Special Day at 666 Cycles in Brooklyn, NY

Today is 6/6/06 …I couldn’t have picked a better day to introduce 666 Cycles located right in the heart of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The owner, Franco Le Piane, or better, Ciccio, is well known in the neighbor after being with his shop on 18th Ave for more than 12 years. His passion for motorbikes started 47 years ago in Cosenza, Italy, when only 14 convinced his mother to sign a "release of responsibility" form to participate at his first race with a Garelli 50cc that was soon modified to 98cc. Shortly he started racing on regular basis restricted only by a volatile budget available for his sport. In any case when only 19 years old, Ciccio was able to race the Italian Championship and share the track experience with the most famous riders of that time. He was racing in Riccione, Rimini (Italy) on 4/4/1971, when under a torrential rain that had already distressed the top class race, Bergamonti Angelo died after loosing control of his MV on a straight. Bergamonti was right behind his teammate Giacomo Agostini, the greatest rider in the history of our sport. That accident marked the beginning of a historical process aimed at improving the safety in road racing.
In 1972 Ciccio moved to the Unites States and after a few years, in 1978 he decided to start racing again. This time with a Japanese bike, a Yamaha 350 with witch, one year later, moves to the Expert class. He raced Summit, Bridge Hampton, New Hampshire and other racetracks, collecting 4 victories and several solid finishes in the top 10. His last race was in Bridge Hampton 1982. Unfortunately he crashed out in the first lap in a 6th gear turn to avoid another rider already on the ground. Physically and financially concerned, he decided to stop racing to focus only on his family. Over the years Ciccio has worked for well known dealers like Cardinal Honda, Crossbay Honda, and Staten Island Kawasaki. In 1994 he opened his first shop on 18th Avenue that eventually became today’s 666 Cycles.
I have posted a few pictures in a sort of chronological order that ends with the last one taken yesterday with Ciccio (red shirt) behind the counter with his crew: from the left, Chino, Almos and Nancy.