Editorial
The Croz and me in a tender moment.
August 1, 2011
I finally finished this book after seven months. I am a slow reader. I got it when I was in New Zealand this winter, or their summer. It was at the 57th annual running of the Wanganui Cemetery Circuit race held on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas for you non Commonwealth people). Graeme Crosby was in the pits selling, and signing autographs of, his new autobiography simply called "CROZ." I chatted with him a bit and mentioned that our Team America was sponsored partially by his motorcycle shop in Auckland 20 years ago. He had a hard time remembering it. One of many things packed in his brain. He signed the book and a poster and off I went. Wasn't really sure if I had bought a good book or some boring snooze. It turned out to be one of the best autobiographies I have ever turned the pages on. While over there we didn't have a TV where I was so I was forced into talking with people, playing card games and reading to pass the evening hours. To be honest I couldn't wait to read it every night as the antics were wild and the storytelling in a very unique Kiwi style were always entertaining. Pure bloody fun. Starting in the early 70's until he retired after the 1982 season it chronicles each race of the last pure road racer. Croz won the Isle of Mann two years in a row, the F1 World Championships(World Superbikes today equivalent) two years in a row, the Daytona 200 twice and finished in 2nd place in the 1982 500cc World Championships. OMG!! He arrived in England to tackle the world and fours years later retired having accomplished his mission. Today that would be like winning the Isle of Mann, the Daytona 200 (when it actually meant something), The World Superbike and finishing 2nd in Moto GP in the SAME YEAR! OMG!! The last true roadracer and kick in the ass Kiwi Graeme Crosby. My Teddy Bear that I sleep with every night is called Graeme. When I was in the hospital in NZ 20 years ago at the Burwood Hospital in Christchurch, NZ. the counter girls from Croz's motorcycle store sent me this big light brown Teddy Bear. Naturally I called it Graeme to remind me who sent it. It props up my arm when I sleep. I didn't tell the Croz about that story.
I finally finished this book after seven months. I am a slow reader. I got it when I was in New Zealand this winter, or their summer. It was at the 57th annual running of the Wanganui Cemetery Circuit race held on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas for you non Commonwealth people). Graeme Crosby was in the pits selling, and signing autographs of, his new autobiography simply called "CROZ." I chatted with him a bit and mentioned that our Team America was sponsored partially by his motorcycle shop in Auckland 20 years ago. He had a hard time remembering it. One of many things packed in his brain. He signed the book and a poster and off I went. Wasn't really sure if I had bought a good book or some boring snooze. It turned out to be one of the best autobiographies I have ever turned the pages on. While over there we didn't have a TV where I was so I was forced into talking with people, playing card games and reading to pass the evening hours. To be honest I couldn't wait to read it every night as the antics were wild and the storytelling in a very unique Kiwi style were always entertaining. Pure bloody fun. Starting in the early 70's until he retired after the 1982 season it chronicles each race of the last pure road racer. Croz won the Isle of Mann two years in a row, the F1 World Championships(World Superbikes today equivalent) two years in a row, the Daytona 200 twice and finished in 2nd place in the 1982 500cc World Championships. OMG!! He arrived in England to tackle the world and fours years later retired having accomplished his mission. Today that would be like winning the Isle of Mann, the Daytona 200 (when it actually meant something), The World Superbike and finishing 2nd in Moto GP in the SAME YEAR! OMG!! The last true roadracer and kick in the ass Kiwi Graeme Crosby. My Teddy Bear that I sleep with every night is called Graeme. When I was in the hospital in NZ 20 years ago at the Burwood Hospital in Christchurch, NZ. the counter girls from Croz's motorcycle store sent me this big light brown Teddy Bear. Naturally I called it Graeme to remind me who sent it. It props up my arm when I sleep. I didn't tell the Croz about that story.
April 26, 2011
Everybody seems in America is complaining about the price of a gallon of gas. The world is going to end. Anybody who has traveled in the world knows that the Yanks are a bunch of crying little babies when compared to the rest of the world in gas prices. Through some research I came up with the following major industrialized countries and their current price per US Gallon per top 141 nations.
1. Uruguay $10.37
2. United Kingdom $10.21
5. Japan $9.25
9. Denmark $8.83
12. France $8.61
19. Germany $7.92
73. Mexico $5.32
79. Canada $5.05
101. United States $4.00
123. Russia $2.87
Most gas prices are the same through the world it depends on the taxes you put on each gallon that makes a world of difference. As in the US where we pay 25% for federal and local tax per gallon compared to France where the overall tax can be 70%. Unless you want to live in Russia the US is doing great on gas prices compared to the rest of the world .hank you very much and Bob's your Uncle.
Everybody seems in America is complaining about the price of a gallon of gas. The world is going to end. Anybody who has traveled in the world knows that the Yanks are a bunch of crying little babies when compared to the rest of the world in gas prices. Through some research I came up with the following major industrialized countries and their current price per US Gallon per top 141 nations.
1. Uruguay $10.37
2. United Kingdom $10.21
5. Japan $9.25
9. Denmark $8.83
12. France $8.61
19. Germany $7.92
73. Mexico $5.32
79. Canada $5.05
101. United States $4.00
123. Russia $2.87
Most gas prices are the same through the world it depends on the taxes you put on each gallon that makes a world of difference. As in the US where we pay 25% for federal and local tax per gallon compared to France where the overall tax can be 70%. Unless you want to live in Russia the US is doing great on gas prices compared to the rest of the world .hank you very much and Bob's your Uncle.
April 15, 2011
Bruce Lind told me about this a week ago, and I wasn't actually all that surprised by the information. He told me that the 1st race of the year for WMRRA (Washington Motorcycle road Racing Association) on April 2/3rd at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington (formally called SIR) had only about 8 entries per class. Forgot about it for awhile and then it popped back in my head. Skip the jokes please. I checked the WMRRA website and looked at the results and found the following number of riders in these classes 600 Supersport (8 racers), 750 Supersport (13), Open Supersport (3), 600 Superbike (6), 750 Superbike (7). A true beginner class where never to be competitive racers out to just have fun called the 250 Ninja class came in with 18 participants. Those bikes are dirt cheap and therefore the popularity. Sort of like go karts compared to full sized race cars. When I was racing in WMRRA in the mid to late 80's there were 60 bikes in the 600 Production class and close to 30 in the 600 Superbike. Even the 750 and Open classes had between 20 to 30 bikes in each class. What the Hell!! I see where they are now canceling a race in Spokane and taking away the Money classes and reverting them back to just trophies. Also dropping from 5 to 3 the amount of racers finishing to be able to score points. What the Hell!!
This has been coming for many years I believe. True the economy has taken discretionary money out of all our pockets, and the bikes you would think are more expensive to race these days, but that's not the real problem. The cost of racing has risen equally with increased income over the years. it is more expensive to race these days, but you are earning more also.
One thing is that track days were introduced into our vocabulary more than a decade ago and that has taken away the novice racer from ever competing in a real race. Before if you wanted to test your skills on the tarmac you went road racing. Later on you first took a road racing class and then entered the Novice class for a year to get some experience. You still do the same today. Now though you don't have to safety wire your bike, take off the turn signals, lights to hit the track. You could do it old school style and ride your bike to the track and go fast. You can test your limits through corners on your own road bike that you could transfer those skills to every day riding. Some people actually buy track bikes that are fast and not streetable, but not race bikes. Did I mention that for a cheaper price than a race license, entry fees you get a whole bunch more riding time on the track. It cost $100 for race license and then $110 for a first class and $95 for your 2nd class for 20 laps total at an average of over $10 per lap and waiting around all day until you can race your 2nd class at 4 PM on Sunday. Track days are $189 for all day riding without any waiting. Why actually race is the question especially if you have never raced before.
Another point there. When I was racing, and the racers who came before me, the people mostly came from dirt tracking or moto cross racing backgrounds. They knew how to race. They knew about preparation of bikes, starts, passing, blocking, mental toughness, preserving the bike and so on. the newer racers age has increased from maybe 25 to lets say 35 and they come from the high tech areas in the area. It was also common that the road racers worked in the industry as parts guys or mechanics. The motorcycle stores used to be heavily involved in road racing such as Bellevue Suzuki (Eastside Motorsports), Lynnwood Yamaha, I-90 Motorsports, University Honda, Aurora Suzuki and many other stores. Except for Eastside Motorsports they have no connection to road racing. The two have to be closely tied to each other to survive for the racers to keep racing. Once again motorcycle stores do not need racing to survive, they would actually do better without a bunch of needy racers asking for discounts on bikes and parts. It is a relationship that has to be worked on 100% of the time and cannot be taken for granted. Think of it as a marriage, and you don't want to get divorced.
Racing also used to be conducted on one day. Now it is two days. I think that you have to rent the weekend nowadays. Not sure. It has always been a mystery to me on why the club has always created a class if 5 people show up. When I was announcing and reporting for the club for a few years in the early 90's I referred to one races that had 5 widely varied classes in them ranging from vintage bikes to V-Twin under 650cc bikes as the "Kitchen Sink Class." As an announcer with no spotter I couldn't tell who was in first in any class so I just usually went silent and let the action happen before me. it should be like moto cross in that you first create a class based upon engine size and modifications and then let people buy the bikes to race, and not buy the bikes first and then create a class. WMRRA is a run what you brung organization.
And of course there are no spectators who watch the races. For many years WMRRA was the biggest draw for spectators for any motor sport club racing at Pacific Raceways. Car racers were always shocked that we could get up to 1,300 people (including racers) through the gates. I doubt that we get 1/4 of that now. Why? Promotions is put in charge of the 1st VP each year who has a brilliant idea on how to get people in the gate and every year it fails because they don't know who they are trying to get in the door and they don't know about Public Relations or advertising. I should know as I was a 1st VP at one time and made those same mistakes. You need a constant team of people to constantly promote the races year around and just not at the motorcycle show. Usually 1st VP's disappear after the show and are never hear of again.
OMMRA (Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association) almost went bankrupt last year, and they have much lower costs, and WMRRA looks like they are headed the same way. As I can remember the club started out in 1974, and may end in 2011.
Bruce Lind told me about this a week ago, and I wasn't actually all that surprised by the information. He told me that the 1st race of the year for WMRRA (Washington Motorcycle road Racing Association) on April 2/3rd at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington (formally called SIR) had only about 8 entries per class. Forgot about it for awhile and then it popped back in my head. Skip the jokes please. I checked the WMRRA website and looked at the results and found the following number of riders in these classes 600 Supersport (8 racers), 750 Supersport (13), Open Supersport (3), 600 Superbike (6), 750 Superbike (7). A true beginner class where never to be competitive racers out to just have fun called the 250 Ninja class came in with 18 participants. Those bikes are dirt cheap and therefore the popularity. Sort of like go karts compared to full sized race cars. When I was racing in WMRRA in the mid to late 80's there were 60 bikes in the 600 Production class and close to 30 in the 600 Superbike. Even the 750 and Open classes had between 20 to 30 bikes in each class. What the Hell!! I see where they are now canceling a race in Spokane and taking away the Money classes and reverting them back to just trophies. Also dropping from 5 to 3 the amount of racers finishing to be able to score points. What the Hell!!
This has been coming for many years I believe. True the economy has taken discretionary money out of all our pockets, and the bikes you would think are more expensive to race these days, but that's not the real problem. The cost of racing has risen equally with increased income over the years. it is more expensive to race these days, but you are earning more also.
One thing is that track days were introduced into our vocabulary more than a decade ago and that has taken away the novice racer from ever competing in a real race. Before if you wanted to test your skills on the tarmac you went road racing. Later on you first took a road racing class and then entered the Novice class for a year to get some experience. You still do the same today. Now though you don't have to safety wire your bike, take off the turn signals, lights to hit the track. You could do it old school style and ride your bike to the track and go fast. You can test your limits through corners on your own road bike that you could transfer those skills to every day riding. Some people actually buy track bikes that are fast and not streetable, but not race bikes. Did I mention that for a cheaper price than a race license, entry fees you get a whole bunch more riding time on the track. It cost $100 for race license and then $110 for a first class and $95 for your 2nd class for 20 laps total at an average of over $10 per lap and waiting around all day until you can race your 2nd class at 4 PM on Sunday. Track days are $189 for all day riding without any waiting. Why actually race is the question especially if you have never raced before.
Another point there. When I was racing, and the racers who came before me, the people mostly came from dirt tracking or moto cross racing backgrounds. They knew how to race. They knew about preparation of bikes, starts, passing, blocking, mental toughness, preserving the bike and so on. the newer racers age has increased from maybe 25 to lets say 35 and they come from the high tech areas in the area. It was also common that the road racers worked in the industry as parts guys or mechanics. The motorcycle stores used to be heavily involved in road racing such as Bellevue Suzuki (Eastside Motorsports), Lynnwood Yamaha, I-90 Motorsports, University Honda, Aurora Suzuki and many other stores. Except for Eastside Motorsports they have no connection to road racing. The two have to be closely tied to each other to survive for the racers to keep racing. Once again motorcycle stores do not need racing to survive, they would actually do better without a bunch of needy racers asking for discounts on bikes and parts. It is a relationship that has to be worked on 100% of the time and cannot be taken for granted. Think of it as a marriage, and you don't want to get divorced.
Racing also used to be conducted on one day. Now it is two days. I think that you have to rent the weekend nowadays. Not sure. It has always been a mystery to me on why the club has always created a class if 5 people show up. When I was announcing and reporting for the club for a few years in the early 90's I referred to one races that had 5 widely varied classes in them ranging from vintage bikes to V-Twin under 650cc bikes as the "Kitchen Sink Class." As an announcer with no spotter I couldn't tell who was in first in any class so I just usually went silent and let the action happen before me. it should be like moto cross in that you first create a class based upon engine size and modifications and then let people buy the bikes to race, and not buy the bikes first and then create a class. WMRRA is a run what you brung organization.
And of course there are no spectators who watch the races. For many years WMRRA was the biggest draw for spectators for any motor sport club racing at Pacific Raceways. Car racers were always shocked that we could get up to 1,300 people (including racers) through the gates. I doubt that we get 1/4 of that now. Why? Promotions is put in charge of the 1st VP each year who has a brilliant idea on how to get people in the gate and every year it fails because they don't know who they are trying to get in the door and they don't know about Public Relations or advertising. I should know as I was a 1st VP at one time and made those same mistakes. You need a constant team of people to constantly promote the races year around and just not at the motorcycle show. Usually 1st VP's disappear after the show and are never hear of again.
OMMRA (Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association) almost went bankrupt last year, and they have much lower costs, and WMRRA looks like they are headed the same way. As I can remember the club started out in 1974, and may end in 2011.
April 14, 2011
The Supercross is coming to town this weekend, and will be putting up it's big tent so we can watch all the exotic animals inside. And I'm not talking about the Monster Energy girls either. I went to the 1st Supercoss that was held in the new Qwest stadium a few years ago and brought my younger fraternal twins Lael and Logan with me. I think Ricky C won, but didn't he win everything back then. It became a real yawn fest to watch Supercross on TV, or in real life, because you knew who was going to win before the green flag. Extremely bad odds to bet against him back then. Speaking of which have you seen him lately on TX doing commentary of the Supercross? This was probably the fittest MX racer ever created, who worked out at 6 AM the night after a Supercross. Was always there in the last two laps of a race. Now that he has somewhat successfully transferred over to stock cars he has been hitting those southern fried foods a little harder these days and his body shows it. A little portly. I went last year and was in the suite reserved for the Washington Motorsports Dealer Association right above the start line. Delicious buffet table and bar with great seating in and outdoors, and I was still a little bored. I watched the start of the main race and then took off for home to avoid all the traffic and congestion.
I like many racers are not good spectators for racing. In our time when we were or are racing we would sit in our pits getting our bikes ready for our race. The key word being "our", not "them." As racers we are only really concerned about our race, and not theirs. We have also been involved in passing and being passed, Started and finished. Through cold and heat, through snow, rain and dust. In dark and night we have experienced it all. We have on occasion watched some other races with friends competing or bigger named stars. Who wouldn't have watched a Trans-Am race as a kid. Unfortunately we are all a little bit older and jaded in the world of motorcycle racing.
I tried for a few years to get road racer Bruce Lind to go with me up to Vancouver, Canada to watch at that time the Indy car races through the down town streets. Bruce's reply was simple in that he could sit at home on his nice couch watching a big screen TV with a cold beer in his hand and see all the corners of the track without moving an inch. To throw some real atmosphere in the picture he could throw some castor bean oil on a hot plate and even smell the racing. Now he could see all the track as the race happened and would avoid the ticket price, the costly warm beer, crossing the border and at least 7 hours of of a road trip back and forth. And when he was done he could turn off the TV and go work on his bike in the garage. Saving a few hundred bucks, a few hours made perfect sense that I could not argue with. I hate when he does that. I would love to go see a Moto GP race at either Laguna Seca or Indianapolis but as Bruce told me the places are both extremely hot and one throws in a big humidity factor. Foe me and my injury of a C 7 break in my neck I cannot regulate heat or cold. My body likes it just about 72 degrees, and colder if I am in a strenuous mode. I have been twice at Laguna and once at Sears Point Raceway where the heat has been in the high 80's to mid 90's and I have died there. I get overheated quite quickly and get heat stroke if not watched out for. Worst thing to me personally about being paralyzed. So my friends take my Polo shirt and soak it in the ice cooler and I wear it for awhile still feeling miserable. So no Moto GP race for me. As Clint Eastwood said "A man's got to know his limitations." Plus on outdoor tracks like Washougal I am constantly pulling wheelies to get over the smallest rock, or power pushing through loose gravel or sand. Not to mention dirt hills. By the end of the day I am all tuckered out. Best just sit at home with a beer.
December 15, 2010
The first dinner, sounds biblical doesn't it, went off extremely smoothly. Everybody that I heard from had a fantastic time. Most people who have a history doing these type of events who were at the dinner said the amount of participants and organization were fantastic for the first year. I listened to them and others for lessons learned to apply to next years event.
Lessons Learned:
A) Bigger Table Cards for ID so people can identify their tables faster.
B) The order of tables entering the food buffet line should be the front reserved tables first.
C) Need a taller person than 4'6" to sequence tables in order for eating.
D) And of prime importance we need a bar on the main floor.
E) Surround the speaker platform with tables in “U” shape. Brings everyone closer to the main attraction.
F) Meet and greet at bar one hour before dinner. Everyone can come early and chat and to reduce the amount of
people showing up at registration just when dinner is about to start.
G) Have Chef at entree table to dish out only one entree per person, and they must show red ticket.
H) List people who have signed up for the dinner on the website so people can see who is coming.
I) Have awards before dinner to give everyone a chance to talk longer at tables and have dinner.
J) Pens at tables for people to fill out forms.
K) Non essential speaking that are not WSMCHOF to not happen.
L) Less dinners based upon people saying they were coming. 25% over confirmed payed attendees.
M) Trust no one who says they will be there and doesn't show up. With limit including extras at 200 people.
N) Use posters next year only. Use email and 3 fold flyers to people on the list. Keep website.
O) Find sponsors in industry to sponsor or co-sponsor dinner.
P) Clean up crew needed after dinner.
Q) Road stories from a few racers and will be clean as much as possible.
R) Vintage motorcycle show.
Continue good times
