From a press release issued by SPEED Channel:

SPEED CHANNEL’S 2 WHEEL TUESDAY HOST SPENDING SPRING BREAK SCOOTN’ ACROSS USA

ST. PATRICK’S DAY KICKOFF SENDS PAIR TRAVELING CROSS-COUNTRY IN STYLE — ON 50cc YAMAHA ZUMA SCOOTERS

Leprechauns. Four-leaf clovers. Pints of green beer. Cross-country scooter rides? As cities across the U.S. hold the usual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, Greg White, host of SPEED Channel’s 2 Wheel Tuesday, and SPEED producer Dan Parisi begin a cross-country trip on 50cc Yamaha Zuma Scooters. And even though their two-week journey — dubbed Scootn’ USA — ends on April Fool’s Day, this is no joke.

“Dan came to me a while back and said, ‘I have this great idea!’ said White, who finished 18th in last weekend’s BMW Boxer Cup race in Daytona. “Well, his great idea was crossing the United States on 50cc scooters. I was all for it — well, back then I was anyway. Now that Bike Week 2004 is over, reality is setting in. Riding a scooter with an engine the size of a hefty chainsaw cross country — what have I gotten myself into?

“Well, it should be fun and I’m really looking forward to meeting fans of 2 Wheel Tuesday,” White added. “I know, however, that in three weeks, when we roll into California Speedway, I am going to be one happy guy.”

The adventure begins March 17 in Concord, N.C., when White, Parisi and the camera crew, take the green flag at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The route, which uses no interstate highways, will take them over local highways and through several major cities along the way. Their final destination (hopefully) is Fontana, Calif. on April 1, just in time for White’s pit reporting duties at the California Speedway for the AMA Superbike series April 2-4. Footage from this cross-country journey debuts April 6 at 8 p.m. ET (9 p.m. PT) on 2 Wheel Tuesday.

“I always wanted to travel cross country on a motorcycle but, so many people have already done that,” Parisi said. “After seeing a guy riding around town on a scooter, I started thinking about how funny it would be to travel cross country that way. I really think that it started as a joke amongst friends.”

The Yamaha Zuma Scooter has a 50cc, two-stroke engine — 49cc to be exact. It rides on 10-inch tires, holds 1.5 gallons of fuel and weighs all of 185 pounds.

The pros have some advice for White and Parisi.

“Get some pillows for your butt,” said Yamaha racer Jamie Hacking, the reigning AMA Supersport champion, who uses the Zuma as his pit bike. “At least you picked the best scooter for the job. It has great brakes in case you get yourself into a sticky situation and it has the trunk space you need for some sandwiches and Red Bull to help you stay awake. Overall, you guys are just crazy.”

For 2 Wheel Tuesday fans hoping to see White in person as he travels across the country, look for him in the following cities (subject to change):

Wednesday, March 17
Charlotte, N.C.
Asheville, N.C.
Knoxville, Tenn.

Thursday, March 18
Jackson, Tenn.
Memphis, Tenn.

Friday, March 19
Little Rock, Ark.

Saturday, March 20
Conway, Ark.
Fort Smith, Ark.
Oklahoma City

Wednesday, March 24
Amarillo, Texas

Thursday, March 25
Santa Rosa, N.M.
Albuquerque, N.M.

Friday, March 26
Flagstaff, Ariz.

Saturday, March 27
Kingman, Ariz.
Las Vegas

Thursday, April 1
Fontana, Calif.

“When they first came to me, I thought they were out of their minds,” said Rick Miner, SPEED Channel’s Sr. VP Programming/Production and Executive Producer. “But they were insistent. I made them jump through hoops, check and re-check the budget and really sell us on the idea of this adventure. Once they convinced their coordinating producer, I realized this just might work. I mean, how much damage could they do on 50cc motorcycles?”

Fans wanting to follow the adventure live can visit SPEEDTV.com for maps, daily updates and correspondence from the road.

In 2004, SPEED Channel is the exclusive U.S. cable home for many of the top motor sports series in the world. In addition, SPEED’s weekly programming schedule brings car enthusiast television to Prime Time Monday through Thursday. Now available in more the 65 million homes in North America, SPEED Channel is among the fastest growing sports cable networks in the country and the home to NASCAR TV.