https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UVEMqOKm8M&list=PLDbSvEZka6GGAXfmVg1EAyFcaA23bNUoX

Gagne - World Superbike
Gillim - MotoAmerica Supersport
Solis - Spanish Moto2

* Last updated by: Hub on 5/2/2018 @ 9:13 AM *

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Abig heart, a lot of motivation and don't forget, a shit-ton of money. Oh if I had it, I'd love to have my kids out on any track. They are already too old to think about Moto GP even if they do have the talent. I'd still love them to know the experience of pushing a bike as far as they can.

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11:30pm approaching Rockford. Staying in Freeport tonight. Place of my birth. On my way to my new birth as a track day rider. Training school 2moro @ Blackhawk Farms! Was wirking on my trailer till 8pm. Sheesh. Did manage to get a set of Pirellis on too. Here’s ol girl all locked in for the 3+ hr drive...

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You're going to look like a pro when you pull in. Just don't let it go to your head when you get on the track! Nice and easy....I'm sure you will feel like you can go faster than your instructor will let you go. He'll probably try to make you follow the race line. I guess I'd go slow and practice it but IMHO, the 14 is faster turning in early and exiting wider than the bikes they normally use on that track. I'm not at all sure the guy you get will get that. If it's the old mechanic guy, he won't. Frank, was that his name?

Good luck, have fun and don't try to outdo anyone. If you do, you do but don't try too hard. It's just fun and learning. The bike's too valuable to wreck for the demands of your ego!

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Rookorino!!!!
First track day in the books!!!
Why the hell did I not do this sooner?
My coach Eric was amazing and FAST.
Yes by the last sesh I was much improved.
A few pics from the day. Hopefully my gopro 5 session first attempt will yield some vid to jive up with the Moto D lap timer. Mash it all up w the Race Render app and bam.
We’ll see. That was a mouthfull of things going right. A few things I didnt do right:
Left my tire warmers, track gloves, and generator at the house...Grrrrrr
Will be better prepared next time. The Pirellis were amazing.

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Ahhhh-yes. Misty watercolor memories there!!

The paddock.

Wirth! That was the guy's name. When he signals you to come off the track, you damn sure better.

Little offroad adventure I went on in turn 6.

Ah yesss. Fine memories!! Gotta do again someday, I hope.

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For the TD crowd. Slicks are the way to go, but a good DOT performance tire is going to ocean spray the carcass as well. I leave this to the pros to read their tires. Actually, I started to get into reading tires. I had no clue what to look for, but here is a 101 intro.

Hey, I'm still learning so you already know this 'hot off the warmers' stuff.

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I saw this about 40 some odd years ago, and do not remember doing this @ 9:37. But I remember seeing the docu way back when and always remembered that second or two. Here, I don't remember being on the front row, nor do I remember seeing that long ago. I do remember pushing my bike; keeping the hours off it. Finding this video was just hours ago. Bought a '75 CB750 with low miles and a bent frame. Bought a new frame and raced a bone stock bike in 750 production. Always requested my lucky #2 when they handed out numbers for the year. Here it looks like open production so it's 750cc on up. I stopped at 9:41 and saw a 900 Z1 get smoked. Don't remember that either.

So if you get bored... welcome to my out of body experience.

* Last updated by: Hub on 3/30/2020 @ 12:30 AM *

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Hub, Ontario was my first AFM race 76 or 77 , I cant remember , took my 75 H2 out there and had a blast . That film brought back a lot of memories . My first race saw a death at teh first turn when a rider went down a few bikes behind me and was hit by a couple of following riders.

Small world, chrly. I was there both years so we may have crossed paths in the pits. First year I learned the ropes on a '74 H2 750, and borrowed leathers. '77 I took a class championship that year and then AFM the next year. What I lacked in bike I made up in determination. I can tell by the leathers I wore. This was ['76] my first race in borrowed leathers. The orange/blue leathers were 77-78. The 6-hour was '78 so say the orange/blue leathers. The other pic is a number and leather change for '79 and turned semi/pro.

I don't know if you stuck around for any endurance races, but most of the guys are in this race too. If you read his story (Paul Ritter), and see this unedited 8mm video, where I guess there was Ritter being the lead rider at the time, the gap between picking the camera back up and filming the next rider... well, I can't say for sure, but I never caught him. So I can only assume he pitted and I lead the race. That's how I remember the race up to the first pit stop. But this I remember like yesterday. I'm on the grid, and all that was going thru my head was "I'm going to lead this race, 'I'm going to lead this race" over and over till the flag dropped.

Number plate wise was who got what number when you mailed it in. I'm 16 on the grid with the same orange/blue leathers. At the 20 second point I'm in 8th and heading up to the straightaway. The more laps, the more I pick the rest off, sans Ritter. I mean, when you want it that bad, how does that happen, where you willed yourself there. Mind over it don't matter... but at the time? The shit you got away with when you look back.

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Wish I could view video but my little hotbox doesn't allow that. I always like your old days stories Hub.

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Thanks, Rook. I don't know if there's a lesson here, but I would psych myself up for a race and tell myself, "I'm going to win this race" ritual, and come home with that trophy. Back then the age bracket was late 20's and 30's like chrly and me. Late to the game for sure, so you could get away with being competitive. I was so naive at the time, I didn't know I jumped into a pool with seasoned dirt track and road racers that had at least 10 years of closed course racing under those leathers, and all I brought to the table was a street rider.

Chrly can tell you... we were watching an era end and a new one begin. An old fart like Reg Pridmore winning the early superbike titles, and then comes along Freddie Spencer; and you knew it was over so you stepped down in class, still with the needle in your arm.

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Hub.. My first race ..Of course I started last , having never entered a race before :) So I am 33rd on the grid. thinking this is going to be fairly easy since my H2 was FAST !! at least at teh drag strip :) and I had been at everys trip I could get to, just wanted to do this road race thing.. Shiney bike nice Bates RR leathers , ble to match my bike ..I was ready.. The one minute warning, the flag flew and I passed LOLYou arenot gonna believe this but I passed 29 riders before teh first turn .. These boys may have been road racers but I knew how to leave teh line.. As we enter turn one which is a high speed, banked oval , there were only three riders in front of me and I was between laffing in my helmet and thinking "Wow is THIS FUN !!" then turn two tightened up and one rider passed whelie I was trying to figure why my H2 was trying to go everywhere at once.. Calmed down and attacked turn three, sorta gingerly as a couple more riders passed.. then most every turn someone came past . .As We entered teh front straight riders were in front were slowing and throwing up a hand. I then saw teh RED flag being waved.. As it turned out, the rider behind us in turn one lowsided and was hit by several following riders . He was dead at the scene and if I remember correctly, his helmet had split open. After a n hour or so we restarted tehg race but I was no loger really fired up and after teh a few laps, the kawi siezed as I did not have mixture right ( I had turned of auto oiling for some reason. Anyway, that was my entry into road racing ..

Well we both kind of figured that out. I was drag racing in high school and then a few years after that. What few pictures I have, it's someone standing behind the wall at the grid, and I'm the first to leave. High school wise, some car guy mentioned [not to me] I could, 'cut a light' he said, and I always remembered that. For sure as you have found out, they [or some] just burn their clutch out with the high gearing of that close ratio gearbox. You should give that a try. Had one in that bike above. There was a novice racer I worked with, and went over to his house. Touched the clutch lever on his bike and I asked who set the lever up? He said he did. He let me set it up, and when he left the line he was first in the turn. I knew he had the potential.

Since my memory is so-so, I recall how we had it made at the Big-0 with the showers at that facility. There I was, walking into that bathroom with others mingling around. A guy turns around, looks at no one special, and says, "I just got my pro license"! I thought nothing of it, but to say congrats. I remember his face, his ever so happy smile saying it.

I'm thinking you may have been in open class, because I had a 4-stroke and those TZ 750's were no match. Because if we are talking about the same day, same guy at Ontario, he was on a TZ and about to run with the big names. What I remember was he flew up and hit the wall? That was all I recall. Now I'm thinking maybe he slid down from that hit, and then a nowhere to go scenario was it? We are talking minutes, if not between race before this? When I heard that, it shut me off to where I was not going to have that play with my head.

And then there is Ritter's story and his book. Ed Unini was the guy to beat in class. You'd have to travel up north and race the south and vice verse to gather points. So this is '77 and my eyes and Ed's meet. I pointed to myself and then pointed at him. He shook his head. If I had to step up my game he was the mark. This club was testosterone tuned so this was one step away from the big top you mess with these guys. I was not traveling for points that year, so it had to be at Sears Point where Ed was the faster guy and Ritter was right on his ass. They were buddies at the time. So if you can imagine how fast things happen, and there is just no split of a second to plan an exit. In his book he explains it happened so fast that he ran over him and killed him. All I heard was Ed died and that was it. I had to read it in Ritter's book how it happened.

Those are the only two deaths I can remember when I was racing then. You can add a piece to the puzzle if you remember if you ran with any yammie TZ's? If so, then that was what I remembered if we are talking about that two year window.

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Hub.. I need to come south and buy you several cups of coffee !! I got chills reading your last post ..
After Ontario, the next race was Sears .. Not sure how far into teh program we were as all I remember was the back straight and hauling butt.. Two riders down with follwing rider striking the front downed rider .. another death.. Two races, two deaths... tuff year to break into the road racing scene... Not sure what class I was in Stock Kawi triple 750 . All I knoe for sure was that it was 77 or 78.. Before I started road racing , I knew absolutely nothing , Second divorce had taken place in 73 and I was trying to drink all teh Boonesfarm in California .. lasted until 81 when I got custody of my son and teh next year my daughter.. I have no doubt that the kids saved dads life . 81 was my last alcoholic year..and for teh next twenty yrs , it was take care of kids then parents .. I think I left Road racing after the second race. It could have been teh two deaths.. I had never seen anyone hurt at a drag stip, at least not on a motorcycle . I will post my one racing pic from Ontario if I can find it, I think I am 895. You may know the guys getting ready to pass me :)

https://www.motorcycle.com/products/mo-book-review-racing-gods-ducati-superbike-racers-autobiography-paul-ritter

Two races, two deaths... tuff year to break into the road racing scene...

I'll take you up on that brew, chrly. I hear you on that one. I had other reasons so it didn't affect me in that way. I'll put the memory puzzles together and see if I have the year right. Seeing that photo of Ritter in front, Ed had the points lead. So Paul had to collect all those points, post-Unini. For sure in '77. Ritter won in that club. Mine was with the other club that year. Funny, but we sold a desert spot and gathered up my trophies and other belongings. Stopped at a pizza place by the airport in Palm Springs. Maybe stopped in a few times. Don't know how the conversation started but he wanted a trophy for his store. I just opened the box, grabbed a trophy, walked in and gave it to him. It was the '77 championship trophy and I said who cares take it. The old lady wasn't too happy. She wanted to change it for something else.

Funny, but when I won my first trophy drag racing, I said, 'is that it'? I guess there was too much anticipation of who knows what, but from that day on, the first kid I saw, I just shoved it in his hands and walked off. Those were my teen years.

You missed the fun, but it's never too late. RR brought on another skill set. Besides the breaking level acquired, besides leaving the traffic light with little rpm and the gap you have behind you; segway to the car and look in the rear view mirror. Take your line and have someone follow that smooth transition in. But transition out, they can't come out of the corner clean. They are now all crossed up in correction mode, over the line, tags the dirt, a cloud bursts, recovers... poor semi-truck driver... and you laugh your ass off... Drive Motherfucker! LOL

Hey, you knew that shit going in and all you wanted was that stupid trophy. I wasn't going to be denied. I mean really, I didn't know what I was doing. What's an apex? The verbal basics trickle down you stay in the game long enough. Driving in vehicles changed once I figured out it's all about smooth and not speed. Driving from some inn to the pits, a passenger would make comment seeing what I was doing and I was just driving the straight'rr line.

That's what you missed. Oh look... Irish soda bread with the coffee.

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Once I tasted a bit of racing, for me it just never was really gone . March 6, 2006 I got my license at Thunderhill for AFM ..Mom was still alive then and she began her last year downhill pretty fast. I set aside racing again .

I had just bought this lil jewel strictly to reenter racing . Just di not work out and today? My drag racing trophys are on a shelf at my sponsors shop alongside those of the young kids barely 20 , racing AFM.. I look at those and think, I need to do a track day LOL. I actually bought teh 650 twin to do just that . went to teh first track day and watched the possibility of rain blow in . Went home, Dont want to fall in front of anyone and cause them to have a bad day..Seems my limitations are much more pronounced now..

* Last updated by: chrly on 4/3/2020 @ 10:07 AM *

Once I tasted a bit of racing, for me it just never was really gone.

Tell me about it. If that's a kawi twin, those things are impressively fast for a 650. Buddy has a dedicated trackday one that he lets his son ride. It just runs and runs and it's old.

Speaking about runs, I'm trying to remember if AHRMA has a spot for that bike. Maybe a few Willow's back, they helped this guy called Gil [who owned Works Performance shocks] onto his single cylinder Norton. They pushed him off and he came back into the pits after he finished his last race. Maybe a year or less later, he passed away. That says it never leaves you.

Anyway, lots of graybeards out there with some expensive, well restored, well prepared, well tuned old candy. I think you'd give those guys a hard time. Here's the current crop where I sort of gauge these clubs like this:

AMA: WOT~ Or go home.
AFM: Full Throttle ~ Mean business.
AHRMA: 7/8th Throttle ~ How much ballsack you have left to pass that 7/8'er up front.
WERA: 3/4 Throttle ~ A vert fast street rider will have easy pick'ens.
Trackday: ^^^ A-B-C groups ~ A safety issue if obviously mixed together.

See you out there.

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Here is my ONLY pic from the early days ..I am in front but only cause I cut out the leaders LOL.

Hub, do you recognize either of the two guys setting me up for a pass?

No, Chrly, most northern guys didn't come down south, so without their last name, can't say anyone looks familiar helmet/leather combo wise, numbers, etc.

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Hub that picture was from Ontatio.

Understood. More of what I meant to say was, the name and numbers do not look familiar if they were southern boys. They could have been the northern riders is how the name and numbers did not ring a bell. Plus, I did a little research looking to match points finishers with their number next to their name. No Tom or Thomas for '77 of combined club standings.

At the time, I heard that the average club racer lasted 2 years. So were they on their way out?

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Could have been as I was not there the next year ..Where did you see point standings and such?