Jimbo’s bike, and a Reno update…

Jimbo's updated CSC motorcycle...the second CSC bike we ever built!

As you know, Jimbo was the production superintendent at the original Mustang Motor Products Corporation, and he’s been a great advisor and sounding board for us here at CSC.  Jim owns the second bike that ever left the CSC factory, and he recently delivered it to us for a few upgrades, including the ultra spiffy wire wheels you see in the photo above.  Jim’s bike is actually one of the pre-production models, and we incorporated a few changes as we transitioned from the pre-prod bikes to our current production.  We incorporated all of the production changes in Jim’s bike, and it’s ready to roll!

So, back to another topic…the Reno Air Races.  A lot of you have called and asked about that event, the crash, etc., so here goes…

I didn’t go to Reno due to other commitments, but Steve and TK did, and it was a miracle that they’re here with us now.  If you own a television or you use the Internet (and if you’re reading this, you obviously do), you know about the horrible accident that occurred last Friday.  Our CSC Motorcycle display (and Steve and TK) were literally only about 200 feet from the impact point.  They were so close that the FAA and NTSB impounded our trailer for a few days until they were convinced it was okay for us to leave.

I happened to be on Facebook Friday afternoon (that’s when the crash occurred), and about 4:30 I received a Facebook message from my good friend Cathy (who leaves just outside of Reno) asking if I was okay.  I thought the request was a bit odd, so I asked why she asked.  She told me about the accident, which occurred just after 4:20. While we were talking, I Googled it, and to my great surprise, it was already posted on YouTube (somebody who caught it on video had already put the footage on the Internet…I don’t think 10 minutes had elapsed from the time the airplane crashed).  I immediately called Steve and my call went to his voicemail.  I then sent an email to Steve.  A nervous hour went by before Steve was able to respond.  He told me it had been close, but both he and TK were okay.  Whew!

My January 2000 photo of Mark Madden, who died minutes after I took this photo

Prior to the accident, Steve and TK were doing pretty well up there in Reno…the line that comes to mind is “other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?”   Things were going well, but the event came to a sudden and horrific end.

The Reno Air Race crowd was a good one for us.  We sold a few bikes, but the event ended when the accident occurred with the two busiest days still in front of us.  

Our hearts go out to those who died or were injured in Reno, and to their friends and family.

A weird footnote to all of this…the last airshow Steve went to prior to Reno was at Cable Airport down here in Upland about 10 years ago, and I happened to coincidentally be at that airshow, too.  Steve and I didn’t know each other yet, but we were both there, and at that airshow, we witnessed another fatality.  A young fellow named Mark Madden, the world’s record holder for flat spins in a dive, died when his stunt biplane crashed right in front of us.   Another footnote…that same year, I went to the Reno Air Races as a guest of my good friend Larry Rowe, and our box seats were almost exactly where the P51 Mustang crashed this year.