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January 14, 2012 Friday June 1 will be the date of the 28th Annual Dairyland Classic flat track motorcycle races at the Sheboygan County Fair Park! We have not yet finalized our line-up for this year, although we suspect it will be very similar to our successful 2011 line-up. We appreciate your feedback as to what YOU (the fans) would like to see more (or less) of!
January 6, 2012 The 2011 Dairyland Classic has begun hitting the airwaves on SpeedTV's Lucas Oil On The Edge program. Season 8, Episode 1, will feature the Pro/Expert division as well as Jet Boats, and will air at 5pm CT (6pm ET) on Saturday, January 7.
The Vintage and Quad divisions will be shown in Season 8, Episode 4, along with 'flag pole racing', at 5pm CT (6pm ET) on Saturday February 25.
October 27, 2011 Jake Johnson claimed his second consecutive AMA Grand National Championship two weeks ago. Sammy Halbert claimed the first two Nationals of the year and led the season points for 16 of the 19 rounds, before handing the lead over the Jared Mees. Mees then crashed out of the Calistoga event and handed the points over the Johnson in the penultimate round. For the second year in a row, Johnson claimed the title thanks, in part, to a major mistake by his main rival in the penultimate round. In 2010, Jake entered the Shakopee, MN round 10 points behind Joe Kopp. Kopp DNF'd that race to give Jake a 10 point lead heading into the final round in Arizona. This year, Jake entered Calistoga 18 points behind Mees, but left with an 8-point lead.
More interesting tidbits of 2011:
October 25, 2011 With the completion of the 2011 Grand National season, how is DMG doing? Recall that DMG (Daytona Motorsports Group) bought the AMA Pro Racing properties from AMA (Ohio) in 2007, took over the Grand National Series in May of 2008 (after the series schedule and rules were already in place). Thus, 2009 was the first season with the DMG "stamp" on it, in terms of venues selected. Let's see:
While each new venue brought with it a steep learning curve, no significant complaints have been reported. In most cases, the track prep provided a racey surface and the programs ran on time. Many of us can recall the tumultuous 2007 season in which several events were plagued by mismanagement on several fronts. Most significantly the Syracuse New York round at which the main event was 'rained out' without a cloud in the sky, the West Liberty Iowa round in which the promoter attempted to run the race without the AMA, and the Las Vegas round in which the track was deemed unsafe after practice.
DMG has introduced the "Dash For Cash", which offers Grand National points, and this year introduced an additional Grand National point for leading the most laps.
October 16, 2011 Last night, in Pomona, California, Chris Carr hung up his helmet and steel shoe for the last time as a professional flat track racer.
Perhaps most impressively, he competed in the Grand National Championship for 25 years, plus two years chasing the AMA Superbike Championship, without missing a race due to injury. It was an honor to have him compete at the Dairyland Classic in 2006, 2010, and 2011.
September 10, 2011 Another 'big wreck' occured on the Springfield Mile last weekend in the 450cc Pro Singles division. As is common, there is considerable hubbub online about how unsafe the 450 Pros are on the mile, and what is AMA/DMG going to do about it?
News flash: racing motorcycles at high speeds is dangerous. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programme.
My big question is, what makes the 450 Pros so unsafe on the miles?
I am seeing a lot of Pro riders expressing their fears/concerns online, yet none are offering suggestions on how to remedy the situation. Some non-racers want the 450s pulled from the miles. This is not he answer. The whole point is to give the Pro riders mile track experience before they hop on a 750cc twin and line up next to Carr, Mees, Halbert, et al.
Some (racers and non-racers) have suggested running restricted twins in the Pro division. This won't work either, as the purse money is intentionally low in the Pro division - very few team owners will build twins for the little return.
Without knowing the true problem, the best suggestion I have seen yet comes from team owner Dick Weirbach, who suggests fewer riders in each Pro event on a mile. Currently they pull 32 riders from qualifying into two 16-rider heats, then a LCQ, and finally an 18-rider main. Maybe 16 & 18 riders is just too many guys at one time. Maybe that many riders increases the sense that one needs to bonzai to the front and stay there at all costs.
So pull the 32 from qualifying into four 8-rider heats and run either a single 12-rider main or run two 8-rider mains ("A" and "B" main). The riders get experience, they don't feel like 15 guys are breathing down their neck, and maybe there will be less concern.
But it sounds like the bigger problem is that the riders are too aggressive on the miles. Some have suggested having Carr, Mees, or others 'coach' the younger guys. No offense, but I put little confidence that a lecture will work. What they need is stiff punishment for rough riding on the miles. Maybe they even need to make the mile events "invitation only". If you prove to be a safe rider on the small tracks, you get invited to run the big tracks. If you're hell on wheels on a short track, what are the odds you'll be safe on a mile?
Interestingly, I've yet to hear of a Pro Singles rider disciplined for rough riding. Experts, yes, but not Pro Singles riders.
September 2, 2011 This year's college freshmen were born in 1993-1994. Each August since 1998, Beloit College has released the Beloit College Mindset List, providing a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall. To put their list into flat track racing terms, this year's college freshman have:
August 14, 2011 This thought just occurred to me. When Chris Carr retires at the end of the season, he will be the last guy currently competing in the AMA Grand National Championship that races at all of the historic, yet now-defunct, racetracks.
July 4, 2011 It just now dawned on me that very few stars on the 2011 Grand National Championship ever raced against my brother, Jim, who died on May 26, 2002 on the Springfield mile.
Among the top 25 from last year's GNC standings, I only notice a few: Joe Kopp (2nd), Kenny Coolbeth (5th), Chris Carr (7th), JR Schnabel (15th), Shaun Russell (19th), and Willie McCoy (21st). Joe Kopp retired (for the most part) this year, Shaun Russell and Willie McCoy are running limited schedules, and Chris Carr retires at the end of this year. That only leaves two - Coolbeth and Schnabel. If JR retires after this year, that leaves ONE top 20 GNC guy who raced against my brother, who held National 45 from 1991 until 2002.
I guess a lot can change in 9 years....
June 27, 2011 Browsing the internet, I came across a variety of Pro/Expert race reports from this year's Dairyland Classic:
June 4, 2011 After eleven years of attempts, I was finally allowed to host a Dairyland Classic event without ANY rain falling while I was at the facility! I understand Elkhart Lake had a thunderstorm around 7am on Friday, but no rain fell at the Sheboygan County Fair Park.
We estimate that the grandstands we filled to just over 3/4 capacity, which would put it as the second-largest crowd we've drawn in 11 years. Our thanks and gratitute to all who came out to support our efforts to host Wisconsin's Premier Flat Track Motorcycle Racing event!
Early on, we had a persistent 40mph wind blowing from the south, which meant we had to put a lot more water onto the track in the hopes of keeping it we enough to get good traction. As we launched the first bikes out for practice, I was anxious to see if the bikes would start kicking up dust or not. Luckily, the extra effort by Dale and Kathy Baumann paid off, as we didn't have any dust on the racing surface all night long. With the winds still prominent as we launched our autograph session, we decided to lay another coat of water down, and this paid off very well. Once the sun went down, the moisture came back up and the racing line got tackier. For the first time, in recent memory, the races got faster as the night progressed - our last Pro/Expert semi was the fastest six-lap race we've ever had, and the Pro/Expert main broke the previous record for a twenty-lap event by over eight seconds! One of the riders in the Pro/Expert main told me that by the midpoint in the race, he was getting so much grip in the corners that he was having a hard time getting through the corners.
We drew the largest group of Vintage riders and also the largest group of Quad riders in our history! Our Amateur division continues to be very strong, but the Youth division continues to be the one that seems to draw the least interest from competitors. We will be thinking about changing this division for 2012 to one that will enhance our overall program.
We are humbled by the spectator turnout last night, and on behalf of my family, we thank you for supporting us!
May 26, 2011 My younger brother, Jim, rode his self-prepared XR750 onto the Springfield Mile for the last time, nine years ago this morning. He made a single lap at speed before God called him home. He had actually passed away after crashing at the Peoria TT four years earlier, so we were blessed to get four more years with him.
My, how time flies...
May 25, 2011 We will host the Chris Carr Farewell To Flat Track party at West Bend Harley-Davidson! 6-8pm! Thursday June 2! Chris says he'll have his bikes there and he'll be seeling his Tour t-shirts and from my experience he'll be willing to talk about anything and everything.
Joining Chris will be XR1200 road racer Kyle Wyman, who won the Daytona XR1200 race earlier this year and will be competing at Road America on June 4.
May 25, 2011 Yes, I am hard down getting ready for the 27th Annual Dairyland Classic next weekend. But something flared up on an internet forum and I feel compelled to say 'get over it'.
Someone is upset that Sammy Halbert is promoting himself as a Grand National Champion on the grounds that when the AMA recognized the separate Singles and Twins championships in 2006, they did not mention any overall Grand National Champion. As fate would have it, Kenny Coolbeth won the Twins Championship in 2006, and also scored the most overall points (when you combine the individual Singles and Twins points together). This same scenario occured in 2007 and 2008. Jake Johnson won the Singles titles in 2006 and 2008, while Coolbeth won the Singles title in 2007. Being a historian for the sport, in my terminology, Kenny Coolbeth is a 3-time Grand National Champion - 2006 thru 2008. The fact that in 2007 he won both the Singles AND Twins championships is just gravy on the icing. For those three years, one guy rode #1 on all Singles races, while another rode #1 on all Twins races. In 2008 it happened to be the same guy. And in each of those three years, the guy who scored the most combined points also got to wear #1 at least some of the time.
In 2009, the inevitable happened. Henry Wiles won the Singles title, Jared Mees won the Twins title, but Sammy Halbert scored the more combined points than either of them.
For 2010, the AMA found themselves in a bit of a pickle, as they hadn't planned for this to happen. They had already promised that each champ would wear #1 at their respective races, but they hadn't planned on someone winning the overall without winning one of the "official" titles. So right before Daytona 2010, they announced the National Number list, and awarded Sammy Halbert a single digit - #7. While not formally recognizing him as an official Grand National Champion, in essence (in my mind) they were acknowledging his accomplishment. After all, since 1954, 23 riders had scored the most points in the various disciplines that composed the Grand National Championship, and all (except one) wore the #1 plate the following year.
Final point on the matter: Do you know who won the first ever Super Bowl? It was the Baltimore Colts over the Dallas Cowboys on January 17, 1971, in a game now known as Super Bowl V. The games now recognized as Super Bowls I through IV were then known as the NFL-AFL Championship Games.
May 4, 2011 As stated earlier, Chris Carr is on his Farewell To Flat Track tour this year, and the Dairyland Classic is ON that tour! We know that we run a very tight schedule at the Dairyland Classic, so in an effort to give fans a little more one-on-one time with Mr. Carr as he makes his final Wisconsin appearances, we have arranged to have him appear at West Bend Harley-Davidson on Thursday, June 2, from 6-8pm. Chris will be available to talk about his career, his experiences - did you know that he was the first person to go 350mph on a motorcycle? - his successes, his work with American Supercamp, his ambitions for his future, where he hopes the sport is headed, ask him for advice about sponsorships, or bike set-up, or workouts....in other words, we've asked him to be available to talk about what YOU want to talk about.
We hope to see a good turnout for Chris' Farewell tour!
We will have Fuzz Martin from WBWI (92.5 FM) on site as well to help inform the listening area about Chris' Tour and, of course, the Dairyland Classic presented by Hoban Brothers!
May 3, 2011 We've landed two more new sponsors - Triumph City of Milwaukee and Ala Roma's Pizzeria & Pub in Fond du Lac!
Triumph City is Milwaukee's only Triumph dealership! Want to get a closer look at the new Rocket III, Bonneville, or Speed Triple? click here!
Ala Roma's Italian Pizzeria and Pub is on Pioneer Road in Fond du Lac, just east of Hwy 41 and south of Hwy 23. Not far from the Sheboygan County Fair Park! Click here to check out their entire menu, available for eating in or taking home! They can even cater your next post-race party!
April 12, 2011 We've landed another new sponsor - Ducati of Milwaukee! If you have the desire for an exotic Italian motorcycle, click here!
April 11, 2011 Are web sites "so 90s"? We hope not, but if you prefer to follow us on Facebook, click here!"
April 7, 2011 My personal labor of love - the Pro Racing Memorial - has reached 100 members. Today I added Kenny Ingle and Casey Stines to the Memorial (which can be seen here). Even though both perished over sixty years ago, each and every name I have added over the years has been a very moving experience. Some more than others obviously.
On a positive note, no sooner did I add Kenny and Casey that I received an email from a gentleman who noticed that the Babe Robertson entry was rather lacking, and he wanted to share his personal memories. It is moments like that in which I take tremendous joy. I have been blessed to have a number of people find my Memorial Page while looking for more information about family members, friends, etc. The most vivid of these memories are the woman who had broken up with a racer years ago but never knew what happened to him until finding his name on my Memorial, and the woman who never knew her grandfather raced motorcycles until she found his name on my Memorial. She also learned that he was a very good racer, and very well-respected.
My heartfelt thanks to all who have helped me document, preserve, and recognize the brave men who gave their lives while racing. I often remember that when I first came into the Internet, there were a few pages that attempted to recognize racers who had passed on, but all were simply lists of names. I wanted to add more than just names. I also wanted to document as much as I could, hence why I feel compelled to list as much information as possible - professional rank, location, and specific (yet hopefully not too gruesome) details of the accident. I do this last bit out of wholehearted respect, to ensure that the truth is listed, hopefully to prevent rumors from spreading. In the case of my brother, rumors continue to spread that are contrary to what truly happened. It may not be pleasant, but I try to write what happened.
I thank you all for your support.
March 5, 2011 We are proud to announce our first new sponsor for the 2011 Dairyland Classic - Kronospark Power Systems out of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. They make lead acid and lithium racing batteries. We are thrilled to have them on board! Click here to find out more about Kronospark!
February 26, 2011 Chris Carr has announced that 2011 will be his final year of professional flat track competition, after that he hopes to move into managing a team with other riders twisting the throttles. With 78 Grand National wins and 7 Grand National titles to his credit - not that I'm overlooking his 31 wins and 7 titles in the now-defunct AMA 600 National Series that ran from 1988-1996, or his 350.884 MPH speed at the Bonneville Salt Flats a couple years ago - he has earned the right to step away on his terms. I often bring up that when Chris was a rookie expert in 1985, the most seasoned veteran on the circuit was Gary Scott, the 1975 AMA Grand National Champion, who was a year away from hanging up his steel shoe but was in his 14th season in the Expert division. Chris has now been competitive in the Expert division for 27 years, meaning this year's rookies had to go up against nearly DOUBLE the experience that Chris had to in his rookie year of 1985!
Chris has graciously asked The Dairyland Classic to be on his Farewell To Flat Track Tour, and we have accepted. As I have said many times, because our event is not a Grand National event, we never really know who is coming and who is not each year. We've had guys "commit", but then not show, and we've had guys say "no thanks" who show up and surprise us! All the annual uncertainty makes it tough to market our event to our sponsors and our fans. Having Chris "on board" this early is at least a feather in our cap going forward to June that we can be confident about. And with no Grand National events currently scheduled for June 4-5, we surely hope to see ALL of the Grand National stars up in Plymouth on June 3!
February 25, 2001 We were absolutely thrilled when SpeedTV showed up in Plymouth last year to film the 2010 Dairyland Classic. Folks keep asking about when the shows will air, and as of this writing...we still don't know. The races will air as part of the Lucas Oil On The Edge program, but which air dates, and how the event will be spliced up, we still don't know. First we were told "January", then "February", and the latest is "maybe March, Maybe June". When we know more, we'll let everyone know.
October 26, 2010 In no particular order:
More to come later...
October 10, 2010 Jake Johnson won the race and the title(s) at Prescott Valley, yesterday, finishing 20 points in front of Joe Kopp and defending champion Jared Mees. This is Jake's first overall Grand National Championship - he won the Grand National Singles title in 2006 & 2008 - so next year he wears the #1 plate at ALL AMA events! Thanks Mike Kidd for re-establishing the Grand National Championship!
Big congrats go out to Dave Zanotti, who built the bikes and twisted the wrenches. Dave has been a recurring visitor to the Dairyland Classic since 2004, spinning the wrenches for Jethro & occasionally Sam Halbert. Dave missed the race this year as the weather was looking mighty iffy, and Jake was leading the points and wanted to focus on the Grand Nationals. (I talked to both at Shakopee, MN in September and both said they'd try to make it to the 2011 Dairyland Classic)! This year Dave hooked up with Johnson and the rest, as they say is history. Their worst finish this season was a 13th at Gas City, which Jakes says was due to his personal performance. Dave gets credit for being the first second-generation tuner (or rider, for that matter) to win the Grand National Championship - his late father, Mario, wrenched Steve Eklund to the 1979 title!
Big congrats also go out to Jefferey Carver, who claimed the Pro Singles championship this year. Jefferey won our 250 Amateur division in 2005 & 2006, and came back this year to finish 10th in the 450cc Pro Main.
September 26, 2010 In two weeks, we will crown a new AMA Grand National Champion. Currently Jake Johnson has a 10-point lead of Joe Kopp, with Jared Mees another 9 back, Henry Wiles another 7 back. Technically there are 28 maximum points to be earned at Prescott Valley, and Wiles is 26 behind Johnson, but its rare for these top guys to miss a main event. I figure it'll be Johnson or Kopp, and Kopp needs a lot of help (after his DNF at Shakopee, and the rain-out at Knoxville, IA).
Jake has two Grand National Singles titles (2006 & 2008) on his mantle, but no overall Grand National Championships. Kopp won the overall (only) championship in 2000. Whoever hoists the #1 plate on October 9 will do us proud.
September 24, 2010 As the end of the season approaches, it is customary for a select few in the online community to begin second-guessing those in power at AMA/DMG. With multi-brand racing finally a reality in the Grand National Twins division - eight different brands have competed with six scoring points and three scoring victories - it seems a bit odd againdoubly out of place this year. But that doesn't stop them
One online camp is shouting that AMA/DMG should remove all intake restrictors from the engines and let the tuners battle with no holds barred. We had a "no restrictor" rule in the Expert division up until 1987, and the last 5 years of that rule only saw two OEMs participating - Harley-Davidson and Honda. Even AMA's efforts to bring in new engine configurations through the ill-fated "Project 2000" only managed to secure one viable alternative - the Suzuki TL1000/SV1000/SV650. The intake restrictors were first installed onto Grand National Expert twins for 1987, only recently - have any other configurations started to gain a foothold in the sport. The six brands reaching main events this year are the venerable Harley-Davidson XR750, the Suzuki SV650/1000, the Aprilia Mille, the Ducati Hypermotard, the Kawasaki Ninja 650, the Triumph 865cc Bonneville, and the KTM 900cc. If the restrictors were removed, I can pretty much predict that all those other engines will go back into the garages and never be seen again.
These are many of the same folks who whine about the current Grand National Singles rules that require 450cc single-cylinder engines in OEM frames. "Let the 'big bore framers' back in!" they shout. We had an "open ended" rule package from 1984 until 2002, and I'd reckon 96% of the riders had Rotax engines. Not much brand diversity there.
Another rally cry amongst the online masses is that the spec tire rule is ruining the sport, and tying the hands of the tuner. Another is that since we have a spec tire rule, the tire itself can only transmit so much horespower to the track and therefore it is "the great equalizer". This then leads to their conclusion that any intake restrictors is superfluous, since the tire will limit how much horespower can be used. One tuner recently published horespower graphs online showing how the Suzuki SV1000 puts out more horespower than the venerable XR750 across the powerband, yet was unable to use this extra power to secure a race victory. Hindsight being 20-20, I wonder if those tuners knew this, and if they did, why didn't they simply de-tune the SV1000 so it mimicked the power curve of the XR750. One less variable to worry about, in my opinion. In any case, with the exception of a couple of years earlier this decade in which Maxxis and Continental produced dirt track tire, we have essentially had a spec tire rule in place since 1988 or so. Much more ado about nothing.
In any case, the silly season is upon us. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. I, for one, am very pleased with the progress the Grand National Series has made in two short years, and I look forward to seeing how 2010 ends and what happens in 2011.
September 16, 2010 On the HOME page of this website (click here), you will now find a new video shot by TheFastAndDirty.Com from the 2010 Dairyland Classic, with some Springfield TT stuff mixed in. Enjoy!
September 12, 2010 I attended the AMA Grand National event in Shakopee, Minnesota last night. I have not been to an AMA Grand National since May 26, 2002, the day my younger brother Jim died at Springfield. As you know, I have promoted the Dairyland Classic since 2001, so while I have not attended Nationals, I have certainly been in touch with most of the top Pro riders over the years. But I am so busy at my race that I don't have much time to chat.
The amazing response I got while walking through the pits (and the grandstands) was unbelievable. To have the very top guys in the sport thank me and my family for putting on the Dairyland Classic is just tremendous. Even guys who have only been to the Dairyland once greeted me like an old friend.
My thoughts about the racing? Well, multi-brands were certainly present (even if Harley-Davidsons were clearly the top choice). Two Kawasakis, one Triumph, one Ducati, and one KTM made the Expert Final, and there was even a Buell XB9 competing (which did not make the Final). Canterbury Park is a horse track, whose main surface is a kind of sand. For motorcycles, they scraped down to the limestone base. In practice and in the heat races, everyone ran down on the brushed-off groove. In the semis, everyone went up to the haybales and started throwing rooster-tails over the air fence at 100mph! I haven't seen THAT in years. Because of the shape of the track (long straights, tight corners), guys were backing into the corners - something else I haven't seen in years! Joe Kopp (National #3) was the hard-luck story of the night. He's been leading the newly-combined AMA Grand National Championship all year, and came into Canterbury with a 20-point lead. Joe was running fourth or fifth on his Ducati in the main when he dramatically slowed in turn one - he'd lost his brake pedal the previous corner. For those who don't know, not only do guys use the brakes when slowing down in the corners, they also drag the brake while getting through the corners to keep the wheels inline and get better drives. So without the brake pedal, Joe couldn't slow down the way he wanted to, and he couldn't get through the corners the way he wanted to. He struggled for 17 laps, bouncing off the outer berm of the racetrack every lap as he tried to keep a firm hold on 8th place (his championship rival, Jake Johnson, was running second). Well, five laps from the end, the Ducati spit the chain off, leaving Joe stranded in 16th place. Just like that, a 10-point lead became a 10-point deficit, with two rounds left.
To his credit, Joe was smiles and jovial after the races. I caught his eye in his pit and he came right over, shrugged and said "we'll get 'em next week". I saw another top rider who had a mechanical issue earlier in the night to find out what happened and he told me "I've been telling everyone else (this), but in reality what happened was (that)".
All in all, I had a great time. Great facility. Even with only 25 Experts and 19 Pros, one hell of a show. It's not often you get to see guys rooster-tailing 750cc machines at over 100mph. If you get a chance to catch them at Knoxville, IA on 9/18 or Yavapai Downs on 10/9, I strongly recommend it.
September 11, 2010 My mother reminded me that I hadn't blogged since June, so here goes:
In the first three AMA Grand National Mile races in 2010, three different brands/OEMs have claimed victory. Joe Kopp and his Ducati Hypermotard claimed the win at Prescott Valley, Arizona on May 1. Jake Johnson won Springfield on his Harley-Davidson XR750 on Memorial Day, and Bryan Smith won Indy on his Kawasaki Ninja on 8/28. The last time three DIFFERENT brands won AMA Grand National Mile races in a single year...1973, when Yamaha, Triumph, and Harley collectively won the four miles on the calendar that year.
Heading into tonight's AMA Grand National round in Minneapolis comes news that Sam Halbert has been suspended by the AMA for rough riding, following an incident at least weekend's National Short Track in Springfield. According to the AMA, Sam has been on probation since May, presumably after he tangled with Henry Wiles at an All-Star race in Illinois (Sam won; Henry tumbled after the flag). A month or so later, Sam had a similar incident at a non-National short track in Galesburg, Illinois, in which he and Rob Pearson got together, with Pearson getting the worst of the contact. At last week's Short Track National in Springfield, Sam and Luke Gough got together, with Gough ending up on the ground.
As Kevin Bacon's supervisor told him in Wild Things: "Once is an accident, twice is happenstance, but three times...that's a trend". I did not witness any of the three incidents, but the similarities between the three incidents is a bit tough to overlook. In each case Sam was ahead, and the rider behind was making a move, and the two came together. It is very unfortunate that it came to this, especially as Sam is currently in third place in the overall Grand National Points. However, I am confident that AMA/DMG did not take this decision lightly - I am certain that the last thing they wanted to do was muck up a good points race. However, as Mike Kidd said, Sam has been on probation for most of the year, and he knows they have been watching him.
I think the world of the Halbert family and Sam in particular; hopefully he takes this suspension in stride and comes out stronger on the other end.
The last championship contender that I remember being suspended was some guy named Bubba Shobert, who was suspended for 6 of the last 14 rounds of 1984. He came back from that suspension reaching the podium in 7 of those last 8 races, and missing the championship that year by a single point (despite missing 6 races). He then went on to dominate the 1985-86-87 seasons.
June 13, 2010 I am noticing a very disturbing trend in the world of flat track motorcycle racing (not at the Professional level, mind you). Earlier this week, a very high profile event scheduled for today in Lancaster, California was cancelled due to lower-than-expected pre-entries. Last weekend a mid-level event scheduled for Circleville, Ohio was cancelled ON RACE DAY due to low rider turnout, and last night the long-running Charity Newsies in Dayton, Ohio was cancelled due to low anticipated spectator turnout, but only after an attempt to cut the rider purse in half was rejected.
This is a very disturbing trend and I wan to assure our supporters that we will never cancel an event without legitimate cause. Low rider or spectator turnout is not a legitimate reason.
Anyone who has followed us knows our lack of luck in the weather department:
Despite the odds, we continue to try and put our best foot forward, and I believe - now more than ever - that this explains why the riders support us and in turn, provide our fans a great show
Luckily, at the Grand National level, quite the opposite is being seen. The Gas City, Indiana Grand National event that rained out June 6 has been rescheduled for June 19.
June 12, 2010 Well, I'm just now coming up for air.
Despite the steady rain from 5am until noon, we everything cleaned up in time to start practice on-time at 5pm, and the racing on-time at 7:30pm. My sincere gratitude to those of you who came out and enjoyed the show. It was, by far, the most star-studded event I have ever presented. To wit:
From a prestige standpoint, in terms of the CURRENT 2010 AMA Grand National Championship, Kopp is tied for 1st, Coolbeth is 3rd, Halbert is 4th, Mees is 5th, Wiles is 6th, Carr is 9th. And remember, the Dairyland Classic is NOT part of the National Championship!
I am extremely grateful that the stars of the AMA Grand National Championship continue to support our event, and I am pleased that these riders come to Plymouth every year to entertain our fans!
I should also mention that the sole "red plate" rider in the Pro Main Event - #24P Jefferey Carver - is currently leading the 2010 AMA Pro Singles National Championship!
June 5, 2010 Great night of racing last night. Stellar Pro turnout (quality-wise), and the support divisions were very solid as well. The 250 Amateur Division was the largest EVER, and the Vintage division was one rider shy of tying our previous best turnout!
Did you notice the two gals in the victory celebration for the 250cc Amateur division? The runner-up, #23 Nikki Spore, is dating Jefferey Carver (#24P in the Pro division), while #38 is Lexi Hoffmann, who won the 85cc division just a few years ago!
I'm most glad that the rain avoided us and we were able to put on a show!
Best interview of the night that I heard was Chris Carr (did you know that he holds the world land speed record for a motorycle at 367.382 mph?) after winning the semi. When asked what he changed after his heat race, he replied "I sat my rider down and told him to get his head on straight" (or something to that effect).
May 29, 2010 Update: in the past WEEK, DMG has made three major announcements for the Grand National Championship:
May 28, 2010 Since the Dairyland Classic is not part of the AMA Grand National Championship series, we are never really sure which professional racers will be participating and who will not. That's why it is especially rewarding when the defending National Champions give us the heads-up that they intend to be here.
We've known for a while that Jared Mees - the defending AMA Grand National Champion in the Twin Cylinder division - is coming back to defend his 2009 win on his #21 Honda. But I just got word today that Henry Wiles - the defending AMA Grand National Champion in the Single Cylinder division - is coming back as well, along with his #1 plate on his Kawasaki. It is only the third time that the AMA #1 plate will be on display at The Dairyland Classic!
Consider also that Kenny Coolbeth, the 2006-2007-2008 AMA Grand National Champion, is also coming our way, as well as Joe Kopp and Sammy Halbert, and we've already got one of the most star-studded entry lists ever!
May 18, 2010 We just found out that SpeedTV has decided to come to the Dairyland Classic on June 4, 2010 to film the event for an upcoming episode of Lucas Oil On The Edge! Needless to say we are pretty excited, and are currently working through the logistics to get the film crew everything they need. Now we just need YOU to help fill those seats!
May 15, 2010 For those who were curious about the single digit riders' number of choice:
May 2, 2010 The AMA Grand National Championship hit a new venue in Prescott, Arizona this weekend and Joe Kopp took a Ducati Hypermotard to the win. It was Joe's first-ever National race on the Ducati, and he caught early leader Sammy Halbert on the last lap as they came to the flag.
Everyone knows that the Harley-Davidson XR750 has been (and continues to be) the weapon of choice on the half miles and miles. How long has it been since an XR750 DID NOT win a half mile or mile national?
Thirteen races, actually. Kenny Coolbeth won a Half Mile National in Billings, Montana on 8/2/2008 on a Honda CRF450R. But that was a Grand National SINGLES event, not a Grand National TWINS event, so we'll scratch that. We'll do the same for Jake Johnson's Half Mile National win on 9/28/2007 in Tuscon on a Suzuki RM-Z450, for the same reason.
For AMA Grand National events in which TWINS competed, Harley-Davidson XR750s had won 76 consecutive mile Nationals, dating back to the late Ricky Graham's 9/5/1993 Springfield, IL mile win on a Honda RS750. That's every mile National for 16 years, 7 months, and 26 days, an unprecedented streak in history (which I can trace back to 1933).
Even including half mile Nationals, Harley-Davidson XR750s have won every half-mile and mile National (in which twins were competing) since Rich King's 8/8/1998 Joliet, IL half mile win on a Honda RS750. That's an unbroken streak of 11 years, 8 months, and 23 days.
In addition EIGHT different twin-cylinder brands competed in Prescott - Harley-Davidson, Ducati, Suzuki, Triumph, Kawasaki, BMW, KTM, and Aprilia. SIX of them made the National Main event (only Triumph and KTM did not). This bested the previous "recent" best of five brands making the main event at the Lima, OH half mile National on 6/30/2007 and the Greenville, OH half mile National on 7/21/07. Incidentally, those two events were very nearly won by non-XR pilots, with Henry Wiles leading Lima on his Aprilia for 24 laps before being passed in the last corner, and JR Schnabel challenging for the Greenville win on his Suzuki for the entire race. In both cases, Joe Kopp took the win. Coincidence?
Do I expect XR750s to be relegated to the dusty backrooms of garages and museums? Of course not. It is still the only valid powerplant that was built specifically for dirt track racing. But it is great to see that competition! Although it will be interesting to see how well the Ducati, Kawasaki, etc fare at Springfield - a track that everyone has piles of data on, as well as the half miles that come up later in the season.
April 7, 2010 DMG recently kicked off its sophomore season at the helm of the dirt track branch of AMA Pro Racing. How are they doing so far?
Halbert won the first night at Daytona in his first National as #7 - marking the first GNC win for that number since Mert Lawwill on 5/26/1974. Johnson won the second night at Daytona in his second National as #5 - marking the first GNC win for that number since Gary Scott on 9/4/1982. The series heads out went to Yavapai Downs in Arizona - we'll see if Coolbeth can notch his first win as #2.
June 16, 2009 Bill Mischler, Sr., passed away last week. He was 80 years old, and the patriarch of what I would call the "first family" of dirt track racing in Wisconsin. My very first dirt track racing event was in Bill Mischler's backyard - commonly known as 'Atwater' - which featured a paperclip short track (with a curious rise at the start/finish line that permitting wheelies) and a winding 'scrambles' track (what we would know call a 'TT'). It was the only track I have ever been to that did not have any rocks. Back in 1979, when I first visited, the tracks were oiled down to keep dust to a minimum.
Bill founded the Beaver Cycle Club, running bi-annual double-headers on the family homestead (Saturday night short tracks and Sunday afternoon TT's). I have fond, cherished memories of those weekends. Not the racing so much - I never got the hang of the short track (got my first concussion in turn 2 in 1985) and I was never a good TT rider - but the post-racing comaraderie, bench racing, and bonfires into the wee hours were good times. Saturday night racing would be done by 10pm and that's when the partying would start. It was not uncommon for folks to get to bed just before the sun rose on Sunday morning, if at all. Like camping with 100 of your buddies. The Beavers also ran the annual pro half mile events at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, back when it was a deep cushion half mile (it has since been replaced with a clay track that I am convinced is slightly smaller than the original).
I did not know it until after his passing, but Bill was a pro racer 'back in the day'. There was one racing photo of Bill Sr. at the visitation - Novice #69G plates in a photo dated 1963, I think. My dad reports that Bill was an Expert rider in the late 60s when he had just started racing. By the time I started racing in 1979, he was the guy with the commanding voice bellowing commands from the concession stand at the top of the hill along the front straightaway of the short track. Not to say he was a boisterous fellow, he merely carried himself with confidence and bravado. To a ten-year-old kid, he was clearly not someone to mess with. He meant business.
Bill had several children, but those in the pro racing community of the 1970s will recognize Art and Larry as those carrying on the "Mischler" name. Art was Novice #222K and later Junior #52K. Larry was Novice 162K, took a year off, and came back as Novice 160K (or maybe the other way around). Larry stopped racing Pro shortly thereafter and stopped racing altogether in the early 80s after a bad wreck going into turn one during a 3-wheeler race on the family short track. Art stopped running Pro in the early 80s, although he continues riding amateur stuff on his trusty Triumph. A third son, Billy, rode amateur in the 1970s until a riding accident ended his racing career before he could enter the pro ranks.
Currently a third generation of Mischlers are escalating up the ranks. Art's two sons, Eric and Dan, currently hold Expert pro racing licenses (as 82K and 77K, respectively), while Billy's sons Morgen and Quinn are chasing up the amateur ranks. Art limits his racing to a select few a year, and I am honored that the Dairyland Classic is one of those events (he won a Vintage heat race this year on his Triumph).
You can always tell a Mischler in a crowd of people by their laugh. Not so much the third generation, but Art, Larry and Billy all have the exact same laugh - a unique, contagious laugh. And they laugh often. They laugh hard. I don't think I've ever seen any of them in a foul mood. "Happy-go-lucky" does not begin to describe their family disposition.
Just thinking of how many racers crested the hill at the Atwater clubgrounds over the years boggles the mind. I had no clue it dated back into 1959 - ten years after Bill Sr. opened his Harley dealership. Most names are unknown except to those who frequent the events. To the pro racing community, I don't think there would be any National Numbers from wisconsin over the past 50 years if not for racing events at the old Mischler place.
So here's to you, Bill Mischler. Wisconsin flat track racing wouldn't be the same without you.
June 15, 2009 Our heart-felt thanks to those who supported our efforts last Friday night to run a wicked-good program. Obviously without the 2,800 fans in attendance, it would NOT have been a resounding success, so we thank you. Big thanks to David Narens for filming most of the event. I never get to "watch" the racing, and even while announcing, I merely "react" to what I see, so it is a rare treat to be able to watch the races and actually enjoy them.
Special thanks go out to my staff this year, who really stepped up and made this the least stressful event I've had yet. To the unsung guys and gals who make it happen:
And of course a huge thank you to our sponsors, especially the Wisconsin Harley-Davidson Dealers Association, who stepped in to take the headline sponsorship this year.
May 29, 2009. Twenty-five years ago, in 1985, a young Californian from Stockton named Chris Carr first hit the Grand National Championship trail. Over the next twenty-four years - 1985-2008 - he finished in the top 7 of the yearly GNC standings in EVERY YEAR he followed the tour, and finished in the top FOUR an unprecedented TWENTY times. Never before has someone been a week-in/week-out threat in his 25th season on the GNC trail.
In addition to all of his accomplishments, he is quietly going into year #25 with absolutely minimal fanfare.
April 20, 2009. On September 13, 2008, I blogged about the Grand Slam/Hit For The Cycle club, listing the thirteen riders who have scored at least one win in each AMA Grand National dirt track discipline - short track, TT, half mile, and mile. On March 5, 2009, the HFC club grew by one member, when Joe Kopp scored his first GNC short track win. (Joe's only orevious short track National was came in the 2002 Dairyland Classic, then part of the Formula USA National Dirt Track series, which doesn't count towards the AMA history books). So here is the new, updated membership of the Hit for The Cycle Club:
Dcember 31, 2008 AMA Pro Racing plans for all 2009 Grand National Championship events to run two classes - Pro (formerly Novice/Pro-Am/Pro-Sport) and Pro Expert. The Pro Experts will compete, as always, on 750cc twin-cylinder bikes on half mile and mile events but compete on stock-framed 450cc single-cylinder bikes on short track and TT courses. The Pro (formerly Novice/Pro-Am/Pro-Sport) division will run on stock-framed 450cc single-cylinder bikes at all events. At first glance, this looks like a good plan. After all, there is a minimum amount of time that must be taken between the last Expert heat and the first Expert semi to enable the riders to make set-up changes. As such, running a wholly different division during that down-time will give the fans something to watch during the break. I believe the Expert division will be limited to 48 entries while the Pro divison will be limited to 36. Previously at Expert-only events, the 48 entries would be split into 4 heat races and 3 semis. With the new format, AMA Pro Racing plans to run each division through run three heats and three semis. Previously a "day at the races" would be 8 events - 4 heats, 3 semis, one main event. Under the new format, it will be 14 races - 3 Expert heats, 3 Pro (Novice) heats, 3 Expert semis, 3 Pro (Novice) semis, one Expert Main, one Pro (Novice) main.
I'd take it one step further. Limit the Pro (Novice) division to 24 entries, running them through two 12-rider heats, and no semis. And introduce (re-introduce?) an intermediate level between Pro (Novice) and Expert. Whereas in the past these riders would be on lower horsepower versions of their Expert counterparts, I would leave them with the same engine specs as Expert. They will be slower due to their lack of experience, but at least allowing them to comete on the same tracks on (essentially) the same equipment, an Intermediate rider would have the means to compare his progress to the Expert elite. An Intermediate rider who is consistently slower than a mid-pack Expert rider should think twice before jumping up to the Expert division. Similarly, an Intermediate rider who is consistently qualifying at speeds consistent with the top 10 Expert riders will have additional enthusiasm about going Expert the following year, and be able to potentially draw additional sponsorship. With the current program, a rider jumps from a 450cc Single into the Expert division and has little chance of success.
By introducing an intermediate class, I would limit it as well to a 24-rider field, split into two 12-rider heat races and a 12-rider main event. As such, in my scheme, a "day at the races" would be 13 events instead of 14, with less redundancy. Also, this would better reflect the sport in its heyday, when 3 divisions competed in a fast-paced program that didn't take all day and all night to complete.
The 2009 GNC structure will hold a Dash For Cash for the 5 fastest Expert qualifiers. I would open that up to the Intermediate class as well. If an Intermediate rider qualifies 3rd fastest overall, throw him in with the Experts for the Dash For Cash. Cheer for the underdog!
Concerning the stock-frame rule, I go back and forth on this one. For entry-level professional racing (Pro Novice), surely the stock-frame rule, as well as other performance modification limiting rules, is the way to go. No sense forcing an entry level rider to spend thousands on engine and frame modifications. The Expert division...there I'm undecided. Due to the lack of an intermediate division between entry-level (Pro Novice) and the top level (Expert), currently it's difficult to have such a dramatic change from one divison to the next. With the old system (pre-2009), virtually anyone who took our a Pro license would obtain his/her Expert license in a year's time, even with minimal success, due to lack of entries. By introducing an intermediate level, you could better control the entry-level rules while enabling more freedom at the Expert level. Although if the OEM's start supporting flat track they way they used to, it will all be worth it.
We shall see. For 2009, the Dairyland Classic is unaffected by the stock-frame rules.
October 26, 2008 AMA Pro Racing has announced a list of anticipated rules for the upcoming 2009 season. As you can imagine, the uproar of how the proposed rules are "ruining" the sport are rampant. Personally I'm in favor of change, and the Pro Dirt Track scene has been in dire need of it for a long while now. The only change that might affect the Dairyland Classic is that for 2009, all 450cc Single-cylinder engines (used on short tracks and TT courses) must use the OEM frame. In other words, no more aftermarket or "trick" frames. This move is to stimulate interest and support from the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers, as in Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and KTM). If you remember the 2003 Dairyland Classic, we had similar rules then - only OEM frames on the 450s. The most common objection to this rule is that "aftermarket frames work better than OEM frames". This is a true statement - "framers" are designed to work better on flat tracks. However, what those people fail to recognize is that when everyone is using OEM frames, it won't matter if a "framer" is better, since it won't be legal. And really, the fast guys go fast no anything, so the Kenny Coolbeths and Jared Mees' of the sport will continue to dominate. This rule prevents the need for an up-and-coming rider to build an OEM bike as well as a "framer". And honestly, the AMA has been far too worried about alienating the existing elite and not worried enough about how to keep the up-and-coming riders interested enough in the sport to tackle the Grand National Championship.
The major changes involve the Twins division, which compete on half miles and mile events. For 2009, the focus will be on 650cc twins like the Kawasaki Ninja and the Suzuki SV650, although larger engines (including the Harley-Davidson XR750) will be allowed to compete, albeit with smaller restrictors on the intake ports. Based on test results so far, I'm predicting the XR750 will still be "the bike" to beat, although it may be challenged - something that hasn't happened in over a decade when the last Honda RS750 was put out to pasture. And competition is good. Already folks are citing this rule change as "the one" that will "kill dirt track forever". I disagree. I predict the XR750 will still be "the bike" (it still has 38 years of development knowledge), but slowly, the other brands will improve. Maybe in a couple years we will see some true multi-brand racing. Sure, this year the GNC Twins division technically had Harley-Davidson vs Suzuki vs Aprilia vs Triumph vs BMW vs KTM vs Honda, but was it a true "battle of the brands"? Heck no. After thirteen GNC Twins races, Harley-Davidson claimed 37 of the possible 39 podium spots. Suzuki scored one runner-up finish at Greenville while Aprilia scored a single runner-up finish at Lima. Triumph only scored one point this year, while none of the others even sniffed a main event all year long. Yet it is those "also-rans" who are raising the biggest gripe about how the new rules make them "uncompetitive". Based on the 2009 data, those bikes weren't competitive before, so I don't see how the 2009 will make that much difference from 2008. Not that I have anything against these guys trying to develop a successful alternative for a GNC Twins motorcycle, but sometimes I think they get carried away.
If nothing else, the winds of change are making people talk about the sport again. I can't wait to see where this leads.
Wouldn't it be GREAT if we could recapture the magic of the late 70s/early 80s? Remember when the AMA crowned five different Grand National Champions in five years, 1978-1982? Back when winning three titles in a career was a major accomplishment? Now we yawn when Chris Carr claimed his seventh title in 2005 like it was a foregone conclusion. Maybe 2009 will bring some surprises.
October 19, 2008. Harley-Davidson was the undisputed king of flat track racing from 1975 through 1983, with the XR750 engine powering riders to the Grand National Championship each year. Honda took the mantle from 1984-1988, with RS750-powered factory riders taking the title each of those years. Harley's XR750 again became dominant after Honda's retreat following the 1988 season, powering riders to the title every year through 2008. The question is, did Honda's involvement (and subsequent dominance) have a greater impact than simply on the titles won?
From 1980-1983, the 4 years prior to the "Honda Years", Harley-Davidson XR750s won 61 of the 63 HM/M GNC events (96.8%), with the factory riders (Randy Goss, Jay Springsteen, Scott Parker) winning only 17 of the 61 events (27.9%). From 1984-1988, the "Honda Years", Harley-Davidson XR750s won 37 of the 80 HM/M GNC events (46.2%), with the factory riders (Goss, Parker, Springsteen, Carr) accounting for 23 of those 37 wins (62.2%).
Rumors have it that prior to Honda's arrival in GNC competition, the Harley-Davidson racing department had an "open door" policy, whereby privateers using the XR750 powerplant could contact the factory racing department to find out how the factory guys were setting up their bikes for a given race track. By the data above, this would appear to be true, as the privateer riders scored more GNC wins than the factory team members. Once Honda got involved, it seems the "open door" got slammed in the privateer's faces.
October 18, 2008. While Honda dominated the 1984 Grand National Championship - their three factory riders finished 1st, 2nd, and 5th in the Championship, claimed 11 of the 24 events, and won 7 of the 10 Mile events on the circuit - they failed to win a single Half Mile National that year.
October 17, 2008. Once Harley-Davidson released it's "alloy" XR750 engine in 1972 (to replace the "iron" XR750 which proved itself unreliable in the 1970-71 seasons), the AMA Grand National Championship was fought between Harley-Davidson, Triumph and Yamaha, with Harley taking the 1972 crown (under Mark Brelsford), and Yamaha taking the 1973 & 1974 titles (with Kenny Roberts). Triumph went bankrupt after the 1974 season, leaving just Harley-Davidson and Yamaha. The Yamaha XS750 was a modified street bike (the XS650) while the Harley XR750 was a fully bred race bike, sharing few ties with its Sportster bretheren, the XL883. Yamaha's last Mile win came in 1975, and its last Half Mile win in 1976, the same year Goodyear came out with the DTII race tire. The Harley was able to use the new rubber to slam the door on Yamaha, and for all intents and purposes, from that point on you needed an XR750 to be competitive. Roberts left flat track for World domination in the 500cc Grand Prix after the 1977 season.
Honda's first foray into flat track racing was in 1974, when it built an XL350 for Mike Gerald to race at the Houston Astrodome. Gerald won, and Honda promptly disappeared for several years. In 1979, Honda returned, using a CX500 V-twin engine (which had the "V" facing left-right as opposed to the traditional "front-back"). This evolved into the NS750, which situated the two cylinders in the traditional "front-and-rear" V-twin configuration, which was developed through the 1982 season, scoring its first Half Mile win at Louisville Downs in 1982. The following year, Honda replaced the NS750 with the new RS750, which is rumored to have begun life by purchasing a Harley-Davidson XR750, analyzing the pieces, and "building a better mousetrap". In its debut season, 1983, the RS750 won Honda's first Mile at DuQuoin, Illinois. Yet from 1979 through 1983, no Honda rider had finished in the Top 10 in the AMA Grand National Championship.
For 1984, Honda replaced its racing team with Ricky Graham and Bubba Shobert (who finished 2nd and 4th in the 1983 GNC standings) and 1983's rookie standout Doug Chandler. Graham claimed the 1984 title, Shobert won the 1985, 1986, and 1987 titles. From 1984 through 1988, Honda RS750 pilots won 10 of the 34 Half Mile Nationals (29.4%) and 33 of the 46 Mile Nationals (71.7%) on the GNC schedule. Following a dispute over a disqualification of a Honda rider in 1988, Honda pulled out of GNC racing following that season. A few privateers continued using the RS750 engine, but lack of contingency money and the lack of spare parts led to its eventual obsolescence. The RS750's 79th and last GNC win was recorded on August 8, 1998. Every GNC Half Mile & Mile National win since (through the 2008 season) has been on a Harley-Davidson XR750.
October 15, 2008. From 1954 until 1969, AMA Grand National Championship competition limited overhead valve engines (British bikes) to 500cc displacement while side-valve engines (U.S. bikes) were allowed to displace 750cc. From 1954 through 1969, 165 GNC HM/M/TT events were held, with Harley-Davidson winning 104, BSA winning 34, Triumph winning 26, and Matchless winning 1.
From 1970 through 1974 (when Triumph went bankrupt), 74 GNC HM/M/TT events were held, with Harley-Davidson winning 29, Triumph 18, and BSA 14. Norton, another British twin, claimed a single win between 1970 and 1974. It should be noted that in 1970-1971, Harley-Davidson was experiencing tremendous teething problems on its brand new XR750 powerplant. Mert Lawwill, Harley-Davidson's 1969 Grand National Champion, has been quoted saying that the efforts to develop the XR750 cost him the 1970 Championship.
In the two years prior to the "equal displacement rule" (1968-1969), there were 35 combined HM/M/TT GNC events with Harley-Davidson winning 21, Triumph winning 9 and BSA winning 5. In the first two years of the "equal displacement" rule (1970-1971), there were 31 combined HM/M/TT GNC events, with Harley-Davidson winning 10, Triumph winning 9, and BSA winning 10. The aforementioned problems with Harley-Davidson's XR750 are evident in these stats. Once Harley-Davidson replaced the "iron" cylinders with "alloy" cylinders for the 1972 season, the rest, as they say is history, as the XR750 went on to become - and continue to be - the most dominant flat track racing vehicle in history, powering 31 of the 37 Grand National Champions from 1972-2008.
The Brit OEMs asked for equal displacement, and they got it, although one could argue that the equal displacement rule directly led to Harley-Davidson developing the overhead valve XR750, which replaced the side-valve KR750 and went on to dominate Grand National competition over the next 38 years.
September 24, 2008. I just got a chance to watch the show. Wow. Let me re-phrase that. Wow. Kevin McNiff and the crew at We Are Dirt did a great job. There's racing, racing, then more racing. The entire Pro program (except the Consolation Main), plus the entire 85cc Youth main event. Multiple camera angles, slow motion replays, a helmet cam. Very well done. I've had TV programs shoot my event in the past and it's usually a 30-minute collage of interviews with random people in the pit area. Not this time. Kevin and crew focus on the racing and did a great job.
As you all know, I never get a chance to watch the races, since I'm always chasing down fires and trying to keep things moving along. And even though I announce the Pro program, I have to go into "auto pilot" and simply report what I'm seeing at that moment, without really digesting what's going on. So having a chance to watch the races, from several camera angles, was very, very special for me. And it allowed me to really appreciate what a GREAT night of racing it was.
Some tidbits I really enjoyed - the slow-motion replay of Rob Pearson nearly taking out Bryan Bigelow in turn one during their heat race. How Bugs got that bike slowed down without touching Bryan is beyond me. Another was the neat helmet-cam on JR Schnabel. Another was the move Jared Mees made going into turn three on the first lap of the Jim Dash - fifth to second in one move! Next was the close finish to the Jim Dash - I remember it was close, but I didn't remember it being THAT close. And on the video, Jared made up SO much ground going into turn 3 on the last lap is was UNREAL. The Pro Main event was just spectacular. That "little slip" that cost Halbert the win? Uh, wrong, he darn near threw it down the road. Tremendous save, made even better with slow motion. The interview with Bill Werner was very, very well-done. Kevin asked Bill about the difference between custom-framed bakes and the OEM/DTX frames, and he gave a very thorough explanation. Well done.
September 17, 2008. Thanks to Kevin McNiff of "We Are Dirt", the 2008 Dairyland Classic can be seen on TV this year. It debuted in the Green Bay (Wisconsin) Time Warner Cable on Channel 4 at 7:30pm this evening. By Friday, it will be available on the Time Warner Cable "On Demand" service (channel 1111). By the middle of next week if will be available in the Milwaukee Market, also via the Time Warner Cable "On Demand" service (channel 1111).
September 13, 2008. I was reading a recent article which linked to an older article (Click here) which referred to the 'Grand Slam Club'. For those who don't know, the Grand National Championship, which dates to 1954, originally consisted of 4 different types of events - half miles, miles, TT's, and road races, with the person earning the most points in a single season crowned the Grand National Champion. In 1961, the series expanded to include short tracks, which were shorter than 3/8-mile in length. To win one of each type of event in a career was rare, and thusly dubbed a 'Grand Slam'. Through 1985, championship events in all 5 disciplines counted towards the AMA Grand National Championship. By 1986, however, most riders focused either on dirt, or pavement, but not both, so the AMA split the road racing into a separate AMA Superbike Championship. Since then, no one has come close to scoring a career 'Grand Slam'.
Only four riders in history have claimed a 'Grand Slam', and only one since the road racing split of 1986. Those riders are:
While the Grand Slam faded into history after 1986, in 2001, I personally coined the phrase 'Hit For The Cycle' to recognize those dirt track racers who had won at least one of each form of dirt track discipline. Since 1954, 117 racers have claimed at least one AMA Grand National dirt track wins, but only 13 have 'hit for the cycle'. Obviously the 'Hit For The Cycle' group includes those who have claimed a 'Grand Slam', yet the former group is not really recognized for accomplishing a very impressive feat nonetheless. So here, for the first time ever, is the list of AMA racers who have 'Hit For The Cycle':
Interestingly, 21 riders won GNC events in 3 of the 4 necessary disciplines; eight riders (Ricky Graham, Gary Scott, Joe Leonard, Joe Jopp, Jim Rice, Mike Kidd, Gene Romero, Dave Aldana) lacked a short track win; eight riders (Will Davis, Gary Nixon, Ted Boody, Rich King, Hank Scott, Carroll Resweber, Terry Poovey, Fred Nix) missed a TT win; five riders (Jake Johnson, Ronnie Jones, JR Schnabel, Nicky Hayden, Ronnie Rall) missed a mile victory. Of them, Kopp, Johnson and Schnabel are still active dirt trackers, while Hayden is an active road racer.
September 6, 2008. Congratulations to Kenny Coolbeth for claiming this third consecutive AMA Grand National Championship! He joins a very select group of men to have claimed three consecutive AMA Grand National Championships - Carroll Resweber (1958-1961), Jay Springsteen (1976-1978), Bubba Shobert (1985-1987), Scott Parker (1988-1991 & 1994-1999), and Chris Carr (2001-2005).
August 23, 2008. Wow, what a show last night. Watching those pro riders reminded me what a horrible racer I used to be. I spent plenty of time in my brief racing career getting passed, but almost always it could be traced to some major blunder I'd made. Watching those pros go at it, I never even saw any mistakes, yet suddenly guys would get passed. That pro main left me stupified. The pass on lap 14 when Mees dropped from first to third...I didn't see a bobble, a missed line, nothing. But zip-zip, he dropped like a stone back to third.
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