Mladin sums up OG BIR to a tee

First time I ever got off-line in the wet and the wee little fizzer revved itself to the moon, I was very confused…

 

Some delta bravo took me out on the front straight in the rain during a track day. I think I slid until the next day.

 

I guess I really don’t remember it very well at all… I only rode there for riders school and my first novice race after in 93, then once for Yamaha money in 99… not sure if Wera wasn’t going there the years between or if I was doing GLRRA and AMA pro or what… I remember the narrow entrance to the drag strip being sketchy and slick… nothing like Memphis but still not comfortable… I remember liking the carousel, and learning to slide over the paint stripes in the parking lot and liking something in the back maybe the corner off the back straight… I couldn’t tell you which way the track went though now…

probably because this guy was my instructor and I only remember him saying “either gas or brakes, no coasting”

 

I only raced there twice I think but was surprised bikes would spin up straight up and down in the dry… thought my clutch was slipping

 

reminds me of a funny… I guess way before our time the Grattan 1/2 mile straight was a drag strip, you’d never know it no trace and repaved numerous times… but… running CCW in the rain I crashed out of the lead at the end of the straight just as I tipped in in probably 120mph or so and accelerated when I hit the ground and then at the end of the paved would have been staging area hit the grass and accelerated again… anyone that raced there will find this funny… going that way it drops off in two steps down probably 40’ of elevation from 10A&B down to the lowest of 9… I flew off the first ledge with about 10’ of air flailing my arms like I could fly landed smooth and kept sliding then off the second ledge still about half speed getting more air and then finishing the fastest funnest slip and slide ever to stand up… still in the lead as I made it all the way down the hill to T9 standing there with my arms crossed before all my buddies made it there fun times even crashing

 

Well? Was I right? Seems to have served you well...

 

Man, you must have crashed early. I never crashed in that corner going CCW, but most guys would end up close to the left going downhill, after they slid through the grass. Now, crashing coming onto the straight going CW was unfortunately fairly common. I remember a guy who managed to keep it upright after he hit the dirt wall at the base of pit lane, and he rode almost up to the guardrail, then crashed coming back down.

 

yep, used that advice often, thanks!

 

yeah, I had just grabbed a handful of brakes straight up and down, so I thought… it threw me good, but all smooth landings thankfully

I’ve never crashed CW in the last corner but the most spectacular one was a novice race… bunch of us were on the other side of the garages and the guy flew so high after his bike slammed the guardrail that we saw him over the garage roof and then watched him land through the doors right in pit lane… no idea how he got perpendicular to the straight/guardrail at the top of the hill… he plopped down like a bag of potatoes… got up and walked away…

that happened at Putnam too thankfully… after Bienes, a local guy at his PN weekend hit the T10 guardrail and plopped down on pit lane… then bounced, he was really round, got up and went back for his bike, that was toast

they should’ve bought lottery tickets

 

Yikes. Sounds like the Grattan guy might have got target fixation when he got off line, and just drove straight up the hill. I didn't carry a horseshoe up my ass when I crashed...some did.

 

Circa ‘07. What was left of a buddy’s ex Hooters 750 after having an incident in T1 during practice with CRA.

 

Hmmm that looks familiar. Bike made it to the tree line.

 

You thinking of this bike?

 

Did your wrist heal up yet?