[laohu69]

I am happy to announce that negotiations are complete and we will be having Northern Virginia's inaugural SM race on Saturday August 16th. The event will be held at Colonial Beach Dragway-
www.cbdragway.com
The entry into the track is $20 for racers and $10 for spectators. This will be followed up with events in September (either the 6th or 27th) and another on October 25th. If we desire to run he will let us run in November & December also.
There will be other tracks that I have been speaking with present to see if this is something they would be interested in bringing to their facilities. Hopefully we get good enough turnout to warrant other venues.
Colonial Beach Dragway is also going to work with me on getting a jump or 2 in place before the event. These jumps will be nothing spectacular, just a simple bump on the ground. If things go well at the 3 events we will be discussing a better dirt section over the off season.
As I mentioned in the previous thread the track will be rudimentary, a parking lot track delineated by cones / hay bales and a simple dirt section. Since this is not being hosted by a sanctioning organization we will have to work the corners ourselves when we are not riding. The track is flat enough and tight enough that we can see the entire thing at once so safety should not be a factor. I will not be riding so I will be available at all times to make sure everything is safe and going smoothly.
Tech requirements are the normal- No anti-freeze, catch cans for crank case & carb, safety wire oil drain, fill & filters.
Gear is also the normal- leather is preferred, SM specific gear is good and MX gear will be accepted. Back protectors are STRONGLY recommended.
Classes are AM & EX. If you have prior race experience of 1 year or more of any kind (MX, FT, RR, SX, SM, Hare Scrambles, etc.) you will probably be in the EX class. If you are a total n00b you should be OK in the AM. I will move people if I think they need to go up or down, or if they request to go down. AM & EX will be divided into 250 (which will include DRZ 400) and open. If enough mini's show up we will give them their own races. Sportsman will run with their respective size classes unless we get enough for their own division.
This is a starting point and if something needs to change I will do so. Any discrepancies / problems will be resolved by the event coordinator. The event coordinators decision is final on the day of the event. If things need to be changed we can discuss it before the next event. If you are unhappy with the event feel free to let me know and I will try to rectify it prior to the next event. If you are unhappy with the event do not post it all over the 'net or it will damage any hope of getting SM racing in the DC area.
If you love the event and think it was the best thing since sex don't tell me, tell all your friends, relatives, strangers, etc. and get them to come to the next one.
So who all is in?

p.s.
If this works out and we get a better dirt section next year we can then start sweet talking ESMRA into bringing at least one race to this venue next season so we don't have to drive 6+ hours to every race.

 

[laohu69]

Nice.... all about getting more sumo seat time w/out driving too far. Thanks for the work. It's on my calendar. What time is the gate open, what time do we tech, what time do we run, how late do we run, what's your sign ?

Barry

I haven't gotten that far in the planning yet. I will have a pdf file with the flyer posted in the next couple of days with all that info so that anyone who wants to can print it out and post it at their favorite motorcycle related hang out / shop / etc.
My sign is
View attachment 44372

 

[laohu69]

This is a ride not a race correct?

It is a race but it is not sanctioned by any organization. We will have practice followed by actual races for the different classes. I might even keep track of finishes and announce a "track champion" in each class at the end of the October race. :headscrat
As I mentioned earlier if we have a good enough showing I will discuss a better / more permanent dirt section for next season with the track owner and try to get ESMRA to host some of the series races there.
The track owner is very receptive to getting something going on a regular basis and utilizing his track for additional income instead of it just sitting empty on most Saturdays (he races on Friday night & Sundays mostly). He realizes that he will probably lose money on the first events and I have 3 months to prove that this concept is viable.

 

[laohu69]

Nice.... all about getting more sumo seat time w/out driving too far. Thanks for the work. It's on my calendar. What time is the gate open, what time do we tech, what time do we run, how late do we run, what's your sign ?

Barry

Gates open at 9:00.
There is no tech tent, I'll tech people in their pits.
I would like to get on track by 10:30.
I hope to wrap things up by 6:00.

Practice will consist if 15 minute sessions. Depending on number of riders we will either have 4 groups or we will combine the AM into one group and EX into another. Heat races will consist of 6 laps. Gridding for heat races will be by registration time / date (you can register as soon as I post the flyer in its own thread). Final races will be gridded by heat race results. Final races will also be 6 laps. We will run AM 250 first followed by EX 250 then AM Open and finally EX Open. Anyone on a 250 machine can also run in the Open races.

I will have to check lap times during practice to determine when we break for lunch and start the heat races.

As I stated in other posts if we get enough mini's / DRZ400's / Sportsman / etc. I will adjust the classes / schedule so they can have their own class/ race.
Bear with me and together we can make this work and get SM racing a foothold in VA.

The flyer will be posted soon and it is now official that we get 3 dates- August 16, September 27 & October 25. I am also going to schedule a walk of the track facility prior to the race weekend for those close enough who would like to see it and critique / make suggestions for the track.

 

[laohu69]

"The entry into the track is $20 for racers and $10 for spectators"
How much is the cost for race entries?

There is no additional cost. The races are not sanctioned by anyone. As I mentioned in other posts we will have to work corners ourselves when we are not racing. I will not be riding so I will be available at all times to make sure everything is safe and going smoothly (if it goes smoothly enough I will try to ride in September). Since I will be out of pocket a little over $1k for this (have to buy the traffic cones / hay bales / flags / flagging / paint / etc.) I would not object if somebody wanted to donate $10 or so but it is not required nor expected. I don't mind the money since the object is to get race venues in the area for all of us to use, that is my pay off.
The material I buy will, for the most part (except expendables like paint / flagging), be reusable at this and other facilities. Also if we get this going good I will approach some of the shops to sponsor it next season and recoup my losses.

 

[laohu69]

Sweet! How fast do you think the track will be? I have my big Berg setup for really fast tracks so I'm sure I'll have to change my gearing.

Thanks for all your effort! I'm happy as hell to get something close to home. I don't care if it is a parking lot track.

Technically it will be a pit area track , the parking area at this facility is not paved. We will pit on the access road coming in (truck / trailers will be off the pavement with bikes set up on the actual road)and spectators will stay behind the fence seperating the pit area from the general area. Spectators should also be able to stand in the staging / burn out area for the 1/4 mile track, I plan on having the longest straight there with a sharp corner for good backing it in pics. :thumbup:
I'm going to try and put in enough chicanes to keep speeds down for the August session but I may be limited by the number of cones I have availabe (those suckers are more expensive than I had thought). I have laid it out with plenty (100' most areas) of run off at the corners. We will have a meeting of the minds afterwards and if the general consensus warrants we will open it up more for September. As I said before this is a fluid system and we can adapt it quickly to fit the needs, cones / hay bales can be set up differently each time we come there and can be slightly adjusted during the event if needed to rectify any issues.

 

[laohu69]

Oh man this sounds fun! I might have to get a set of 17s on my KX:lol: I don't know how the big SMC would do....:headscrat
That track is alot closer than I thought... I need to check the calander, but I hope I'm gonna be able to make it... even if the SMC is all I have in tard form.
I've never raced before, and my bike has some parts wired...(not all that need to be I think) anyone got a link or someting stating what must be wired etc. Nevermind... I must of skipped the middle of the first post... friggin work interupting me!
Thanks

I forgot to mention things that needed to be done for street legal bikes, since my bikes are dedicated racers I tend to think single minded.
For street legal machines you would also need to tape up lights / turn signals so we would not get glass on the track in the eventuality of a wreck (be sure to unplug the headlight or the heat will melt the glue from the duct tape onto the glass and leave you with a nasty mess to clean up). I'll have some duct tape with me in case someone forgets though. And the kick stand would need to be zip tied in place so it wouldn't accidently come down and cause a wreck, I'll also have some zip ties handy.
I would urge anyone who doesn't already have catch cans to contact APA since his cans are top quality and easily installed. But you can also make your own out of PVC pipe (I did), you can find threads about it on SMJ if you do a search.

 

[laohu69]

How many classes are you expecting to have?

I might be able to donate trophies or something.


.

Thanks for the offer. I actually ordered some trophies this morning (nothing special just a little something for recognition) but I'm sure the participants would probably like something a little better to commemorate their wins. I'll PM you with details.
I'm currently planning on 4 classes (250 AM, 250 EX, Open AM, Open EX) but if enough people register with certain types of bikes (i.e. Mini's, DRZ400, Sportsman, etc.) I may alter the event to give them a class of their own.

 

[laohu69]

I was trying to optimize track time for this event for everyone with more practice and fewer classes but it has been pointed out to me in PM's something that I already knew......us racers would prefer more race time versus more practice time (I was trying to think like a promoter instead of what I am- a racer). That being said I will work on additional classes so that everyone will be eligible for 2 classes if they can be supported by registered riders. I don't want classes with only 3 people in them so I won't know exactly how I will divide things until I have registration well under way and figure out exactly how many / what size bikes / age / experience of the riders / etc. Suffice to say that my original plan of 4 classes will be the absolute minimum and I will try to accomodate everyone with additional classes. Since I am hoping to attract new riders / racers and they can sometimes be intimidated their 1st time on the track I will probably add their own race instead of putting them in with the AM's who may have some limited amount of track experience.
Feel free to either post or PM me with anything else as I want everyone to be satisfied with the event and to come back for more.

 

[laohu69]

I will be there!! Im guessing I can run my xr650r in the open class?

Yes you can. You should check the registration thread or just call me at 301-481-9245.

 

[laohu69]

Where is the "registration" thread?? And am I gonna need peg sliders too? I got axle sliders, and looks like everything is saftey wired that needs to be. I'm poping off all the glass etc. losing the coolant for water. Anything else??

www.supermotojunkie.com/showthread.php?t=61248

You won't need peg sliders at this time, if we start gouging up his asphalt I'm sure the owner will request them.
You didn't mention catch cans for your carb & crank case vent, they will be required.

 

[laohu69]

Any chance of any VET classes? +25 +30 +35 +40???? Im thinking about coming out on my 610 and would like more than 1 class to race. I have never raced supermoto before but since its soo close its kinda hard to pass up.

Ive been racing MX for a while are you saying I should race EXPERT.

DId I read correctly...MX gear is OK??

Number of classes will be determined by final rider count. At a minimum people will race (after practices) their heat races and a 2 moto final with overall finish determined by total points from the 2 motos (at this time that is my plan anyway). IF there are enough people in certain classes I will make a class for them to race- i.e. VET, DRZ, Sportsman, etc.
If you've raced MX for more than one season you would do well in the EX class. AM should be for people new to the track. However I will put people in whichever class they think they should be in- but I will also be watching during the practices and move people up or down if needed. What I want to avoid is drastic differences in closing speed / skill levels.
View attachment 46581
This is a pic of a novice practice session (which is below AM) at Etown in 2007, these 2 racers should not have been in the same class even though it was the first time on a SM track for both of them. This is what I want to avoid. Since I am a roadracer I am using the roadracing format of 2 classes- AM & EX. If it seems to be needed I will change to the MX format of A, B & C classes. I am open to this and safety is my main concern.
I look forward to seeing you at the track. :thumbup:

 

[laohu69]

I disagree with automatically moving an Expert MXer into the Expert class in SM. Just because they can ride dirt does not mean they can or will tear up the pavement. I would recommend watching them for 1 race and see how they compare. Especially when the dirt section is going to be extremely easy for all to start out so it will not be an equalizer. More than likely an Expert MXer will tell you when the feel they are ready to move up probably before you tell them they have to move up.

.

Apparently it is a moot point since everyone who has registered so far claims to be either an AM or a complete n00b. I suppose that I'll be implementing the A, B & C system of MX racing and I'll move people as I think they should be. C is going to be for complete n00bies, apparently everyone else is going to be B until it becomes clear that they need to be in another class (if you win your race by 25 seconds or you're lapping people expect to be moved up quickly).
Putting an EX MXer in the EX clas was because I was planning on using the roadracing format of only 2 classes, AM & EX. Since someone with MX racing experience would know how to handle it when someone tried to stuff them going into a corner (an AM might stand it up and either run off the track or run into a rider trying to pass on the outside) or someone trying to close the door on them I felt confident that they would not be a hazard. A MXer's main learning point will be how to adjust to the better traction on pavement since they will already know how to race and use lines, etc. My goal is to try and keep from spooking the true AM's and n00bs so that everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience.
We'll figure out what needs to be adjusted on Saturday and go from there, as you pointed out m ost people will quickly know where they belong and ask to be moved if it is different than where they are. :thumbup:

 

[laohu69]

It is a tough call.

At all the SM races I have been to the AM class was stacked with talent and the Expert class had few riders. There does need to be some type of an organized system of progression up to the Expert class. In SM the age classes are usually the largest classes and they could probably be split up if enough riders sign up.

AMA MD MX used a points advancement system. 1st place was 5 points down to 5th place was 1 point. 15 points moved you to B class. 30 points moved a B rider to A class.

In MD there was (still is?) a D class that was for inexperienced riders. They could ride it the D class for 1 year but 1 win and you were moved to C class.

The sad fact is that SM does not currently attract enough riders to necessitate an A, B & C class but it does not help attract and keep new riders when really fast riders are Cherry picking the newbies.

I wish I could make your 1st race and give a hand but I am not going to be able to make it up.

When is the next race?

The next race is September 27, hopefully you can work it into your schedule.
AFAIK there is no D system in place here in MD anymore. The few times I've raced @ Budds Creek it was A, B & C.
I agree with your assesment about the AM class having too many fast riders and the EX class being barren, that is what I was trying to avoid.
But since this is the first race and we're not being sanctioned by anyone we don't have to follow anyones class structure rules. The situation is very fluid and we can adjust it as needed on site the day of the race to make sure everyone gets to run in a race where they can compete and try to avoid any cherry picking.
After the race we can all discuss things and make changes before the September race if everyone thinks it needs to happen, it doesn't matter much to me since all I want to do is have new facilities to race at.:bike: