This is the part where I went snooping and asking questions and Brammo gave me some information to get me to leave them alone.
A Brammo Blog Exclusive
BrammoBlog Ver. 2.0. Number 8.
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Ok, so if you follow Brammo on the Facebook you will get some tid-bits of information and some pretty photos. Like this one:
Eric Bostrom doing a sick wheelie on the Empulse RR at Thunderhill Speedway.
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Or this one:
A bunch of Brammo bikes getting ready to head to Laguna Seca for the Red Bull United States Grand Prix, featuring the MotoGP World Championship
http://www.mazdaraceway.com/red-bull-us-grand-prix
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Or you might find photos where Brammo is trying to be “Artsy” and come across this:
A pretty photo of the Team heading by Mt. Shasta on the way to Laguna Seca.
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And if you’re really sneaky you will follow Brammo on Twitter and find even more photos and information.
Like this:
What we see is a new rider cleaning Eric Bostrom’s bike…or at least pretending to for the camera. Is this a new rider?
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Still, one photo of a new rider all in Leathers at the Brammo paddock does not instantly make me think that rider is part of Brammo’s team of riders. Brammo gets quite a few guest riders showing up to check out the bikes. Just last week Chip Yates leather-ed up and took a ride on the TTX as part of a story for Motor Trend Magazine:
But seeing Mr. Yates ride that Zebra and Neon Yellow Empulse TTX, while doing a story on Brammo, didn’t make me think he was joining Brammo’s Team.
It did make me think Ms. 93 would be ticked off if he hurt her bike.
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I just thought this rider, all in leathers, was a friend of the Team. Pro Motorcycle racing is a fairly small group and they do tend to hang out and have fun together when not trying to beat each other on the track.
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Then I find this image:
Test rides are one thing, but few companies let test riders do wheelies on their hella expensive race bikes….
Instantly my “what’s going on here” senses went off. Either that or my vertigo has returned. Damn you wretched gravity and rapidly spinning World.
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After taking a moment to regain my balance, I continue my snooping around looking for clues. (Dan Brown has my permission to cast me in his next novel. Is the title: The book that didn’t sell and ended Dan Brown’s career because the main character was boring as hell, too long?)
Snooping didn’t take long as I quickly found that Adrian Stewart, Brammo’s Head of Marketing, has just that day “liked” Shane Turpin on the Facebook. Hmmmm…the plot, as they say, thickens. Not unlike my blood due to my skyrocketing cholesterol from too many breakfast burritos. Which might also explain my vertigo.
And finally I find this photographic evidence:
With this final clue I assume Brammo is adding a new racer to their stable. After all, you get your name on a windshield and you’re part of the team.
So we have a new Brammo rider for Laguan Seca:
Shane Turpin
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A well known and well liked rider. He is a Pro, especially at his home track at Miller Sport Park in Utah.
http://www.millermotorsportspark.com/
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Which raises the question: Will he be riding for Brammo this year at Laguna Seca AND at Miller? And maybe even more races? I don’t know any of that…yet 🙂
And when I bug Brammo enough about how my “master sleuthing” (Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch has nothing on me…except fame, fans and a really crazy long name) leads me to believe that there is a new Brammo rider being added, I get this short reply:
Shane Turpin
“Tornado Turpin # 14”
Brammo building the dream team…
Which is a bit much in marketing terms. I would have gone with a somewhat more nuanced approach, but I put it here for the readers.
Congrats to Brammo and to Shane. And I really hope I get to see him race at Miller this year. That would be cool.
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More to come…Gavin
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For more info on Brammo, please visit: www.brammo.com
For more images, photos, discussions and all around Brammo goodness: visit, lurk and maybe join: www.brammoforum.com
Bonus:
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Wait…if having your name on the windshield makes you part of the team….
I must be on the TEAM!!! Looks pretty authentic to me…
Sol Power--BrammoBlog.com 