It's Time for the Year End Review...

As we bid farewell to 2014 and await 2015, it's time for the obligatory year-end lists....

I am reviewing the racing video from this year as I sit in my nice warm house while outside it's freeking sub-zero outside!  I almost wish it was August and we were back at the hot & dry Pueblo Motorsports Park.

Although we were late-comers to racing this year I think our rider Roger did his best racing at Pikes Peak International Raceway.  He seemed to be really comfortable with those large banked corners.  That does seem a bit surprising given his background in motocross and enduro and all of the times we used to ride dirt bikes down in Pueblo.  Granted the dirt is different than the pavement but Roger does have a collection of trophies from drag racing his motorcycle in Pueblo so he's used to the long straight-away.

Next year we plan on traveling a bit more (see previous blog entries regarding our trailer search).  We're talking about racing all along the front range from Wyoming to New Mexico, and we're thinking about racing in Kansas, Nebraska and maybe a trip to the Miller Motorsports Park in Utah.  So for our first category - "Favorite Track of 2014" I would say it was by far PPIR.  We raced better there, we had great pit locations, and the women were much prettier there (hey - we're old but we're not dead!).

Next category - "Favorite Pit Food of 2014".  Ok I know it seems like it's a rather strange award category but I get hungry watching Roger work so hard out on the track.  I'm a rather simple kind of guy - I like my beer and brats, but I've been known not to pass up a good burrito or enchilada or two.  I've got to give the award to the Colorado Motorcycle Racing Association's year-end barbecue.

Next up - "Favorite Walk-Up Song of 2014".  Ok so I know that walk-up songs are more of a baseball thing but I can really get jumping when I hear a great tune.  While Roger gets all of the glory it's us grunts in the pits that really have it rough.  He goes through his pre-race routine mapping out the turns in his head and clearing his thoughts of everything else.  I have my own pre-race routine in prepping the bike, prepping the rider, and most importantly, prepping the race time drinks and snacks.  Talk about hard work and incredible pressure - imagine the stress of mistakenly grabbing the Doritos and salsa thinking you got the Ruffles and root beer.  I find that having pre-race music helps me think clearer so I won't make the Doritos / salsa mistake again. 

Here are my top tunes leading up to race time: "Hells Bells", "Stranglehold", "Rock & Roll", and "Are You Ready".  I like how it builds in tempo up from the slow start of "Hells Bells" to the balls out pace of "Rock & Roll", and  then it gets highly cerebral with "Are You Ready".  My "Favorite Walk-Up Song of 2014" goes to Creed's "Are You Ready".

I'll come up with more awards and lists in the coming days.  Until then, have a safe New Years and we'll all be back at it before you know it!


See ya at the track!

Pops

Merry Christmas!

Well the Christmas tree finally went up and the house got decorated.  Funny how some people are particular with what goes in the tree as decorations - ornaments yes but spark plugs no.  Who knew?

We've been looking at trailers for next season and we've got a few that we like.  First you start with the trailer necessities like AC, fridge, microwave, a place for my tool boxes, my easy chair, and, as Roger (our team rider) likes to point out, the ability to store motorcycles.  Then you move into the next level of 'would be cool to have' like hot tubs, sun deck, plasma TV, satellite dish, Wi-Fi, etc.  To get to the next level beyond the necessities takes mad negotiation skills, or a bunch of incriminating pictures!  Stay tuned - negotiations are about to get interesting!!

New racing plastic has been ordered and that will be a project for next month.  I'm still trying to convince Roger that a turn signal that is always blinking is a good tactical option for racing.  How many times have you come up on an old man with a hat driving on the highway with his blinker on and you slow down because you aren't too sure if he's coming into your lane or not!

We're trying to come up with colors for the bikes.  Roger likes white but I'm thinking something more like the orange-yellow color of Preparation H.  Now stay with me on this one - if you are riding a motorcycle on the track and it's hot and you start sweating chances are your roids might start acting up.  If you roids start acting up you lose focus on the track and all you can think about is.... Preparation H!  If your riding a bike that is the same color as Preparation H your mind convinces your roids that they've been treated so they don't become a distraction anymore.  Now doesn't that make a lot of sense?  If you like that idea you should see what colors I've come up with for his leathers next season!

Well the kiddos are here - someone told them that Santa dropped off some presents for them so they are waiting for me to come so that they can open them.  From our pit crew to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

See ya at the track!

Pops

And So Begins The Holiday Season....

The bikes have been washed and put away for another season.  The leathers are a bit worn and are hanging up waiting for next year.  As families gather for the Holidays tales of this year's races - the spills, the close shaves, the narrow victories, will be told over and over.

Then there's us old Geezers!  As winter approaches we give up our bikes and our wrenches and we pick up our tool belts to start on the 'honey-do' list that has been waiting since spring!  The whine of the two-stroke engine has been replaced by the nagging of the spouse.  Now that we're not tinkering on bikes we're expected to keep our finger nails clean and wear deodorant!

I have given up my cargo shorts and tool belt for plaid pants, a wide white belt, and the wife's purse hanging off my arm as we shop in Kohl's.  She shops for Holiday nicknack with as much enthusiasm as I do chain lube.  Needless to say, my leash is much much shorter in the winter time!

So what's an old fart supposed to do?  Luckily I keep motorcycle magazines hidden away around the house just like I used to do with Playboy magazines in my youth.  This is my off-season, where I get to study up on the latest steering dampers, chain adjusters, and racing plastic.  I fret over shaving ounces off the bike like my wife does pounds off my gut!

On the bright side, the shortest day of the year is only 4 weeks away.  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving which kicks-off the Holiday season.  From all of us here at the Geezer Gears Racing Team have a Happy Thanksgiving!

See ya at the track!

Pops

PPIR Race Pics From The 2014 Season

I have been going through some of the videos I shot this past season and have clipped out a few pictures to share:

The bottom two pictures shows our team rider, Roger, in the thick of a race.  Here's some more of Roger:

I shot a lot of video this past season so it will take me a while to get through it.  I managed to video tape several races and practice sessions, so when I get see a few great images from the video's I'll post them here.  You might see yourself or your favorite racer so stay tuned!

I can't believe the season is over - especially with how nice the weather has been lately.  We're expecting another warm day today and on into the weekend.  Still plenty warm for a few more weekends of racing!

Enjoy the pics and I'll be taking more as we work on getting the Ninja race ready for next season!

See ya at the track!

Pops

A Few Trailing Thoughts About A Trailer......

I'm back to writing the blog - I spent yesterday hunting and I've got squirrels in my freezer again!

We've picked up a new motorcycle for next year:

It's a 2014 Ninja 300.  With a ride like that I think this should be Roger's leathers & helmet for next season:

I'm sure the cape flapping in the wind would be cool as he's racing around the track, and I don't think I saw anything in the rules against wearing a cape......

We've been looking at options for the trailer so if you have any ideas or preferences let me know.  We're thinking something around 6' or 7' wide (our current trailer is 8' wide) and probably 16' to 18' long - big enough to carry up to 4 bikes.

Since I handle the pit logistics I started thinking about things that could help me out - cabinets for parts, built in tool boxes, flat space for working that folds up against the sides of the trailer when not in use, yet could double as a bed, A/C, a place to hang and dry leathers, etc.

We've also thinking how the bikes will be stored and am open to suggestions as to how to get that done.  I've seen some pretty cool floor systems that have built in wheel chocks.

There are some necessities too - side door, canopy, generator, air compressor, etc.  I think what will really take our team to the next level is this:

Yep, a leather massage chair that is wi-fi compatible - and it reclines too!  Don't know if that's in the budget but it would be cool!

I'm still working on pictures and videos from last season.  I've got squirrels swimming in bar-b-que sauce that need a some attention and grillin' before tonight's Bronco's game.

See ya at the track!

Pops

A Few Pictures From Pueblo...

I'm not the guy in the leathers racing around the track - I get to enjoy life as part of the pit crew.  Anytime I've been down in Pueblo it's been hot.  The track is hot, the wind is hot, the drinks are hot, and I'm getting hot just thinking about how hot it was!

My hats off to our Roger, out team driver.  He has to strap on the leathers and put up with the heat on the track.  For us old guys the heat can be a real pisser!  It's a fine balance to stay hydrated at our age - you have to drink enough that you don't dehydrate, yet not drink too much that you gotta pee every 5 minutes.

Here's a few pictures from Pueblo - enjoy!

Here's our setup from this year:

Note that it lacks A/C, a good stereo, a waffle maker, and a cold fridge.  I'm hoping that we're going to fix that come next season!

I'll work on posting more pictures & videos from this past season.

See ya at the track!

Pops

Early In The Off-Season.....

Sigh....the season is over and the bike, the tools, and the trailer have been stored for winter.  You watch the race videos to remember the ups and downs of the last year, longing for one more race weekend now that the wife said the in-laws are coming for an extended stay....

We look at the off-season as a chance to figure out if we are still young enough to try the young person's sport for another year.  For us the answer is and will always be 'yes', because the truth is that we would much rather pick up and drive somewhere for a long weekend, sleeping in the trailer, eating food that will give us gas for days than spend the weekend at home with a wife and a honey-do list.  There is no animal on earth that man fears and avoids more than a spouse with a list!

I also look at this as an opportunity to try and hook-up sponsors to help defray the costs of racing.  I'm thinking we need to be sponsored by 'Hooters' and 'Best Western' but Roger thinks we need sponsors that actually have something to do with motorcycles.  My argument is you gotta eat well and you gotta sleep well if you are going to race well!

We gotta give a big shout-out to Apex Sports in Colorado Springs.  They have hooked Roger up on several of his bikes and for our racing bike.  Although they are not an official sponsor, if it weren't for the bones we get tossed from time to time, us old guys would be dressed in plaid pants, white belts, and walking through Kohl's or JC Penney's carrying our wive's purses on weekends.

Unfortunately, it seems that the only sponsors for a couple of old guys are old guy products, so I say let's roll with it.  Stay tuned for more official sponsor announcements, but here's a short list of potential sponsors that I'm trying to line up for next year:

Mann Lee Adult Diapers
"We can take the load when you can't"

Green Earth Recycled Catheter Supply
"When you pee, pee green!"

Mustang Ranch Senior Care Home and Casino
"Join us for 'Double Down' Tuesdays!"


I'm sure eventually we'll get actual racing sponsors, but for now we gotta take what we can get!  I'm thinking we can put the sponsor's name and jingle / slogan on the back of the trailer so people can see them as we go from race to race.  Plus whenever we stop at Denny's or McDonalds (gotta love the free senior coffees!) people can see the trailer and sponsors.

I know we are early in the off-season and anything can happen between now and next race season, but if we can sign these sponsors it would be a pretty good victory for a couple of old guys who are doing everything they can to not spend the weekends with the wives and the honey-do lists!

See ya at the track!

Pops

A Few Pictures From 2014

We had a pretty good year for our first year racing.  Roger is our team rider and has an extensive background in motocross and enduro racing, plus a bit of motorcycle drag racing as well.  This is his first season racing SuperStreet so the style of racing is much different than what we're used to.

When you get to be our age one of the problems we have is admitting that we're not the strapping youth that we once were.  Roger has no fear when you point the bike down the straight-away, but when you have to navigate the turns and curves it takes us older rookies a bit longer to learn the skill of taking curves at speed.

Personally, I'm pretty comfortable with the pit duties.  I don't know how the racers can lean over their bikes the way they do.  I know the only time my ass hangs that far off anything is when I dispensing some 'home brew' down at the fishing hole.

Here's a picture of Roger at the Pueblo Motorsports Park:

Notice the coolers?  The red one had Gatorades and the green one in the back had our lunch!  We certainly do eat well come race day!

Here's another picture of Roger coming in after a race at PPIR:

I'm working on more pictures and videos from this year's racing so stay tuned!

See ya at the track!

Pops

Welcome to the Geezer Gears Racing Team Blog!

Well we finally did it - we got us a Blog!  After a great first year of racing we've decided to ramp it up a bit and the first thing we're doing is creating a Blog where we will be covering our motorcycle racing from a 'seasoned' person's perspective (A.K.A. old farts).

By way of introduction, I'm "Pops".  I help with the team logistics, social media, photography, video recording, navigation, security, and other duties as assigned.  My job is to make Roger's life easy so all he needs to focus on is keeping the motorcycle from crashing!

Roger is our Team Rider.  He has grown up on motorcycles and he has an extensive background in motocross, enduro, and drag racing motorcycles.  He has the hardest job on the team!  He's also the official team cook too.

We're former Illinois boys that are married to twin sisters and have settled in between Colorado Springs and Denver, Colorado.  Our team headquarters is at an undisclosed location in Monument, Colorado.

This past year (2014) we raced at the Pueblo Motorsports Park and at the Pikes Peak International Raceway.  Next year (2015) we hope to venture a little further away from home and race at tracks in Kansas, New Mexico, Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming.  Who knows where we'll be in 2016!

So sit back and enjoy some old fart humor!


See ya at the track!

Pops