Perris, California January 31, 2010

Perris Speedway billed as the New Years Classic this last day of the month was blessed with sunshine and blue skies. I have not been there in a few years and in the past the track was attached to the motocross park.http://www.perrisraceway.com/

Now the track is ran by the Southern California Flat Track Association http://www.southerncaliforniaflattrack.com/index.htm

and is sublet for speedway racing. The main change since the last time I was here was the entrance location and access road was changed and the parking was regraded.

The track has a nice grader and water truck which is much needed at other fixtures,

My daughter and grandson made the trip out to watch and brought along a vistor from London to watch. Her visit will include sights not seen in the normal travel brochure. Winter in Southern California is where it sometimes rain and the hills turn green for a short time. Now I may describe Perris as verdant but if I were to pastoralize the setting hoping you envision Romans ruins among the ancient stone walls as you pass a quaint pub I would be misleading you. Ruins there are here and fences fashioned from old tires and discarded camper shells I guess for want of a better name "909 outback".

To get to the track from my house I have two choices of which both require going around a mountain using a Toll Road or over one using the infamous Ortega Highway. Ortega Highway leaves the coast  by San Juan Capistrano and passes through the Cleveland National Forest to reach Riverside County. It is a fun ride on a street bike if there isn't any traffic which is never. I once did the trip from Huntington Beach over Ortega and back on a Easter Sunday on a Kawasaki leaving at sunrise and it was fun.

Well I chose the toll route as my race lorry is a VW camper that has a allergic reaction to going up hills but it provides a nice tool bench and shade and the mileage isn't bad and on the level or going down a grade I can almost keep up.

After traveling on a toll road then a freeway though the Santa Ana Canyon and switching I head south on the 15 Freeway and sadly pass Ken Maelyhttp://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/hofbiopage.asp?id=219 old track headed towards Lake Elsniore. Hamlet's Elsinore is not to be confused with Lake Elsinore here and for fear of harm from those to live there I wll remain silent as I pass by the giant retail outlet along the freeway which must be the longest 99 cent store in existence.

When I reach the exit for Highway 74 on the 15 I am greeted by a couple of dozen building, stores, warehouse sales that were not there last trip here and the highway has been widen which is a great improvement but some the old crap and junk still line the side of the road. Weeds are flowers that some folks just don't know the names of and a rusted car body without wheels or old V8 engines is just someones forgotten idea.

Well I get to the track , pay my $35.00 to race and unload. There is a good turn out of riders and later on fans. There are three divisions of speedway, four side car racers, youngsters on minis, powder puff and  junior speedway bikes.

The event is billed at a trophy contest so if any payout happen it will be a suprise. I would surmise that many are here to enjoy the sunshine and be able to ride or watch without an umbrella.

I am not sure what happened in this picture (above) as my daughter, Tinker Bean (famous track photographer) took this one and several others. She took some really good shots including one of myself at the tapes and leading a couple of races. With her help and the bright sunlight I wound up with almost three hundred shots that needed editing. So I will make this Sunday at Perris a two parts blog so I will not waste some of the good pictures. TO BE CONTINUED.............