Racing

Youngest son Fabio, now President and C.E.O. of Caffe Trieste Incorporated, was introduced to motorcycling in 1969 when brother-in-law Nicola arrived from Italy along with his 1956 Moto Morini 175 Settebello race bike, which he fired up in Papa Gianni’s garage one day. The rumble of the engine shook the house—and “Mamma” thought they were having another San Francisco earthquake!

Nicola competed in Italy and the U.S. professionally for many years. Young Fabio loved going to the races and watching him run, all the while imbibing that great smell of oil and gasoline burning together in those small two-stroke bikes as they made their way around Vacaville Raceway in Northern California. One day at the track (circa 1970), Fabio and Nicola’s “Uncle Frank” Dapas gave Fabio his first motorcycle ride around the race track on his white and red Honda CL-350 motorcycle. Uncle Frank once commented that, during that ride, little Fabio held on so tightly that Uncle Frank could hardly breathe as they rode around the Raceway. Thus, Fabio caught the motorcycling bug-permanently! In the 1980’s Fabio bought two Blue and White sportbikes; a 1985 Suzuki GS-700E which was later replaced with a Superbike bruiser: a 1988 Suzuki GSXR- 1100J, one of the World’s fastest production bikes of its day. However, this passion would later be set-aside….. until 2001. Enter young racing talent, Hamid Otsmane.

Hamid knew that Fabio shared his interest in motorcycling and asked if the corporation could sponsor his racing activities with his beautiful Italian Aprilia 250 Superbike. Serious discussion among Fabio, sister Sonia, and Nicola followed and thus came the birth of Caffe Trieste Racing, and Nicola would become the General Consultant for the Racing Program.

When Hamid brought his race bike to the Production Facility, Fabio straddled the beautiful Aprilia 250 and his passion for motorcycling and racing was reborn. A few months later, he would drive to Seattle to test-ride and return with a vintage Yamaha RZ- 350 Kenny Roberts edition street racer. 

During a photo session, Fabio straddled the beautiful Aprilia 250 and his passion for motorcycling and racing was reborn. A few months later, he bought a wild, two-wheel rocket with a clear racing pedigree: a well-preserved, vintage 1985 Yamaha RZ-350 (NC) Kenny Roberts edition street racer. The last production two-stroke motorcycle sold in the U.S.A., this lightweight, 342 pound motorcycle is an extremely advanced, powerful (42 horsepower) and dependable. The RZ debuted the Yamaha Power Valve System (YPVS) that varies the exhaust port opening, thus preserving low-r.p.m. torque. Well-balanced and agile, this mid-size bike can be “willed” through a turn, This early Superbike was able to run side-by-side with 550’s and 700’s of its time, and is still run in vintage class competitions. 

In his American Federation of Motorcycles Rookie Season, Hamid scored two top ten finishes and ranked among the top ten in the league’s point standings. In the 2001 post season, he took two titles in the Championship Cup Series at Thunderhill Park.

In his first professional AFM season, Hamid always finished in the top ten, had one top five finish and scored two wins in the Championship Cup Series, thus being the first racer to carry the banner and colors of Caffe Trieste Racing across a finish line with a checkered flag.
Though Hamid has retired from racing and the racing program has been on hiatus for several years, the enthusiasm hasn’t waned. Fabio, Hamid and Nicola still talk motorcycles at every opportunity, and in 2008, Fabio added a new Triumph Bonneville T-100 to his paddock, which sports the classic look and feel of the Triumphs and other British motorbikes parked at the Caffe Trieste during Fabio’s youth in the 1960’s and 70’s The new Hinckley-built Triumph “Bonnie” is only 11 1/4% heavier than the original but generates almost 26% more horsepower in stock form. It has been re-engineered but retains the high-performance, lightweight tradition, gentleman’s sport bike “soul” and appearance of the original, This particular example sports some added chrome and has been carefully massaged to produce 17 1/2% more horsepower than stock, a formidable improvement on a lightweight (481 lb) maxi class motorcycle (865 cc). With its 80 horsepower, it can be seen effortlessly climbing the hills of San Francisco-even in third gear…with a passenger! The low mileage, virtually stock, and painstakingly maintained Yamaha RZ 350 also circulates about town, garnering “ooh’s” and “ah’s” from riders, pedestrians and drivers wherever it goes. Very appropriately, future plans include the addition of a motorcycle whose motor “sings” an Italian song as it flies down the street: an exotic, 1970’s vintage, Italian thoroughbred: a Benelli 750 Sei (the World’s first production six cylinder motorcycle)