Thunderbike and FUSA

[EX#996]

OK....

I read through the 2003 rule book which states that if we run Thunderbike (formerly known as Heavyweight Sportsman) and it is a Formula USA race date, you have to have a FUSA license.  - - An additional $50.00 if you already have a CCS license.

Not only that.  Your race fees are $65.00 more (if you run three or more races in a normal CCS weekend) because it is a "purse paying class."  Whoo Hooo  - Factory bikes vs. privateers.   ::)  Yeah, we have a great shot of getting a purse payout, have you seen my factory rig?  

Plus, the MW is the only region that has TWO FUSA dates.  Gee thanks!

So lets see - - if we really want the CCS points for this class, it's going to cost us an additional $180.00.

Sorry.....  The amount of points to be earned just isn't worth it for that kind of money.

Hey CCS - "Can you hear me now?"  This is club racing.  If FUSA guys want to race with us, fine, just don't screw us in the process.  It doesn't feel good.

Dawn   >:(

[EX#996]

Why penalize the CCS racers to support the FUSA racers.  If we have to run together fine, but score us separately and don't charge us extra.  What chance does a CCS amatuer have against a FUSA factory bike?

If a person who races CCS want a shot at the purse, they can buy the license and pay the additional entry fees.  We now have transponders and wonderful computer programs so there shouldn't be any problem doing this.

Dawn

[mmills416]

I raced Thunderbike at Daytona in the rain.  My problem was during qualifing my transponder didn't work so I was grided last.  My lap times were such that I would have been grided in the top 15.  I ended up in 16th position but there was a red flag on the 7th lap so we were scored to the end of the last complete lap which was 20th overall and 1st ametuer.  I know a couple of CCS rider finished well in the top 10 agaist the Factory Buell's.  Jerry Wood and Alex Ferraria did very well and in the money.  With the new power to weight ratio rule it may even the field a bit.  I guess my point is as a CCS club rider its fun to take the opportunity to race against everybody in that kind of race.  I wouldn't drive all over the country to do it, but twice a year at Daytona it make sense for me.  It's cool to test yourself against the experts and a field of that depth.  Plus you have the added bonus of maybe getting some cash back.

[EX#996]

Yea...  Good for you, I'm glad you had fun.  

In the MW we have Ed Key (number 5, yellow SV)  I'm sure you seen him at Daytona, he is very good and very fast and wins most of the races he enters.  We have the pleasure of racing with him every race weekend.

The class of racers we have in the MW is outstanding!  We know that this is the year to try win a championship in the LW classes because we will have to move to expert next year.  We are only going to be able to obtain this championship by finishing well in our classes and going to each race date.

You went to Daytona and chose to race with the FUSA guys.  We don't have a choice.  If you run the MW schedule and you run this class... Pony up the additonal $$$ or you don't get the points.  Sounds like blackmail to me.

Some may say $180.00 is small amount of money, but it depends who you are.  We will not race on credit cards or credit.  If we cannot pay, we don't play.  

In our world, every penny counts.

Dawn  

PS  Sorry for the scarcasm.  I'm just a little irritated, not at you, but at this whole mess.

[PJ]

For the record, there are no "factory" bikes in Thunderbike. And Buell doesn't have a factory racing team.

That said, there are some very strong dealer-backed teams, like Hal's H-D, Kosco H-D, Tilley's H-D and Harding H-D, and other privateers like Hoban Brothers, all gunning for the Buell contingency dollars.

I look at it as a rare chance to practice, qualify and race with some very talented riders. Try it, you might learn something.

Paul James
CCS/FUSA #247

[EX#996]

Does everyone miss my point?

Yes, ride with better riders and it will make you better.  This I know!  BUT, give us the choice!

We had no say last year at Road America.  Heavyweight Sportsman is going to be run with FUSA Thunderbike, and oh by the way, you will have to pay a higher entry fee because of this.  OK we sucked it up and did it.

This year - no more Heavyweight Sportsman, only Thunderbike, and oh by the way, you will have to pay a higher entry fee, PLUS, you also have to purchase a FUSA license this year.  Sorry, you can't run Thunderbike just to get the CCS points, you must buy the license.  To top it off, the MW has two FUSA dates in your region this year.  Lucky us.

Oh... It's a spectator event so the gate fees (we pay to bring Paul's parents besides ourselves) are higher.

Oh...  Those aren't factory teams, they are privateers just like you.  Yeah right.  See my semi over there?   ::)

My whole point is that the CCS riders who run this class in the MW have no choice than to pony up the extra bucks to get the CCS pionts in a class they race in the entire season.  Why should they?

Still pissed off Dawn   >:(

[mmills416]

I dont regularly race Thunder bike in CCS down here because its a combined class here and we don't get ameteur points.  Ed's real fast thats for sure.  I race LT superbike, GT lights, and Light GP every race.  I've been meaning to enter either supertwin or thunderbike but somethings always got in the way.  I don't get it can't you race 4 other races a weekend if your bikes SS legal, mayde I'm missing the issue.  I don't even mess with thunberbike, I just did it in Daytona because I felt I had a chance at a top 10 and I wanted to go through qualiying.

I just missed you last post, sorry.
Better Question what bike are you on?

[EX#996]

Paul has a stock SV 650.  The only mods are to the suspension.  That's it.  Plus it has three race seasons on it and it's never had a rebuild.

These were classes he raced in last year:

Lightweight Super Sport
Lightweight Superbike
Thunderbike
GT Lights
Lightweight GP

This year we knew would be our best opportunity to strive towards a championship so we looked at the classes that he did the best in last year and concentrated on those.  These classes happened to be LWSS, LWSB and Thunderbike.  As any person in this sport knows, this isn't cheap to do.  We are balancing our finances between home, retirement (gotta start saving now), the kid and racing.

So....  When this situation arises....  it makes me a bit upset.  There is enough expenses in this sport without this additional one.  

Thanks for asking,

Dawn  

[mmills416]

You comin down here for the race of champions?

[EX#996]

You comin down here for the race of champions?

LOL!!!

No - We can't afford that.  1200+ miles to get there with a motor home that gets 7.5 mpg, the time off of work, and the race season leaves us with $0.00 by October.

Dawn   ;)

[mmills416]

The only reason I'm able to go is its only 3 hours from the house.  Sounds nice to race with a motorhome.  Good place to relax between races.  I only can afford to race 3 races a weekend.  Thats 100% commitment for the whole year but only 3 races a weekend.  Man, I'd forget about the ThunderBike thing and save it for a speacial occation.  We dont get anything for being the top ametuer down here, so I never gave it any thought.  We are given class Championships.  As an expert if you want that 1 plate you need to run a lot of races more than 5 a weekend.  It would be cool, but 3 races is plenty for me.

[EX#996]

Racing with a motor home is the only way we can go.  There are three of us, Paul, myself and our daughter Renee.  The closest track is 1-1/2 hours away and our home track for the MW is 4-1/4 hours away.  Doing the math, it is cheaper to make the motor home payments than to hotel it.  Also, the motor home interest is deductible in our situation as a second home mortgage.  Plus, when the family comes (the in-laws), the motor home is really convenient.

We only get a trophy for winning the class championship as an amatuer, but it still says "Champion" and that is quite an acomplishment.

Dawn   :)

PS   We only run three classes a weekend this year too.  Last year we ran more classes per weekend, but fewer number of weekends were attended.