Anyone here involved in auto or motorcycle racing?

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

I'm talking Motocross, harescrambles, drag, roadracing, streetracing, autocross, flat track, Nascar, Indy or bench? :YinYang

Let's hear your best victory or defeat stories. :drink

[imonabuss]

Yes. You don't want to ask, I'd win both.

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

Yes. You don't want to ask, I'd win both.


Well, I am asking :argue I am watching some European road rally racing right as we speak... that is some crazy stuff! People are getting killed on the sidelines!

[jefesq]

Used to do TSD road rallying, not the same as the euro stuff. Some autoX, both minor league club levels.

[mouldynudger]

Started vintage motorcycle roadracing on a Velocette Venom in 1984, in `89 I moved to modern single cylinder roadracing, rode in the Manx GP in `90, rode my last race on a "works" MZ single at Thruxton in `94.

94-95 I worked as a race mechanic for a British/ European championship team.

95-2000 I ran a tuning/Dyno shop while trying to raise finances to run my own team.

2000, gave up wasting my time.

2000- 2003, rode a few Enduros for fun and physical punishment.

2000-date, Build guitars, too skint!


Damian.

[Reinhardt Amps]

Yes. You don't want to ask, I'd win both.
Erik, I bet you do have some good stories.

I was involved with professional drag racing for 12 years as an engine builder and also as crew chief., and have raced and been around cars and racing for 30+ years. I miss racing. A lot. Im currently looking for some poor fool who neds some tuning help so I canget back in, at east part time.

[Dr. Tweedbucket]

I like Drag racing! I've only raced a couple dozen times but won the bike class a couple of times on a stone stock Kawasaki GPz against lowered and air shifted - race only bikes. :) I tried racing a Yamaha R1 a few times but there is really no way to be consistant without wheelie bars on that bike. Still, my best was a 10.49 / 133 which isn't too shabby considering the front wheel wasn't on the ground for half the run.

Hare scrambles and enduros are a trip too! 3 hours of closed circuit motocross, woods, mud, water crossings, sand whoops, hill climbs and flat top speed fields. I did pretty well back in the 80s. I finally toasted my knee in a crash and only raced a few times after that! I was alway concerned about messing my wrists or fingers up and then not being able to play guitar.

[ducatisteve]

I did motorcycle road racing for a few years. *Worst* accident was on one of my first trackdays on a brand new Ducati 996S. I changed the oil at the track and didn't notice that the gasket came off of the old filter and was stuck up in the housing. I put the new filter on and went out. On the third lap, coming full throttle out of a 90mph sweeper the double gasketed filter blew out and covered my rear tire in oil. The bike swept out in a low side and proceeded to crumple into a concrete wall while I slid on my butt to a stop. Needless to say, they had to close the track for the rest of the day to clean up after my mistake. I wasn't hurt, but the bike was totaled.

[lawrencedesigns]

I'm "very" retired here. Started in Karts back in the early days. (late 50's).
Then retired.
Went into SCCA road racing during the 70's-80's. Twelve years of FV, Formula Ford, and Formula Atlantic.
Then retired.
Hmmmmm... what's next?????




Keeth Lawrence
Lake Arrowhead, CA

[deluxeman]

Did a bunch of Motorcyle track days, the worst day was going down the straight at about 165mph and the front wheel bearings exploded, luckily inertia saved me, no crash but I had to cut the axle in three parts to get the wheel off the bike. I was damn lucky the tire did not lock up until I was slowed down to abot 25mph. That would have been a bad crash.

Track days were always great fun, sometimes you really thought you were hot stuff until some kid blew by you and gave you the thumbs up while dragging his knee on the ground. Makes your Nads shrink just a bit.

I need to get a new bike and do it again, maybe the new Aprilia RSV4s or something slow like that.

Erik Buell lets hear your war stories!!!

[908SSP]

I have been involved in both here are some pictures of cars i have built. My name is on the front of the Canam car. I should have more but most of those are pre-digital the cars below are scans.

http://home.comcast.net/%7Eaortner264789mi/FirstPage/Cars/2002bmwoptimized.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~aortner264789mi/FirstPage/Cars/march.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~aortner264789mi/FirstPage/900GPDUEImages/leftfront700.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~aortner264789mi/FirstPage/900GPDUEImages/966gpdalex800.jpg

[Cowboy]

Yes. :dude

Cowboy

[deluxeman]

I have been involved in both here are some pictures of cars i have built. My name is on the front of the Canam car. I should have more but most of those are pre-digital the cars below are scans.

http://home.comcast.net/%7Eaortner264789mi/FirstPage/Cars/2002bmwoptimized.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~aortner264789mi/FirstPage/Cars/march.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~aortner264789mi/FirstPage/900GPDUEImages/leftfront700.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~aortner264789mi/FirstPage/900GPDUEImages/966gpdalex800.jpg

Hey the last photo looks like Grattan Raceway turn 4 right on the jump if I am not mistaken. That is one fun Racetrack. Great Bikes!!!!

[waggclan]

Erik, I bet you do have some good stories.

I was involved with professional drag racing for 12 years as an engine builder and also as crew chief., and have raced and been around cars and racing for 30+ years. I miss racing. A lot. Im currently looking for some poor fool who neds some tuning help so I canget back in, at east part time.

I'll be at Pomona in two weeks. 16 rows up directly across from the tree... :dude

As I remember Bob, you were involved with Pro Stock; right?

[Reinhardt Amps]

I'll be at Pomona in two weeks. 16 rows up directly across from the tree... :dude

As I remember Bob, you were involved with Pro Stock; right?
yes. I built prostock stuff for a long time. I miss it. A lot.

have fun at Pomona.

[eyeteeth]

Hey the last photo looks like Grattan Raceway turn 4 right on the jump if I am not mistaken. That is one fun Racetrack. Great Bikes!!!!

I didn't even see it until you mentioned it... then yea... I think you're right. I've never looked at it from that direction before.

[Blue Light]

Just a big fan. I've been on a couple racetracks but it was part of the superbike school experience. It was enough to show me how insanely talented the real racers are. The idea of two-wheel drifts at three-digit speeds through those pockmarked turns... oh lordy.

I used to do a fair bit of street racing... just informal lets'-go-crazy stuff through the canyons. In retrospect, I don't know how I survived.

But I've been to lots of races and got to see some of the greats, like Kenny Roberts (my alltime hero) and G. Agostino. Even got to have good talks with some great ones like Barry Sheene and Randy Mamola, Gary Nixon, Calvin Rayborn.

My earliest love was dirt racing. I had an Ossa in Spain and thought that trials was the coolest.

I stopped riding when kids entered the picture. Also, I just hate riding a bike in the area I live (a suburb of New York, with all its coffee-slurping, multitasking drivers). But I still find bikes fascinating and I ache to ride again. This season I was glued to Speed Channel following the Ben Spies-N Haga combat in World Superbike. Great, great stuff.

There'll be another bike in the garage someday. When I live again out in the western plains.

[Don A]

I have a '97 Miata with the factory R package (the 34th of 47 built in '97) that I like to autocross. I run in the middle of the pack so I have no real stories, just that it's a joy to drive a car that's responsive and well balanced.

[908SSP]

Hey the last photo looks like Grattan Raceway turn 4 right on the jump if I am not mistaken. That is one fun Racetrack. Great Bikes!!!!

Yup Grattan.

[NewLeaf09]

No great shakes but road raced zero budget amateur, RD400s in the early '80s when I was in school - high point was finishing in the top 1/3 at Daytona during Speed Week - low point - I pitched the bike two laps from the rider change after an hour in the saddle during an endurance race while leading my class. Loved the adrenaline - my legs were shaking so badly at the start of my first race one knee was banging the tank so hard the guy beside me looked over and cracked up. Tried to get back into it in my mid 30s on an FZ600 - took a Keith Code course at Road Atlanta and went to a couple open practices but lacked the drive I once had and was getting waxed by teenagers with full sponsorship - not sour grapes, just really talented kids. Sold my RC51 last year - I think the need to periodically scare myself silly is finally past, sigh.

[RCM78]

I started doing motorcycle trackdays and the odd road race here and there back in 2002. I always wished I was able to get into it earlier in life and not in my 30's. I just wont risk crashing or taking someone else out for a piece of wood.

I've done well though.

My biggest accomplishments are the dozens of racers out there now winning championships that I taught.

I'll be 40 in 2011. So CCSF40 better watch out...I'm comin!!!

[trickness]

I have been involved on the journalist side for about 6 years, covering World Superbike mostly but also MotoGP and AMA Superbike.

Funny, I figured there would be some "cross pollination" between motor racing and geetars - but I didn't expect to find Alex O in this thread :-)

Here's a photo of me test riding Troy Bayliss's Championship winning Ducati at Portimao last year. Michael Shumacher was on track with us at the same time, riding Troy Corser's Yamaha.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/3009434558_a8e549a99d_b.jpg

[gregc]

I love MOTO GP & WSB!... almost as much as taking my Ducati out, as the sun rises on Sunday morns*

[Timinator]

Here's drag racing my '71 Pantera at Carlsbad Raceway in San Diego
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x72/Timinator2/PanteraDrags.jpg

This is getting ready to out on track at Laguna Secca.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x72/Timinator2/Untitled-1.jpg

This is one of 5 Sport 2000's I raced a few years back. This one is a Royale RM2000
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x72/Timinator2/scan0002.jpg

Here's another one, this is a Swift DB2/5
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x72/Timinator2/DSCF0004.jpg