Come on...give us some tracks to race

[roadracer67]

Hey Stone,

Anybody told you that they love you lately?

 ;)

[trussdude]

Ok, I don't want Stone to take all the heat. Stone is a guy that CCS SW needs. Everybody may not like him, but he is extremely passionate about his hobby. For him to post this topic, means he wants this region to improve. He has made a large investment in this sport in a short time. He continually brings new people to the track. The people that have been with CCS a while say "I've seen his type come and go" That is the problem, why are they going? Why are we not keeping our racers from year to year? The racers that have been there 5+ years would probably be there every year no matter what.

In the SW, our grids are extremely small. At the last race, I was the only expert SuperTwins rider on the grid. I started out as a CCS corner worker in 1988 at Moroso in Florida. So, even though I have only been racing a short time, I have been around CCS a long time.

Why don't we have a press release sent out to Cycle News and Roadracing World. There is absolutely no press coverage of our events. It's hard to keep sponsors with out any press coverage.

We do have a problem in the Southwest. I know Stone wants to help fix it. I want to help fix it also. You can't discount somebody's opinion because he's only in his first full year of racing. Everybody wants to defend CCS and the people that run the SW on this board. That's fine, but we need to admit there is a problem and fix it. You can't always go back in the past and say "We tried that and it didn't work"

Why does the local track day group get a date at Firebird Main and we have to race on a questionable West track?

Our team just came back from an AFM event this past weekend at Infineon. It was a 15 hour drive from Phoenix and it was worth it. Over 30 riders on every grid and 47 in the 4 hour endurance race. Stone and I want CCS SW to have that many riders.

This year, we got a new track to race in our region, Arroyo Seco in New Mexico. Only 2 CCS SW experts showed up for the race. Right now, I don't care for the track a lot, (because I suck at it) but I will keep coming back because the track owner is moving in the right direction and I want to support the track.

Flame away

[MZGirl]

Your constantly trying explain why you ride the bikes that you do...but in the same sentence belittling anyone that rides a 1k.

Um, he does ride a 1k.   ::)

[roadracer67]

Well thought out response. Every org. should always be looking at improving. Ideas should come from all directions  and all people. If Stone has some ideas to better the region, lets hear them.... In the end, a better region makes for better racing right?

[Roger@ASMA]

I agree Pat, the SW does need someone like Stone, so we can give him crap on the BSR boards  ;)  

Seriously, the first time Stone came down to ASR, he ran off at the worst possible spot. At around 80mph, he was hit by another rider who wasn't going to make the corner and went off the track mid-corner. Thank God we had no walls out there or he would have hit something solid. Dave complained up a storm about it being bumpy out there (nobody had ever run off where he did ) and it made me take a serious look at the runoff. (He even called me and offered to smooth it with a tractor himself ). In the offseason, I spent close to 2 months clearing more runoff at EVERY corner of the track. Honestly, you can't expect most tracks to cater to us riders though, for most, sports car is where they get their revenue. And, unfortunately, the SCCA has different objective's and guidelines for getting certified to hold their races. I know this because they've asked for some changes at our track since it was opened but the previous owner refused to make any changes and thus had no sports car races for YEARS. In 2001 or so he allowed the SCCA to build tire walled corner worker stations and they finally had their first race here because SCCA dropped other requests or demands or whatever.  I'm glad they did, because they have races here now and are considering adding more for next year. You can be sure they'd like some walls around this place, but it isn't going to happen. I value my friends lives (riders) as well as my own.

Dave may be loud, outspoken and sometimes full of s*$t, but he really does want the SW to grow. I'm just glad he isn't as fast as he thinks he is  ;D

[Stone]

Um, he does ride a 1k.   ::)

Sticking up for your husband doesnt count :-*

If he does ride a 1k...bring it on the track. Lets see how he measures up. Surely he must be faster than this lowely amatuer  ::)

[Stone]

I'm just glad he isn't as fast as he thinks he is  ;D

Duuuudde....Dont make me blip ya! :)

[MZGirl]

Lets see how he measures up.

Who's going to hold the measuring tape for you?   :-X

[Stone]

Well thought out response. Every org. should always be looking at improving. Ideas should come from all directions  and all people. If Stone has some ideas to better the region, lets hear them.... In the end, a better region makes for better racing right?

Thanks for the support guys. I dont think that this board would be the right place to negotiate thru this ordeal. There is key information that Randy and others have that I wouldnt think that they would like posted to the board. I would be willing to donate my time and I am sure that there are a few others that have some years under their belt (business wise) that would also. I beg to have a meeting with Randy to see what we can do to help the situation out (Are ya reading this Randy's son??).

I am sure that there is more than one way to skin a cat when it comes to the org.

[Stone]

Who's going to hold the measuring tape for you?   :-X

I am....the measuring stick ;D

[Zac]

Sticking up for your husband doesnt count :-*

If he does ride a 1k...bring it on the track. Lets see how he measures up. Surely he must be faster than this lowely amatuer  ::)

I don't know, but my 1K only makes around 85hp and wieghs probably over 500lbs  ;D  I have had it out on Arroyo before, but it was limited by the Dragon GTS sport touring tires  ::)

Being faster than me, bike regardless, ain't that big of a deal.  I'm not that fast.  Now as far as a challange, anyone on a single faster than Elaine has my respect.  ;D

And I don't have a chip on my shoulder against the 1k riders.  It does get pretty old hearing them complain about limited classes, but hey, that's their choice they made.  I've just seen a lot of new guys on 1ks that would probably be faster on a smaller bike, including the track day set, and to me it seems that it would make more sense to get one's feet wet in racing on a smaller bike.  I admit that I also think the bike performance has gotten out of control.  Just like all the MotoGP guys who said that Laguna was fine on a Superbike but the MotoGP bikes are too fast and the track became dangerous.  The bikes are getting faster at a much greater rate than the tracks are improving runoff.  I just don't understand that although today's 600s are faster than the open bikes of 10 years ago, the popularity of 1ks have soared in the past few years.  I've never ridden on West, so I have to base this on peoples opinions that West isn't suited for 1ks, but it sounds like the bikes have outgrown the track.

But I don't ride little bikes because I think they are "safer".  I consider myself just as likely to get hurt no matter what bike I'm on, that's part of the game.  I ride the little bikes soley because I have more fun on them, and I thought that was the point of this whole exercise.

Back to my original point in my earlier post.  There are cheaper ways to race than on the newest, biggest, baddest bike.  I seen a lot of riders run out of money or stop having fun that way, and they disappear.  People might discount the LW classes or the sportsman type classes, but if you can bring in large grids for those classes it's more profit the race org can use to improve the series as a whole, including the premeir classes.  Isn't that the point?

-z.

[Stone]

I don't know, but my 1K only makes around 85hp and wieghs probably over 500lbs  ;D  I have had it out on Arroyo before, but it was limited by the Dragon GTS sport touring tires  ::)

Being faster than me, bike regardless, ain't that big of a deal.  I'm not that fast.  Now as far as a challange, anyone on a single faster than Elaine has my respect.  ;D

And I don't have a chip on my shoulder against the 1k riders.  It does get pretty old hearing them complain about limited classes, but hey, that's their choice they made.  I've just seen a lot of new guys on 1ks that would probably be faster on a smaller bike, including the track day set, and to me it seems that it would make more sense to get one's feet wet in racing on a smaller bike.  I admit that I also think the bike performance has gotten out of control.  Just like all the MotoGP guys who said that Laguna was fine on a Superbike but the MotoGP bikes are too fast and the track became dangerous.  The bikes are getting faster at a much greater rate than the tracks are improving runoff.  I just don't understand that although today's 600s are faster than the open bikes of 10 years ago, the popularity of 1ks have soared in the past few years.  I've never ridden on West, so I have to base this on peoples opinions that West isn't suited for 1ks, but it sounds like the bikes have outgrown the track.

But I don't ride little bikes because I think they are "safer".  I consider myself just as likely to get hurt no matter what bike I'm on, that's part of the game.  I ride the little bikes soley because I have more fun on them, and I thought that was the point of this whole exercise.

Back to my original point in my earlier post.  There are cheaper ways to race than on the newest, biggest, baddest bike.  I seen a lot of riders run out of money or stop having fun that way, and they disappear.  People might discount the LW classes or the sportsman type classes, but if you can bring in large grids for those classes it's more profit the race org can use to improve the series as a whole, including the premeir classes.  Isn't that the point?

-z.

At 230lbs....I need all the ponies I can get. I personally wouldnt have as much fun riding a bike that didnt have the power that the 1k has. Hell...I wish it had more.

I saw Elaine run at Arroyo with Savoca. It was entertaining to see them go at it in the rain. I was wishing that I was out there on rain tires getting the same experience in the wet (none as of yet). I will give this to her...She is the fastest chick in the west.