Weekend at the Races

On my free day in New York I toured the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, which is not far from where the race was held.

Curtiss was an early pioneer of bicycle, motorcycle, and aircraft development. He was a champion racer of all of those types of vehicles. He was a successful inventor and businessman, yet had only an eighth grade education. Glenn Curtiss held world speed records on land and in the air.

I like this Curtiss quote: "What is the need of racing unless you think that you are going to win? And if you are beaten before you start, why take a chance?"

The docent stated his opinion that Curtiss' contributions to the advancement of aviation were more important than those of Orville and Wilbur Wright, though the Wrights were simply better marketers. I believe that Curtiss did contribute more, but also that the Wright Brothers held up development through litigation to enforce their broad patents.

The museum building is modestly sized but it is packed with neat stuff. Through displays of vehicles and equipment and other artifacts, plus a 60-minute documentary film, the museum shares Curtiss' life story from birth to death. The stories of his contemporaries are also included, such as his Aerial Experiment Association partner Alexander Graham Bell, his litigious rivals the Wright brothers, and aviation pioneers Samuel Langley and Octave Chanute, among others. There are also a bunch of random cars and motorcycles. The connection to Curtiss was not explained, but they were all fun to see.

You are allowed to walk through functioning workshops where a WWII P40 fighter plane and other aircraft are being restored. There are very few barriers to keep you away from the exhibits. Detailed explanatory signage fronts most of the exhibits, and various art and decorations are attractive and thoughtfully prepared.

Upon leaving the museum I drove a short distance to the local cemetery to visit the graves of Curtiss, his wife, and their two sons.







On Jan. 24, 1907, Glenn Curtiss rode a motorcycle to set the overall world land speed record of 136.27 mph at Ormond Beach, Florida. This bike sports a 4,410 cc V8 aircraft engine of his own design and manufacture. The overall record held until 1911. A motorcycle did not go faster until 1930. In 1907 this was cutting edge stuff. Check out the big exposed pinion gear spinning the rear hub.



Unrestored 1908 Curtiss motorcycle.



On July 4, 1908, Glenn Curtiss flew the June Bug 5,080 feet and won the Scientific American Trophy along with a $2,500 prize. This was considered to be the first pre-announced public flight of a heavier-than-air-craft in America. The Wright brothers had not yet publicly displayed their aircraft. This is a working replica of the June Bug. The figures depict Lt. Thomas Selfridge and Glenn Curtiss. Lt. Selfridge was the first recorded American aviation fatality. He perished in the September, 1908 crash of a Wright Flyer piloted by Orville Wright. This was also the first aviation death of an active duty U.S. service member.





Curtiss P40 bring restored.



Glenn H. Curtiss died at age 52 of complications following an appendectomy. This occurred some time after his wife had convinced him to give up racing because it was so dangerous. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by an act of Congress.

 
Right after I got home from New York my laptop died. My MacBook Pro is eight years old. It goes everywhere with me and I spend a lot of hours on it. But without warning it went into a state where when power was applied all you would see was a white screen with the Apple logo and nothing more. Some online searching using my wife's rig revealed some ricks to prompt a reboot, but nothing worked.

I took it down to Simply Mac, the chain retailer that's sort of a second tier Apple Store. The tech there quickly diagnosed a dead logic board, something that is apparently not uncommon on this older model. There was even a recall at one point but it's over now. He said it was beyond repair, that the damaged part is no longer supplied by Apple and that I should start shopping for a new computer. Problem is, to get another Mac of the same capacity and minimum features would cost somewhere between $2,500 and $4,000 for a refurbished or new machine. Mine had been upgraded with a 1TB SSD some time ago.

That led to more online searches and ultimately the purchase of a used/refurbished logic board for about $400 from an online vendor that I'd used before.

Short of removing the screen, I tore it down to an empty box. This was further than necessary to replace the damaged part, but I also wanted to clean out all of the dust, crumbs and dried-on gravy debris that had found its way inside over he years. I replaced the logic board, added RAM. Teardown involved handling more than 85 tiny threaded fasteners (71 for the keyboard alone) and 11 electrical connections. There are several different types of threaded fasteners, but you can get a nice set of correct drivers on Amazon for about ten bucks.

I relied heavily on experience from having watched one of my pals perform and explain similar tasks, plus some You Tube tutorials for machine-specific info. You Tube is a great resource. I've used their tutorials to learn how to lace a spoked wheel, and to modify the Harbor Freight engines on my minibikes. Beyond the 90 day warranty on the refurb logic board, there's still no promise of how much longer it will last.

The machine works great again, even better than before. Gunk buildup had made the "T" key difficult to use. It's fine now. The SD card slot was also worn out and seems to work much better now. It's included with the logic board assy. Because I had to reformat the hard drive everything on it was lost. But I had done a backup before my trip so it was easy to restore. Most of the photos and other stuff from New York Had already been uploaded to various sites, so I just pulled it back again for my archives.

Including work done previously, my laptop is a real Frankenstein. I've replaced he logic board, hard drive, RAM cards, track pad, and battery. About all that's left of the original device are the case, screen, and keyboard.







 
Thank you for your kind words. I'm really glad that you enjoy my work. I'm having so much fun right now. I often worry that someone will say this is all too far off topic. From a young age I've of course loved minibikes. But I've also always liked to travel and have new experiences (especially if moto-stuff is involved) and to tell stories. I believe that sharing my experiences with others through words and photographs is a good way to help keep my mind sharp as I grow older.
 
I skipped going to the races in South Dakota last weekend. Even though it's a doubleheader and twice the fun, it's also very expensive to get there and to be there during Sturgis bike week. Anyhow, I stayed close to home and went with a couple of pals to see the Oregon Steam-Up. This show of steam-powered tractors, early internal combustion engines and similar stuff is held at Powerland Heritage Park, a member-operated facility in the rural Willamette Valley not far from Salem, the state capitol.

Besides old tractors, the place has permanent exhibits of stationary engines and a truck museum, a blacksmith shop, a sawmill and much more. There is a restored electric trolley line around the perimeter of the park, and also a 1/8 scale railroad with three lines that you can ride on. On Steam-Up weekend, people bring old motors and lawnmowers and similar stuff to exhibit, and there is a large swap meet. There is a tractor parade and a tractor pull, too.

The clips in this vid are just a small part of what we saw. I'll post some still photos later. There is a link to the Powerland website in the You Tube video description.

 
Last weekend I traveled to California for the Sacramento Mile flat track race at the Cal Expo state fairgrounds and the preceding "Night Before the Mile" Pro-Am short track support race in nearby Lodi.

Let's start with Friday's race. The Lodi Cycle Bowl track is a sun-baked 1/4 mile clay oval that sits just off Hwy 99 in Central California. A sign at the gate proclaims it to be California's longest running M/C track, and dates the place to 1953. The club itself holds an AMA charter from 1937. The track sits down in a bowl left when soil was excavated to build Hwy 99. The bleachers and control tower are sited on ground about 10' higher than the track surface. A railroad line passes along the property's back boundary and one or two fright trains usually roll through during the evening. It's quite a scene. The track has a smaller oval in the infield and a TT circuit that winds through the upper pit area.

Many top racers grew up through this place over the years. The list of famous names includes Kenny Roberts, Chris Carr, Jake Zemke, Fred Merkel, Jim Filice, the Bostrom brothers, and on and on. The organizers, fans, and racers here are very welcoming and nice to spend an evening hanging with.

On this night, the club's usual program was abbreviated to include just five classes: 450 Expert, Vintage bike, Vet rider, 250 amateur, and 450 amateur. A $5,000 cash purse was split among the classes. The event provides a way for traveling racers to pick up some extra dough, for the local riders to go mano a mano with starts of the sport, and for local spectators to see it all play out on the home field.

Local riders swept the podium in the top class, though all three also contest the national pro series. Michael Inderbitzin (54Z) took the win on his Honda CR-F 450, while second and third place went to Christian Spurgeon and Chris McDougal, respectively, and with each riding Yamaha YZ450F. Inderbitzen and McDougal are both very experienced racers. Spurgeon, just 16 years old, told me that he had gone to school earlier in the day and then been driven to the track by his mom.

A big part of my coverage is devoted to riders from the Pacific Northwest, where I live. Kody Kopp, he son of 2003 national champion Joe Kopp, is one of those riders. The Kopps live near Spokane, Wash., and we often attend the same events. Fourteen-year-old Kody (43) won the 250 and 450 amateur classes by a large margin in each, and he also won both of his qualifying races. Shows you what breeding and coaching will do for you.

The photos below depict the track overview, plus Inderbitzen (54Z) and Kopp (43) and some of the other riders. I don't know who took the cool drone photo. I just picked it off the internet. The young woman is Mya Maffei. This teenager is from Scotia, Calif., and was the only female rider at the event. She contested the 450 amateur class and finished in the top ten. The toddler in the helmet is the son of one of the pro racers. He loves his dad's helmet and wore it for most of the day while tearing around the pits on his Strider bike.



















 
The Sacramento Mile is one of those legacy races that seems to have been on the pro calendar forever. The race predates the current venue at the Cal Expo state fairgrounds. Prior to 1978 it was held a the old fairgrounds sited elsewhere in Central Sacramento. Jim Rice's famous Sacramento Mile crash shown in On Any Sunday was on the old fairgrounds track. The current track is surfaced with hard packed sand. I believe that it is fluffed up a bit when horses race there.

Speaking of On Any Sunday, Mert Lawwill, one of the film's stars, was the grand marshal at this years race. Now 78 years old and still quite active, Lawwill was awarded a nice plaque and a leather jacket. he is shown in the photo below, flanked by race promoters Steve DiLorenzi and his son, Vincent. They are longtime race supporters and great guys.

Current champ Jared Mees (1) won the main event for twin cylinder bikes, followed closely by Briar Bauman (14), who at this point appears to be headed to his first championship. Mees has had some problems along the way this year and will have to really make a push tin the six remaining races to get back on top from his current second place.

Davis Fisher (67), who lives near me in Oregon, came in third. This was Fishers first Twins podium finish since he joined the class in 2016. He was the Singles class champion prior to that. All three were aboard Indian FTR750s.

Bike number 16 in the photos below is the Yamaha MT-07- powered machine ridden by Ronnie Jones. He was a major player several years ago, colllecting 10 AMA Grand National Championship wins and 32 podium finishes between 1980 and 1995. Now 59 years old, he races when he wants to. He is still fast, and landed in the top ten finishers at Sacramento, running with the current crop of young lions.

Shayna Texter (52), the only female rider in this series, won the Singles class final aboard her red Bull KTM, with a last lap, last turn draft pass around three other riders. It was the move of the night.

Some events this season feature a class for lower-spec twin cylinder machines. In tha class, called Production Twins, the engines must be based on those sold in volume production. Full race engines, such as that in the Indian FTR750, are not allowed. Dalton Gauthier (122), took the win. it was his first in the class and also the first for Harley-Davidson's XG750 machine.

I am fortunate to have great access at these events. I get to view not only around the track, but also up close on the starting grid and pre-grid, and even directly on the racing surface when the winner rolls past on the checkered flag lap. I am very grateful to the organizers for this opportunity.

























 
The two races last weekend in Central Illinois are among my very favorites. Friday night's Bob Walters Memorial pro/am race in Galesburg starts the weekend, followed by the Peoria TT on Saturday. Peoria is a city of 113,000 located on the Illinois River, about 150 southwest of Chicago. It is the home of Caterpillar Corp, the heavy equipment manufacturer, which will be important later.

Galesburg is a country town of 32,000 that's about an hour's drive northwest of Peoria. In this part of Illinois the terrain rolls slightly and fields of corn and soybeans are separated by woodlots growing along shallow ravines.

The Galesburg Motorcycle Club was formed in 1923. The evening's race was dedicated to one of the founders, the late Bob Walters. Walters was also the owner of a Harley-Davidson dealership in Peoria. This was the 18th running of the event and is the club's biggest event of the year. The club grounds include a 1/8 mile oval and a long natural terrain MX track that dips into a ravine along one property line. The setting is quite park-like with grass and trees, and spectators view the races from a bank above the oval track's front straight. Beef rib-eye sandwiches and fresh sweet corn are served up from one of those giant black trailer-mounted BBQs. A local country radio station, FM95-WAAG, broadcasts live from the pits.

Flat track racing is a very big deal in this part of the country. This event draws local racers to participate in a number of classes broken down by rider age and by engine displacement. There is also a class for vintage bikes. The track would be perfect for pull-start minibikes, but the organizers seem to have a full plate as it is. Some of the amateur racers have traveled a long distance for this event, making a vacation of sorts to include spectating at the big pro event in Peoria the next day. Just over a dozen professional racers were on hand, looking for a share of the $8,000 purse to supplement whatever they might win in Peoria.

As the sun dropped low and a full moon began to rise above the trees behind the track, a series of heat races and main events for the various classes filed on and off of the track. Family members of the riders plus other spectators cheered from the bank above the track while they had their evening meal. Kids ran around on the grass, laughing and feeling free on a warm summer night. It was all so very nice.

The top class here is for 450cc single cylinder machines. The track is too small for the big 750cc twins. Dalton Gauthier (122) won the twenty lap pro feature. He earned a cash prize and an engraved silver plate and his name will be added to a permanent trophy held by the club. Gauthier leads the national pro series season points chase for this type of bike. Second place went to Davis Fisher (67), a rider who lives near me in Oregon. Fisher rides a twin cylinder Indian in the national series, so these two riders aren't on the track together very often. Each won his heat race. The third heat was won by Hunter Taylor (34), another rider from the Pacific Northwest.

Fisher nabbed the holeshot and led for the first couple of laps before a crash involving three riders brought out the red flag. Two of the three lined up for the restart, but the third rider, Englishman Oliver Brindley (24), twisted his ankle and decided to call it a night. Fisher again took the lead on the restart and held the position for most of the race. With the laps winding down he slid wide in turn three and gave Gauthier just enough room to get by for the lead and the win.

The photos below depict the track overview, start of the pro main and the 450cc amateur main, a staggered single-file restart in one race, and various racers young an old, on bikes big and small.





















 
I woke up early last Saturday morning to post a race report and photos from the Galesburg race (see above) before heading to the Peoria TT event across town from my hotel. As I sat typing, I heard a crack of thunder. I threw open the curtains and saw that it was raining hard. A storm had moved in overnight. I checked online and read notices from the organizers saying that the event was in jeopardy. The track might be too wet for racing.

By 10 am the rain had stopped and it seemed more likely that things might happen. The Peoria Motorcycle club has a connection with Caterpillar Corp., which is based nearby. I arrived at the track to find huge machines scraping the track down to dry soil. By 2 pm bikes were on track, about four hours behind schedule. Peoria has no stadium lights so they have to be done before dark. The revised program called for racing to be over by 6:30 pm.

Henry Wiles has won the premier class here for the last fourteen years in a row. His participation this year was in question because he broke his right fibula two weeks earlier at a race in South Dakota. Wiles was present in the pits, wearing a removable cast on his leg, but he never went on track. In a television interview early in the day, he said that he decided not to race on the advice of his doctor. Rumors were floated that the organizers had pressed for him not to race, but this seems unfounded.

At the end of the 25 lap feature race, Briar Bauman (14) became the first new winner here in fifteen. It took him a couple of laps to get around his younger brother, Bronson (37), and then he was away, pulling out a lead of just under three seconds by the time it was done. Both riders were on Indians supported by the manufacturer. Third place went to JD Beach (95), a rider originally from the Pacific Northwest and now living in Kentucky. Beach rode a privately entered Yamaha.

The single cylinder class was won by sixteen-year-old Dallas Daniels (163), who rides a Yamaha for the same team as Beach. Daniels is in his rookie season, and joined the class partway through the year when he turned 16, the minimum age to participate. Daniels also enjoyed something of a runaway win, beating current series champion Dan Bromley's Red Bull KTM (1) to the finish line by a bit more than two seconds. Third place went to former former Peoria winner Jesse Janisch (132), a Yamaha rider who is is one of the oldest in the class at 32.

Former Motocross/Supercross/Supermoto/Indycar/, etc., hero Jeff Ward (336) is contesting the TT rounds of this series. This race was his third outing this season. He missed a transfer spot in his heat race by one position and did not make it to the main event. He sure went over the jump in style.

The track held up well all day and needed little work during the event. The clay surface formed a narrow racing groove early on, but as the day progressed it widened, especially through the broad first two turns. There was enough traction that the 350 pound, twin cylinder machines were lifting the rear wheel off of the ground while braking hard into turn one. There are only a few races where these bikes even have a front brake fitted. The TT jump on the back straight had been modified for this year to single jump, replacing the step-up arrangement used for the last two years. Most riders were pleased with the change. The event stayed on schedule and the final checkered flag fell at 6:33 pm.

The images below depict the various riders and situations described above.















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We all know you're a talented photographer, Tom, but your writing is beginning to impress me even more. Your description of the Galesburg venue and event, plus a bit of history, is great; sounds like fun. Now, I want a sizzling ribeye and corn... ;)
 

delray

Well-Known Member
nice tom. I was just at another local clay flat track last weekend for the first time. it was a good amount of bikes racing again. they invited the minibikes guys to race there. I got to talk to one of the original founders that race back in the 70's. from what he was telling me flat tracking has been growing real big in wis and other parts of the country too. Peoria not to far from me . just a small road trip. maybe next year.
 
nice tom. I was just at another local clay flat track last weekend for the first time. it was a good amount of bikes racing again. they invited the minibikes guys to race there....
Thanks. Where was this at? Wisconsin? I wish more of the small tracks would have a class for minis. It was so much fun when they had them at my local winter indoor track earlier his year.
 
I'd like to shoot more video, but it' not allowed at the American Flat Track pro races. It is OK pretty much every where else, though. I shot a little but at Friday's pro/am race in Galesburg, Illinois, and stitched the clips together into a short movie. It's just a mix of the amateur and pro racers. There was a pretty big hole in turn four that made the bikes bounce around a bit. The start/finish flagger was a real artist. The camera does not record audio on slow-mo, so I added a simple sound track.

 
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