Bad Astra Per Aspera: The Sea Beast Finale

Motorcycle Classics ad man Shane Powers takes his Honda CB350 “Sea Beast” to the race track.

By Shane Powers | Photos The Motorcycle Classics Staff
Published on October 22, 2019
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by Motorcycle Classics Staff
I’m glad editor Hall was able to capture the essence of my single lap at speed!

The motto of the great State of Kansas, where I have lived my entire life, is “Ad Astra Per Aspera,” a Latin phrase meaning “To the stars through adversity.” This seemed like a fitting sentiment as I reflected on the happenings of this summer’s Topeka AHRMA event.

On Thursday before the race weekend began, Editor Hall and I pulled into Heartland Park with the Sea Beast in tow. We decided on our pit location and began the process of setting up camp. We made pleasantries with the neighbors, one of whom told me he had been following this project. I was flattered to say the least. I’ve always assumed a few people outside my immediate circle of friends and family had read my blog, but I can’t say I ever expected to actually hear that directly from them. As it turned out, these amicable neighbors were a group of gentlemen also racing CB350s. Scott Wilson was racing Production Lightweight AND Heavyweight on his CB, and David Miller and Bill Howard were racing their own CBs in the Sportsman 350 class. Supporting the group was Chuck, whose last name evades me (sorry, Chuck), the wrench behind Rebel Dog Racing. These guys were friendly, they were fast, and they became a corner post in my race campaign right off the bat.

I was extremely nervous about passing tech inspection; I had never done it before, and it was kind of the final exam of my project. I asked one of my new pit-neighbor-friends if they would mind taking a look over my bike to see if anything glaring was going to cause me to fail tech. With tech opening at 7 a.m. on Friday morning and race school beginning at 8, failure was not an option. David took a walk around the Sea Beast and pointed out a handful of fasteners that the tech inspector would want to see safety wired. I made the recommended alterations and got as prepared as possible for the long day ahead before I tried to get some rest.

Tech inspection

No amount of rest could have prepared me for the long day ahead, but it didn’t matter because I hardly got any anyways. My nervousness and excitement combined with the unrelenting heat of June in Kansas made for a rather un-restorative night of tossing and turning in my tent. At 5:30 a.m. I got up, ate breakfast, and lugged my gear, the Sea Beast, and the thousand-pound lead weight in my stomach up to the tech building.

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