Remember the big grids??

You better get that green machine fixed if you are going to chase those points next season.

 

I am optimistically looking forward to 2012.

 

As long as Im not dead next year I dont care what class I get to run in. It doesnt matter if its vintage or modern, Ill be on the same bike and Im not gonna win either way. To many fast guys in either class. I used to race the old hurricane 600 against the modern solos in 03/04 and then running v6 on sunday. I loved it, didnt matter where I was place wise I still had plenty of people to race against. Better economy = more racers.
I started this thread just because I was feeling abit of nostalgia and remembering the good old days when I was younger. Wishing I could turn back time. Im glad its lead to this though cause it seams to have opened up some good ideas.

 

I think we need to encorporate drinking a large quantity of beer and eating into a combined time with the overall lap time to decide the v7 podium. That would change the focus in off season training plans....I bet everyone would be less stressed. Less stress....better quality of life.

Drink up!

 

Are you trying to tell me something, Stick?Like I need to get faster on yer Bridgestones? Is that what yer tryin' to say? Just wait 'till I get the balls to lean that 2 stroke jetting out where it belongs---I'll be wheeelieing,I tell ya,wheeelieing! Hope I don't land on my head...

 

Hi Keith! I raced V3, V4, Clubman and Twins from 93-98 and I remember a few small grids in Vintage & modern sm bore classes, back in the day, but usually we had 15-20 bikes in V3 & V4 and usually 5 or so that were pushing hard at the front. I thought it was some pretty good racing back then.

 

Yeah, why wait until turn one to disappear from the rest of us? You're already too fast for the rest of us, no starter button for you! The fact that you can still sprint means you're not old enough for Vintage.......

Mark

 

I wouldn't say that, but it was always rewarding to pass a B superbike guy on my F3.

 

Mr Powell and myself at RA in 96'.

 

kind of.
i will say that if you post up here that you;re going to make a round then you show up...

 

thanks, Mark...i think

 

Yea....unless they are calling for bad weather, or the bike developed a problem, or work gets in the way, or some financial thing comes up, or you have a heart attack......or you are running low on beer.

 

Yeah James, I do come off as a smart ass sometimes, but it's better than a dumb-ass!
I was joking but I like the Lemans start idea, bump start only, except maybe the thumper guys.
I looked at your bike at Roebling a while back and I can't see how you get it around the track so fast. It must be you must never back off for the turns. Could it be the beer? I must be doing it wrong.....

Mark

 

So the economy is the only issue that impacted vintage........ incredible

 

That, and talking enough of us old guys with our old retired race bikes to drag them out or build new ones, and get back into it. And then to keep the old bikes running long enough to do a season.......
Think of how many racers there have been for the last 30 years or so (when I was racing first time around) and how many of them are not now. If we get 10% of all the guys who used to race to come back we'd have some grids then! And I bet that many still have their original bikes from back in the day, out in the shed or basement.

Mark

 

sean....not stirring.....per event, are ahrma grids down? i mean, have they decreased in size steadily over the past few years? has that trend continued through the past couple of seasons? or do you see that its bottomed and flat at this point? curious what you know. seems smart to be scouting your competition. really...i dont race ahrma....so id have no real idea. your post has peaked my curiosity here. i know the uscra grids have taken a hit. and my guess is most of those guys travel less than 200----250 miles to the track for the most part.

also....anyone who has any input....im curious of peoples opinions. obviously the internal turmoil at ahrma i think made as much of an impact as other things.

 

While all grids may have been down there is no quantifier, it is easy to scape goat the economy as the sole cause. The other Vintage organization also had issues in addition to the economy, in fact one could argue they had greater issues, having corrected them they are setting records for attendance in spite of the economic issues.

The effect of increasing the number of vintage races was a hot topic of discussion among many participants when it occurred. Take a decreasing number of racers and spread them out over more races and the perception is worse than the reality. The effect of this together and other changes leading to the current situation were predicted.
So now we have todays reality.

I think returning to a schedule that reduces the number of vintage races is a positive, will improve the quality of the races and the perception of them by the racers. Maybe this and some of other changes being considered will see participation increase in spite of the economy. :up:

 

You know......all you guys that make up some reason not to show up and support something you say you love.......racing......does not help turn things around! The day I can not find ways to support what I love to do as a hobby......I'll start digging my grave now,life to short to sit around and bitch on the WERA board, why I can'nt get my ass out and do what I love in life......Thats living and enjoying life.... Just my thoughts......................

 

I haven't raced since the '90 GNF but hope to be back out for at least a few races in 2012. I quit because of the whole life/family/kids thing and now the kids are older, the wife moved out and I want to get back to doing what I love. The economy makes it more diffucult but I agree with Doug that if you are really passionate about it you find a way. Hell, I am working on an SL 350 for racing and would have never thought I would go that route but I want to race and that is an affordable alternative to trying to get the Norton back out there.
It was sad to see the grid sizes at the GNF in V3,4 and 5. I ran the '88,89 and '90 GNFs and there were 20 plus bikes in those classes back then, the regional stuff was poorly attended but at least the year end event was big. I think running less vintage events during the year may increase the attendance since most people can only make a limited number of events anyway. We need to get out there and support the vintage series so we don't lose it. See you guys at the track!