Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there among the interwebs!

Father's Day breakfast was eggs, sausages, and potatoes - Geezer style! Slept well despite waking up in Pueblo.  There was a spider on my tent this morning that looked like a scorpion - it had a leg in the back that looked like a stinger.

Decided to go with my dome tent that I got from Montgomery Wards about thirty years ago.

Roger went with some new fangled style of tent.  Wasn't sure what it was supposed to be at this stage.

We are awaiting the start of the racers meeting.  Look for my recap of today's events!

See ya'  at the track!

Pops

Pueblo - Round 3 - Day 1

I don't mean to sound rather dramatic, but racing in Pueblo is an experience.  Typically racing here means hot, dry conditions  - I mean really hot and dry.  Today was no different, and tomorrow will be even worse.

Now don't get me wrong, I have fond memories of riding my dirt bike here and watching Roger teach my kids how to ride here, but that was a really long time ago!  I'm not saying I am old and can't handle the heat, but as we age there are certain liberties we get to claim.  Mine are life, liberty, and the pursuit of air conditioning!

Pueblo is our State's reminder that we are actually a desert environment and desert settings can be extremely bad ass..  The grass that grows here has prickley things on it, there are large lizzards here, and if you are observant you might see a rattle snake or two.  The further away you get from water the harsher the environment is, and there is a lot of harsh in Pueblo.  Even the pretty little birds that hop around looking for bugs are bad ass  - I swear that one hopped up to me, spun its head around, and threatened to pick my eyes out when I sleep tonight.

We've had 3 red  flag stoppages today, and the day isn't over yet.  The first crash required 2 ambulances.  After the second crash large, buzzard-like birds could be seen circling over the track.  

The corner worker by us is standing in a stand and the heat shimmers are so great that you can't see the ground below his feet.  Imagine coming out of a right turn, hitting the throttle and accelerating quickly, only to see what you think is Jesus dressed in white floating in the air in front of you.

Racing in Pueblo is special, not because saying you raced here in the summer is considered a feat worthy of a badge of honor, but those who race here have an unique bond between them.  They know of the harsh conditions, the sudden wind gusts, and the surprise sand storms blowing in  - and that's just on the track!

I have hunted around Pueblo and in other places in Colorado, but the strangest creatures I have ever come across happened here outside Pueblo.  I'm not saying that I've seen a Chupacabra or Bigfoot (ok in all honesty I did see a Chacabra near Pueblo), but I've seen more unusual incidents here than anywhere else I know.

The goal of Pueblo  is survival.  Dont get lost.  Don't get hurt. Stay hydrated. Dont eat the peyote.  After  Day 1 the Geezer Gears have survived.  We will set up our tents, have a frothy beverage, and rest up for another exciting adventure in the land of ....

Pueblo.

See ya' at the track!

Pops

Another Upate From Round 2

I have been going over the pictures and videos from Round 2 and I think it is safe to say that our team rider Roger is getting more comfortable on the bike, with the track, and with the modifications we are making to the bike.

I have some pics to post once I am done going through them.  Here is a pic of Roger showing off another expertise of his:

Nothing beats track food. We had sausages, potatoes, red onions, and veggies - and a few secret ingredients:

We will pick up the new trailer early next month so we had to rough it and camp in tents.  Now when you get to my age there are things I don't scrimp on, and one of those things is comfort.  I got a  lot of crap for my accommodations but I slept well and woke up refreshed.

Yes, that's a 14 inch air mattress in my tent so go ahead and be jealous!  I also had my hunting ear plugs and an eye mask so once I hit the mattress I was out cold!

Out of the 4 races we were in (2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday), we were just out of the top 10 on the 2 races on Sunday.  We have a lot of room for improvement and out next chance for that will be at Round 3 next weekend in Pueblo.  

I am packing plenty of waters and Gatorade to keep us cool, plus I am bringing a large fan and an extension cord to plug into the generator.  Pueblo tends to get rather warm so we are going to be prepared.

Please come out to Pueblo and support your Geezers!

See ya' at the track!

Pops

Round 2 Recap

Motorcycle Racing in Colorado has now officially begun.  After a rain soaked opening weekend that saw both days cancelled, we finally got to racing this past weekend.

Friday was a lapping day - a big round of thanks for the Motorcycle Roadracing Association for making that happen!  Unfortunately we couldn't make lapping day so we arrived bright and early Saturday morning.  When we pulled up the lot was already full of campers and trailers but we managed to find a spot to sneak in and set up.  That's a sure sign of success - when you arrive early on Saturday morning to a packed pit and camping area!

We put our bike through tech and while Roger (our team rider) attended the rider's meeting I set up our pit for the weekend.  After the meeting we got the bike prepped and Roger made his way out on to the track for morning practice.

It's important to remember that we're new to road racing, but not necessarily new to motorcycle racing.  Roger has raced enduro, motocross and has even drag raced motorcycles with much success.  However the skills used in road racing are different than what he has used in the past so there is a lot of learning and unlearning we have to do as we get into this.

We switched our shifting on this bike to GP shift (which is backwards from normal shifting), braking and braking points are different, angles into and out of curves are different, and sliding the back tire doesn't really exist here like on dirt.  Add in the amount of lean the bikes take to make the corners and the 'slightly' additional weight we older guys carry and have to adjust for and well, no wonder it will take us a while to get comfortable.

Our races on Saturday went as we expected and we met our team goals in those races - don't get lost, get comfortable on the bike and on the track, and make it back to the pit safely.  Saturday afternoon and evening we made a few adjustments to the bike and Sunday those adjustments really helped.  We shaved off 5 to 8 seconds per lap with the tweaks we did, and that made Roger a bit more comfortable on the bike, which in turn made him a bit faster on the track.

With our races out of the way early on Saturday we were able to watch the main event Saturday afternoon - the 4 Hour Endurance Race.  There were 3 categories - "Pony Express" (multiple bikes and riders with one transponder being used as a baton between riders), "True Endurance" (one bike with multiple riders), and "Titanium Butt" (one bike one rider).  There was a pretty bad crash just about midway through the endurance race but thankfully broken bones will mend.  The endurance race ended just before the sun slipped over the horizon.  A big thanks for the corner workers for putting in a long day on the track.

Our next round will be in Pueblo, Colorado.  We'll have to camp that weekend because our trailer won't be ready in time.  Too bad - it's always hot in Pueblo!

Now that we're back to racing (and hunting season is over) I'll keep the blog updated better.  I'm working through the videos and pics from the weekend and I'll post those as I get them ready.  You can always catch us on Twitter ( @GeezerGears ) or on Instagram ( geezergears ).

See ya' at the track!

Pops

Round 1 - Lapping Day

It's going to be a cold and wet weekend, not to mention the grief we've been getting for being away on Mother's Day.  Just the price we pay for being so incredibly dedicated to our sport I guess!

Today is lapping day, but I think we'll take a pass at it.  I'm not sure what the track conditions are but we've had rain all week and they are expecting more storms today.

The weather isn't supposed to be that great for racing this weekend, although Sunday's weather forecast is certainly much better than earlier in the week when they were predicting 3" to 5" of snow on Sunday.  When Roger, our team rider, asked about what to do regarding the snow on Sunday, my answer was quick - let's bring the DOT tires or the studded tires!

I'm sure Mother Nature will throw us a bone this weekend.  After all, we've been getting rain and snow and hail pretty much all week up and down the Front Range.  We're due for some drying out any day now.

The game plan for today is to meet up and load the trailer and truck.  We're still about a month away from our racing trailer so we'll have to rough it for Round 1 (this weekend) and Round 2 (later this month).  We'll head out tomorrow morning early (4:30AM or so) and we'll camp out Saturday night.

I had to dig out the old tent and sleeping bags and I've sprayed the tent with a coat of water repellent.  I've also aired it out - it hasn't seen the light of day in probably 15 years.  I am packing everything from shorts to rain gear to my winter hunting gear (toasty warm!).  We'll have the canopy with us and I'll bring the sides for it so that we can keep the bike out of the weather as much as possible.

Look for Roger (#555) to be racing in 3 classes this weekend: Formula 40 GTU, Solo Endurance Lightweight, and Supertwins GTU.

Come out to the High Plains Raceway this weekend and support your Geezers!

See ya' at the track!

Pops

Lapping Day

This past Saturday was Lapping Day at High Plains Raceway.  The day started out cold but the sun came up and changed everything.  The track was perfect, the atmosphere was great, and we all had a great time.  If you ever get the chance you have to visit this track - it's set among the farms and ranches of Eastern Colorado and the facilities are great.  There are four courses in one track - a 1.28 mile Short Course, a 1.86 mile North Course, a 2.00 mile West Course or the 2.55 mile Full Course.  There is a lot to learn about this track with lots of turns, over 300 feet of cumulative elevation change per lap, and the longest straight-away is over 2,800 feet long.

I'm really glad that most of our Colorado races will be here this year.  I really liked the accommodations and the folks at the Motorcycle Racing Association are fantastic.  Our team rider, Roger, went to the new rider school on Saturday and there was one instructor for two students.  There was a lot of track time and chalk board time to learn new things and try them out on the track.

Lining up for the start of Lapping Day at High Plains Raceway

Roger had lots of one-on-one attention and his instructor, Montana Jeff, helped him see the track better and gave him a better understanding of how to gauge the lines around the track.  Racing at our age really boils down to three things: 1) did we get hurt; 2) did we get lost on the track, & 3) did we have fun.  Roger's background in dirt racing and drag racing helped him out but there is a lot to learn when you transition from dirt and drag to racing on these courses.  To keep things interesting for Roger we switched the gearing on the bike from stock shift to GP shift, which he quickly learned and mastered.

I get to do the pit duties and when Roger is out on the track I like to wander around and talk to the other folks who are there as support crew for their riders.  While we lack sponsors and dollars to fund our operation, I got the sense that anyone out there would be more than willing to help us out and get us back out on the track if we ever got stuck.  That's really comforting for a couple of old farts like us who just want to have a little fun on the weekends!

Pre-Season Lapping Day is also a great way to figure out what you need or what you are missing.  In a couple of weeks Roger and I are heading out to pick up our new racing trailer so I've started a list of the little things we're going to need.  I'm thankful for the support crew folks who showed me around their setups and answered my questions.  We're newbies when it comes to this style of motorcycle racing but I know we'll have fun this year no matter how we do on the track because of the friendly folks associated with this great sport.

Next up on the schedule is a bit of spring turkey hunting, then a trip to pick up the trailer, and then before you know it we'll be back at High Plains Raceway for the start of the 2015 racing season.


See ya at the track!

Pops

And So It Begins......

Typical Colorado weather - we had snow last night and this morning.  Thankfully it's supposed to blow out later today, which is good because tomorrow is Lapping Day at the High Plains Raceway.  I'm hoping that the track will be dry and gravel-free so Roger has a good day on the track.

Lots of bike modifications on the bike this year.  In the last blog I posted pictures of the new racing plastic but what I didn't mention is that we switched the gearing from the stock bike to make it easier for Roger to shift on the race track.

I've been reading over the Motorcycle Racing Association's 2015 Rule Book making sure I've got a handle on the bike specs and the pit rules (still no wolverines allow in the pits according to Section 11 Rule D. ), so all I have left to do is make sure the fire extinguisher is still charged.

Our team rider, Roger, has been running and bicycling this off-season to get himself into racing shape.  Not easy to do at our age!  He rode his KTM to work about a week ago in the snow - now that'd dedication!

Still lots to do on the bike before opening weekend (May 9th & 10).  It looks like Roger and I are off to Mesa, Arizona to pick up a new racing trailer for the season so hopefully we'll get good weather for a long weekend sometime between now and then.

As always, you can follow our hijinks on Twitter ( #geezergears ) or you can find us on Instagram.  I'll be keeping you updated as to our progress at the track tomorrow so stay tuned.


See ya' at the track!

Pops