Industry Speedway August 11, 2010

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is one definition of insanity. So yesterday I tried another route of getting to Industry in the Wednesday afternoon traffic. Last week I tried the MAPS search for directions using my IPhone and hit a detour and bumper to bumper.

So I went to Google Earth and got directions there. The directions given there were a different route and I missed the detours I found last week and the traffic was a little lighter. The distance needed to travel from the driveway to the track is only nineteen miles and the time driving was 51 minutes. Tuesday I took a train from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to Irvine and that trip took 51 minutes.

There is a freight train line running along the route I drove yesterday to the track but I not sure how to get the Jawa in an empty boxcar. You can take a bicycle on the Metro Gold trains when they are not too full but they might frown on a speedway bike and their trains do not go east of El Monte.

There were two very interesting old race cars set up for display and during beaks in the speedway racing they did some hot laps on the small track.

Again the drought of riders continue and even the crazy sidecars were less with only three showing when there were five last week. But those three put on another great show with lead changing and 5150 getting the main win.

The printed program listed 12 riders in the support races but that was of course changed and the first division was down to three heats instead of the usually four each round with five riders in each gate.My furry mechanic was useless as always and only
shows up to be petted.

In my first heat I thought I had won but was awarded second. Then I came in third, followed by a win, which put be in the main where I finished third.

Austin Novratil was in the main after having won all of his heats. Bobby Schwartz made the main by winning the last chance.

When the tapes go up on a short track like Industry a few inches can turn in too a big win.

After the races and the van was loaded up without any help from my mechanic and I headed west without the afternoon traffic to battle. Only one short stop was required and that wasn't for a refill or late night dinner but a visit to the police station. The city here doesn't allow for parking on the street late at night without a permit so I stuck my money in the pay slot and got my parking voucher for displaying in the window. They actually do have someone driving around in the dark writing tickets and the violation is $45.00:

 CITY CODE VIOLATIONS 19.58 City of South Pasadena.

August 4, 2010 Industry Speedway

Well I missed last week races at Industry after having a work load of moving stuff and packing that couldn't be ignored.

So my trip to the track was from a different compass heading on a different set of freeways full of stuck traffic.

I left an hour and a half later to get there and had a much smaller distance to drive but still had to deal with on-ramp closing and street work.

It isn't hard to explain the riders shortage with the state of the economy here, four or five tracks running off and on in Southern California and the time to repair broken machines and bodies.

Third and second division have been combined into a single group racing in a handicap form. In one race I was on the ten yard line and the other two on the twenty.

Last night I had a new mechanic in the pits to help me but all she did was get in the way, refused to push the bike and wanted to be petted. She managed to attend the rider's parade and enjoyed hanging out with old friends after the races. Someone suggested that she wear some racing attire or a number but that will have to be considered.

There were five sidecars in attendance and I took some pictures from inside the track at the start. After the tape goes up sidecars don't always go in the direction they want to. This makes for a click the shutter and run for cover approach.

And the younger riders put on a good show and are showing great improvement.

After the start of the above sidecar race there was a slight intermission in the racing as some sheet metal needed to be removed from the side tire after someone went left and another went right.

But after some pushing and shoving things are ready to roll again.

Four hacks are ready at the tape and was is  hidden in the back.

The tape is up and the winners are:

In the First Division Main the senior veterans were loaded at the start. Several younger riders did well earlier specially Austin Novratil winning several races but just didn't quite make the main against the salty vets.

At the start we have Bobby, Buck, Eddie, Mike and Shawn. Now if you don't know their last names you need to get your ass out to the races on Wednesday night. My grandson can name them. He wasn't there last night as he was on an airplane returning from the east coast but I showed him these pictures this morning and he knows their names.

Flying Mike gets the gate by several inches and wins the main by a far greater distance.