Remember the big grids??

Was looking thru some old stuff. Bored to death and browsing around remembering the good old days. And I found that we had 17 bikes in the 05 V7mw at Road Atl. and had 61 bikes grid up for the MW solo. Wouldnt it be nice to have the economy lift to better days so we could all grid up again.

 

1995 June Roebling, my first race ever......D-Sbk Novice had 23 on the grid and I was next to last on the grid lol......

 

While it certainly has contributed the economy is not the only cause

 

Tell me what you think is the main cause? I know money and health have been my main issues for not being able to grid up.
But you gotta admit it was alot bigger several years back. But the racing has been so fast these last few years, so its a trade off.

 

Nelson Ledges at the end of the year was the biggest vintage grid I've been a part of, 10 bikes. Sad part is I think all but 1 RC51 were bump ups from V6/V7MW

 

Thats a good grid there. Seams like Mid Ohio had a good grid this year as well. Hoping to be part of it next year. Vintage days.

 

Lack of money due to lack of work, means no health insurance, means no racing. Sounds like the economy to me. This year was the first year of no racing for me since '95.

On the other hand the desire to race is still there, maybe more now than ever. I had lots of fun racing in 2010 and thats what its all about, having fun.

Look for to the return of the "Evil Horde" in 2012. Darkness shall rule the day! The dominance and superiority of the two-stroke will be on display and clear, except for the blue smoke, for all to see!

Sorry, meh, thought I would throw a little smack talk in there.

But its all true, at Summit Point, at VIR, Beaver, Mid-Ohio, Nelson, RRR, and God willing the mecca, Road F'in A! We will be there! Leaving a cloud of blue smoke so thick it may take days for the air to clear. Only then will the surrounding communities unlock thier doors and let thier kids play in the yard again. Darkness shall rule! Darkness shall rule! Insert evil laugh, BWAHAHAHAA!

 

There's a lot of guys talking about griddin up next year, and a handful of FZR guys with builds on my forum. Hopefully they put their money with their mouth is.



The current V7 grids have a hell of a learning curve IMO cause 90% of the guys are older racers who have been doing it forever(whom are all still fast as hell), whereas the modern classes have newbs on a regular basis who don't totally outclass one another.

*cough* That's right, anyone considering vintage come take a stab at the fast old guys, amazes me that V7 guys are only 3-4 seconds slower at some tracks than experts on 25year newer technology.

 

I remember 3 wave starts on my FZR400, and excited when we could get 15th place to earn a regional point and "qualify"..........yes qualify for GNF. We got stomped on our little fizzer, but we felt honored to get the invite our first novice year.

I remember when some j@ck@$$ came to the track and bought out all the FZR400 sized tires.........and a bunch of us had to run old tires............I was told this was an old school tactic..........I think he bought 10 sets at one time at VIR.

I remember passing 4-5 guys coming off the banking at Nashville into Turn 1 on my SV thinking to myself..........please stop...........don't crash...........make room.........d@mn I can't believe I just got away with that............Whoooo Hoooo!

Not that long ago, I remember a 6-7 bike freight train in V7 at RRR........and I was at the back of it in turn 1......lol Go go go!!! Pass pass pass! There was actually decent beer to drink in multiple coolers back in those days......now everyone drinks ABCLight beer.

 

There were 7 of us this year at RRR as well. I dont know about the July event. I havent looked. But first event of the year for us was fun. You should have been there Gypsy.


Wonder what the largest V7 grid was this season? Ill have to check it out. I know 7HW is probably a larger grid than mw cause alot of the mw guys and the v6 guys bump up.

 

There are several things at play money and the economy are certainly one of the main contributors. Motivation is another, AHRMA has been packing its grids, they have had 30+ bikes in virtually every class with some exceeding 50.

There were incentives in WERA that were removed 4 or 5 years ago that improved turnout and I am not talking the practices that cost $. These were things that actually generated entries and improved attendance therefore they actually improved revenue. In effect they threw the baby out with the bath water. It is also about the quality of the experience or event, the perception of the customer.

 

The reason I started racing was because its something I really wanted to do. The reason I continue to race, through all the arguments with the wife about money and that little voice inside my head asking "do you really need to be doing this?" is because of the people. I actually kind of fit in with you guys, well, sort of. We like the same thing.

Getting someone to take the risk and spend the money required to participate in something they don't need to be doing is hard in this economy. I work at several local airports, the general aviation crowd has shrunk at an amazing rate these past few years. Same kind of situation, not something they need to be doing, not something they can make money at, so it goes by the wayside. Nto much to be done till there is some more expendable income.

 

I dont think the incentives is the issue. Not here at a clubman level. Guys like me have never made one cent racing. And its like any other sport, if you are that good you will excel at it and the money will come with it as well as incentives. Thing is if you have the money and you love to race, you are gonna grid up. More people show up the more benefits WERA or any other group can offer to pack in just that many more. WERA offers one of the best family paddocks around, everyone is family, making the experience fun as well as they have the knowledge to keep us safe. For the clubman racer it doesnt get to be a much better event than that.:up:

 

There have never been WERA supplied $ incentives to Vintage, no justification for them and this is not what I was speaking to. There were generous credit incentives to regional and national champions that did cost WERA revenue and I understand and agree with their elimination. There have also been VERY GENEROUS race event sponsorships such as Jim Hinshaw / Fast from the past sponsorship of the Barber round.

There used to be double points races, This year the amount I raced was not a $ issue it was a time issue. Had there been a double points race in my region I would have been motivated to work around my schedule to make an additional race. As a result of one double points race I would also have entered the GNF = 2 aditional race weekends from me.

INCENTIVE and MOTIVATION is not always a matter of the $ flowing out, this simple thing would have raised WERA's revenue from me by 50% at ZERO cost to them...... I know double points races generated additional participation in the past.

 

You make good points but I just think lack of dollars in the general population pockets is the biggest factor.

But hey you gotta admit the big grids were alot more fun. For what ever reason they exsisted or dont now.

 

It's a double edge sword. People want many rounds so they can have choices on what rounds they will run......but then the limited. Umber of vintage racers gets spread thin. I like the. It grids, that's why I try to hype and offer pimp-daddy trophies for those to come out and play. With more double header modern weekends without solos, I am curious how many vintage rounds will actually make the schedule next season.

It should be interesting.....I am excited for a double header obsolete weekend next year.

 

Vintage as a whole or the sat. only vintage? Just curious, maybe getting ahead of myself.