Just thought I would start a topic on what people liked and/or didn't like about the event this weekend (silence is generally taken as acceptance!).
Good:
The announcers kept on the ball with making the calls for the upcoming races, for the most part. Bill using the P.A. system for the racers meeting Sunday worked alot better than Saturday without it. The event as a whole seemed to move along fairly smoothly, even in the red flag situations. I like that they put the reminder signs along the exit road about returning the TRANSMITTERS (gee, didn't someone here on the board suggest that?). The corner workers were quick to get out the yellow, yellow & red, and red flags during all my races. I am also glad to see that R.A. is finally bringing safety to the forefront and modifying the 'kink' to hopefully resolve the danger aspect of that area.
Needs work:
The 1 morning practice situation sucks! The time given from the end of the riders meeting to the start of the 1st race was way too short! By the time I got to my trailer they were on 2nd call and went to 3rd about a minute later. The lunch was pretty long and I would have given up 5 or 10 minutes of that time to extend the time between the riders meeting and the 1st race. 5 mph pit speed, I understand why, but that is rediculously slow (just figured it out, at that rate it takes 3 minutes to go a 1/4 mile!). There were alot of unsupervised small children riding bicycles all over the place, often times in the middle of the roads not paying attention to their surroundings! One child I encountered was weaving side to side in the middle of the main pit road as traffic was traveling both directions, forcing everyone to stop because of him. Now the no bicycle rule and no unlicensed drivers riding pit vehicles rule like at Daytona doesn't sound so unreasonable! (Too bad a few have to ruin it for all)
I have to give CCS a 'good job' rating for the event as whole from my stand point, and really appreciated the great weather they got for us this weekend also!
Well it was my first time out at RA
;D and I am still a buzzin' about it ;D
I have to say I loved the Kink! and I will truly miss it :( (yeah I know it is dangerous there, but it was my favorite corner)
The announcers did a Great job.... and it was them, that make a good time for the spectators... so kudos!
Electronic scoring gets a thumps ups!
Corner works did one heck of a great job in the races I was in... (pat on the back for them all)
Now for the ugly side!
one morning practice just blew chunks! My pit hand was a few mins late Sat. and due to that I never got a practice on Sat, I had assumed that there was two sessions... and when I found out that there was not.. I was steaming mad >:(!
For all that didn't preregister... the jacked up the race entry fees to 100-75.. and so on... WTH was that!
Have they changed the kink in some way? Please tell me about it. I corner worked and attended the race, but did not see the kink.
QuoteHave they changed the kink in some way? Please tell me about it. I corner worked and attended the race, but did not see the kink.
They are currently in the process of constructing the change coming out of the carousel and blending into the kink. Bill said it should be done for use the next time we visit R.A.
I was not able to attend the event so this change has my curiousity. Does anybody know if this change will be used for bike races only or will it be used for car events also?
Permanent track change - they're going for FIM certification!!! :o Which means if they get it, the BIG show will be coming to town. How cool would that be??
But I like the kink - pick up a lot of time there when everyone else rolls off the gas. Oh well.
Quote Now the no bicycle rule and no unlicensed drivers riding pit vehicles rule like at Daytona doesn't sound so unreasonable
I'm pretty sure in the RA brochure theres rules listed that states only competitors and pit crews can operate motorized vehicles and bicycles in the paddocks. I remember there also being a part about spectators can only operate street licensed motor vehicles and bicycles around the track but no it the paddocks.
One thing I wished RA would enforce is the no race engines after 8PM or 9PM. That one guy revving his racebike at 10 PM friday night was annoying.
My gripes.
Registration at Seibkins thursday night was a cluster. At 5:30 people started lining up in front of the pre and post registration tables. Then they tell us we need a wrist band first. ::) Then they set THAT up next to the side door. How about next year, at 5:45 boot everyone out of the bar and form a line outside. Real nice job of butting in line people. ::)
Camping passes should had been made available at Seibkins or teh track should had kept 4 mile merchant open until 10pm so people can get out of Seibkins and to the track.
Bill should had used the PA system from day 1. This "everyone move closer" is BS. Even at BHF's he's hard to hear unless you are within 15'. All I heard Friday and Sat's riders meetings was the generators in the background.
Other than that, it was fun. ;D
Hopefully next year Kim's bike wont go mechanical when we are supposed to race eachother. ;D
About the announcers:
Ed Key is now officially 58 yrs old. Cool how you can add a whole decade just by telling everyone at the track three times. :o
Megan and Mark Stiles are now brother and sister. Wow, how'd their mom do it? ;) :D ;D
Charlie Buse (pronounced byoos) is now Chuck Buse.(pronounced byoosie). He must've been adopted by Gary's (the actor) family. We'll be seeing him in a movie soon, I'm sure. 8)
Other than that, it was a blast. Good racing, good weather, good friends. ;D ;D ;D
QuoteAbout the announcers:
Megan and Mark Stiles are now brother and sister. Wow, how'd their mom do it? ;) :D ;D
;D ;D ;D
In Alabama that's legal!!!
Announcers. I'd like to give them all a fat lip. Last year I won six championships, and they never said my name once. This year I float my valves and go backwards, so the announcer does a two-minute essay on how "Chris K3 Onwiler won multiple championships last year, but now he's finding out how tough the competition is in the expert class!"
Thanks, @$$#ole! Couldn't have cared less or even have noticed me when I was a winning amateur, but oh how quickly the vultures circle when you move up to expert...
QuoteIn Alabama that's legal!!!
He said it, not me! :o (I love Alabama, really I do.) ;)
QuoteAnnouncers. I'd like to give them all a fat lip. Last year I won six championships, and they never said my name once. This year I float my valves and go backwards, so the announcer does a two-minute essay on how "Chris K3 Onwiler won multiple championships last year, but now he's finding out how tough the competition is in the expert class!"
Thanks, @$$#ole! Couldn't have cared less or even have noticed me when I was a winning amateur, but oh how quickly the vultures circle when you move up to expert...
They had Dean Hagemann going off in 5...yeah, I was watching, Dean didn't go off in 5, a different bike did, and Dean was kicking some serious butt!!!
QuoteI have to say I loved the Kink! and I will truly miss it :( (yeah I know it is dangerous there, but it was my favorite corner)
Don't get me wrong about the kink, I like it too, but its' lack of run-off area and that wall tremendously increase the risk of injury or death in the event of even a small error at those speeds. This sport/obsession has risk enough without something like walls poorly positioned in impact zones, I imagine that Miguel Duhamel would agree. Some people will get lucky and walk away from a crash in the kink, others unnecessarily may be disabled for life! Someone I used to race with in the late 90's was 1 of 7 riders to pile into the wall on the outside of the kink after a bike lost some oil ahead of them, he got lucky and walked away, others didn't!
As much as I enjoy the kink, changing it is in everyones best interest (safety wise), and hopefully will present new challenges and opportunities with the new design! I'm wondering what the new track length is going to be now? It has to be longer, so will the concession building now be the 4.2 mile merchant? ;D LOL
As the weekend was coming to a close, and I was finding more and more speed out there...
I found on the last two laps in the kink, my rear tire was getting unsettled in a scary way.
Trust me I had the thought more then once or twice of what those walls meant, as the bike started sliding the rear more and more.
Can't they more the wall??? instead!
Behind the wall is a ravine, I guess, so you do need the wall there to "keep you in the field of play".
I thought the weekend went well. Friday and Saturday were pretty good, but Sunday took like seventy hours. I think Kevin Elliott thought the same thing when I talked to him on Sunday. Good amount of red flags. etc.
But really it all went pretty well.
I don't really like RA myself, but I had a good time. And the weather was great!
As for camping passes, you could camp over night on thursday and buy your pass on Friday...they were ok with that.
My opinion on the kink...It's fun at 120...it's scary at 135...unfortunately to be competitive 135 is the speed you need to be at. I won't miss it, but it was fun...
1st call is almost always done at the riders meeting for race 1 ??? If you are in race 1 you should be suited up and almost ready at the meeting.
Maybe because I have a son I didn't mind and in fact encourage the children running around and having fun...it's just bad parenting to be letting them do that in dangerous areas consistently though.
Siebkens was a cluster...everyone was jockying for position like it was turn 1! ;D What do you expect :)
The announcers weren't perfect...but at least they had them and were generally entertaining for the spectators. 90%+ of the people there didn't know any better some of the factual errors!
On the announcers, they were talking about Aprilia RS250s and saying how anyone can go buy one from an Aprilia dealer to ride around on the street. I about fell over laughing. I wish someone told those two that 2 strokes made after 86 are not street legal unless under 100cc's. ;D
Actually, Rob, there are quite a few street legal Aprilia RS250's running around. However, it is not as easy as running down to the Aprilia dealership.
Quite a few? Like 50? Still a small number, I'm sure. Probably a lot more RZ350's still running around.
I agree with calls to grid being to close together. I had to start my first Sunday race from the pit road because the 3rd call was seconds after the second call. The 4 board came up seconds later. Still placed 6th! ;D
QuoteActually, Rob, there are quite a few street legal Aprilia RS250's running around. However, it is not as easy as running down to the Aprilia dealership.
I didnt say it wasnt possible to get one registered. I've seen a RS on the street. But according to the EPA, 2 stroke streetbikes are not allowed technically. To a DMV worker, RS, NSR, RGV and such are just letters and they have no idea what they are registering for someone.