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

Lapping Day Is About A Week Away!

I've gotten tired of the snow and the cold and I am really ready for springtime in the Rockies.  Good fishing weather is just around the corner, the Spring turkey hunt is coming up, and the days are getting just a bit longer.

For some reason, I'm really jazzed about the upcoming racing season.  The bike has new plastic and is awaiting the final transformations - paint / numbers / transponder.  Here's the bike so far:

Gotta love that new plastic smell!

We're still working on the colors for this year but at least the plastics are on and we're getting closer to Lapping Day at the High Plains Raceway.

We've got warm weather coming in so it might be a good time to start painting.  Sunny days and 70 degree temperatures should make the job go quickly.

I've got a few gadgets to play with while our team rider, Roger, has his fun out on the track.  With any luck I'll have Twitter updates and Instagram pictures from the pits on race day.  Sign up to stay in touch with the Geezer Gears Team!


See ya at the track!

Pops

March Update!

The Geezer Gears Racing Team have been busy in the off-season.  Our team rider, Roger, has been riding his bicycle and running to get into race shape, the new racing plastic has been installed, and I've been learning new software and hardware to keep you updated as to our hijinks!

We've gotten our tentative Colorado schedule:

May 9th & 10th - High Plains Raceway
May 30th & 31st- High Plains Raceway
June 20th & 21st - Pueblo Motorsports Park
July 11th & 12th - High Plains Raceway
August 8th & 9th - High Plains Raceway
August 29th & 30th - High Plains Raceway
September 19th & 20th - Pikes Peak International Raceway

We are looking at other races in adjoining states (New Mexico, Utah, Kansas, Nebraska, & Wyoming).  We'll keep you all posted as to our additional races but if you are at the Colorado races please stop by our pit & say hi.  We'd love to swap stories & we usually have a few of our own to share!

We are close to a new travel trailer for this year - we are down to two possibilities.  One is in Arizona and the other is in Iowa, so we've got a road trip coming up!

Now that we're officially into Spring it will be race day before you know it!

See ya at the track!

Pops

A Big Shout-Out For Our Team Rider!!

The Geezer Gears Racing Team is basically a couple of old guys who have a lot of fun at the track.  We are not the fastest on the track, or have the most bad-ass rig & trailer, nor do we have a lot of sponsors helping us out on weekends.  We really enjoy hanging out with folks that enjoy life like we do, which is pretty much everyone that we've met at the track!

We have families and day jobs and are really just out racing on the weekends so we don't have to spend time at home doing "honey-do's".  At our age, both of us having raised 2 kids and releasing them onto the world, we deserve a little bit if 'me time' - especially since we're married to twin sisters!

We have day jobs that keep us busy too, I'm sure just like all of you do too.  I'm the only non-medical person when the 2 families get together, but I have a great appreciation for what they do.  Now I get to brag a little bit about our team rider, Roger.  Last weekend Roger and a team from his hospital took a 300+ mile round trip in a snowstorm and up over the mountains to save not one but two preemie babies.

Here's a link to the story from the Colorado Springs Gazette:

http://tinyurl.com/o6oce6x


Racing is just a small part of who we are and what we do.  We risk crashes and injuries at the track doing what we love, but let's not forget those who put it on the line everyday as just another day at the office - the medical professionals, fire professionals, police officers and the military folks too.

Winter in Colorado

As a former Chicago boy that came to Colorado almost 30 years ago, I've really grown to love winters here.  Admittedly, I've told some folks from Texas and California that it snows pretty much every day from Halloween to Easter and the pictures they've seen of the mountain snow is what we get all winter long here along the front range.  Ok so maybe that wasn't a good idea but it does keep the congestion on the roads down a bit.

There is something invigorating about being on a motorcycle in January with the temperature around freezing and the air a little crisp on your skin.  You are more immersed in the landscape on a bike that you miss when you are in a car or truck.

Now that the big holidays are out of the way and the Christmas tree and lights are packed away for another year, it's time to start thinking about racing.  If you've followed the blog you know that the Geezer Gears Racing Team is in the process of looking for a new trailer for the upcoming season.

There's a fine art to looking for a trailer - getting the features you need at a price that stays under our wive's radar.  Roger, our team rider, and I went to the RV show in Denver earlier this month to see what's out there.  I gotta say that trailers have come a long way in the past few years - slide out porches, flat screen TV's on the outside, solar panels, LED lighting, backup cameras, and the list goes on and on.

We talked with several vendors about trailers to get a sense as to where the industry is headed in the years to come.  The bulk of the toy haulers we saw were for fifth wheelers but there were several smaller tow behind trailers with fewer options than their larger counterparts.

While we're still not sure which direction to go we know we'll have to make a decision soon if we want to have something for this season.  The hunt goes on!

The new racing plastic has been ordered for this season - can't wait to see that on the bike.  It's time to start a list of 'to-do's to get ready for this season.  What's on your 'to-do' list?

See ya at the track!

Pops