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WERA at IRP

Discussion in 'WERA Vintage' started by Timothy Landon, Jan 21, 2019.

  1. Timothy Landon

    Timothy Landon Well-Known Member

    What year was the first race WERA ran at Indianapolis Raceway Park? I was there. But don't remember the exact year. Early or Mid 70's. Also anyway to get race results from that event?
     

    Attached Files:

  2. rd400racer

    rd400racer Well-Known Member

    Don't know when the first was, but I was there near the end...circa 1997 on my trusty RD.

    [​IMG]
     
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  3. Repo Man 32

    Repo Man 32 Lifetime Member

    I raced there 2x a season for 15 years, starting in 1985, thousands of laps, I LOVED that place...!
    The first 5 turns were Heaven, smooth, wide, FAST!.... Awesomeness in asphalt...
     
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  4. kenessex

    kenessex unregistered user

    I was there in 77 on my CB400F. I liked that track, too. I think we should go back there with old and small bikes. Last time I was there was 91.
     
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  5. rotax454

    rotax454 Well-Known Member

    I raced there too. On my 1972 Kawasaki H1 500 triple. Mid 70's. Won the 500 superbike class everytime. The guy that took the overall WERA 500 superbike championship that year (forget which exact year) raced a highly modified Yamaha 4-stroke 500 single. He was able to take the championship by going to more races then I could. I beat him soundly at both IRP, Grattan and Road America.
     
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  6. rotax454

    rotax454 Well-Known Member

     
  7. Timothy Landon

    Timothy Landon Well-Known Member

    This is a picture of me from that race. 1973 RD350
    [​IMG]
     
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  8. rd400racer

    rd400racer Well-Known Member


    Pretty sure that's the little straight before the horseshoe left turn leading to the dragstrip/front straight.

    I found an old map...I 'm pretty sure this pic is between 14 and 15

    [​IMG]
     
  9. cowboy dann

    cowboy dann Well-Known Member

    I saw an old NASCAR race from there on TV mid/late 60's, with them pitting ON the dargstrip
     
  10. Mongo

    Mongo Administrator

    Yeah that pic looks like T12-13, you can see people parked in the paddock in the background. T1 would be a different view of the med shack and gate coming in and such.
     
  11. rd400racer

    rd400racer Well-Known Member

    You're right Sean...that was 12-13. My brother was in the stands taking pics. It was also the weekend I met some hot shit young kid from Owensboro. I struck up a conversation with him simply because I was a fellow Kentuckian and I was a total rookie doing this stuff for the first time at 37 years old...he was totally cool towards me and I instantly became a fan for life. I ran into him years later and said,"hey Nicky, do you remember me from IRP 97-98?!" He just kind of chuckled and said, "nope, sorry dude!" (but he still signed my backpack:D)

    [​IMG]
     
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  12. jim weaver

    jim weaver Well-Known Member

    who was the guy on the 350 yamaha that locked it up at the end of the drag strip and slid on his ass down the track.
     
  13. gapman789

    gapman789 Well-Known Member

    Damn, i wish the WERA results went farther back than '98. It's still cool to see results from 20 yrs ago.

    Tim Bemisderfer was tearing it up back then and still is/was, til recently?....that's impressive.
     
  14. rotax454

    rotax454 Well-Known Member

    Hey Jim, My racer friend Paul from Taylor Michigan did almost the exact thing. Locked up his TZ250 just past the 1/4 finish line. Flung him off and landed on his head. Concussion with him seeing double for weeks after that. His last trip to IRP and for that matter, any WERA event.
     
  15. kenessex

    kenessex unregistered user

    I raced there the year that the GNF was there, maybe 78? I was in the 400 class with this young punk from LA on an RD400. I think his name was Freddie something. Maybe Spencer? I diced it up pretty hard with him for almost a whole corner, when he lapped me .
     
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  16. RGV 500

    RGV 500 OLD, but still FAST

    I rode in an endurance race there with (IIRC) TSBA and really liked the track. What was really fun was once it started raining, it was a good time catching and passing the big bikes, specifically the 900RR turbo, that could not put the power down in several areas of the track. I think that this was in '93 or '94, but I am not certain.
     
  17. Jeff McKinney

    Jeff McKinney Well-Known Member

    I liked it but waaaayyyyy too dangerous.That t5 guardrail.
     
  18. gapman789

    gapman789 Well-Known Member

    That T1 wall too. Always felt like you would clip the end of the wall with your head and shoulder.... no shampoo pun intended.
     
  19. Rdrace42

    Rdrace42 Almost Cheddar

    Guardrail? Fence and wall I thought. Kurt Hall pitched his 500 Interceptor there in '85, and broke the bike in two. Seems there were more ambulance rides there than most tracks (I know I took a trip to Methodist the same weekend Kurt crashed). First 4 turns were sublime, but the rest of the track was sketchy at best. Coming onto the straight in dry conditions could end badly, but in the wet? Yikes!
     
  20. dave3593

    dave3593 What I know about opera I learned from Bugs Bunny

    Believe it or not, I road there last year (2018) on my TZ250. HMGP (Bill Brown) did exhibition laps for the vintage bikes in his organization. It was during a SVRA car meet. We did two sessions a day through the vintage car event. SVRA did not do the bikes this year. Jamie James (very nice guy) rode with us as well as a retired F1 driver whose name I can't remember.
     

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