Psychobike.com regulars "MSwhiteboys" came down to the southern portion of their state looking to cover the field like Kudzu on a phone pole. "We're just here to shut these guys up," said one of the Boys. "But St. Louis Red ain't here, Shine ain't here..." Even without those big names, there were enough folks in attendance to hand MSWB a beating by the end of the day. "MsPlainnasty" was there but bikeless, just flashing a pretty smile in the lanes while hangin' with Oklahoma City's Popapi and his rider Lil' Stacy from Dallas. Chicago street racing impresario John St. Pierre and racer Dave Gushinere represented the Windy City. Pierre looked healthier than he has in years, and Gushinere's wallet has been getting fatter with each race.
Other racers on hand included Slidell's Keith Salles on his Bitter/Sweet-prepped, 60-inch, turbo 'Busa and Fast Freddie from Greenville. Track operator Todd Nace made the bike crowd feel more welcome than ever, and it was a great warm-up for the Prostar race the following weekend in Valdosta. The combination of Fat Tuesday in Hattiesburg followed by Mardi Gras in New Orleans makes for a great early spring trip for any grudge-racing gearhead.
Back2Back
The Good Word From Two Overseas Stunt Crews Who Have Caught The American Stunting Bug
Team name: No Limit Japan
Home base: Japan
Riders: Masaharu Ichimoto, Hideki Nakanuma, Hiroshi Miura, Hironori Akamatsu, Akira Hamano and Jason Fullington (interpreter/rider), plus two chibis (Japanese for kids): Ichimoto's son (eight years old) and Nakanuma's son (seven years old), who stunt 50s.
How did you guys get started stunting?
All of us have a passion for riding and stunting just grew from that. We got serious when we met Jason Britton when he did a show here in Japan. He is a class act and always eager to help. He gave us the support we needed to start stunting seriously over here.
Day jobs: Ichimoto was a lead test rider for Honda for almost 20 years and is now the owner of a Honda dealership. Nakanuma owns a custom bike shop called Neo Factory. Hamano is a graphic designer at Art Factory Inc. Fullington owns an import business called J-Style Inc. Ginjiro is the chief editor for a Japanese magazine called Mr. Bike. Akamatsu works at his father's chiropractic clinic and Miura, the "pipe man," owns a plumbing company.
How often does the team perform? We do two or three events per month. Typically we ride for motorcycle events sponsored by the large motorcycle manufacturers or car and bike shows like Multiplex or Big X that combine Motorsports like drag racing, motard racing, BMX, music concerts and drifting with the stunts. The biggest shows in Japan attract as many as 45,000 fans.
Is American-style stunting big in Japan?
Extremely! Last year when Jason Britton came to Multiplex, it ignited a trend here and now there are stunters popping up everywhere.
Do you stunt on the public roads in Japan? Do the police hassle you?
In Tochigi and Akita it isn't a problem really. The police know about us, and we know where to go and never run into them. Ichimoto and the gang have a knack for getting out of trouble anyways. Stunters are respected here and not considered a menace. For the guys in Tokyo and Yokohama, it can be a problem sometimes. We do have a stunt spot where the police rarely ever come.
Motorcycle licensing becomes even more restrictive in your country, and all riders are limited to 50cc scooters.
Do you give up stunting, or start stunting scooters?
We already do! Suzuki makes a fun 50cc called the Street Magic. Our friends Team Blood B ride those at a lot of events.
Beer or sake?
Sake! Iikarukuchi! That means let's get drunk!
Web site: www.nolimitjapan.com