Nate Kern is Dangerous.

[Jersey Girl]

Well said Jeanne. 

[IBFrank]

Oh yeah, well I've known Ed since 93', he is the coolest.
                 Now someone lock this damn thread!!!

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

I've seen more of Ed Key on track than many, because I've usually run classes that shared the track with him.  I wish I could say I've raced Ed wheel-to-wheel, but I've never been that good.
From my days as a Lightweight Amateur and getting lapped by Ed, to my time spent running a 750 in F40 and getting caught by Ed and the other F40 Light leaders, I've been the guy Ed needed to get by on the last lap more than once.  Even with the competition breathing down his neck and my fat ass squarely in the way, Ed has never pulled a questionable pass on me.  Ruthlessly crisp, accurate, and utterly humiliating passes?  Oh yes.  Questionable?  Never.  I would honsetly say that I trust Ed Key in close quarters more than I trust anyone else I've ever shared a line with.

For that matter, Ed doesn't seem to have ever pulled a questionable pass on anybody.

Trying to beat Ed Key has been a rite of passage in this sport for decades.  Ed has raced millimeters apart with so many of the best riders who have come through club racing.  In all those races, with all those competitors, for all those years, you just never heard anyone complain about Ed pulling an unsafe move.  Usually, it's just the opposite.  People tend to rave about the cunning, skill, and squeeky clean racecraft they've learned from trying to run with Ed wheel-to wheel.  The word Mentor tends to get thrown around a lot.  Usually these competitors seem to have a certain reverence for Mr. Key, even those few who've learned how to beat him and have moved on.

But you just never seem to hear anything bad about Ed, even from the guys he beats.

So along comes Nate Kern.  Obviously talented, and with a fan club of his own.  But there is that dark undercurrent.  Corner workers talk.  Race Officials talk.  Competitors talk.  Well, talk is cheap.  Talk doesn't prove anything.  Anyone can say whatever they want.

People have already been saying whatever they wanted to say about Ed Key for decades now....

[ahastings]

I've raced with Nate all year in the Mid-Atlantic region this season, I have about 40 2nd place plaques to prove it. Never had a problem with his riding. The BMW does wiggle a lot going into the corners though. He does have a habit of looking back constantly, I just try to give him the old staredown at least when I could stay close enough. Nate has always been friendly to me. I don't know what the dark undercurrent is you are referring to. He does seem to have quite a BMW entourage at all the races following him around and us lowly SV riders like to crack about that, but never any problems on the track.

[251am]

 I raced a BMW after I put 50K road miles on it. The Tourance Dual Purpose tires I raced with were shagged with 10k miles on them, but I never had a problem going wide in lefts. Of course, at the time, I was about 20 seconds down on the fast Ams!! 

As K3 stated, people have had many years to say whatever they wanted about Ed, and it has ALWAYS been an affirmation of his professional racecraft. That's no accident.


  Hope CCS helps you guys work this out. Seeing this video would sure put it to bed in a hurry   

[Jeff]

And with that, I'm going to lock this very sensitive thread.

Ed & Nate, I hope the two of you can come together outside of the public forum and air your issues and come to an understanding. 

When matters of hearsay, speculation and perception arise, it's best to speak directly with people and often times, you will find the missing pieces to make sense of it all.