We will not be going to Putnam until it's sold and even then the bikes have gotten faster over the years, t10 was a huge issue when we did run there, not sure it can be raced safely. Road America is just a matter of the right date and the expense. It's great and wonderful and all that but takes a ton of rider just to cover expenses.
Yeah. Well. The last time the racers were ready to show up WERA didn't It was on the calendar and canceled my first year racing but not since and that was 5ish years ago. Not sure why it would be any different than Grattan attendance. They are pretty close to each other. Attendance issue is probably more likely when it was scheduled and possibly the track condition. With it being repaved and the last turn opened up, I doubt that would be an issue going forward. Book it Sean
Not going to book it. We have tried running at Gingerman since it was brand new and it's always drawn less than Grattan. Didn't matter what the pavement was like or not. The racers do not show up.
Why? Squiggly pavement in a field. Yeah not as technical, but still a nice track. Not as many hills, but the layout is decent, no?
Honestly, I haven't been to Gman since the first year I raced (2001). Just don't remember anything great about it. If tracks are all just squiggly pavement in a field, Mr. Barber sure blew a lot of money for nothing! I don't give a crap about chasing regional (or any other) championships...been there done that.... I go to tracks I like. Exceptions made for endurance races.
Not enough to justify it and/or pay the bills. The whole 300 thing always sounds good but there just aren't enough.
Hey Joe, You can suck worms. I am down to a slim trim 225, now. Lightest I have been since 1975, so screw you, I am a lightweight and I weigh less than any of my race bikes. I still think a 24 hr of 250's, 300's and LWT bikes would work great. 3 classes, F superbike, E superbike and LWT superbike. You could get a racebike and tires for the whole race for less than the tire bill for a big bike. It would be safe and fun, just like the good old days of the 24 hrs of Nelson's ledges. It has been long enough that I have forgotten the pain and tiredness of the last one I rode and would think about participating in one, again.
It's be great but how do I pay for 50-100 corner workers and officials and insurance and track rental with ten entry fees?
Excellent question. How many entries at what price would you need to make it a viable race? How many entries were there for the N2/WERA thing at NJMP? How many of those were not big bikes. I am obviously looking at this through rose colored glasses, but I have been giving it a great deal of thought and see a real possibility here. A 24 Hour of Nelson Ledges is a race which is unlike any other and I feel lucky that I have done 2 of them with good results both times on middle weight bikes. It really is a bucket list kind of thing that everybody that thinks they are a racer should do at least once. Having one would give an opportunity to fulfill that need. My last race there was in the late 80's on a Katana 600 ( look it up Broome, we raced those back then) and I think that having a SS LWT as the fastest bike would be appropriate for that track and doing 24 hrs for the costs involved. While teams could spend a bunch more if they wanted, a SS SV650 could be bought, set up and raced for the entire weekend for under $3K and you would still have a $2K bike at the end of it. You could do a 1st gen EX250 for half of that. So, for the club guys that want to get out there and get a bunch of track time and have a bunch of fun, you could do it for $400 to $600 each with a 5 rider team. That is cheap in the grand scheme of things. Is there any possibility for Manufacturer or dealership support? KTM, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, BMW, Husqvarna and Honda all have new bikes that would fit into my suggested classes. Maybe Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki should get a new SV650, FZ07 and an EX650 out there. There ought to be some publicity available. Maybe Team Hammer should get a new SV650 and win another 24 Hour of Nelson Ledges. John, how many have you won for Suzuki and when was the last one? So Sean, how many entries doe you need committed at what price to make this happen?
Removing the tires looks like it has not been addressed from the pics. Last I heard (from a good local source) the new owner's (read: Nelsons) plan had been to process and dispose of the tires on site, the idea being to save over having them hauled off. However he was unable to locate said yooj tire chewer on the cheap. Anyone heard different? If not, then I'd agree with what's already been said. New pavement sounds awesome, but I'm out if the tires/runoff dont change.
I heard the EPA gave them some leniency/added timing to get the tire situation resolved. Run off will be addressed, I've also heard. Gravel traps and air fence. We'll see. Air fence sounds great, but not necessarily as easy. The carousel is the trickiest place, given the land (or lack thereof) past the track. Still looking forward to trying out the new pavement.
Air fence is easy enough, can store a dozen pieces or so in a container, they're around a grand a piece. Andy would be very happy to go build them for the track on site
get some $$$ on the line from outside sources. The last JGP endurance was $600 entry/team, drew 20+ teams for a $1000 1st place. For a 24hr race, $1500 entry doesn't seem unreasonable in my noob opinion. I know I could talk Huff into running 2 bikes. Hell, we might even get Kenny on a bike again.
Money from outside sources? FWIW I don't think the $12k of income would cover one day of expenses at Jennings for us.
