MOTORCYCLE CANNONBALL, PART 2: EARLY CARNAGE

From the Motorcycle Cannonball website:

"With the blessing of perfect weather, the Cannonball got off to a roaring start, leaving Kitty Hawk at around 10am, Eastern Standard Time.  Almost all of the riders got off to a good start, but Bill Nugent was unable to make the start for undetermined reasons.  We will get you details when we have them available.

The biggest casualty of the first stage was Pete Young's Premier, which suffered a catastophic crank shaft failure which, unless a replacement 1913 Premier crankshaft presents itself, will most likely take Pete out of the Cannonball.  No one wanted to see this happen to Pete, and to have it happen this early in the event made it all the more sad.

(Note: that's a front brake!)
Many of the riders had fuel issues, needing to stop for gas supplied by the support crew.  One of the stations the Cannonballers stopped at actually ran out of gas itself!  The support crew has been credited with being right on top of every issue that came up, and already has proven invaluable. 

Though there were several roadside issues to deal with, everyone was in high spirits, and reports of riders helping riders were the norm. 

Felicia promises to get me some pictures and more information just as soon as she can get to a WiFi connection (and take a well deserved break).

Stay tuned, it's going to be a bumpy ride!"

Let's hope Pete can borrow another bike, or even fix his 1913 Premier!

Patrick Hayes Notes (and thanks again for the on-the-spot reportage!):

"Mayhem at the start at the Wright Brothers Memorial.  Nobody anticipated 2,000 spectators!  Park Rangers had a tough time keeping the road open.  Fantastic madhouse.   We had people drive in from five surrounding states just to see the start.  Now we will see how many make the run to Greenville.

BTW, the guy with the green flag is the MAYOR of Kitty Hawk."