Bokonon (cars suck)   |
| Mon Oct 13, 2008 2:27 am |
| Race spectating - Longtan, Taiwan |
I have a mild sunburn, my adrenaline is flowing, and I got my dose of sunshine for the month. I had a great day at the track.
The weather was as close to perfect as Taiwan gets. It was good to meet 3 new guys and see another one again. It's good to meet someone I can talk bikes to other than on the internet. I couldn't believe it when we got to the track. Three weeks ago (practice day) there were maybe a dozen bikes in the pits and 3 cars in the carpark. It was quite full of both this week, and there were several vendors with moto stuff and food. I had a good time walking around the pits and looking at the bikes. There were even a few CBR150s there. I could run in that class, but I don't think I'm going to take that bike on the track. Too hard/expensive to get parts if I go down.
Claire (The Wife) was with me. I think she finally got some insight into why I am so obsessed with motorbikes. She said it was very relaxing to be out there. I don't find motorcycling to be that way, but it's enjoyable for other reasons.
One of the white guys was doing fine in the 150 2-stroke race. He was a bit tentative after his off a couple weeks ago, and rightly so. There was one on a 4-stroke 150, and another on an NSR smoker. It was fun watching everyone run out there. I hope to get everything ready in a couple weeks and be there myself.
There was one incident, and it turned out better than I thought it was going to. One of the modified scooter classes was very competitive, and a lot of fun to watch. I've never enjoyed seeing scooters so much before
The two leaders were right beside each other coming out of the final turn. They bumped, and it looked like both were going to go down. One did, and he highsided right in front of us and the significant others of a couple of the others. He fell off the bike no more than 6 feet from the outside edge of the track and slid into the tires, hard. He was sliding on his side, so he hit with his front and head. I was sure it was going to be very messy. Scary it was. He got up walking, though, and was smiling in about a minute. It'll hurt, but I was glad to see that nothing obvious was wrong. His bike didn't come out so well, though. The frame broke in half, and it was hard to tell what else was wrong. It probably needs new forks, too, would be my guess. It was in great shape before; hopefully he will be able to transfer some of those shiny, sparkly, expensive bits to a new frame.
It's good to find a track where we can ride. I may swear off sport riding on the streets. Not exactly a sacrifice round here
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Race spectating - Longtan, Taiwan — Bokonon, Mon Oct 13, 2008 2:27 am -
Video of scooter highside — Bokonon, Fri Oct 17, 2008 2:26 pm
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Re: Video of scooter highside — Wheels, Fri Oct 17, 2008 9:57 pm
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I'd probably classify that as 'Why you don't rub paint with people' (n/t) — ithaca00, Fri Oct 17, 2008 3:47 pm