Lap record at Talladega

Is that transponder a special Pirelli option or can we get those with Michlins?

 

Pirelli only made an Arclight version of this transponder but it may be possible to get a Metzeler one in 2001...of course you may have to buy it from Lee Acree....but only if you are in the Cherry picker club of Metzeler / Pirelli

 

Yeah, Eric Wood lost one glove, it didn't have one of those Velcro wrist straps on it, just elastic. So use gloves with Velcro wrist straps, mmmmkay? (But his hand was uninjured by some quirk of luck.)

And speed, the thing that's really unhealthy is green-eye syndrome. A dude comes into your shop to buy a Ducati and you give him the big run-down on how the Himmelsbachs build fast bikes for everybody else and you don't have one, woe is you. Now I find out you've got Vicky Jackson-Bell's '96 missile, or at least it was a missile when she had it, and that your "old, slow" bike is the same year as my "new, fast" bike. If Vicky's bike in your hands was as fast as you had hoped when you bought it, would you be apologizing to the guys you were passing on the straightaway?

You probably can't get any straight answers out of anybody because when they're not around you're going off on how you'd smoke them if only you had a fast bike like theirs.

As for lap times, the only lap times that count are the ones that get you on the podium on race day, at any given track. If lap times were everything and were absolute, Anthony Gobert would have been AMA Superbike Champion a couple of times by now.

Hopkins, Spies et. al. came up on 50s, 80s, 125s and 250s, and I didn't help them until I'd seen them on TZ250s. You want--no, virtually demand--help but haven't gotten past 125s yet. The funny thing is, if you think getting a 125 to run right and handle right, and if you're running out of money keeping tires on a RS125, just wait until you get on a 250. It's a whole new world...

And I can hardly wait.

[This message has been edited by julrich (edited 01-15-2001).]

 

I originally asked for a helping hand and got a cheesy reply. "Win some formula-2 nationals on your 125 and I'll talk to you" I wanted lap times to see if I was doing any good. When you started didn't you want to ask the veterans what a good lap time was? I still have one question that I never asked. How many of the bikes you beat in 1996 with your fresh 1996 were old style rs125s like pre95? You have to see my light here. How many wins have you had since the 1998 redesigned 125 has been in the ring? I wasn't saying that the top 125 guys were slow, I was saying that I think I am doing pretty good for a guy on his 2nd year of wera. Isn't a regional championship good enough to warrant maybe a little guidance with handling and percise tuning? I was sorry for the cat comment, and the fast/old thing was humor. If I can scratch enough $ to get to a race that you are at this year and beat you, will you then take me seriosly or will I then have to win a world title to get your full attention? I really wish you wouldn't have patronized me. Also, I have vjb's 96 but she took all of the goodies and the motor is labeled "spare" as in backup in case of lunching the "rs-200"motor. I only wanted to get help from a guy I thought was credible but I guess when I asked you for help on jetting at road atlanta two years ago I got the true you, a cold shoulder. I am really a nice guy who thinks he might be worth a chance at winning if he had an opportunity of equality.

 

I bought a Pirelli one from Lee and set of those special tires too.They had an SV attached to 'em though.I guess I'll ride it or something,I dunno.Any word on the"lightweight" sized Evo's?Do I have to use those 'old-school' 170's forever!

 

Almost forgot. I only had three sets of tires last year. That's because walt is a nice guy and I won enough bib $ to get the others. All of the good guys you had to race were on 96 rs in 96. See my pattern? Its like what you're saying is only a guy like Tray Batey on a 1996gsxr750 that can beat good guys on 2000gsxr750s deserve your time to consider. I sent you a web address that had my personal info and you said you knew nothing about me. Did you look at any of the resumes that the 50 other riders sent you or don't you know them either? I really just felt shafted.
I did apolojize for the cat thing but you always had a comment. I don't think my customers ever heard of Himmelsbach, let alone any of my reasons why I felt that certain bikes were up about ten horsepower on mine. They only get a descent answer and my time of day, which was all I asked from you. Sorry if I gave you the feeling that I wanted you to give me the world on a string. You can rest easy tonight. I will not be sending my resume because I don't think you would give it an equal chance. I really do want to race with you sometime though. I am not a spiteful person and wouldn't endanger you nor any other riders by elbowing you or something stupid like that. I really just hope that you can see that I am a sportsman who rides as fast as his bike will permit. Who knows, we might just learn something from one another.

 

Some people are hard to help. I published complete set-up specs, including jetting for conditions, in a series of articles in Roadracing World when I was campaigning my '95 (the '96 was my spare) in the full WERA 1996 and 1997 series. (All the front runners had '95 and newer bikes, including Joji Tokumoto, Rolando Quintero, Ben Solis, Mike Himmelsbach, John Hjelm, Chris Pyles, Chris Ulrich, Kevin Murray, Doug Scronce, and others I can't come up with just now.) Some people, like Pyles and Scronce, started taking the issues with the set-up specs to the tracks and used them to figure their set-up out and learn to jet their bikes. If some guy comes walking up to me and asks me what jet to put in his bike, I don't know the answer. It depends on your set-up, your cylinder, your pipe, whether or not you have an airbox, the gas/oil mix you're using, etc. When I'm at the racetrack, it's not my job to work on your bike or to give you tuning advice. If I guessed and told you a jet and your bike then seized, you'd be the first one to complain that I gave you bad info. My job at the racetrack is to beat you, not help you beat me.

I don't remember you asking me anything any time, any place, and I don't know the circumstances. I do know that that when I am at the racetrack, I often get a constant stream of people I don't know asking me all sorts of stuff, often when I'm trying to think about my riding or get my race face on and I don't want to talk to anybody about their bike or their problem or whatever. I stopped chasing the series and racing seriously after the 1997 season. When I go to the track now, I'm just trying to get away from the constant stream of phone calls, e-mails, letters, resumes I get from people who want me to solve their problems and make them stars.

You found me. I didn't come walking into your pit or send you an e-mail, and I sure didn't ask you to tell me all about how if you had a fast bike you'd beat everybody so I should set you up.

I'm gonna spell it out again. I don't consider helping anybody on the basis of a resume, because most resumes are pure BS. I don't consider helping anybody until I've personally seen them race and I've personally seen them go fast, consistently, at a variety of tracks, on something bigger than a 125, i.e., at least a 250. In some cases, I've first noticed kids like Hopkins and Spies when they were on smaller bikes because their rate of improvement was visible week by week, sometimes, day by day during a race weekend, but nothing happened with them until they could get it done on a 250. And when I told you to get back to me when you had won some F2 races against significant competition, (as Spies did when he beat Acree in Texas in '99), that's exactly what I meant. I didn't say anything about doing it on a 125. And no, regional titles don't mean anything to me when I consider sponsoring or signing a rider.

Your problem here, is your attitude, your sense of entitlement, your lack of paying attention, or maybe your ability to spin stuff in your head just enough to get it wrong.

If you come to some track where I am racing now and you beat me, it won't make any difference to me. If you get your act together and win some F2 races against significant competition, if you run hard at several different tracks, (including ones out of your area), if I see you do it and I like what I see, if when I talk to you in person you seem a lot different than the impression I got from your e-mails and posts, who knows?

You ain't got much of a chance, but then, you might have some. Then again, you probably wouldn't want to have anything to do with an old guy like me anyway, because you've seen how I am. I don't know anything, the guys I beat when I last chased the series must have all been on older, slower bikes, I haven't won any National races lately (although a good '96 can be competitive with a good 97, 98, 99, or 2000), I haven't had anything to do with launching anybody of note's career, and I obviously just don't how to tell a good rider when I see one.

I am sorry for being such a failure in road racing. I'll try to do better in the future. When you're World Champion you can call me up and remind me what an idiot I was back in 2001.

John Ulrich

[This message has been edited by julrich (edited 01-16-2001).]

 

Thanks for never saying never. I really don't mind the sarcasm as long as you know that I have always maintained that I only asked for a little help. Thank you again, I hope behind the national big guy stuff you understand what I meant through this all. I'm sorry I can't afford to do the national circuit although I checked all possibilities of how to travel cheap. If I have enough of what it takes, I'll be talking to you alot some day, but if I don't I hope you can maybe wake up one morning and see that I didn't try to forcefeed myself into your team but simply try to get a 125 racers wisdom. I didn't have a subscription then and I only got a computer this year for Christmas. I couldn't possibly have used your notes until now and this darn snow isn't easy to tune jetting in. Sorry again, and thanks again. Later.

 

Give me bike. I will beat everyone on BBS! I can do it! I know it! I come to America! Be famous and rich!

You have immigration lawyer, yes? Please arrange. I will send you e-mail, explain why I am best one. Don't listen to other guys.

Give me many new tires. I will win. Everybody know professional must have good tire to race. Old tire no good. Anybody using old tire not serious racer.

Let's win happy races! Let's be champion! I am best one! You can see after I come to America. Every one will love us when we win.

Oh, maybe not other guy who want bike. Don't worry. I chase away from paddock. Nobody can bothers you.

Okay? Okay!

Buck

 

Thanks Buck, I'm smiling now. John, Have a good night. I'll buy you whatever drink you want whenever we are at the same venue. I promise I am a po white boy but I dont have cooties. I'll shake your hand if you would do the same. And I really didn't want to give you a week long headache, but we seem to miss each others points sometimes. At least we are both fortunate enough to be able to ride in a great club like WERA.

 

Hey, that's not fair. I think Mongo posted that last one under my name.

 

What a lesson in "How not to obtain sponsorship" this was.

Hey JU I ride a 400 and only compete locally could you give me some cash? I did win a regional too.

(note that this was a joke unless JU gives me money)

[This message has been edited by Tracee Polcin (edited 01-16-2001).]

 

Okay speed, no problem. Red Gatorade during the lunch break, anytrack USA.

Tracee I have arranged with Chuck Warren to loan you $100 for your regional program, if you sign an options contract with Arclight's LW division.

JU

 

Great where do I sign? Loan? What a minute, how long do I have before I have to pay it back? So I will be getting special tires, ride an illegal bike and be able to cherrypick at will. Sounds way too cool.

Thanks JU I knew I could count on you.

 

No problem.

Note: An immigration lawyer is not included in any deals I put together.

 

We don't need no stinkin' papers.

 

Uh oh...

 

I'm visiting...........family. Yeah family.

 

We know you have no family Due, nice try though.