38 Special with Ben Younger Photo Gallery

This was never meant to be released. Lawsuit pending.

Sponsorship is key in this game. You give credit whenever possible. CCS does their part.

Yes, I styled the photo for over 10 minutes. I've never won a trophy before. Be happy for me.

The main reason I eventually want to move to expert is so that I can lose the yellow number plates. They ruin every paint job except Biaggi's old Camel livery from 2001.

Indoor garage space is so cush it's hard to imagine going back to EZ-Ups and turf carpeting.

Never dragged the belly pan at a track day. Racing, above all else, illustrates that your limits are not always where you believe them to be.

All the explanations on earth won't help me understand this color scheme.

My foot looks like it belongs to a Polish woman from Greenpoint.

Damaged goods...

While I can be a total screw-up on a racebike, I never, ever screw up the food.

Look how happy and healthy everyone is... Calm before the storm.

My motley crew. Limore shaved at a gas station on the way home as he tired of signing autographs as "the guy from the Hangover."

Better days...

The fuel tank didn't fare so well.

Picked up a little turf along the way.

A well earned rest after a rough day.

This is how she'd want to be remembered. In her prime. Sexy yet menacing. Before someone threw her on the ground.

The re-telling is almost as enjoyable as the racing. Unless...

...you were just told that you forfeited the win for not going to tech afterwards. Here, John Matthews lends a sympathetic ear.

Why I love all things Italian.

Components, fit and finish are as good as anything out there.

Making sure everything's in order requires a concerted, team effort.

Lookin sharp...

Crossing that line in first is maybe the greatest feeling I have ever experienced. Insane, right? For what? A silly wooden trophy and some bragging rights? The sum is far greater than the parts.

Finally. Got to turn the throttle to the stop. Ride one of these if you can. The sound, feeling and experience are truly unique.

You could just see it in his face: "One day I'm going to race. One day I'm going to win. One day I really hope my uncle Ben puts his shirt back on. He smells."

We're supposed to be promoting responsible riding. Let's pretend this never happened.

Between my riding gear and the large, heavy road equipment it was an exercise in caution. Like I said, not the coolest thing I ever did.

The Bowl. Entering this corner the G-load was so intense that the suspension bottomed out every time. Awesome.

Heading back in to put on some gear.

Absolute day at T-Bolt. Still holding back on gas but starting to push in the corners.

Functionality first. Not as pretty but a lot lighter and quite a bit cheaper to replace.

Picking up speed on the Aprilia.

Getting some quality time in with my nephew between races.

Night before. Everything in its right place. Italians and Japanese all getting along.

Brakes are monobloc Brembos so stopping is not an issue.

This is one reason a V-Four is superior to an Inline Four. She's as skinny as Kate Moss at a Bikram Yoga retreat.

The maestro at work. Forget hop-up parts and carbon fiber this or that. Put all of your money into suspension. In Ohlins We Trust.

The brain trust. Looks aren't everything.

Maybe if the sign wasn't on copy paper? No, probably not.

Racing Rule #78: When bodywork comes out looking this good, that's pretty much a guarantee you're gonna crash it. Look at Seven's face. Solemn, wise, knowing what is to come.

Always remember to have your suspension set before you line-up to start...

Michael Lee helped me procure one of only two full titanium Akro systems in the country at the time. Performs, sounds and looks the business.

Christian from C&M Autobody in Middletown finally got his hands on the bike long enough to paint it.

The heat of battle.

I went with the smoke shield because my racing face is really not pretty. I've been told it resembles a serious bout of constipation.

Calm before the storm. But, really...

This is from a NESBA track day later in the month. The race weekend described on these pages was such a colossal mess I didn't get a chance to take any action photos at Summit Point. Good indicator of a difficult race weekend.

Another from NESBA...

I want my baby back, baby back, baby back...

Lot of love in this room.

This is not a sticker. Christian at C&M actually painted that on. Some people still do it right.

Another non-related photo I am trying to use as filler. I'm telling you, that weekend was insane.

Michael Lee sent me some levers form the Aprilia Racing Catalog when I won on the bike.

Drove straight back to my folk's house which was under water.

The only pic we took at the track the whole weekend.

This is a good representation of how stupid I was at the time- choosing to ride at Pocono. I had a terrible accident there in 2003 that cured me on the place for good.

Like I said, we've all been there. This is me working through the night to put an exhaust on my first race bike in my unfinished kitchen. I had to have that extra 6 H.P. Had to.

Knee finally came down in 2006 but my head refused to follow suit for some time.

This is a good representation of just how bad my form was when I started. Team Chiropractor.

2012 - 10 years into it and I finally look like I belong on a motorcycle. Still much to learn. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

38 Special with Ben Younger Photo Gallery

Check out photos of Ben Younger's bid to contest the Championship Cup Series in the 38 Special photo gallery.