IMS Friday Night Sept 25, 2009

Last week I missed the Friday night slip and slide as we were in Salt Lake City for the Mountain Dew and Gatorade Free Flow. My son Dylan rode the BMX Park Nationals in the Flow and did some extreme tricks but rode with a sore wrist from the previous weeks win and didn't finish on the podium but he did ride well. The great part about it was that Gatorade paid for everything.

Tuesday night there was a practice session at IMS and the track was really in good shape. Between then and tonight the track fairies worked overtime. The track was really wet at the start and the first few races had several riders down in turn one.

On Tuesday night my daughter Frances rode my JAWA for her first time on a speedway track. She has been on bikes before and with a borrowed helmet and boots she did great. Now she needs her own shoe as doubling up on socks just doesn't cut it.

The track usually stays flat but after a while turn three started to look like the TT jump at old Ascot and then there was the grand canyon right after that. I hit the canyon once and it hurt. The gang in red shirts were busy all night rebuilding the crash wall, ouch...

There are some before and after pictures of Kyle Hicks here, that is before and after the wall. My usual procedure is to take pictures before the races start, during the rider parade, and then try to get some shots of the first division main.

There wasn't any riders parade as no one thought to bring their waders and I turned my camera over to my daughter for her to try and figure out what all those knobs on it are for. To get to the track I have to use the infamous toll road. It is supposed to save time and money as it eliminates the 5 and 55 parking lots. Yesterday afternoon the Riverside Freeway stopped moving and this forces the drivers on the toll road to sit an extra twenty minutes coasting down the grade to the mess below.

My son headed to Las Vegas for the giant bike show there and I gave him my transponder for the toll road. The charges are debited from my bank account automatically and after having to pay with cash at each toll booth and seeing the actual cost on the booth display meter I was more than steamed to have sit and wait on the toll road.

There were several riders new to the track in attendance: Tuff McBride, Steve Lewotsky, Nate Perkins and maybe more. McBride prevented Buck Blair was winning both mains as Tuff took the handicap with Buck second. Buck won the scratch main after winning the last chance to get the last slot. Buck just started surfing last week and you should see what happens to you when you don't wear a rash guard. The picture was too ugly to print.

Several note worthy riders surf, Fast Eddy, Shawn McConnell and myself to mention a few. I am not sure if Beach Ball Brown can surf but I know I couldn't lift his board if he did. Beach Ball and I faced off in the consolation and I thought I was running away with it, then I hit the canyon and that hurt so I backed off before I hit the jump again then I heard Brown engine right behind me so I turned the gas back on.

I didn't make the main as I still am recovering from the last time Beach Ball ran over me and I am not ready to fight for the first corner against a kid yet. Steve Murray who helps me in the pits and pushes me off knows the race is won in the first corner the majority of the time as that is how he got so many wins.

Barr Lumber Company of San Bernardino is a sponsor and I hope IMS get a good discount on plywood and posts (I hope Kyle Hicks get a hell of discount on his next wheel).

In second division there were Philip Harmatiuk #149 and his dad Phil #100 while Shawn helped both of them. If my daughter Frances tried racing, my sons overcomes his aversion to speedway (he used to race) we could field three Starks one night.

But since we only have one speedway bike in the garage (we had four once) we would have to double team like that famous team of Fishback and Huspek that thrilled the crowd on last Tuesday night.

Legends Night at Industry

Well it was hot Wednesday night at Industry as the temperature was close to a hundred, maybe 98, when I pulled into the pits and a couple of fires were burning in the nearby mountains.

Last week I shared Gene Stone pop-tent but this week he retreated to under the cover of the roof where there was a lot more shade but he let me use the tent again. Then Steve Murray rolled in with his wife for the Legends Night so I had company.

The track surface is always open before the races for inspection by the riders and the track was dry when I first looked at it. At speedway there are not any practice before the races so a walk around is it. Then the decision was made to water which makes the first who ride a slip and slide event. At Industry the second and third divisions ride first before the National Anthem and this blows of the top layer of wet dirt and usually place several riders on the deck.

My first ride was in Race 5A and the track was a lot drier by then . My grandson was track side and he had never seen me ride Speedway so I won my first race for him. His mother started going to Costa Mesa at an early age when you used to be able to haul your own cooler into the grandstands and wanted to see Sonny Nutter again. I am not sure if that dates her more than myself but since I lie about her age it is okay. She had never seen sidecars before and I offered to get her one but it would not fit in her little VW.

I can't get my son to go to speedway anymore though he does help me load and unload my bike but that is only because my right arm is still mending and I can't lift it or the bike. So maybe I can get the grandson on a bike or maybe his mother on one too, she is no stranger to riding a motorcycle but that is another story.

Billy Gray was there to ride on a two valve and had a match race with Steve Murray. Steve rode a laydown but he has a garage full of older twin cam uprights. My first Jawa was a $900.00 twin cam I got a Cody's and I met Steve at Arrowhead where he was riding one also. There is a restored twin cam sitting on the floor at Cody's that Bobby Cody refurbished that is really sweet.

In my second race they put be on the ten yard line but there was a gap in the middle. The starter didn't know I was supposed to be handicapped back and motioned to be to move forward so I did. That didn't work very long a two riders protested my present on the starting line so I moved back to the eight yard line.

My mistake in the second race was trying to pass Stone on the outside and he finished second and my third moved me into the consi. Sometimes, but not always, the consi become a last chance so I won my remaining race but didn't get to ride the main as I was told it was "only" a consi. This is what I commonly refer to as the "Buck Blair got screwed again" paradigm and in the future you maybe able to purchase a "Buck Got Screwed Again" shirt if we can come up with appropriate graphics.

Speaking of graphics: Check out my Index Ink hat and shirt, I stole the cup.