A Long Time Coming
I’m only writing this because I’m tired of seeing “It’s a Wrap, AFM!” blaring in my face. I figured I’d share a little bit about what I’ve been up to lately…
DRIVING! I’VE BEEN DRIVING EVERYWHERE! YAAAARGH!
I’ve been shooting a bunch up at Miller Motorsports Park since April. Been doing most of their school stuff, i.e., Ford Racing School, Boss Track Attack, Raptor Assault, And the Yamaha Champion Riding School. It’s rad. Very Rad. Here’s some pics for proof.
It’s a Wrap, AFM!
Well, I never really wrote much this year for AFM…In fact, I only did one write-up, and that was last round (R6 @ Infineon). I’d thought about it, but never really found much motivation for it.
I read once—in a blog—that if you are going to have a successful blog, that you need to write shit constantly…and that you shouldn’t spend too much time on it…just get it done, blast it out, rinse, repeat….F-that. I spend, like, 4-5 hour per blog that I write. At LEAST!
I’m not really sure WHY it takes me that long…I mean, I type decently fast, I never pre-plan what I’m going to actually say, I barely proof read my posts… I simply think of a topic and go PEW PEW PEW! Why the hell does it take me so long?
In this case, my topic is the the entire 2012 year of AFM.
Lawdy lawd, where do I begin? I’ve got the memory of an elephant—that’s been mortally wounded and had it’s tusks poached—so it’s not like I can actually remember many specifics about round 2…or 3 or 4 or hell, even round 7, just a few days ago.
Someone crashed…that’s all I remember.
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AFM R6 at Infineon…or whatever it’s called.
Friday night, the sunset was gorgeous. Things were shaping up for a great weekend.
Then, first thing Saturday morning shooting practice…things took a turn for the worst.
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TTP at Reno Fernley Raceway
What can I say? It was drama. It was close racing. It was friendship and family and community banding together. It was personal bests. It was fun. It was bad calls and ridiculous decisions. It was overcoming obstacles. It was broken timing and scoring equipment. It was hard work by volunteers. It was getting to see and hang out with old friends whom I missed.
It was yet another great weekend hosted by Sam & TTP.
You guys know I’m not that great with words. I often spew out whatever froth bubbles from my mind with little to no filter. Some love me for it. Some hate me for it. Either way, pictures don’t lie. So I’ll mostly let the pictures speak on my behalf.
Tho…I do want to point out something: Sam and TTP put on one hell of a fun event.
He offers up something that I’ve never seen before in all my years of being around the track and motorbikes and the likes; He offers a chance for the “little guy” to race.
The weekend warriors. The commuters. The motorcycle enthusiasts. The ones who may be afraid to make that leap from trackdays into actually getting a race license, spending the beaucoup bucks on aquiring a race bike, trailers, suspension, this, that, everything…he gives the guys and gals that want to experience the rush of a race start…of tipping into turn 1 at 100+ mph side by side with their best friend to see who will come out victorious after 6 laps of slidey-puck, knee-racing, poppa-wheelie action. To get a plastic trophy at the end of the day and who will have a memory that will last them the rest of their life, and the life of their son or daughter and those close to them.
Peyton the Pocketbiker
This kid is a beast. He’s my girlfriend, Kinsy’s kid. He’s raced 4 rounds of MiniMotoUSA so far this year, and I just wanted to post up a few pictures showing off how damned adorable and awesome he is motor-scootin around on his little 50 and his pocketbike. He podiums every round racing against some kids twice his age.
You can follow his progress and off-kilter comments on his facebook fan page here: Peyton the Pocketbiker
Infineon, back in May during the AMA round:
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Ridin Ridin
So, this year has been pretty slow in the riding realm for me so far… Normally, I’d have done at least a dozen or so trackdays by now…at LEAST. But not this year. So far, I’ve ridden exactly THREE trackdays. A Saturday/Sunday at NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans back in February, and now last Monday at Thunderhill.
2012 – Year of the Dragon
Well, it’s been some time since my last post about fishies and stuff… since then, I’ve had hundreds of queries, asking me “What’s next?” Often, my reply had been something along the lines of “I’m just taking things as they come.” …and it was true…I was. Until now.
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So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish
Well…I don’t really know what to say here. I hadn’t planned on writing this blog..hadn’t really even planned on talking about this at all but to a few friends…but I guess, for lack of better words, I’m feeling a bit inspired by a friend of mine right now.
He said to me “What’s up with 4theriders? It seems like the site has crawled to a halt” (or something like that…just with a lot more bad words).
It has.
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Race Report – The Sandlot
I’ve shot quite a few races over the past couple years, both photo and video. From AFM to MotoGP, I have had the wonderful privilege to be able to watch and shoot races and racers from restricted areas. I have watched so much raw, un-edited onboard HD GoPro footage from so many different racers I can’t even keep track anymore. But no matter how hard I tried to understand the “why” behind sportbike racing, I was never able to truly FEEL it how I knew I could. I understood it in my brain, but I didn’t have a 100% clear picture of it in my heart… and it drove me crazy. I have done trackdays, gotten in fun little battles with friends, but as time went on, the need to feel what I felt like I was missing out on grew stronger and stronger. From a full grid start, all the way to setting up a pass on the last turn of the last lap, I wanted…NEEDED to feel that. It was with TTP Racing that I was able to experience something I will remember for a lifetime.
Electric Bikes, Again?
So, I spent all weekend at Infineon Raceway for AFM’s round 5 or something-or-another. Your typical hodge-podge of petrol powered, 160+ bhp screaming monsters for bikes with loud exhausts, greasy engines, and greenhouse gasses up the wazoo.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved every second of it. :)
A little over a year ago, I wrote a blog entitled “Electric Bikes: This is it?” It was about my dismay at the progress being made and all the hoopla that seemed to be surrounding the electric bike market.
Lots of talk, very little awesomeness.
I’m really starting to think that may be changing…and it appears as though the “little guys” are paving the way…
Little talk, LOTS of awesomeness!
For starters, Brammo, a small company out of Oregon, was at Thunderhill Raceway yesterday with their Empulse RR race bike. Steve Atlas was at the helm, piloting it around Thunderhill’s 15 corners. I was there taking pictures.
