Stiff Competition

[Stan Back]

Of the 99 motorcycles pre-entered for Bonneville, there are actually 14 who have to face a competitor in their class.  Oh well, I imagine they can re-locate the foot pegs or something and change classes before they pass inspection.

Roadster guy just pulling your chain (belt?).

[SALTRACER]

Is their a list of pre-entries? I would like to see who is running this year, and in what class.

[Larry C]

Let's see, if I compete against an existing record it is actually considered racing! If I want a trophy I find some way to tweak the rules so I am the only one in a class, why bother.

[Richard Thomason]

Actually kind of interesting to talk of competition in a class. When we first started in 1981, we thought ( as everyone does ) we were going for a "soft" record. By the time we actually beat the record in 1988, there were 6 different "liners" all competing at the same time for the same record (actually during this period it got bumped 38+ mph before we we able to catch it). It may look easy from the outside, but it can get quite involved before you get done.
rht

[JackD]

They change the rules faster than the bikes have a chance to go faster and the sloppy
 result is  they will destroy the credibility of all the entries.
Look at the 3000cc fuel push rod record that is so slow from the reality of another
 push rod that went so much faster and is not properly classified for reasons
 only known to the chosen few.
Richard's example of growth and competition within the existing class gives it
 some meaning to compete and reward to prevail.
 It is not a hollow victory that results in a meaningless paper for your time and money.
More and more the premium seems to be on there time and your money.

"It failed as designed or was it designed to fail."

[Bob Jr.]

Let's see, if I compete against an existing record it is actually considered racing! If I want a trophy I find some way to tweak the rules so I am the only one in a class, why bother.

Time to take some wheels of the roadster it probably will fit in one of those many classes!!!! Vintage only!!!

[Seldom Seen Slim]

First of all -- that topic sure sounds like some of the junk mail subject lines that show up daily on my computer.  (Sorry, I couldn't resist).

Stan, where'd you find the list of pre-entries?  Did I miss it -- or are you privy to stuff before it gets put on the SCTA-BNI site?  

Third, and to the original point of this thread -- I started racing a few years ago when I discovered that a guy that lived not too far from here ran the same kind of bike that I owned.  I probably had a "Hey, I can do that, too" attitude.

In 2001 Jim Owen bumped the record in "our" class from someplace under 200 to 202+, got a red hat, and set the bar up a notch for me.  In 2002 I pushed it to 207 and small change and qualified for my hat.  In '03 he moved it to 213 and some, and in '04 I ran a 216.5 first day and blew up on the return run the next day.  That's good competition, if you ask me.

We're about the only two in the class*, and while that might seem like we've got a class to ourselves, well, at least we're running against one another.  Yet -- he's got parts from me on his bike, I've used parts from him.  We chat now and then about strategy, we swap ideas back and forth, his buddies help me when I need help, and so on and so forth.  That's even better -- we compete, but we work with one another to further the sport and the fun of land speed racing.

*There have been and are others in the class, but he and I have been more "consistent" in our efforts.  To those others -- hey, come on, we're having a ball -- join us!

[JackD]

Most of the competition is at the secret adminisphere level and the result is obvious.

[JohnR]

Most of the competition is at the secret adminisphere level and the result is obvious.

<--  whoop whoop whoop...

[JackD]

It is more like "WOP,WOP WOP".
 They need multiple slaps in the head.
Rules without reason are unreasonable.
Rules without participation of the entries soon will be.
Rules without the oversight of a responsive group are doomed to repeat recent bad history.

[Stan Back]

Slim -- Actually I counted wrong.  There were 14 "extras" besides the one already listed in a class.  Some had just one "extra", some two or three.  So the count was wrong.  But I was just, as I said, pulling your (Not Your) chain.  I don't doubt, and personally know, what a competitor you are, so don't take it personal.

I'd even admit that there are some soft car records.  Take a look at Classic Gas Altered where the AA record is 140 miles an hour slower than the A record.  Could have been the bad course in 05.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Okay, fine, no offense taken -- but my question is still -- is the list posted already?  Where?

[Stan Back]

Sorry, but no.  One of our team members worked on preparing the entries to send to the program's printer.  The new, 06, program is definitely going to be bigger and better!  Buy the book, don't wait for the movie.  Release date -- sometime in August.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

I ordered two copies of the book about a month ago.  The dang things cost me $315 each -- but along with 'em I get complimentary buttons for me and the crew for SpeedWeek, and we get t-shirts, and even get to ride down the courses at Bonneville as many times as we can.

What else could a guy want?

[Larry Forstall]

In 1986 I raced the new GSXR sportbike in the Production class. Cal Swanson from Illinois was in the same class with the older GS bike. He had 200cc more, but my new Suzuki had a pretty good fairing. It was quite windy for Record runs that year (It took 3 runs back then) and Cal was two MPH faster on the down run. Against the wind on the return I was two MPH faster. It took the SCTA more than an hour to determine that my two-way average was a few hundreds better than Cal's. What elation I felt. Cal was a good sport and continued to race for a few years and still holds the A-BF 2000 record which actually now should be the 1650 record but that class did not exist in 1986.    Larry