'08 Schedule, Real Vintage & Obsolete

[QUOTE=phantom 309: Im with buff I'll race with any one!
I'm here and waiting ! I will go anywhere also. Look at my track record of all the tracks i travel too. Love ya tim !!!!!!!!!

 

more BS from an old racer

I've been racing for 35 years and I observed over these many years that the one thing that all racers have in common is...
nothing, other than they love two wheels. Their motivations for showing up at the track are many, so any attempt at solving the problem of lower turnouts is likely to be a frustrating one.

Some of my observations:

1. If you can get an racer interested in winning a championship, you'll get them to make the commitment year-in year-out. I did it too many years to count.
2. Some people race because it sounds cool and they like to tell their friends that's what they do.
3. Some race for sheer love of the old machinery.
4. Some race so they have a chance to go fast without fear of tickets etc.
5. Some race for the commeraderie.
6. Some race for the technical challenge of building and driving a machine somewhat close to the edge.
7. Many AHRMA racers would never think of racing WERA 'cause it's not the premier vintage racing org. And they REALLY get pissed when they can't win at the non-Premier race org event. I've had a number of friends that live within 10 miles of me that would never think of driving to Summit, yet will go all over creation to race with AHRMA. Go figure.


My motivations have included many of the above(except #7), but the mix of motivators has changed over the years, hence my own slow decline in race attendance. And, by the way, there little that WERA or any org can do to increase my participation, but LOTS they can do to decrease it.

WERA has a lot to offer people with the above motivations, but any one change is likely to affect others so the group needs to be careful about what changes they want to make, especially reducing events. Vintage folk tend to be older and have other pressures outside of racing. Moving towards fewer events with longer drives is counter to that.

When I started wintage racing about 20 years ago, there were a lot of B50's and like machinery out there and reliability was a real challenge for them. Many moved to the 350 Honda so they could spend less time wrenching and more time finishing races. Now even the 350 is a relative challenge for many. That says a lot for the time pressures that many have. Vintage racing is facing a lot of economic as well as social pressures, that a change in approach may not be able to fix. Too many competing priorities and too little time.

WERA, AHRMA and many other vintage race orgs are seeing reduced turnouts. It's a trend. Best of luck trying to bring an end to the decline.

 

I agree with Buff. Should I get my 250GP Duc out of the Bedroom? Wife says At any rate, I'll be there next season and make all the races I can. Great fun, Great people!

Rich Andrews

Black Sheep racing
Honda #646 V-1

 

Even though SP banned myself and all my scooter buddies for life (Hells Angels are fine with them though) I still love the place and I think it would be a great central location for a vintage-fest. Worst case, lets make it a Saturday only vintage-fest. Same schedule, just huge grids. Maybe triple points??? :up:

 

:up:

Couldn't have said it better...

 

Bravo pushrod:up:

 

08 schedule

if it is not broken do not fix it. go to the races that you want and can afford to go to. doug.

 

toecutter wrote, "Even though SP banned myself and all my scooter buddies for life......."

dean,

were you at that last summit scooter rally with the bonfire and the gixxer that was offered up to the gods and evil spirits?

that was a REAL, GOOD, FREAKIN' TIME!

texy

 

Older Bikes that are out there

GP350 is the best example of loosening the rules to increase grid sizes. The Honda 350 twins were "indexed in" under tight restrictions and allowed the class not only to survive, but to thrive. There has to be about 85% CL/CB350s in the class. Next year we are looking at 3 to five more CB350 GP350 racers than last year. The bikes are close to bullet proof. The tires last a season or more. Spares are plentiful and racing is what I get to concentrate on.

This year was a first, but I got to run in 12 race days before the GNF this year. For this libertarian, thats freedom of choice and I like it!

Fourth consecutive year racing and the most significant increase in performance yet. "Time in the saddle" with out the "time of other region travel."

There is no mandantory attendance. And, on years that I can't run that many races, I wouldn't reduce someone else's choices.

Ride free, have fun and live life while you still have the choice.

 

I don't recall a GSXR but we have been known to roast running GS450s and VT500s. Getting banned was actually aa result of some a-hole within the scooter ranks calling up Bill Scott and telling him we were going to wreck SP. After a quick change to somewhere near Charlottsville he called and tried to get us banned too. The rally has been held at the Charlottsville location ever since with no complaints. It's now called the NotSP rally!

 

wish you all would come back. i almost shit myself in the morning, during practice, when i rolled thru turn 5 and there were a lot of spectators at the left side fence line......i didn't know what was going on or what to think.

racing with people watching is pretty strange.

tex