MotoGP paddock heads stateside again this week for the second of the two US rounds of the 2011 MotoGP Championship. The legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host round 12 of the Championship, the second home race for Yamaha Factory Racing rider Ben Spies. The 2010 Indianapolis event became a feat of endurance for the MotoGP riders with track temperatures hitting 50 degrees over qualifying and race day. The sweltering conditions raised grip issues across the grid and the heat was physically exhausting for the riders.

Lorenzo struggled over the entire weekend to find a perfect set up for the difficult conditions last year, enduring the heat to finally deliver a well earned podium finish with third in the race. The World Champion started from second on the grid just behind Spies. Lorenzo has a good record at the circuit, claiming victory in 2009 and his first ever wet podium in 2008.

Despite the conditions MotoGP rookie Spies enjoyed his most successful race of the year at Indianapolis in 2010. The Texan rider took a scorching maiden pole position start from future team mate Lorenzo and converted it into a season best finish of second on race day, his first MotoGP podium.

With 257,000 permanent seats the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest spectator sporting facility in the world and fills to capacity for its flagship events, the Indy 500 and Allstate 400 car races. Originally constructed in 1909 with a 2.5-mile oval, an exciting 16-turn motorcycle road circuit, which includes part of the historic oval, was purpose-built for MotoGP. The circuit was resurfaced earlier this year, improving the grip levels considerably for the riders.

As part of Yamaha's ongoing 50th Anniversay of Grand Prix racing celebrations, Yamaha Factory Racing will again run the special red and white livery at Indianapolis.


Jorge Lorenzo

"Indy is a track I really enjoy. I treasure wonderful moments like the podiums in 2008 and 2010, and my victory in 2009 wearing Captain America's helmet. I am now in good shape and am ready to regain the ground we lost in Brno, where a mistake put a distance between Casey and I. I hope the good energy I feel in this track will still help us to fight for the title. I am really looking forward to going back to the US and riding my M1."


Ben Spies

?I?m really hoping to be completely fit for this weekend. I?ve still got some numbness in the arm but it is better than it was at Brno. We?ve been working hard to get it right and we will of course give it 100% as always. I?ve been looking forward to this race all year; it was pretty crazy last year as a rookie to take pole and a second in the race. We?re going to put on a good show for all the home fans and see what we can do.?

Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

?We had some problems at Indianapolis last year but they resurfaced the circuit so we're looking forward to checking it out as it wasn?t in the best shape before. Jorge struggled to get the bike set up properly on it in 2010. With Ben?s excellent experience over there we believe we are able to fight for victory or podiums. If we want to win the World Championship we need to win races and start beating Casey, it is going to be a big challenge but we?re ready for it!?
Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director

?I?m hoping Ben?s physical condition is better for the weekend; I?m hoping that he will be 100% because it is his home race and expectations are quite high. The team are going to use some new updates that we tested in Brno; these will help both Ben and Jorge challenge for the front. Last year both riders finished on the podium so we are confident for this event.?


Jorge Lorenzo
Age: 24
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 37 (17 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 157 (62 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 44 (16 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 3 (MotoGP 2010, 250cc, 2006/7)

Ben Spies
Age: 26
Lives: Longview Texas / Lake Como Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 1
First GP victory: Assen, Netherlands, 2011
First GP: Donington, UK, 2008 (MotoGP)
GP starts: 32
Pole positions: 1
World Championships: 1 (WSB 2009)

Grand Prix Results: Indianapolis 2010
1. D.Pedrosa Honda 47'31.615
2. B.Spies Yamaha +3.575
3. J.Lorenzo Yamaha +6.812

Indianapolis Record Lap
J.Lorenzo (Yamaha) 2009, 1'40.152

Indianapolis Best Lap
D.Pedrosa (Honda) 2009, 1'39.730

Statistics: Posted by totalmotorcycle ? Tue Aug 23, 2011 7:06 am

Source: http://www.zimbio.com/MotoGP/articles/wojTaX63hUH/News+Yamaha+Head+Back+USA+Indianapolis+Grand

Jean François Balde Mike Baldinger Alex Baldolini Mike Baldwin Brian Ball Andrea Ballerini