It was looking to get better for me for the weekend. It was Sunday, and I just had a blast doing the ASRA GTL race with a good friend. I was ready to hit the track, get to racing and gain some more valuable setup info for a later date.
Expert Middleweight Supersport had been moved from the morning to the first race in the afternoon following the ASRA stuff. Grid was pkay, start was decent, pack was pretty tight and the top 4 started to pull awayafter two laps. I had Travis (friend of mine) ahead of me and I was pulling him in. I got a good drive out of 7 and up the hill into the short esses there, tip it into T10 (21 to the car guys?) carrying some pretty decent speed and then........
I got hit. On the inside. My knee was inches from the inside curbing of the turn. I was in third screwing the throttle on, probably about 75%. I like that section of the track. A lot. I go fast there. The next thing I know I saw a red blur move past me on the inside as I fall to the ground and follow my bike to the other side of the track and the grass. My bike catches something with the frameslider and flips into the air. I remember tumbling and getting onto my back. I remember hearing the bike impact the ground next to me. I am now sliding, not rolling anymore. I see a shadow. I can't make out what it is. I'm starting to slow down and roll/slide to the left side of my body, my face in my helmet facing the ground. As I stop, my 2007 GSXR 600 full of U4.2 lands on me, both of us coming to a stop. My motor is still running. My head is facing away from the swingarm of the bike, and my back has a footpeg and the side of the motor in it. Since I am filled with adrenaline at this point, I do a push up, getting myself to all fours and flipping/rolling the bike off of me. I then collapsed to the ground, rolled a few turns away from the bike and did a self check. I stumbled to my feet, and loped to the nearest ARMCO, getting over it and out of the impact zone in that corner.
I screamed at the top of my lungs in frustration for the rest of the race.
I then returned to my pit, informed my crew chief of what had happened, and he had little to say. My wife begged me to calm down before looking for the rider that put me into the dirt. Since he hadn't of crashed after using me as a bumper, this was going to be hard. I hopped on my pit bike and cruised the paddock. While riding down the road in front of the garages while looking for a red bike with a rider still in leathers next to it, I was approached by a thin, smaller than me black man with a beard who asked me if I was 208 and if I had just crashed in the last race. He happened to be standing next to a red R6, with the number #331. I assumed it was his, but never got a chance to look at his bike for damage. I asked him what he was doing and asked him why he had run into me. His response left me speechless. His words:
"I was behind you for a little bit, but you had a really good drive up the hill. I tried to catch up to you in the esses and didn't brake hard enough to set up that corner. I tried to pass you on the inside but I was going too fast. I had to slow down so I hit you. You're alright, though, right?"
I was so shocked by his reasoning, I informed him I hoped I was, and that he had collectively ended my race weekend. I also informed him that I had a now pretty much destroyed bike on my hands and what did think about that. I offered to send him a bill for the repair should he like to come look at the damage. His words again:
" Nah, dog, that's racing."
I said not another word to the man and rode away in utter disgust.
So Antoine Richards of Devonshire, Bermuda, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for allowing me to go back through my formerly well-sorted, clean and well-maintained machine. I didn't really like or need the ENTIRE set of custom painted bodywork from AndrewSwensonDesign, the windshield from LockhartPhillips, the left side Vortex clip-on tube, the Vortex left side frame slider, the Suzuki fairing stay, the Suzuki gauges, the brake master resevoir or line, the painted tank cover, the Vortex left side rearset and the right side rear set block, the ENTIRE painted new Sharkskinz tailsection, or the ENTIRE subframe assembly. I will have to hold on to the EMPro, because that, the LeoVince full Ti system and the gas tank made it through. Luckily, so did the frame and the left front fork. Not the right one though, but I'm sure they are everywhere. Same for the lower radiator hose, radiator and the engine cover on that left side. They were all about 4 months old, probably time to change them all out as well. As for the leathers, I had gotten off the bike in them before in T12 on Saturday. Ripped two patches off the left arm and skinned my bum a little bit. But thanks to you, I managed to DESTROY them as I was sent off into the grass (at what, 80mph?), thank God that Alexa from SpyderLeatherworks did such a good job ensuring htey would be safe if I did fall so that I could get this Thank You letter out to you! Oh, I alsmost forgot, those Alpinstars SMX boots and the GP Pro gloves I got from Motonekoparts, they did their jobs as well, but I guess you didn't think they looked good. It's okay, Antoine, I'll have to get new ones now, because they are unwearable and would not pass tech any longer. You won't even recognize me out there next time buddy, because of you I'll have all new gear on! Hell, Andrew might even paint the bike a different color too! Thanks again!
I've been hit before, hard enough to make me go off the track. Only time did the offender not come over and apologize, and that is because he took an ambulance ride. 2 other times, the other riders have been over pronto to apologize. #818 Greg Bordeleau did it on Sat. He's a good dude and just had no place to go. I saw the photos. He almost followed me off track. He came over as quickly as possible after the race to ask if I was okay, apologize and what could he do to make it up to me. But not you Antoine. You are a class act. The only reason I didn't react the way I wanted to was because I was afraid of losing my bearing and ending up in a place that I've been before and I don't want to go back to. I also owe it to my sponsors and my friends and family to walk away. I value my reputation. it means something to me. Honor is something that means something to my friends. Class is something that comes with it, and you sir have none in my book. I am ashamed for you for the companies that you list as supporters and sponsors. I hope that other racers will take a closer look at you and your riding abilities and be more cautious of you when you are riding witht them and sharing the track with them. I hope they get to hear your side of the story. I actually look forward to hearing it from you myself one day. Maybe it will come with an apology, maybe it won't. Maybe you'll offer to help me put my bike back together, but you probably won't. And maybe, just maybe you'll figure out that when you put someone elses' life in your hands for a split second because of a bad decision you made that you own that responsibility and it's results. But then again, I wasn't impressed with you in the 45 seconds we spoke.
To me, that's not racing. And if it is, I'm doing it wrong.
Thanks again, Antoine. Since I might not be able to get the bike back together in time for the next round, I might miss you. After the bike is put back together though, I will make it a point to stop by and say hi on my newly rebuilt bike, let me know what you think about it!
Hollywood,
If I can be of any help, let me know what you need..!! (910) 340-5134 Sorry for the crappy weekend bro!!
BTW.. Only you could drop all your sponsors and equipment names while rippin a dude a "new one"!! I liked it!!
Not cool on his part.
Zsolt took me out at CMP, I wasn't really sure who it was at the time. I was done for the day then anyways and was out there shortly after. Yet months later at Summit he came up and apologized for it. That was really awesome of him and I appreciated it.
Hum...
This is why I won't let my wife race in a MW class.
Funny thing... this is also why I don't race MW anymore.
With the exception of that race, which I canceled, as I only wanted seat time before TC.
I feel your pain Hollywood.
I respect that fact that your didn't take retribution in a different form.
XIII
thats not good at all.If it was my bike there would be no way for me to rebuild it.I would have to get another one and use the busted one for parts.this weekend i may have rode too safely.for some reason i could not make a pass like i know i can and brake later.
That is really...unfortunate. Those guys were pitted right next to us and were less than concerned about crashing and damaging stuff- sorry to hear you got caught in the middle of it bro.
The gentleman's actions and their affect on you are incredibly unfortunate. I also agree that he is a less than stellar character and an unsafe racer. I understand your position and can sympatize with you current situation (possible injury, trashed bike, et al) however, with all due respect, he doesn't owe you anything. We all sign the liability waiver at registration. As regretable as the results of his actions are, I hope that he can somehow make a mends in the form of an apology. I also feel that it was rather base of you to call him out as you did in this public forum.
Quote from: erock768 on June 23, 2009, 08:54:44 PM
The gentleman's actions and their affect on you are incredibly unfortunate. I also agree that he is a less than stellar character and an unsafe racer. I understand your position and can sympatize with you current situation (possible injury, trashed bike, et al) however, with all due respect, he doesn't owe you anything. We all sign the liability waiver at registration. As regretable as the results of his actions are, I hope that he can somehow make a mends in the form of an apology. I also feel that it was rather base of you to call him out as you did in this public forum.
I appreciate your opinion and I understand your position. All of my equipment is listed to me as disposable, and I enter every race knowing that. I have read the waiver we sign as well. I never expected any of it to be repaired, but it would have been nice considering his conviction by his own admittance to the situation. His lack of character is something I chose to display on this public forum for all others who may have the unfortunate experience of racing with this individual in the future. I figured it would have been better then the alternative path that I did not choose. I do not know of him or anyone in his camp, and did not want to waste my time and effort attempting to reach him to quite possibly experience the same response from him. I appreciate your point of view, but I would ask of you if this type of situation has ever been something you have endured. If it hasn't, I would consider your opinion of my attempt at public exposure a moot point.
Dang dude, that really sucks! The 331 guy seemed like an alright kid from the little I talked to him, I wouldn't have expected that type of response from him. Did the guy you talked to look like he was in his early 20's?
That bites. If theres anything I can help with let me know. I'll work some deals if I can to get you rolling again, and I'll talk to him about it. I know him. He's always been good to me, so I think there is hope to turn him around.
Quote from: stickboy274 on June 23, 2009, 11:08:41 PM
That bites. If theres anything I can help with let me know. I'll work some deals if I can to get you rolling again, and I'll talk to him about it. I know him. He's always been good to me, so I think there is hope to turn him around.
Thanks Stick. You are good peoples.
Hey Hollywood....sucks that there was not even an ounce of concern on the indiviuals part to at least come over and see if you were okay. That in itself would be fine for most people. "Hey man, I'm sorry. I came in a little hot and couldn't get the bike to slow down enough to safely go around you. Hope you are okay. Is there anything that I can do to make it up to you?"
Yes, we all sign the waiver, but it doesn't mean that we can just go in and ride how ever we want.
Hopefully he will man up to you later (publicly or privately).
Fix that bike back up and get back on the track. Glad you are okay.
Chris, I saw the whole thing. He couldn't have hit you any better if he tried. Way out of control!!!!!!!! I know your pissed. I was pissed and it wasn't even me. You are more than welcome to use one of my Honda's if you can't get your bike done in time for Summit. Just give me a call.
Quote from: salvagerider on June 24, 2009, 03:22:40 PM
Chris, I saw the whole thing. He couldn't have hit you any better if he tried. Way out of control!!!!!!!! I know your pissed. I was pissed and it wasn't even me. You are more than welcome to use one of my Honda's if you can't get your bike done in time for Summit. Just give me a call.
Damm man thats a great offer to a fellow competitor. Hopefully one that never needs to be used but incredibly cool just the same.
Antoine Richards of Devonshire, Bermuda #331
Yup, he is a reasonably nice kid off track and can be fast, but i have seen a few occasions where he rides totally over his head with little regard for others. I wish his buddy Paul Decouto would have a talk with him. (Paul is a cool dude and good safe rider). I stay as far away from Antoine as possible in practice, and am glad im gridded fairly far in front of him this season.
I normally don't point this type of thing out on a forum, but there seems to be a pattern forming with #331.
I had nearly the same thing happen to me in a race that weekend, however i at least was not on the loosing end of the situation. The rider i had clearly passed going into t7 i think, decides to try and brake way late after nearly crashing exiting the esses that allowed me to easily drive past. Looking through to the corner and leaning to the right i feel a big hit and fight to retain control of my bike. I look over my shoulder as im running wide up the hill and a blue r6 is skidding off track .. same guy that had all kinds of problems for 2 laps trying to stay in front of me. I was glad he was ok, and MORE glad that it was him on the ground (but ok) not me. We talked briefly the next day so it was all good.
Quote from: MELK-MAN on June 25, 2009, 09:37:15 AM
Antoine Richards of Devonshire, Bermuda #331
Yup, he is a reasonably nice kid off track but i have seen a few occasions where he rides totally over his head with little regard for others. I wish his buddy Paul Decouto would have a talk with him. (Paul is a cool dude and good safe rider). I stay as far away from Antoine as possible in practice, and am glad im gridded fairly far in front of him this season.
I normally don't point this type of thing out on a forum, but there seems to be a pattern forming with #331.
Thanks for speaking up, Greg. You have been around for a bit and have probably seen your share of this kind of stuff. I really appreciate your input. The question is, what will CCS do with this information? What is done is done, obviously. If taking a guy like Antoine off the track for a bit or letting him know he's being watched very closely averts another encounter that may have more drastic consequences, will they do that? I have a tremendous amount of respect for the organization, race director and race day staff and I know they have our safety in mind at all times. I look forward to competing again soon.
Hey Hollywood , its me Paul Decouto , I had the pleasure of racing with you ( toe to toe at Road America last season ( we battled for last place and I won !!!...( last place that is ; ) the best battle I have ever had, thanks !!! Anyhow I did pass on the word to Antoine and he says he will respond . He is a great guy ( usually ).. he has a bit of an "over competitive" streak that he needs to tame before he or someone else gets hurt seriously , he has had several warnings here at our local track in Bermuda . I believe he has potential to be a great rider .... like Pirelli's slogan .... "Power is Nothing without Control" ... Antoine , dont rush things , there is a learning curve that takes time .... take the time to learn .... its not ALL about the destination its about the journey , enjoy it .. :thumb
pd
Thanks Paul, I look forward to hearing from Antione. I appreciate your input, and hearing what a few people have now said about his riding, I also look forward to seeing how he will be recieved at the track in the future.
Best of luck to you this season Paul!
Awesome, thanks Paul. Antione has potential and has the fire in him but he needs to take "baby steps". Going fast is one thing, passing riders safely is another and that for some has to come with experience. See you guys at Barber or Daytona !
CCS will do what is required when needed, but personally I don't think pulling a rider off the track is the call right now. He does not ride this way every weekend (from what i have seen). It is up to other riders to perhaps point out to officials to "keep an eye" on him. Now that he knows im sure he will take the steps to be a better and safer racer. He has the skill to do it, he just needs to know that we all have to go to work on monday and that this is club racing. Few of us get a paycheck out of this, in fact most pay substancial amounts of money to get a bike to the grid let alone finish a race.
A reasonable post in my opinion, Chris.
Racing means we will wreck, possibly because of the actions of others. I was taken out the first turn of the first race this weekend. Thankfully I just have some bruised ribs (hope they aren't cracked), a beat up shoulder, and a big bruise on my opposite hip, the bike was largely ok. I simply couldn't afford to race following a wreck like that. It would take a lot of money and several weeks for me to piece it back together.
It's a hard thing to balance progression with the importance of safety. In fact I'd say sometimes it's impossible to get faster without taking those risks... but doing so without the control necessary endangers everyone on the track. This kind of thing rarely happens with control, and that's where I think the other rider is wrong. Not for hitting you, or punting your bike off track, but for failing to maintain the appropriate amount of control over his machine... that is what he should apologize for.
With Racing, regardless of waivers, comes with Great responsibility. First, responsibility of making decisions at a blink of an eye with regard to your fellow rider....remember we all have to work on Monday!!
In club and any other form of motorcycle racing, respect and trust have to be paramount. Through negligence you can maime or even kill fellow racers which is why I don't particularly like racing against/with kids (particularly with the CMRA) - I don't feel that I can get too aggressive with them and would feel horrible taking someone out of racing permanently.
We had a younger expert who took out a grizzled veteran who may never ride or potentially walk again. It was clearly a rider error. This expert did the right thing and quit racing.
To be able to race cleanly aggressively, you need a certain level of maturity and patience. Think twice about making that sketchy pass because it may cost you and the other rider $100k in medical bills, lost wages etc...
Unfortunately, some riders have the bin or win it mentality. Which is "ok" if it does just involve themselves. I have a good friend who is ultra competitive and crashes out once a weekend - but he never takes anyone else out and will take himself out to save another rider. This case up here is clearly different.
I think that it's a good post because it certainly causes one to stop and think. it is fortunate that the punted rider was not injured.
I'd like to see more hurddles for racers to make the expert ranks. What about a review board from veteran riders? Track orgs ban certain riders and race orgs can certainly do the same even with talented riders if these individuals present too much risk to the rest of the grid. If the race org choose not to weigh in, then racers can police themselves to some extent.
My $0.02
Stephen
Not gonna say it............
God, it's a good thing when I take my happy pills early in the morning!
Antoine asked me to post the following message :Hey Paul. I checked the CCS forum again and I still can't post a reply because the administrators haven't accepted my registration. Would you mind posting something explaining why I haven't responded yet so it doesn't look like I'm just ignoring the situation?
Hey Paul, it was nice to meet you last weekend. You seem like a cool cat. :thumb:
Hey Lory , nice meeting u too , thanks again for giving way to me after i overshot that turn , that was really cool of ya ...smile
Quote from: Burt Munro on June 26, 2009, 12:40:25 PM
Not gonna say it............
God, it's a good thing when I take my happy pills early in the morning!
I would prefer you say it. Take your happy pills a few hours later. You are a respected and long standing member of this community. What do you think?
Sorry Chris, I guess I confused you.
My comment wasn't about your situation - it was directed toward a comment posted here by someone I'm acquainted with.
As far as your situation, I think your handling it as appropriately as you can under the circumstances. The best action now is for the people that Antoine trusts and respects to help him learn proper track/race conduct before he badly injures someone else or himself.
Sounds like he's been lucky up til now maintaining his 'video game' approach. Gotta get thru to him before he crashes and burns and suddenly realizes you can't just hit the restart button on the keyboard - this isn't a game where you get to start over without consequences .
Good luck!
Oh, one more thing....... You might want to get with the Race Director the next time your at a track with Antoine. They can help in getting additional input from respected riders and the Corner Workers verifying unsafe riding and then take reasonable action.
Hollywood, yes that is racing. What happened could happen again. Could come from a very experienced expert next time too. Did you watch the AMA Road America races when Josh Hayes took out a privateer racer. He was not even close to making it and ended the day for both of them and who should know better than Josh Hayes. When you are pushing hard and trying new things sometimes mistakes happens. Sorry it happened and he could of handled it different but if you are gonna keep cryin and bitchen about something like this maybe you should go do trackdays.
I was hit in the same manner once, no room on the inside of a fast left corner.
Then a blur and the breath knocked out of me, luckily didn't crash, but broke 3 ribs when his fairing impacted my left side.
Never an apology.
Tried to forgive, forget and move along, but it's a difficult concept when it changes the way you take a breath.
In the end, it is racing, sometimes there are wild idiots out there.
If I recall correctly, a certain rider was banned for a while from AMACCS back in the early 80's, for dangerous and over aggressive riding, he later went Pro with AMA where he was banned for a year.
Quote from: Whitebuell on June 27, 2009, 08:12:49 AM
Hollywood, yes that is racing. What happened could happen again. Could come from a very experienced expert next time too. Did you watch the AMA Road America races when Josh Hayes took out a privateer racer. He was not even close to making it and ended the day for both of them and who should know better than Josh Hayes. When you are pushing hard and trying new things sometimes mistakes happens. Sorry it happened and he could of handled it different but if you are gonna keep cryin and bitchen about something like this maybe you should go do trackdays.
Your missing one HUGE ingredient of the "pro" and "club racer" equation. JOSH HAYES GETS A BIG FRIGGIN PAYCHECK to ride his bike as fast as he can. He has a bunch of eager beavers back in the pits and a tractor/trailer of spare shit that can fix the bike if he crashes! We all have to go to our "day job" on monday. This analogy is a poor example of "well it was racing". There is riding hard and riding above your head. Does a pro make a mistake from time to time? obviously. I would also say that if you watch Josh Hayes week in and week out he makes thousands of GOOD calculations about where and when to pass all the while on the very edge as fast as a bike can be ridden. I have had the pleasure of riding with and talking with Josh H. and i would bet that if it was his fault that the crash occured and he knew someone got dinged up he would say "sorry" to them personally.
Quote from: Whitebuell on June 27, 2009, 08:12:49 AM
Sorry it happened and he could of handled it different but if you are gonna keep cryin and bitchen about something like this maybe you should go do trackdays.
I wasn't trying to come across as crying and bitching Joel, people that know me know that's not my style. And why would you apologize? You didn't hit me, he did. You are right about one thing though, he could have handled it differently and so far up to this point he has chosen not to.
I am glad you are okay Hollywood.
well said Greg !!
I guess what I am saying is that what happened to you can happen to anyone anytime. So why get on the boards? Every time you and someone come together and it is not your fault or the guy does not say sorry it is time to start a forum and call the guy out in front of everyone. Are you so upset you did not get an apology? If he would have said sorry would you have said anything here?
I guess I am responding because I caused a crash like that once. Do not think I was riding over my head but just made a bad decision when I went to pass. Told the guy how sorry I was because his weekend was over. Could not help him w/ parts because we were on totally different bikes. I felt bad but was also happy both of us were not hurt. I learned from that incident and grew as a racer because of it.
Hopefully he will learn and grow from your incident as well Chris. This is why I do not agree when racers crash and post up calling someone out about it.
Greg it is racing and can happen at any time. It is club racing which means there is even more of a chance that something like this could happen. Did you guys not notice all the red flags that weekend. When you go racing crashes happen. Do you actually think that because you have to go to work on Monday that there will be no crashes or that no one is pushing hard or that they will be extra careful around you. Do you also think that every crash will end with both guys hugging each other. Please.
i feel where your coming from Joel. Help me out though with what you meant "i wasn't riding over my head but i made a bad decision" .. and took a guy out? One difference of your situation and what has been discussed in this thread is you found the rider and to say sorry. Often that mends things and both riders go away feeling a tad better. Yes, it is racing and crashes happen every race weekend. Sometimes lots of em. I get the feeling that if Antoine would have been a bit more sincere with an appology..or even recognized he made a bone head move and said so, i don't think we would have seen this thread. It's like the drug addict, the 1st step to recovery is admitting they have a problem..
I will say this. There are a number of national riders and up-n-comers that have the skills to chase manufacturer money. This can mean thousands of dollars at certain race events. I assure you riders like Jensen,Wood,Stokes,Lynn will make thier way to the front and not say "excuse me" while doing it. However.. have you noticed they make good passes ? I don't hear many tales or see these riders punting people off the track. They have the skill AND the racecraft to get er' done.
Joel, I think you are missing my point. Missing it by a lot. Yeah, racing is tough and shit happens. I get that.
Let me make something real clear for you. I didn't crash. I didn't lose the front and look around for someone to blame. Hell, I didn't just crash because he passed me closely or bumped into me, as earlier stated, I can handle that. He RAN INTO me hard enough to leave rubber on my leathers. A lot of rubber. He did that while attempting to pass me in a place and under conditions that anyone with a brain would never have attempted to. And although I was (luckily) not too badly hurt, his irresponsible actions destroyed a motorcycle and caused my weekend to be over. I didn't do anything to earn that except I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He furthered the incident by telling me that "it's racing" when I asked him how he wanted to handle the situation, after I had to find him.
So you come out and try to blast me for putting this stuff up here as some kind of "calling out"? When something doesn't sit right with me I get it out there, it's much better for me to do that than to let what I have been feeling about this whole thing simmer. I would rather inform people I don't know personally but ride handlebar to handlebar with at 160 that there are people that carry on in this fashion, and this is their name and this is what happened. I've only ever told the truth in what happened and have let people draw their own conclusions.
And yeah, a big part of acting like an adult is, well, acting like an adult. Admit your faults. Especially when the consequences could have been dire. Accept responsibility, pay your share. All things that are easy to live by. You did it when you whacked the guy you spoke about. Antoine still hasn't. On either account.
In Bermuda Antione has earned the nickname " The Bulldozer " !! This nickname was given to him by our local racing club President !! Antoine took him out during racing on more than one occasion !! Sometimes under "special" circumstances there needs to be some form of intervention when a " distructive" patern is seen to be forming ( note I used the word distructive cause self-distructive was not sufficent ) Furthermore in this tough economic climate anything that is seen to degrade the sport we all love should be bought to attention , racing is expensive !! Sponsorship is becoming more difficult to find !! Sponsors rely on maintaining their image , I know cause I am one !! Antione approached me about sponsorship , given his track record I was forced to decline . ( as Greg said )There thousands of GOOD calculations about where and when to pass all the while on the very edge as fast as a bike can be ridden. I believe Its all about finding " stillness " and making decissions from a "still" mind . The more track experience you have the slower things should feel , even in a " tight " situation . As I read , under race conditions ,Valentino Rossi's heart rate doesnt raise dramaticly during situations that would normally cause "panic" in most racers !! I applaude "Hollywood" for taking this "Public" , cause we are all in this together : )
Greg, those guys you mentioned did not just get that way overnight. I assure you they made plenty of mistakes as they rose through the ranks. Maybe even some very bone headed mistakes. I doubt they would of liked it that every time they made a bone head move a bunch of guys started bitching about it on the forums. I do not know this guy so if he is doing this all the time(sounds like it may be the case) then maybe you have a point to discuss it.
Chris, I am not missing your point. This guy made a mistake that cost you and you want everyone to hear about it. If you keep at this awhile and are not running at the very front then most likely something similar will happen again. Be sure to post up next time it happens too.
Quote from: Whitebuell on June 28, 2009, 02:01:51 PM
Greg, those guys you mentioned did not just get that way overnight. I assure you they made plenty of mistakes as they rose through the ranks. Maybe even some very bone headed mistakes. I doubt they would of liked it that every time they made a bone head move a bunch of guys started bitching about it on the forums. I do not know this guy so if he is doing this all the time(sounds like it may be the case) then maybe you have a point to discuss it.
Chris, I am not missing your point. This guy made a mistake that cost you and you want everyone to hear about it. If you keep at this awhile and are not running at the very front then most likely something similar will happen again. Be sure to post up next time it happens too.
See the post above yours made by Paul D. about Antione the "bulldozer" . Im not saying he rides all the time in a dangerous manner but more often than than most riders. You again are making comparisons about riders who have made it to the pro levels.. It won't work and is a weak argument in this thread. Pro riders make it to the pro ranks staying mostly healthy and finishing races by NOT getting nicknames like "bulldozer".. They crash pushing limits, but do not often make banzai passes that they are not sure will have a good outcome. If someone is riding like that, the percent chance of them being a pro level rider are very low and it is a matter of time before the run out of resources for fixing bikes, have an injury that sidelines them from racing, or organizers are forced to take action to protect that rider and others.. It goes without saying that if a rider is having to make banzai passes on club/regional level riders it is unlikely they have the pace to run with pro level riders anyway!
I have seen it written somewhere by someone (i honestly can not remember who or when) that in club/regional racing if your crashing more than 1 time a year your likely doing something wrong. 1 crash a year for a long season and someone doing 5-6 or more races may be a bit optomistic.
As i said earlier, Antione is a nice young man. I have spoken to him a few times and even offered advice when he asked. I just hope he tones the agressive riding down a bit as it is costly and at times dangerous for him and others.
Hollywood, it sounds like it's clear to people at the track that this guy's a loose canon and that reputation hasn't changed his behavior. File a written complaint with the local race director, track owner and HQ at CCS and tell them the facts. Submit witnesses to back you up. The next time you're at the track make sure the race director and corner workers have their eye out for bad behavior.
Posting here won't accomplish much. Your peers already know his riding style. Frankly, it sounds like you were out for more than an apology and that you expected him to pay damages. That's unlikely. If all you were after was an apology and acknowledgment, you have a right to expect that but some people are blind to their flaws.
Good luck (and I don't mean that sarcastically).
Good day Hollywood and the rest of the members of this board
I Antoine Richards and I was the knucklehead that took you out last weekend at VIR. i would like to take the opportunity to publicly apologize for the endangering the safety of a fellow racer and causing serious damage to what was a well kept and pretty sweet bike. I am truly sorry for this and hope that you can find it to forgive me Hollywood.
As far as the incident itself I will briefly address how it happened. I was in the process of making up lost spots (I had been forced off the track on lap two) when i caught up to you at the crest of turn 7. The mistake i made was being indecisive about when and where it was safe for me to pass you. I hesitated and found myself making a last second decision since i was closing in on you too quickly. I believe made the best decision i could for safety the both of us. I am truly sorry for even putting you in a situation that was NOT your fault and you did not even see coming.
As far as my handling of the situation i would also like to state my case. After coming in i immediately lapped the paddock looking for your pit. I didn't see you so i assumed that the crash truck had not come in yet. I had just returned to my garage, removed my helmet, and was about to set out on foot to find you when i you found me. As you have said earlier our initial encounter was very brief and less than ideal. From reading your earlier post i gather that my apologizes during our meeting were not heard. Understandable considering what i had just unfairly put you through. I would like to reiterate though, that i had apologized and accepted full responsibility for the incident when we were face to face.
In closing i have been following this thread since i was made aware of it on Friday morning and have taken all of the comments to heart. I must admit it has been a little painful to read all these post without having the opportunity to apologize publicly (i have been waiting for an administrator to accept my forum registration since Friday morning). I value the respect of my peers and my reputation as a racer. I am not some a$$hole who races to satisfy his big ego without caring for the safety and wellbeing of others. I am a young racer from the small island of Bermuda who is doing his utmost to fulfil his dream of being a full time in the AMA and (hopefully) beyond. This leads me to push harder than the rest of us but i personally do not believe that this allows me to place my fellow racers in danger. As such i will be foregoing my next race to take another riding school so that i can sharpen my skills even further in a noncompetitive environment. i want to be an ambassador for my island and a respected racer and being an unsafe rider will prevent me from accomplishing both of these goals. So i humbly ask for you, Hollywood and the rest of my racing family to forgive me. I will do my best to regain the trust and respect of my fellow racers.
Thank you for reading
Antoine Richards
WERA/CCS #331EX
Apology accepted. I hope that you find the the instruction and schooling you are seeking. I am glad you clearly remember the situation in enough detail to be able to see what you did wrong, and will hopefully apply that experience towards the way you ride in the future on the track.
Good luck Antoine. I hope to never hear anyone call you "Bulldozer" again.......
Quote from: PlayHard on June 29, 2009, 09:34:45 PM
WOW, another to watch out for!!! This is not professional racing dude. Not even close. We have to work for a living and racing COSTS US a ton of money. Sometimes, sorry doesn't cut it. What makes it worse is in this case, there wasn't even a sorry, until now.
I will vouch for Joel...you don't need to watch out for him.
Hollywood, Bermy... Glad you guys got together and a public apology was made. As for anyone else looking to post from here on out. Let this one lye.. No good can come from more posts...
Hollywood, as for a bike... Let me know what you need (parts, bike, a hug)... The bike is sitting here, you might have to dig the spurs kinda deep in the stock motor, but she likes that.
Again bro... I hope all is well and keep me in the loop..
Jamie.. :thumb:
jasson. how is it that they were not concerned about crashing.
holloywood.......dood you need to take up golf. i havent heard so much drama since watching gone with the wind.....geeez
Quote from: ducnut916 on July 01, 2009, 06:00:06 PM
jasson. how is it that they were not concerned about crashing.
holloywood.......dood you need to take up golf. i havent heard so much drama since watching gone with the wind.....geeez
ducnut. It's apparent you must have missed my last post in this now-dead thread. Let me respond to you by telling you that after saving a few dollars to be spent on grammar lessons I suggest that unless you have something constructive to add that you don't add anything at all. Drama is purely subjective to the reader and unless it happened to you, well, you're just a reader. Have a nice day!