"Michigan's Grattan Raceway up for sale"

I read it… didn’t know why your pic was different than the name… that’s not him… Eddie reminded me who it was

 

Likewise, Scotty. Definitely back in our day stories now.

One more - was going for the CCW overall record when we had the R1 a couple years later (2016). Someone had oiled the track Friday so there was oil dry from the sweeper all the way to the jump, on the race line. First or second sprint race, I was half a second or so off after 2-3 laps, dodging the oil dry. You couldn't enter the bowl with the usual mid-higher line because of the oil dry and I knew that was costing time all the way to T4, so the following lap I said screw it and went higher on entry to get on the proper line. Being the first one on the stuff, as soon as I hit it, tucked the front and slid off into the grass. I shrugged in my helmet talking to the corner worker after - half-pissed and half-laughing. Sublet comes on the crash truck to pick me up with Rick Lind helping, both laughing - they knew I was going for it. Rick goes, "You've got it in my book, official or not". Taylor got it the following year and would have gotten it anyway, but was fun as hell trying at the time.

 

what’s it down to? Both directions? Obviously it’s been a really long time since I went fast there… way back in the 18s and 19s… it’s been since 06 for me… I tested and played in the semi truck team days but haven’t raced there since 06 iirc…

Taylor and I tested the CRT at Gman and a bunch of Geoff’s stuff at Grattan with Boyd too still my favorite place and that track made us fast everywhere imo

 

Can we all at least agree, that if a rider was fast at Grattan, they'd usually be fast everywhere? Fritz and I were trying to talk Schwantz into coming there at the '86 GNF. He'd never heard of it. When the Team Roberts guys came there for FUSA, I think they both loved and hated it. I think it was Robbie Petersen that was bitching about having to drive so far to find a decent hotel..lol.

 

All you fellas that raced Grattan post up your pics and reminisce with me! Taylor posted this years ago… People think there was only one fast line there… there were more my lines are way different mostly because of corner speed to make up for the acceleration deficit as I’m man sized 6’2” 180 there… this pic is 03/04 I started at the back of that Wera race and that is the first lap after I launched the jump backwards which puts you on a very different trajectory, as you can’t turn until it lands… I stuffed those two guys into 5 and went around the outside of Taylor between 6&7 and Benny T outside the sweeper… I led that lap and battled with Benny Thompson on that 1k the entire race… little T was just starting to get fast… he stuck to us and learned… man did he learn… great kid

oh yeah…. I lost but super fun race…
Benny, me, and T was the podium

 

I’ll get all emotional about it even… that’s why Grattan guys kick ass at Mid O and VIR and RA and ATL(although I hate it because of a bad premonition that never happened thankfully)


All the odd blind corners and on/off cambers and fast ass sweepers and elevation changes and even rivers, sealer, bumps and ripples… it has everything!

it works your mind and instincts as much as your body and not all riders can use all of them

I didn’t know Robbie rode there… I’ll have to tease him about that… when Cam first got here I hooked him up with some of my fav team partners Arai and RS Tachi through Audrey and even did a Toyota endorsement for him… he was on Danny’s RB team iirc with JD and Jake…

 

Me leading Ed Key through the bowl

 

This was a pretty good battle.. That's Andy Fenwick in 5th just at the top of the hill

 

The 3 hr Endurance the weekend after the track was paved. Of the 67 teams entered, I believe 62 crashed at least once, including the team I was on. We still got 3rd in Middleweight. That's Team Hammer on fire.

 

More lines very few used… this is 3 backwards in 99… the tricks to use those lines were really odd… one being as I threw the bike upright at that crest to charge to 2 I’d float over the bike feet floating just off the pegs and no pressure on the handlebars, only throttle, from the flick until it settled… I used that everywhere around the country that had esses or switchbacks

 

This was a breakthrough race for me… I was chasing Rueben Frankenfield and Lanny Allen, who were the fast experts when I started along with Kenny Melville… I’d learned to slide the bike and kept drifting it like that all the way to the outside of the sweeper… when I crashed there, only my second one ever, first being in the river that runs through the bowl for days after rain, I was sliding on my knee and my bike just slid aways from me… smoothest thing ever… I remember just sliding and reaching for my bike that was now gone…

 

We crashed twice and both of my team mates were injured so I had to finish the race by myself. We still got third in lightweight on the RZ350.

 

You need a haircut there, boy.... Rueb? He was old by then, so you should have been in front of him!

 

They probably crashed because they couldn't handle CW....

When did you become such an absolutist, Ken?

 

Hey Ken, remember this? I technically holeshotted you....

 

Back in 93-95 when I started going to Grattan, you had to compete with the "Manimal" he was a legendary beast that left a glitter trail across the paddock from his Saturday night job....Who dares to say his name 3 times...

 

Grattan photos, eh?

 

Because drainage across the track makes things more interesting....

 

there you are lurker!!!

better than mention his name… post a pic of his “entertainment” gig

I remember you talking about that crazy animal being all tamed walking in the pits holding his little girls hand… he came back for some good rides and when I rode out of his dealership FasTech that year I thought his brothers head was going to explode!

 

my first crash ever! The bowl river