Mini Road Racers Forum

After nine or 10 hours (we got a little lost just outside the track) we made it to Road America early Friday morning. Except for some rain Friday night/Saturday morning the weather was perfect. All in all it was a good weekend; nobody fell down and everybody had fun. Unfortunately Hatten might disagree with that last statement, as his bike didn't want to play ball and kept him out of the action most of the weekend. But he was a good sport and, along with his wife Leslie, a great host. Many thanks to those two for some great food and accomodations not to mention the transportation, driving, etc.

Results:

Battle of Twins (Saturday):
2nd place - Mark Hatten

Open two-stroke (Saturday):
5th - Jordan Reid

Sound of Singles (Saturday):
1st - Jordan Reid
2nd - Bill Doran
4th - Marcus Matthews
5th - Steve Massey

Sound of Singles (Sunday):
1st - Jordan Reid
2nd - Bill Doran (by .02 seconds!)
4th - Steve Massey (with a last lap, last corner move on...)
5th - Marcus Matthews

MyLaps isn't updated yet so the results are unofficial, but I think everything is correct. Time for bed.

Pictures:

Kahn in his preferred seat




Pit setup on Friday











Massey's weiner is huge in Japan




Here's Massey on Friday finding out what happens when you put twice the recommended amount of oil in the crankcase (oil everywhere!)




And here is Massey this morning removing his top end. Thankfully there were no issues.






Our pit neighbor encountered some unfortunate engine woes with his Guzzi. He left this stuff out overnight while it rained.




Some cool stuff around the paddock




OYL old-timers will recognize the name of this bike's rider, Duane Harper. This MT125 is the predecessor to our RS125s.















I really wanted a picture of the 60s-era (?) open wheel Lotus, but this will have to suffice







Massey and I checked out the kart track. I forgot to grab the camera and it was getting pretty dark, but it looked awesome. The event this weekend was all super motard stuff so they used a dirt portion of the track as well. Though we didn't get a chance to ride it, I would put the course on par with BeaveRun, but a little smaller for sure. There were some sweet-looking motards in the paddock and I'm sure they had some great racing.

Very nice pics and congrats on the 1st place finishes! Also, congrats to all the OYL members that did so well out there this weekend! Glad you all got home okay, I knew it would be a LATE night since you called me in Chicago and it was 9:30 at night!!! Did Hatten drive the entire time??
Well, time to switch gears and think about the next event at CRP... going to be a blast! SEe ya all there

Wow, look like a lot of fun! Congrats on the good finishes guys

I love threads like this ... looks like you guys a great time...

Hatten, always knew you were a pimp, look at the moto-home. Nice way to travel my friend!

I will get some photos up tonight of my weekend, completely different style, mud, 4 wheels, guns, beer and fire. It had some interesting moments for sure.

Good job guys, congrats! Oh, and thanks for the vintage Kawasaki & Honda porn!

Anyone get any on-track shots?

Sounds like you guys had a good time up there. I wish I could have gone as well. Who else was in the 125 race?

Thanks for the congrats everyone!

fireman_343 wrote:Did Hatten drive the entire time??

Actually he did drive the entire way there, bless his soul. Massey did a stint on the way home. I had visions of BD's return trip last year in my head and didn't really feel comfortable driving such a rig (plus I was super tired).

blammo wrote:Anyone get any on-track shots?

No amateur shots that I know of. I saw a bunch of pros all around the track, but didn't see them in the paddock so who knows where those shots will end up.

Steve-o wrote:Who else was in the 125 race?

Steve Thompson was the other 125 entry. Apparently he has picked up his pace.

If Thompson was running with Bill he must have really picked up the pace.

Steve-O,

Would you mind logging in to mylaps to check my times for Sunday?

Also, BD has your transponder and will charge it before the next OYL event. Thanks for letting me use it!

Reid was on it big time!

Steve-O,

Would you mind logging in to mylaps to check my times for Sunday?

Also, BD has your transponder and will charge it before the next OYL event. Thanks for letting me use it!

I have been checking all weekend, and nothing is posted yet. Once they are up there I will take a screen shot and PM it to you. Thanks for working out the details on the transponder return. Glad I could help you out.

Steve-o wrote:If Thompson was running with Bill he must have really picked up the pace.

To be fair, BD's bike fell ill with about three laps to go. That allowed Thompson to nearly pip him at the line. From what I heard, though, Thompson has found a bit of pace regardless.

I hope BD can figure out what is wrong with his bike before Grattan this weekend. Our bikes suffered the exact same symptoms at the exact same time. I'm going to try to get into mine to see if I can figure it out and phone it in to BD.

Johnny_B wrote:Reid was on it big time!

You were the one on the Masstastic voyage! Again, congrats on coming out on top after the ding dong battle with Marcus. You didn't have very much track time once the bike was sorted so that was impressive for sure. Can't wait for Mid-O!

Johnny_B, WELCOME to the forum!

I say congrats on the first post (he's been here for almost two years)! About time you start posting, Captain. Next thing you know you'll have a mini, too

That's just crazy talk.

Nice pics. Glad you all had a good time and survived the ride home!

I was wondering if something happened to Bill's bike for Thompson to be that close. What are the symptoms?

Indeed, for only racing one race out of four and dealing with a sick Duc, I still had a great weekend. Of course, I haven't done an autopsy on my Ducati yet, so I'm sure there's still plenty of time for my mood to sour.

Massive endeared himself to the group by bringing a case of tasty homebrew. We spent much of the weekend convincing him he needs a mini, with me pitching the XR100 idea while handing him another home-baked peanut butter cookie. Watching Jordan pack away the food while remaining the size of my thigh made me long for having a 27-year-old metabolism again. And Bill and I only argued a little bit over XR Spec Class vs. F4.

Yes, I drove all the way up. Being the control freak that I am, if I'm awake, I pretty much like to be behind the wheel. The drive up was awesome (we left Delaware at 4 pm so we hit Chicago well past rush hour) until we made the mistake of listening to "local guy" Massive on the best way to get to the track, which resulted in driving around the wilds of Wisconsin lost for about a half hour. The drive home sucked, as we crawled in traffic in Milwaukee that opened up just a bit before coming to a screeching halt in the northern 'burbs of Chicago. Interesting factoid: Every driver in Chicago has a least one taillight/stoplight burnt out.

Anway, I tossed some photos up on a page for your purusal: http://www.woundedduc.net/2009AHRMARoadAmericaPics

Damn - them over-aged Red Bull rookies always puttin on a good show.

Sound of Singles (Sunday):
1st - Jordan Reid
2nd - Bill Doran (by .02 seconds!)

thanks for the report write-up Hatman.

Patton

Nice pic's there Mark!

I just used my little Nikon point and shoot camera from the grandstands outside Turn 5, so they aren't exactly up to the standards we see posted after most of the OYL races. But, at least they add a little flavor to the stories of the weekend.