IMS North vs South August 21

I returned to IMS tonight after missing last week races because: Nobody would help me load my bike, I was invited to the Playboy Mansion as a replacement stud (my grand daughter said I was "A Stud" in a FaceBook comment), I was attending a White House Meeting in hopes of solving the current financial problems or I forgot there was a Friday. What ever answer for you works is okay.

It was the North vs South and several rider took the trip down but the North Team included Buck Blair (North side of the Hunington Pier).

Several of the young whippersnappers were attending some convention up north at Auburn in hopes they would be future stars in the speedway world and of course several riders from the north rode here that have never been on this track. Yarrow was a little unsure for a few laps then he started to ride really well. Yarrow used to ride here when this fixture was Charlie's Arrowhead track and he was quick then as a whippersnapper. Bobby Hedden was also a quick learner and the track was blue groove inside and heavy and soft outside with some ruts and holes.

Shaun Harmatiuk was fast on the outside. Shaun started going to a gym a couple of weeks ago and if he getting faster you will probably see him on cable doing a weight strengthening video.

Buck Blair was up, down and everywhere. Fishback was leading when he pulled the kill switch lanyard. I was looking the other way when that happen so I am not sure why. When TrickVideo finishes editing the nights races I will find out.

As I approached the parking lot I thought I was in the wrong place as where I normally park my Nissan and trailer the lot was full of a zillion little cars, little race cars, not too different from what the Shiners drive in parades but probably with a lot more horsepower, some were using Jawa 500s and I quickly decided that they were more welcome than a fleet of Harleys at Harley night. Those who love Harleys please understand that I can say what I may about them as I was once a proud owner of a nice sporty. Nice is a relative word and I will leave it at that.

Someone tried to sell me a little sprint car powered my a Jawa motor tonight and I declined as my vice is of a two wheel variety. When I was in Junior High School I got a job at a bicycle shop and the head mechanic who was a senior in Samohi had a 32 3 window coupe. This got me into hot rods and I had my first deuce before I had a driver's license. Actually I had a five window and a roadster before I could legally drive. I would be rich today If they were in my garage now.

But the riders that came into the Cycle and Sport bicycle shop in Santa Monica were not only hard core bicycle racers but also hot rodders and bikers. One lad that was going to USC had a three window couple, was an excellent climber on his bicycle and he had a Matchless 650 Twin. As I was a mere fifteen year old weighting maybe a 120 pounds with my pockets full of wet sand he let me ride the 650. If you can imagine switching from an Italian ten speed to a bike faster than almost any legal street car, it was unbelieveable.

The war between the North and South went to the North by one point in the final hard fought race. Aside from the furious action between the two teams there was the Third Division Main which is the real reason the stands are filled with screaming fans each week. After seeing a night filled with Blair and McConnell banging each other and the wall, Bobby Schwartz riding like a kid after the ice cream truck, two very fast Heddens, the real test of skill is to get around "Beach Ball Brown" when you start ten yards behind him as he takes up several lanes and to avoid Chris Thomas when he falls down. Ed Lynch went around me at the start and everybody else to win (no photos of Ed as he doen't need any additional encouragement). Chris Jones didn't flip his bike once during the night and Mr. X was icing his body after two crashes earlier and was a non-starter. I should have started a database of Thomas vs Mr. X in the number of falls as that would be very interesting number. My database of falling and injuries are not currently available but I keep trying.