Cannonball Sponsorship Adventures

Carson Classic Motors' Cannonball Efforts has reached the Mecca of Motorcycling-
the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum

  Yet again, another wonderful weekend has come to an end- seems they go faster and faster, while the week gets longer and longer. This weekend the Carson Classic Motors Race Team made a visit to Birmingham, Alabama- home of the world-renowned Barber Motorsports Park. For those who have never made the trek to "Sweet Home Alabama," this 740 acre facility alone is worth the journey. In addition to an incredibly manicured landscape and scenic driveway, the park features a 2.38 mile professional motorsports racetrack. This track is used for both motorcycles and cars, including the Porsche Driving School that is based at Barber, and now hosts the IRL IndyCar Series Grand Prix.

Entrance to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum

  All of these elements make the facility an incredible destination, but the absolute crowning jewel is the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. Founder George W. Barber has been collecting vintage motorcycles for decades, and in 2003 the new facility housing his collection opened its doors. The museum boasts the largest collection of vintage motorcycles in the world, including over 1,200 motorcycles (600 of which are on rotating display) from more than 16 countries, as well as the world's largest collection of Lotus race cars.

It's hard to control your drooling while checking out the mecca of motorcycling

  This weekend's trip was my fourth Barber experience--I simply cannot stay away. For the past three years we have attended the annual Barber Vintage Festival, a three day outdoor extravaganza that includes vintage racing, a massive swap meet, vintage auctions, and vintage club exhibitions. In October 2011, my team and I entered our 1911 Triumph Roadster into the "Race of the Century" sponsored by the Confederate Chapter of the AMCA. I was fortunate enough to be able to take a 100 year old veteran Triumph out and compete against 6 other racers at breakneck speeds of 35-40 mph.

Yours truly, passing up an early Indian Twin in the 2011 Race of
the Century at the Barber Motorsports Park

  On this weekend, we visited some friends participating in an annual "open track day," where any racer can bring his or her bike (pure racers or road legal machines) out to the track and crack the throttle open. Around lunch, my dad and I took the opportunity to once again check out the wonderful collection of motorcycle history in the museum. After our tour, the wonderful museum staff allowed us to post some of the Cannonball Sponsorship flyers in the public area, and took some for the private staff area too. They even agreed to take our picture to prove it too!

A huge thanks to the wonderful staff of BVMM for helping us out!

  Overall it was a wonderful time in Alabama, and I'm sure our friends at Barber will be seeing us soon!



Buck Carson
Confirmed Cannonballer # 3
Carson Classic Motors Race Team