redkow97

PM Bucky Badger (aka Brian) I'm pretty sure he can ride blackhawk blindfolded. "May 30 & 31, 2009 - Fresh off dominating the Michelin Team Challenge at Road America, Hix Racing's Ron Hix and Brian Blume win in convincing fashion at Blackhawk Farms this past Sunday" http://www.ronhix.com/writeup-2009-ccs-bhf-r03.html there are plenty more write-ups from BHF if you want to get a better feel for the track and can't get ahold of Brian.

that ride is scheduled on the same day as the Putnam trackday a lot of members are attending. I know a few of us will be at BeaveRun that day as well.

True that. all the cracks provide excellent drainage!

I missed the joke here for a second, because the NESBA "I" stickers are yellow, then I realized who was posting You won't be disappointed with the pace of NESBA's "B" group.

i'm gonna guess lowering links, frame sliders, and extra long bar-ends might be a good start. tip-over friendly?

I can't say much about making it safer now, but as for track stuff, let me put a call in to my buddy JB. he had pretty much the nicest SV i've ever seen... I'm assuming it has decent sporty tires. In this order, I would add: Stainless brake lines. Frame sliders Racetech emulators and stiffer springs are a MUST for that bike, IMO. I wouldn't spend the cash on a GSXR front end though. a double or triple click rear shock (penske, ohlins, elka) will run $500-$1200, but is worth every penny. woodcraft or vortex rearsets and clip-ons (not sure on which i'd advise first there... dragging a peg is no good, so probably the rearsets) case covers and that sort of thing. and if you really want to get crazy, wave rotors, CRG levers, a brembo master cylinder, a big bore kit, but none of that's necessary until you're crazy fast. a good rule of thumb is to start at the bottom of the bike and work up. Tires, brakes, suspension, rearsets, clip-ons, etc. I kind of wish I'd gotten an SV to see how fast I really am, ya know? with 70 hp, low lap times are that much more impressive.

Yes, but I have a very usable qualifier already mounted on the front rim, and I want to match the profiles of the tires. I believe the Q2 has more of a michelin-like shape, where it peaks in the center more, to provide a larger contact patch at full lean. that's awesome, and Q2's will be my next SET of tires, but I only want to spend $$ on the rear right now. $130 is pretty sweet.

I want to, but my anniversary is the 24th, and we're supposed to be going away for the weekend I mean, i think we're going to Cedar Point, so I can't be TOO upset, but I'd take a day at the track over roller coasters any day... MIGHT be able to sneak in Friday evening. Anyone know if they have tire service? My rear tire needs to be flipped. New one was ordered this morning.

I just placed my order online, so now I don't have to worry about someone else buying the last few tires before I have a chance With the Dunlop Q2 coming out, I figured there would be some good deals on the 'regular' qualifier, but I did NOT expect to have a 180/55/17 rear delivered to my door for $130. for street tires, these things have impressed the hell out of me at the track. The rear I currently have mounted will end up with a solid 6+ days on it (more really, but i'm not counting wet riding at a slower pace). They're wearing like, well, like street tires, but have gripped well enough that I kept up just fine in "A" group at Gingerman on Sunday, with only a hint of sliding/spinning when I really pushed. I can't wait to burn through the next one.

I'll be there both days, and riding in "I" group. I ride Beave with NESBA pretty regularly, so I should know at least 5 other "I" riders there. One is actually doing a "taco bar" on Saturday night. If we're all sticking around Saturday evening, I can add a couple names to the head-count. I'll have to verify if my buddy PJ is bringing his toy hauler or not. If he is, I'll be pitted next to him to exploit the amenities. We should all try to pit near each other regardless. I wish I'd coordinated that better at Gingerman this past weekend. - chris

77 and 71 in "A" group were both crazy fast. 77 is a NESBA control rider (Nolan), and 71 passed me like I was standing still, even when I was turning "fast" laps. I could not believe 71 didn't have an expert race plate on that bike... maybe he runs endurance? I should have asked him.

If they're faster than me, isn't it obvious that I could be riding better? If i knew what I was doing wrong, I'd already be trying to do it differently or better...

here's the thing though; it's extremely rare that the track "causes" anyone to wreck. If it physically crumbles from beneath your wheels, then yes, the track caused you to wreck, but the fact is that the dip was there all day, and over 100 other riders completed a combined 1,000+ laps through that section without crashing... I don't mean to beat up on Hoblick, but the track was the constant in this equation. He was the variable... I really don't mean that as an insult in any way whatsoever. We all make mistakes, and learning from them is a good thing. Blaming the track doesn't teach anyone anything.

Just knowing the part of the track where you went down, the "dip" there could be (mostly) to blame. I don't know what kind of suspension you have on your bike, but if it's too soft there, the dip can definitely bottom it out. when the suspension can't absorb the impact of the dip, it's no surprise that your tires lose traction. I noticed early in the day that I would go through that turn with my knee OFF the ground, but when my suspension compressed in the dip, my knee would touch. It's pretty significant. what I actually think is MORE dangerous there is if your rebound isn't set correctly, as you come out of the dip, the fork springs can push your front wheel up, and get the front-end light. That happens right as you're rolling onto the gas, and it could be a recipe for nasty head-shake onto the front straight, and very near the wall...

Definitely very friendly (and fast) people. I got zero feedback from any of the coaches on the track though. Seemed like they had their hands full dealing with the handful of riders who were a bit slower.

let me rephrase: If you were riding in "A," what did your bike look like i'm trying to figure out who I might have ridden "with" and not realized it. My bike's not hard to spot, so I figure most people realize when they pass me.

there were rumors floating around that Intermediate was over-booked by 20 people. I know for a fact that while I was registering, Mike told Dennis that they needed "7 or 8" people to move up from "I" to "A." I'm glad I jumped at that chance. The WERA novice on the green kawasaki without numbers, number 71 on the red bike, and the guy on the powder-blue R6(?) were INSANELY fast. But other than those three (and Dennis) stripping paint off me as they went by, I felt like I was solidly on pace.

so who was riding "A?" I would have made a point to grid up with you guys, but I didn't know who I was looking for...

You're still in "stage 1." I agree that the seams blow donkey balls, but there were guys going a hell of a lot faster than me that didn't seem to be bothered by them. My day went something like this: 9:40 - "fucking hell - every turn out there tightens up on you, and the ass-end of my bike is bouncing all over the fucking place." 2 hours later: "I guess it's not THAT bad." 2 more hours later: "this track is pretty fun. Seams? what seams?" I ran a lap timer the 2nd session after lunch and was turning 1:47's the next session, I followed a slower, but very smooth rider with great lines. We never used 4th gear on the straights, but the lines were so much better, I ran 1:44's The session after that, I put the speed and lines together and dipped into the 1:38's. I was happy with that. Started to find the limits of adhesion for Dunlop Qualifiers at that pace. Driving out of turn 3 got a little interesting on a greasy tire, but I survived. Who ended up with my back protector? Twizted?

LeBron will do what LeBron wants. Personally, I think he's greedy enough to stay here, because the Cavs will be able to pay him more than anyone else. For some reason, I think having the biggest contract possible will be important to LeBron; even if it means giving an (arguably) better opportunity with someone else. Wade, Bosch and LeBron could easily tell their agents, "make sure we're all on the same team. Either Miami, or Chicago." They'd have to sacrifice a little money, but what's a few million dollars to them? Get each guy 3-year deals with one team, and watch them win at least 2 championships in those three years. Then they're all free-agents again, and can go make the money they feel they 'deserve' wherever they want; or stay put, and rival the Celtics as the NBA's best dynasty team ever. If they're really all about winning championships, they should start acting like it. Endorsements alone make Wade and LeBron more money than basketball. Re: Mike Brown I'm not the biggest Mike Brown fan, but it's not his fault we lost this series. Mike Brown wasn't 3/14 from the field. Mike Brown didn't turn the ball over 14 times, or shoot terribly from the free-throw line. Yeah, he messed with the lineup, but when things aren't working, I understand the 'experimentation' even when I don't agree with it.

ah - i guess they're available, just further away from everything. The staff will set up along the "B" building to be close to pit lane. Are you planning to run tire warmers? unless you need power, i don't see the appeal of a garage.

I've only been there once before, i but I don't remember seeing garages on the property.

Dude's effed for a murder conviction. depending on the jurisdiction, it might be 2nd degree murder, but that just means that the death penalty won't be within the sentencing guidelines. seems pretty open and shut to me...

last time i was there, the gate building was unlocked. the gate itself operates using a normal garage-door opener. One of the STT coaches suggested that such an act would be breaking and entering. ...but locking people in is unlawful imprisonment. I doubt they're going to press charges if you try to open the gate on your own.

i'd try to keep a short commute. mine is about 7 miles each way. maybe more like 12, when you add in going to school afterward. a friend of mine used to commute 50 miles each way. He jumped for joy when his 2006 Mustang got t-boned and totaled. It had over 60k miles and was only 3 years old. Would have had even higher miles, but he still drove his crappy Nissan 200SX every so often. the plan was to drive the Nissan daily, and keep the mustang nice, but when you've got satellite radio and a much nicer interior, it's hard to resist actually USING it.