08/22/2024
I wrote this post 4 years ago when Randy announced his battle with cancer. I was always hoping this day would never come! So sad, he will be missed by many!!
Reposting for my friend "Radical" Randy...RIP,
To my old friend & accomplice…
Hey Rad, I want to thank you for being such an inspiration & HERO to so many people (including myself), over the past 40 years.
Back in the ‘70’s, I thought I was a pretty good dirt bike rider, practicing in city parks, cemeteries & even the city dump in South St. Louis, but when I first saw you thrashing that Hodaka Super Rat at Shurfoot, I was in utter amazement.
That performance you put on every Friday night under the lights was pure ART on 2 wheels.
South County was a hot bed for Motocross and the racers always had the coolest vans. After that first year at Fantasy Vans, I closed the shop for 3 weeks…Do you realize what a thrill & honor it was to head to the West Coast with “Radical” Randy to ride Saddleback Park & Indian Dunes.
On the way, we almost died in that snow storm in Colorado when Steve Harris was “drifting” the van with a 3 rail trailer full of race bikes, right next to a cliff in the Rockies.
At Saddleback, Harris was standing on the middle rail of the trailer to unload his Suzuki. When he released the inner tie-down, the suspension on the bike catapulted him & the bike into the dirt. I remember us rolling on the ground laughing!
Pulling maintenance back at the hotel, this was the first time I ever saw a bike being completely coated (top to bottom) in WD40 (you said to keep it lubed up, protect the metal & plastic & to make it easier to get the dirt off after the next ride). And then you whipped out a can of lemon Pledge (before the days of anti-fog) and coated your goggle lens inside & out. 2 “racer tricks” I never forgot.
Chasing hot babes on the beach in LA and then down to San Diego to Big Bear Mountain to go snow skiing (another 1st for me). Harris never got off of the bunny hill, but I made the mistake of taking the lift with you, up to the top of the mountain and when you disappeared over that “cliff”, I went to. Keep in mind I had never been on a set of skis.
Do you know what happens when you sit down on the back of the skis and go STRAIGHT down the mountain? Must have been doing 70mph before I wadded it up!
Over the next few years you defended that #1 plate and I continued to build vans. Remember that sweet Dodge shorty you had. We built it together on Fantasy’s parking lot (after store hours). Black with a blue interior, flare & spoiler kit and chrome custom wheels & fat tires. A “rad” van for “Radical” Randy built with “Fantasy” Jim. I was proud to build it with you.
When you joined Fantasy, you quickly rose to Senior Vice President because of your skills, attitude, enthusiasm and larger than life personality. When we started franchising, you were an integral part of that expansion.
Do you remember the Grand Opening of our Houston franchise? Our entire crew went to the hottest night club in town and we were all wearing our Team Fantasy driving suits. All the gals thought we were rock stars of some kind. You can guess what happened after that!
But our most epic adventure together had to be the running of the Four Ball Rally, an outlaw cross-country, no rules road race from Boston to San Diego.
That story has been well documented, but there’s a few things that were never told. When we left for Boston, the van had never been tested on the open road. Do you remember what happened when we took it up past 100 mph? That magnetic CB antenna went flying off, swinging by the coax on the side of the van. Still can’t believe it didn’t scratch the paint or do any damage. We had to replace it with some dual Hustlers when we got to the Marriot on the east coast.
And then near the end of the race, you were driving down the back side of the Laguna Mountains (in a wind storm), I was co-pilot and Mike Giaffino was asleep in the back. The adrenaline must have kicked in because you were doing well over triple digits. With your driving skills, the van was holding its line but was being blown from lane to lane each time we crossed a gorge. The tr**ny overheated and blew out all the fluid. When we pulled over, I jumped out the van screaming “Are you trying to kill us?”
You looked at me calmly and said “I thought this was a race, I was racing”.
And just like that, the Mercedes & the supercharged Camaro went right by us (losing 2 places). They had been just minutes behind us, all the way across the country!
Those driving skills would come in to play again when we rented out Wilmore Park for a day. I hired a camera crew and we shot 10 TV commercials. Pretty sure it was my Fiero that you were e-braking around those corners. Take One, Take Two, Take Three! Sure was a FUN day with at least a dozen Fantasy Girls and our fleet of custom cars.
You always built the sweetest rides…Of course the vans, but also that red Supra, black T-Bird turbo coupe (that was in a McDonalds TV spot) and the blue RX-7. All completely tricked out with body kits, suspension, custom wheels, etc. I think my favorite was the RX-7 with the big IMSA wing on the back and slammed to the ground.
Speaking of “rides”, how ‘bout that fleet of RV’s we took to the Street Machine Nationals for the Ms. Fantasy Beauty Pageant. I still have pictures of all of us in our black tuxedos & red bow ties.
We’ve had some exciting times & epic adventures together, but Fantasy would DNF and our friendship would drift apart, (something I will always regret).
But now as you face a tough 45 minute moto (plus 2 laps), know that you have hundreds of friends working the pits & riding support for you. Stay strong, stay positive. Many more good times & adventures are waiting for you!
You’ve got this…
After all…You ARE…“Radical” Randy Shekell (racer, hero, celebrity, friend).
Love you man,
“Fantasy” Jim
