went to the Chicago Auto Show today on a whim, here are my highlights (click to enlarge):


Fiat 500 Abarth



Scion iQ



Scion FR-S (aka Subaru BR-Z)



Subaru BR-Z (aka Scion FR-S)



Kia Track’ster concept



Hyundai Veloster Turbo



Lexus LF-LC concept



four(!) Lexus LF-As

i forgot to mention this the other day but i got to meet AMA Superbike champion (1990, 1991, 1992), World Superbike champion (1993) and former 500cc Grand Prix racer (1995, 1996) Scott Russell (pictured above, doing a demo) at the International Motorcycle Show this past weekend.

the strange thing is that, despite having such a notable career, virtually nobody in the United States knows who he is. the unpopularity of motorcycle racing in the USA was painfully evident when my brother and i saw Scott wandering through the crowd at the Yamaha display by himself and were able to say hello and actually chat with him for a few minutes.

spent today volunteering for Riders For Health and hanging out at the International Motorcycle Show.

here are my highlights (click to enlarge):

one of Ben Spies’s Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP bikes from 2011 (in 50th anniversary colors)




autographed Ben Spies replica helmets!




Josh Hayes’s 2011 AMA Superbike Championship winning Yamaha R1




Wrightstown, WI police department’s Suzuki GSX-R600 pursuit bike




race-spec KTM 1190 RC8




Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC Biaggi Special Edition

i went to Riders For Health‘s US office here in Chicago for a meeting today because my brother and i are volunteering for them at the International Motorcycle Show this weekend. it was great to meet the other volunteers and generally hang around with other people who share my affection for two-wheeled motorsport. i don’t really follow any of the popular sports in America so it was nice to finally be in a room where i could openly discuss things like Forward Racing’s chatter problem or Marc Marquez’s double vision with strangers.

plus, there was sushi.

the “check engine” light that came on in my car mysteriously turned itself off today while i was driving.

one less thing to worry about or veiled harbinger of doom?

the “check engine” light came on in my car yesterday and gave an “P0740 TCC CIRCUIT MALFUNCTION” error. this, i’ve discovered, means that there’s a problem with either the control system for the torque converter or an issue with the torque converter itself. i looked it up to see if anyone else with my car has this problem and i came upon an upsetting website that lists over one hundred complaints relating to the complete and sudden failure of the transmission while in traffic.

since the car still drives normally, i’m going to close my eyes real tight and assume that the control system is the faulty one of the two. after all, only one of these complaints cited the P0740 error so i’m hoping that it means i’m not going to end up blocking traffic for hours on Lake Shore Drive one day.

another year, another fantastic Dakar Rally. this one will live on for quite some time.

i saw a lady in a big SUV come to a full stop at a green light the other day. it was awesome.

it’s snowing like crazy in Chicago at the moment. thank goodness i’m safe and warm indoors watching 2012 Dakar Rally participants race through the South American desert.

got a parking ticket today because i didn’t feed the meters in a private lot. the good news is, the fine was actually cheaper than what i would’ve had to pay to park there legitimately.