Big Thanks to EX#331 at VIR on 6/21!

[Hollywood]

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.

[cyclecareracing]

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 : )

[Team Spalding]

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.

[MELK-MAN]

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.

[dylanfan53]

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). 

[BermyRider]

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

[Hollywood]

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.......

[Helmsman]

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.

[Headdog122]

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..   

[ducnut916]

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

[Hollywood]

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!