Hank's Place Race/Mud Report

[motoracr199]

Lined up on the very inside and got a good jump off the line, actually wheelied a bit but was able to keep even with everyone else which helped going around the bale, thru the short line and into the lead with another holeshot!

Started to catch the stragglers in B and was picking my way thru as good as I could. Lap 3 it started to rain and I accidentally pulled off all my tearoffs in one sweep Its funny cause I had no idea the weather was on its way in but I had commented beforehand about how last race seemed eerily familiar to this one. Well the shower was nice at first, but then just kept on coming. Had to slow way down cause I was never good at ice skating.

Tossed the goggles beginning of lap 4 and prepared for a slimy next few laps. It was really coming down and I slowed down a bit too much because I lost momentum on the long uphill in the woods. Tried to make another path to the left with no avail. As I was returning back down I saw my worst fear, 402 went right by without even noticing me off to the side.

Finally made it back up and into some sort of groove and got lapped by Macon, its crazy how fast he was going considering the conditions. Caught some of the 1000's and I remember the 1000 ruder cussing in the ditch. Tried not to laugh and made a new line by walking up the other way. Finished that lap hoping for another to catch D Bailey, but it was cut short. Had to take second for the day, tough way to lose but he is really good in the slippery stuff.

Good race, thanks for the opportunity, sorry for messing up your field when I went backwards to get out.
See y'all next time!

BRAAAP!

[Spooner]

Greg I think you make some great points about letting guys go by that are going faster so you can try and have them pull you forward and I've certainly done that. Sometimes its hard to find a rhythm and if you're more worried about the guy on your tail then you can certainly go faster following without pressure from behind. I think I'm more annoyed by guys who won't pull over from other classes than my own class. Although if I'm stuck behind two guys in my class and another fellow classmate is on my tail going bonkers then that gets a bit old. Especially if we are all going a good pace.

Alright, are there going to be any 'non-old guy' reports??

[Gibber]

I'm telling you Spooner, everyone else is tooooo tired to report. All you old guys must have taken your Viagra!

BTW, I have talked to some guys from faster classes on revving your own class is not uncommon. It is intended to break your opponents concentration, no to get them to pull over.

However, the A class doesn't often have to worry about faster riders from the classes behind wanting to pass so if they get revved they can be pretty sure it is one of their competitors. With us, we have 800 and 900 riders that are still trying to figure out where they belong so we end up getting passed by the faster ones. If we rev each other in our own class and don't give way to it like the faster guys then sooner or later we will hold up riders from another class and have to hear about that.

So, I'm okay with the revving. It really does not bother me as long as I'm not worrying about holding up another class. I think the key is we agree to it and try to get the other classes to shout out what class they are in. Or we just don't let anyone pass and let Dan deal with it!?

[jgordo]

I like to race the guys in my class to much! I can't remember the times I've had someone in class pull over to let me by thinking I was a different class and I stop and yell at them to GO!! I even stopped and waited for Gibber at Beer west when I took that alternative route and thought it cut to much of the track. When he came by he gave me a funny look and I tucked in behind him and off we went. I accidentally pulled over and let Ryan have the lead at Beer east...just because a 800 rider had been cat and mousing with me and I thought it was him. But I would have wrecked Ryan before I let him get that easy of a win! I'm obviously not showing up to every race to get 1st...my most favorite races have been ones that I battled for 4th, 5th or 6th. Someone has to get first someone has to get last...as long as I finish with a smile and can still walk afterwords, I say that's worth the price of admission!!

[jgordo]

And yes my numbers were all over the place when I posted my race review...must of had to much fun to pay attention to numbers!!!

[orangecrush]

As I think about last year in the vet 40 class we or us faster guys didn't like being stuck behind Bill Thomas. Some thought he was holding us up. I don't recall revving or yelling at him. I do recall someone yelling at Bill.(there is videos) I won't mention names. However I just waited for the opportunity to make a pass. Ride as close as possible. Just about every race I was behind Bill for a little bit. He was hard to pass. I do recall passing Bill twice at Melvirn. I don't think any of the 1000's have done that.

I think out of respect for your classmates it should be about having fun, not making each other against one and another. If you get a bad start, then I guess you better practice your passing skills.
I could come out and say that Spooner was holding me up. That would be wrong. I couldn't find any good lines around him. I stayed on him as much as possible. The reason I couldn't pass him, we were running the same speed. I think the 711 was revving at me and kicking up dust to get me off his tail.

This is Eric Schneider, Good Day.

[Spooner]

I could come out and say that Spooner was holding me up. That would be wrong. I couldn't find any good lines around him. I stayed on him as much as possible. The reason I couldn't pass him, we were running the same speed. I think the 711 was revving at me and kicking up dust to get me off his tail.

This is Eric Schneider, Good Day.

WHAT?!?! You're accusing me of spinning the tire as much as humanly possible to kick up dust so your bike wouldn't eat me?? What the hell man??


I was totally doing that.

[Gibber]

You know Eric, as much as I like you sometimes what you write is like throwing up. You never know for sure when it's going to happen and you haven't got a clue what you're gonna get!

That being said, I never did rev Bill. I only shouted at him once at Carbondale and that was after trying to pass him several times and blocking me. After that it was just racing and I wanted to make sure Bill knew it was me.

I think the big difference and the issue is not so much the passing, the racing or really even the rev. It is the idea that the rev as come to indicate I am a faster rider from another class and that I am a minute faster than you so please let me go. This has been drilled in to us by Dan at every rider's meeting and every start.

I actually had a rider rev me at Beer West when I was right on Chuck Martin and Flyin' Ryan and I let him pass. When I realized he was in our class I passed him back. And I did not rev him.

So, I am good with the rev thing in our class. I think the fast guys are right, for some riders it is a concentration breaker. It does not bother me. I think what we need to do is get the guys behind us to let us know what class they are in so we know to let them pass. I think Dan should bring this up. In fact, Dan is the one who told me he would not let someone pass him with a rev. Problem solved.

As for Bill Thomas. Bill was a really good sport about something that could have gotten really ugly. It is resolved and over now yet Eric, you are the only one who keeps bringing it up. Please just drop it now and let it go. I really don't think it needs to be rehashed any more. Besides, it was mostly between Bill and me and Bill was a pretty cool cat over the deal. I don't like dragging him out any more. Okay?

You know, Dan has mentioned moving me back to the Vet 40's because my speed is down this year and I have considered it. However, I am only 39 points out of 1st in 3rd. Truth is my speed is down because I have let myself pork up to 230# and my stamina has gone to hell. I am currently trying to work on that. But I like the intensity of this class. We are still a bunch old guys who have mortgages and have to go to work on Monday like the Vet 40's but there seems to be a level of competitiveness in the 700's that is just a tick more intense than the Vet 40's. This rev thing is a perfect example.

Anyway, like Dan says, It's all good! Let's just make sure we keep it in perspective. So far I get along with most everyone in FMHSC and I have made more friends here in the last few years than I have my whole life. I really don't want that to get screwed up over something like this rev issue. We're out there to race but we still gotta have fun. Otherwise it ain't worth it. So if I won't let you pass on rev now you know why. Try not to get pissed off at me. I'm out there doing the same thing you are. However, I promise I will NOT intentionaly block you. Unless of course you are Flyin' or Martin or Gordo or Spooner or Orangecrush or Crawford or JP or Brunholtz or Archibald or Meyers or Rutledge or Walline or... Just kidding boys. See? We're just having fun, Right?

P.S. Eric, before you fire back at me take a deep breath and run it by Amy before hitting the POST button. We have become friends over the last year and I would prefer not to get hammered by that "No Filter Blaster" you carry from time to time!!!! Hope your knee is doing better. See you at Orrick ole' buddy!

[Gibber]

Hey Guys. Just an FYI.

I got this lift for father's day this year and it is sweet. It's on sale again and is one of the handyest tools in my garage. It's solid too. I have used a step ladder to get up on the platform with it fully raised to pull the tank and is completely stable. You can walk around on it. Awesome?

If you don't have one you need one. No more breaking your back laying on the ground. You know us old guys need all the help we can get!

The coupon is attached.

You're Welcome!

[rebel617]

Going to be a long one since evidently i'm the reason for some drama at Hank's, here goes. Midpack off the start, went through the little ditch and saw a orange bike coming from my right, tried to get in front of him and ended up catching his back tire and went digging for clovers. Got up nearly last, bike was still running so off I go a hunting for my class. Passed a couple guys in the next couple miles. Caught up to Gordon and tried every alternate line I could find, was on his butt when we came to the scrub clearing over the crest of the hill. I had checked out the left of the main line in practice and figured if I was close enough I could make a pass there, made it by and I'll admit I puckered a little going into the trees. At some point, maybe 2 laps in I caught up to someone, gave a rev, hollering "gogogo", he pulls over, I think OK thanks. The rest of the race I could hear some guys behind me a couple turns back. Went through scoring at the end of the fourth lap, looked over and there is Gordon, time to turn it back up. Thank god that was the last lap or he would have caught me. Ended up going from next to last to 3rd in my second race back from semi retirement. Great fun guys.
Now as for the reving, yes I will rev. If I come up behind u and I wasn't there a minute before and rev, I'm trying to maintain a pace. I'm letting you know I'm there and u need to pick up your pace or let me by, especially when the course is as tight as Hanks was. If you hear me hollering, if I can tell you're in my class, generally I'm saying "gogogo", let's pick up the pace and catch the next guy. I will not make an aggressive pass that could potentially put 1 or both of us on the ground.
I started racing in this series midway through 1995, I'm not a newbie. I started in the Trail rider class, moved up to what used to be the 125-200c for a few years, won B the next and then made it up to 3rd in the A class which gave me 6th over all for the series in 2002. I set up races for 10 years for Paul Dipasquale at Milford, Carbondale, New Straun. Reving happens in every class and has since before I started racing! It's not always easy to see the person's # when u come up behind them. Ask anyone that had been in this series from back then, I'm the nicest person you could meet, trying to have fun. But I'm ultimately trying to have the best race I can, like John says some of those have been battling for a mid pack place. Others were going all out for 1st. I go all out from the start, was told by a coach when in high school that if I had anything left at the end, I didn't give it my all. Chances are I'm going to hit the wall and you'll get me later, if u do rev me I'll move over like I did at Beer East on the 4th and 5th laps. Greg, I don't drink anymore, but you're welcome to come and do a little bench racing in my pit any time, sounds like we could have a heck of a race if I found u on the course.
Finally, don't know if you were serious or not Eric. But if u want someone to keep up the good work and take me out, you do it. But make sure I'm down and out for good. If you want to ride dirty, I can play that game also.