Just sitting on the couch, watching the Seattle Supercross, and in suddenly occurred to me that this is the last weekend until July, that I will be able to do this. Next weekend, the roadracing season starts!!!!
Next Saturday, bright and early, I will, for the first time, take my place in the tower at Shannonville to announce a R.A.C.E. event. The track that my on-track life began, I cut my teeth later as a referee, and now, I have the priviledge of being "The Voice."
It was about 8 or 9 years ago, that I used to sit in the tower and listen to Frank Wood, the man that I think of as one of the best motorsports announcers anywhere, and feed him info on the riders that I knew. I was writing for Inside Motorcycles magazine (a gig that he had set me up with.)and every so often, when the action stopped on the track, he would turn the mic on me. I became comfortable speaking with Frank as long as he asked questions. When he suggested that I branch out to announce races on my own, I laughed and said "no thanks." A couple of weeks later, Frank had talked me into doing a VRRA event that he couldn't make and I was there.
A number of seasons with the VRRA series built my confidence enough to try for more work in other series' and Ken and Tracey at SOAR took a chance on me. Now, I have the best of all worlds. Three different tracks, three organizations and all the racing I need...Except for May two four at Varney Speedway for the stock car races...and running to Brighton Speedway every so often for the dirt stocks..and, well, you get the picture. I've got it bad.
This week, Shannonville. Next week, Cayuga. Then Shannonville, then Varney...Love it.
Anyway, get up off your collective behinds, check the schedules, and join me at the track of your choice. The first blog reader who comes up to me at the openning weekends at both RACE and SOAR can get on mic with me for a heat race. You can join in or sit back and hang out. Either way, I know you'll have a good time. If you have never been to a race...you'll be instantly hooked.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Here comes the racing season
I know... I've been MIA for a couple of weeks, but I have an excuse: Racing season is almost here. Yes, it is true that I don't have a race bike and I spend most of my time at the track with a microphone in my hand but that doesn't mean I have no prep to do. First, there's the minibike. I've had enough of trying to run to the washroom at Cayuga between races, so I cleaned up the old Z50 my kids learned to ride on (and I got a concussion on, but that's another story. I'm much more mature now). Now, I can travel in style around the pit and I don't have to "hold it" until I have time to walk. Mmmmmmmm.
I also began to repair the old (1972) tent trailer that Eva, Bentley (the dog) and I stay in at the track. Just a couple of leaks to seal and we are on our way, right? Ah, does anyone know of a nice tent trailer for sale? No, really. I think that 38 years may be the limit for the old thing. We need another home away from home, towable behind a Dodge Dakota and cheap enough for me...I am Scottish, you know.
Other than that, I am ready to go racing. The bike shows started it, then came the e-mails, then the forums and, well, it really doesn't go away, does it. There is actually no place that I feel more at home than a race track. The people (well most of them), the noise, and the excitement. It's in the blood, hell, it is my blood. Cannot wait.
What? You have never been to a motorcycle roadrace? You have never tried to recalibrate your vision to the blur that is a superbike? Wondered how riders can drag a knee, perhaps an elbow in a corner? Chatted with the riders at their pit (you can't do THAT at most car races) And perhaps find yourself more involved in a sport that you ever have before? Time to turn off that video game, shut off the tv and grab your camera and get your behind to the track. In Ontario, you can watch roadracing at Toronto Motorsport Park (we know it as Cayuga) with S0AR, Shannonville Motorsport Park with RACE, at Shannonville, North Bay and Mosport International Raceway with the VRRA or you can catch the National weekend at Mosport. Check my links or Google the organizations for schedules and directions. Most venues offer free camping, so you can stay right in the middle of the race experience. DO IT!!!
Speaking of the experience, check the next issue of The Motorcycle News for an article about Dave and Stacey Hatch at Whistle Stop Productions. They are the people behind one of the best television shows on TV: The Motorcycle Experience. Get a look at how the show came to be and just what's in it for you.
More to follow. Back to looking for a tent trailer.
I also began to repair the old (1972) tent trailer that Eva, Bentley (the dog) and I stay in at the track. Just a couple of leaks to seal and we are on our way, right? Ah, does anyone know of a nice tent trailer for sale? No, really. I think that 38 years may be the limit for the old thing. We need another home away from home, towable behind a Dodge Dakota and cheap enough for me...I am Scottish, you know.
Other than that, I am ready to go racing. The bike shows started it, then came the e-mails, then the forums and, well, it really doesn't go away, does it. There is actually no place that I feel more at home than a race track. The people (well most of them), the noise, and the excitement. It's in the blood, hell, it is my blood. Cannot wait.
What? You have never been to a motorcycle roadrace? You have never tried to recalibrate your vision to the blur that is a superbike? Wondered how riders can drag a knee, perhaps an elbow in a corner? Chatted with the riders at their pit (you can't do THAT at most car races) And perhaps find yourself more involved in a sport that you ever have before? Time to turn off that video game, shut off the tv and grab your camera and get your behind to the track. In Ontario, you can watch roadracing at Toronto Motorsport Park (we know it as Cayuga) with S0AR, Shannonville Motorsport Park with RACE, at Shannonville, North Bay and Mosport International Raceway with the VRRA or you can catch the National weekend at Mosport. Check my links or Google the organizations for schedules and directions. Most venues offer free camping, so you can stay right in the middle of the race experience. DO IT!!!
Speaking of the experience, check the next issue of The Motorcycle News for an article about Dave and Stacey Hatch at Whistle Stop Productions. They are the people behind one of the best television shows on TV: The Motorcycle Experience. Get a look at how the show came to be and just what's in it for you.
More to follow. Back to looking for a tent trailer.
Friday, April 2, 2010
I Can't Hear You. There's a Motorcycle Running
Sitting here in a cottage, deep in the heart of Ipperwash, the thoughts begin to wander through.The crickets are singing their evening lullaby. The tired-out dog, asleep on my feet and my partner drowsing beside me. It has been a wonderful day.
It is indeed the first time in weeks that I have been so totally relaxed that I have no thoughts of work, of household repairs. No radio, no TV, no cell phone. Absolutely no man-made sounds.....Except for that guy blasting by on his open-piped V-twin.
What the bleepin hell? Why is it that he got the thought in his mind that I so desperately needed to hear how badly his mechanic tuned his bike. Why does he believe that it is okay for him to wake up half of cottage country so that he can feel like The Man? I don't care what bike he's on. I would be equally ticked if he was on an inline four cylinder machine with an open header. There's a time and place for everything and this isn't it.
Think about this: I am a motorcycle nut.I love all the bikes out there including the tuned performance machines. But if that got under my skin, what about the other people around. What about the folks who would just as soon legislate motorcycle of the road completely? What if that guy's exhaust pipe recital was the last straw for someone who has just enough political push to make trouble for all of us? Think our democratic political process will always protect us? Then explain to me why McGinty is still in power.
If you have a loud pipe and you want to enjoy it, just keep it within reason at night. The only reason to whack that throttle to the stop in the middle of the night is that her husband came home unexpectedly, and if that happens, be a man and face him.
We live in a reasonably free society, but that freedom has some compromises. One of them is that we all have to consider our neighbours. I really don't like it when I bring a conversation to motorcycles (and I do) and someone says, "Oh I hate those things." (And they do). It's an uphill battle.
It is indeed the first time in weeks that I have been so totally relaxed that I have no thoughts of work, of household repairs. No radio, no TV, no cell phone. Absolutely no man-made sounds.....Except for that guy blasting by on his open-piped V-twin.
What the bleepin hell? Why is it that he got the thought in his mind that I so desperately needed to hear how badly his mechanic tuned his bike. Why does he believe that it is okay for him to wake up half of cottage country so that he can feel like The Man? I don't care what bike he's on. I would be equally ticked if he was on an inline four cylinder machine with an open header. There's a time and place for everything and this isn't it.
Think about this: I am a motorcycle nut.I love all the bikes out there including the tuned performance machines. But if that got under my skin, what about the other people around. What about the folks who would just as soon legislate motorcycle of the road completely? What if that guy's exhaust pipe recital was the last straw for someone who has just enough political push to make trouble for all of us? Think our democratic political process will always protect us? Then explain to me why McGinty is still in power.
If you have a loud pipe and you want to enjoy it, just keep it within reason at night. The only reason to whack that throttle to the stop in the middle of the night is that her husband came home unexpectedly, and if that happens, be a man and face him.
We live in a reasonably free society, but that freedom has some compromises. One of them is that we all have to consider our neighbours. I really don't like it when I bring a conversation to motorcycles (and I do) and someone says, "Oh I hate those things." (And they do). It's an uphill battle.
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