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Dave Roper's List of Race Tracks

Discussion in 'WERA Vintage' started by Hate McDead, Jul 16, 2016.

  1. Hate McDead

    Hate McDead Well-Known Member

    I took a look at my friend, Dave Roper's blog, daveroperracing.blogspot.com. I sure he won't mind me putting this list up on the vintage forum for our viewing pleasure. It is quite impressive list and worthy of a comment or two from the WERA rank and file.

    My simple comments are: WOW!! and AWESOME!!

    Here is Dave's post:
    I'm way behind on the blog and I'll probably have to do a condensed synopsis of the first half of the summer. One of the reason that I'm behind is that I got involved in chronicling my track count.
    At Gingerman, Swiss Neiderberger celebrated reaching a goal that he had set for himself: racing at 50 racetracks. I don't mean to rain on Swiss' parade, but it got me to wondering how many race tracks I'd ridden. Here's the list so far, in pretty chronological order. Some of the tracks I didn't actually race on, just paraded, and I'm considering different versions of a venue separate tracks.
    Bridgehampton, N.Y., '72
    Loudon, N.H.
    Bryar, '72
    Noduol (Bryar 'backwards') '72,'73?
    NHIS, '90
    Summit Point, W. Va., '72
    Pocono, Pa., '72, '73?
    Virginia International Raceway
    Full circuit, '72, '73?
    North circuit, '01
    South circuit, '09
    West Palm Beach, '73
    Daytona
    3.81 mi.,'73
    1.6 mi. Infield, '81
    1.74 mi. Infield,'85
    1.76 mi. Infield, '87
    3.56 mi.,'90
    2.85 mi.,'02
    3.51 mi., '09
    Dade City, Fl., '73
    Dallas, Tx., '73
    Charlotte, N.C., '73
    Gainesville, Fl., '74
    Road Atlanta, Ga.,
    2.54 mi., '74
    With modified 'gravity cavity, '98
    With turn #3 chicane, '03
    With modified turn #12, '09
    Lakeland, Fl., '75
    Thompson, Ct.
    'Version 3', '76
    1.7 mi., '16
    Ontario Motor Speedway, '79
    Sears Point
    original, '79
    Current, '13
    Road America, Wl.
    Original, '80
    Current, '08?
    Lime Rock Park, Ct., '80
    Talladega Super Speedway, Al.,'81
    Laguna Seca, Ca.
    Original, '82
    GP., '97
    Shannonville, Ont., Canada
    Nelson, '82
    Pro, '99?
    Roebling Road, Ga., '83
    Mid-Ohio, '83
    Blackhawk Farms, Illinois, '86
    Watkins Glen, N.Y., '86.
    Mosport, Ontario, Canada, '88
    Heartland Park, Topeka, Ks.,'89
    Talladega Grand Prix, Al.
    Original, '91
    Current, '13
    Grattan, Mi., '91
    Rockingham, N.C., '92
    Las Vegas, Nv., '93
    Seattle Intl. Raceway, Kent, WA., '93
    Putnam Park, In., '94
    Gateway Park, E. St.Louis, Il., '94
    Atlantic M/S Park, Shubenacadie, N.S., Can., '96
    Deland, Fl., '97
    Stafford Springs, Ct., '97
    Gunstock, Belnap, N.H., '99
    Carolina M/S Park, S.C., '99
    Cayuga, Ont., Canada, '01
    Frontierland, Loudon, N.H., '01
    North Florida M/S Park, '02
    BeaveRun, Pa., '03
    Barber M/S Pk., '03
    Sandia, N.M., '04
    No Problem Raceway, La., '04
    Autodromo St. Eustache, Quebec, Can., '04
    Thunderhill, Ca., '04
    Gingerman, Mi.
    Original, '05
    Current, '16
    Pueblo, Co., '05
    Miller M/S Pk., Ut., '06
    Portland International Raceway, Or., '10
    Motorsport Ranch, Tx., '11
    NOLA, La., '13
    The Ridge, WA., '13
    NJMP, N. J.
    Thunderbolt, '13
    Lightning, '14

    You'll notice that the above is only circuits in North America, so now I'll add public road races in North America:
    Steamboat Springs, Co.,'84
    La Carrerra, Baja, Mx., '86
    Delmar, Ca., '96
    Maybe Deland, Gunstock, & Frontierland should be in this category.

    Now we go to overseas circuits
    Caldwell Park, Eng.
    Club, '75
    Full, '86
    Darley Moor, Eng.,'75
    Donnington Park, Eng.,
    National, '81
    GP, '86
    Brands Hatch, Eng.,
    G.P., '82
    Indy, '89
    Oulton Park, Eng., '82
    Mallory Park, Eng.
    Original, '82
    With 'bus stop', '89
    Adelaide International Raceway, S.A., Aus., '85
    Mallala M/S Park, S.A., Aus., '85
    Winton, Vic., Aus., '85
    Circuit Paul Ricard, Fr., '86
    Autodromo Riccardo Paletti, It., '86
    Snetterton, Eng., '87
    Assen, Nl.,
    Longer, '87
    Shorter, '99
    Misano, It., '87
    Knockhill, Scotland, '87
    Pukekoe, N.Z., '90
    Ruapuna, N.Z., '90
    Montlhrey, Fr., '96
    Nurburgring, Ger., '96
    Eastern Creek, N.S.W., Aus., '98
    Artic Circle Raceway, Norway, '98
    Tsukuba, Jpn., '02
    Jurby, I.O.M., '13
    Phillip Island, Vic., Aus., '14

    Finally, the overseas public road courses:
    Mountain course, I.O.M., '82
    Villa Real, Portugal, '84
    Dundrod, N.I., '84
    Brno, Czechoslovakia, '84
    Oliver's Mount, Eng., '95

    Total:114
     
  2. dsmitty37

    dsmitty37 Well-Known Member

    Wow, that is an impressive list
     
  3. joec

    joec brace yourself

    He may have forgotten streets of Laconia.
     
  4. ravedoper

    ravedoper Well-Known Member

    Nope, I never rode the streets of Laconia, but did Gunstock/Belnap 3 or 4 times.
     
  5. Mongo

    Mongo Administrator

    I'm jealous. Obviously I'd never be able to say I raced them but even just seeing them or working at them all would be truly cool.
     
  6. Robin172

    Robin172 Well-Known Member

    In the years quoted Cadwell (full), Darley, Mallory (orig.), Snetterton and perhaps Brands would have given you nightmares. Pukekoe would have done too and I have been told it's even worse now.
     
  7. Mongo

    Mongo Administrator

    I have no problem being freaked out by tracks and still being okay with riders choosing to run them even if I'd never put a race there.

    I still remember the first time I ever went to a GNCC event in Okeechobee. Ran across Schwantz who was racing the event and Marnie Lincoln from Road Atlanta (at that time) and she and I were totally incredulous at the track running right through the middle of the paddock. Still floors me but didn't stop me from having a blast at the event :D
     
  8. 50Joe

    50Joe Registered User

    Gotta wonder how much all that racing has cost Dave. Worth every penny I'm sure.
     
  9. joec

    joec brace yourself

    No way to put a price on the things that he's seen, the people he's met, and the great competition he's come across. Not to mention the bikes!

    I didn't do the streets of Laconia either. Wish I had. Laconia carries no weight down here though. Bike week up there is meaningless.
     
  10. Robin172

    Robin172 Well-Known Member

    If you put a race at the tracks I'd mentioned you'd be pretty worried every time the riders approached certain corners but then I'm basing it on what we regard as safe now. I raced on some of those tracks and worked as Clerk of the Course (Race Director) on a few of them and at the time they seemed OK compared to the way they were just a couple of years earlier. They are all better now than they were.
     
  11. Mongo

    Mongo Administrator

    I know exactly what you mean. Things that wouldn't have even required haybales when I started I wouldn't race on with airfence now. It's a good change.
     
  12. Pigman

    Pigman Well-Known Member

    NHMS/was NHIS...... has changed since the last time you rode I think... they added 1A and some other minor things
     
  13. Norton 357

    Norton 357 Well-Known Member

    I would have loved to at least went to half of those tracks. Very impressive list!

    I think Dave raced another Road Atlanta around '87 with AHRMA on the Dick Mann BSA . I was behind him for a bit.
     
  14. ravedoper

    ravedoper Well-Known Member

    When I rode at Thompson this spring for the first time in almost 38 years, I enjoyed it. Someone pointed out that it dint have a lot of runoff in places. Thinking about it, I had to agree. But, who thought about runoff in 1978. At Gunstock/Belnap, they had all the racer
    '87 would have been the original 2.54 mile configuration, no?
     
  15. ravedoper

    ravedoper Well-Known Member

     
  16. ravedoper

    ravedoper Well-Known Member

    At Gunstock/Belnap, they had all the racers walk the entire track to see the trees and boulders that they could hit, then offered their entry back if the anyone changed their mind. It was a fabulous event.
    Yes, standards have definitely changed.
     
  17. KMC

    KMC DUC|DET

    You're my hero Dave. True American racing legend.

    Thanks for starting this thread Dr. Hate.

    I have a question for the good Doctor. How many times have you beat Dave in a straight up race in the same class?
     
  18. Norton 357

    Norton 357 Well-Known Member

    '87 would have been the original 2.54 mile configuration, no?

    Yes, that was the old layout with the gravity cavity.
     
  19. Mongo

    Mongo Administrator

    Yep for sure. No change until 98 or 99.
     
  20. Hate McDead

    Hate McDead Well-Known Member

    That would be twice that I remember, Kevin, although you're off topic.

    At Jennings where I had to break late on the last corner and stuff it up the inside hard on Rope and (oops, Robin) use him as a berm and bump him to the outside of the track. Where upon he came right back on the line and bumped me hard right back. After which we raced to the finish line, wheel to wheel. After the race, (we were pitted together) Dave asked me "what was that?" To which I replied "That was a 'love tap' Dave". And to which Dave simply said okay. We then simply continued about our business.
    The other time was at BeaveRun. We ran wheel to wheel the entire race. I was coming off a year of a heavy viro drug therapy and may have had the bit between my teeth.
     

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