Lol. Not even close to correct. But I'll throw you a bone and say the last time an entire grid of national-level competitors raced there was 2011.
It was a race. Lewis, Burcham, Helea , Chimi.. all those guys were National level talent at the time. Matter of fact all are still contenders today.
I watched that twice, the track looks different from 20 years ago. I didn't see the bus stop and dead bear corner before the last corner onto the straight? FWIW, my best time at Putnam almost 20 years ago at an open track day was 1:20 on a stock 93' CBR900RR. A buddy on his stock 2000 R1 was turning 1:18's then jumped on another friend's 2000 GSXR-750 and instantly dropped another second before running off into the grass in the bus stop. That GSXR-750 was a track weapon (he said) and he was a very talented rider for only having maybe 3 track days under his belt. I had almost a dozen track days already and he smoked me all around that track. (we had a video camera way back then on the back seat and I have video of him acting like he's yawning behind me) Miss those days...
bus stop and dead bear are still there. the track really hasn't changed at all.. they did add curbing and widen the run out on turn one but thats about it... though they are going to get their 2nd full repave this winter to fix the first 1.5 repaves over the last 3 years... there are a lot of respectable times now that they repaved and a lot of the freaky bumps are gone(now there are new ones) a good mid pack ADV pace is solid 15-17s there are a lot of guys in the 13-14s and fewer more in the high 10s to 12s... with the new repave I expect to see those times to drop even more... it wouldn't surprise me to see another .5 out of the track after the repave... if they widen it like has been talked about a few times maybe more. wish more quality racing would get back to Putnam , I know its not safe through 10 for sure... but I love that track
Why not here and now? It is simple enough - I do not feel track day races - no matter who "sanctions" them, are actual racing. I think they're ridiculous. That is on top of the issues I have with anyone actually doing races at Putnam these days with the last turn being the same as it was a decade ago but the bikes being faster.
I find it curious - and note that this isn't a dig at anyone - that the people tied to *trackday racing* almost never venture to *racing*. I've always wondered why someone would be willing to travel, but only to got to three tracks a year a couple times and race the exact same people over and over again. A true "local" series maybe I could understand. If you live inside of an hour from a venue that offered a 6-8 round race series, sure... but beyond that you might as well just go racing. Not a criticism, like I said... a curiosity.
a lot of people dont want to race.. there is no desire to raise the "risk " of wadding you bike for essentially more money and less time on track. or they just dont want to always ride at 9 or 10/10ths I get it I do both, I enjoy both greatly. I see the merits of and the disadvantages . there is an extremely long winded response I could give but thats the jist
Totally agree. Been thinking about it a lot lately again as people keep trying to figure out ways to get people from TD's to racing and the best way I can describe things now compared to the old days when racing was the only way to get on track is this - back in the day (BITD) you could have an 80 bike 600 grid. Of those 80 riders only 20 were seriously racing, 20 half serious, 40 were there to get off the street and on the track. Now you have track days those 40 aren't coming to races and will never come to races. The 20 racers will and do. The 20 in between will float between the two things. Those who want to race will do so. But the overwhelming vast majority of TD riders have no interest at all - mo matter how racy they want to look or pretend to be