100th Loudon Classic

[Gecko]

Given what I was hearing, I think enough karma was burned by NEMRR that even with a big purse many will still stay away, and it’s nothing to do with the perceived safety of the track.

Given everything I saw and was hearing (first- and second- hand) when I was up there Saturday, while I hope it isn't the case, I firmly believe ... ABSOLUTELY this.
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[Gecko]

I think the money was going to bring out the aggression in riders even in the dry.

While I only watched the race from T1 (T1a & T2) and then 3 or 4 reg flags in I went over to T12 & T11, I really didn't see any over the top bonehead aggressive racing. Nothing like I was expecting. Everyone was pretty sooth and respectful, giving due consideration to the conditions, especially on the numerous race starts. In my humble opinion, it was really good racing in really shitty conditions.

The wet [conditions] and Loudon's notoriously dangerous [sections in the wet].....

For sure, but again, I have to say it wasn't what I was expecting. Again, it was really good racing in really shitty conditions. Just watching Josh, Blake, Tyler, and Brandon handle the conditions masterfully (especially Josh ... so smooth, so in control, very impressive … right up until he got caught out) was so amazing. Even our guys did so well ... like everyone got the memo "be on your best behavior during the race."

[Gecko]

Ended up watching the end of the race with Hayes, he was fully geared up again as he was told there was a chance to get back into the race after his crash and still be on the lead lap with how all the red flags kept restarting the lap count but something happened to scuttle it? Between how calmly he pushed his bike to the pits from the 10 gate after the crash and how polite he was asking to get up on the camper to watch, etc, full points to him maintaining his composure in what turned out to be a bad day for him. Got to talk to a couple other MA folk, all friendly which was cool.

I have to say, Josh is one cool, chill mofo. Not at all what I was expecting (candidly, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but for sure that wasn't it).

[Gecko]

Hats off to NEMRR for putting this together and trying to pull this off. I'm not sure if they had a Plan B or not, but it was a fuck of a way to try to continue and to end. Regardless, kudos goes to them for at least trying to make the Classic nationally relevant again.

I'm really bummed we didn't get to see/meet more of you. I even made sure to wear my tattered old NESR shirt to make myself visible, but it just got covered by rain gear anyway! It was great seeing some old faces though, and meeting a couple new ones.

It was great to get to the track again though! Damn, we forgot how much we missed that. The minute we entered the infield, Big Shirl said we NEED to get back there more often. Hadn't even seen a single lap yet, she just knew we've missed it for too long. We're really looking forward to seeing at least one of the August rounds. Which leads me to ask why there isn't a July round?

You were there? Damn, you're one person I'd like to meet. You needed to wear a T-shirt on the out side of the rain gear that said something like "I'm Stoneman, Who The F*ck Are You?" That would have definitely caught my eye.

[Stoneman]

You were there? Damn, you're one person I'd like to meet. You needed to wear a T-shirt on the out side of the rain gear that said something like "I'm Stoneman, Who The F*ck Are You?" That would have definitely caught my eye.

Yup! We weren't able to get there Friday although it was our intention. And we had to scoot from camp first thing Sunday to get to a memorial for a family member. But we were damn sure to make it Saturday! Our first goal was to find some familiar faces in the infield. It's been so damned long, it was hard to recognize some faces. Found Paul right away and finally met his beautiful wife Kerry. I think she lurks here as JerseyGirl or something? Next up was to search out Pete's goatee. Easy enough to spot his bike, but again, it's been so long I hardly recognized him! Had the pleasure of meeting his much better half as well.

We watched race 1 from the infield, inside of turn 1. We intended to get up to the bowl to watch the 2nd race, but ended up by the start/finish line. We were originally gonna head up to the regular grandstands for the Classic, but Pete's goatee talked us into heading up to turn 11 with that crowd. Glad we did too! Ran into a few more familiar faces, were offered a couple beverages, and just had a great time.

We wanted to hit the souvenir set-ups on the way out, particularly to get one specific shirt for my father for father's day as he's an old timer from the Bryar days. But the Classic took so fuggin' long, they were all shut down when we finally got back out to the parking lots!

Big Shirl was horrified when she saw me pull that crusty ol' NESR shirt on. She was all like, "oh my fuck, you know that thing has holes everywhere and it's falling apart???". Fuck yeah, I do. Gotta represent beyatch! Of course, it was a lost cause as it was quickly covered up by my rain jacket.

But yeah, it was our intent to spend A LOT more time there and try to be as obvious as possible with NESR garb so we could meet everyone. While we were psyched to see some old faces, we were bummed we didn't get to meet more of you. We're going to make it a priority to get to at least one of the August rounds. Hoping to catch up with a few of you then!

[tls25rs]

Which leads me to ask why there isn't a July round?

NASCAR

[Gecko]

Found Paul right away and finally met his beautiful wife Kerry. . . . Next up was to search out Pete's goatee. Easy enough to spot his bike, but again, it's been so long I hardly recognized him!

I'm two bays down (towards hotpit) from Paul, and four(?) bays up (away from hotpit) from Pete. And by "so long," that just means a month or two ... I'm constantly doing a double-take, "Hmm, is that Pete?"

We were originally gonna head up to the regular grandstands for the Classic, but Pete's goatee talked us into heading up to turn 11 with that crowd. Glad we did too!

Pete's facial hair did the same to me last October round. It truly is a great location from which to view the races.

We wanted to hit the souvenir set-ups on the way out, particularly to get one specific shirt for my father for father's day as he's an old timer from the Bryar days. But the Classic took so fuggin' long, they were all shut down when we finally got back out to the parking lots!

Let someone know which "one specific shirt" you were looking for ... a lot of the times in the media center at the next round, they sell the leftovers (and usually at a discount too).

Big Shirl was horrified when she saw me pull that crusty ol' NESR shirt on. She was all like, "oh my fuck, you know that thing has holes everywhere and it's falling apart???". Fuck yeah, I do. Gotta represent beyatch!

That's all to familiar at my house.

We're going to make it a priority to get to at least one of the August rounds.

If you do, and life doesn't get in my way, I should be up for the remaining rounds in Center #5. Stop by, but just make sure you're wearing that T-shirt that says "I'm Stoneman, Who The F*ck Are You?"

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[union]

Guess I should have come up. Don't think my kid would have lasted in the rain.

[Stoneman]

I'm two bays down (towards hotpit) from Paul, and four(?) bays up (away from hotpit) from Pete. And by "so long," that just means a month or two ... I'm constantly doing a double-take, "Hmm, is that Pete?"

Haha! I walked by your garage a few times Saturday. Bummer I didn't know where you were, we would've stopped to say hi.

Pete's facial hair did the same to me last October round. It truly is a great location from which to view the races.

It was an awesome spot! Plenty of peeps set up shelters and they were more than willing to let folks hang.

Let someone know which "one specific shirt" you were looking for ... a lot of the times in the media center at the next round, they sell the leftovers (and usually at a discount too).

It was the 100th Loudon Classic shirt. Lookin' to grab a large for the old guy. They were selling them by the ticket booths, among other places. I'm gonna try to stop by the gift shop on my way home one of these days. Their website is kinda vague on hours though. I'm hoping they're not only open during events.

That's all to familiar at my house.

I'm the resident bum at the castle. The guy that generally dresses like a slob.

If you do, and life doesn't get in my way, I should be up for the remaining rounds in Center #5. Stop by, but just make sure you're wearing that T-shirt that says "I'm Stoneman, Who The F*ck Are You?"

Will do! Well, maybe not the shirt but I'll look into it.

[Philkinson]

Given everything I saw and was hearing (first- and second- hand) when I was up there Saturday, while I hope it isn't the case, I firmly believe ... ABSOLUTELY this.
.

? What did I miss?

[Stoneman]

Given what I was hearing, I think enough karma was burned by NEMRR that even with a big purse many will still stay away, and it’s nothing to do with the perceived safety of the track.

That would be such a shame. I give mad cred to NEMRR for putting this together. I can't imagine the work that went on to make this happen. I'm just blown away they didn't have a contingency plan for the weather, especially being so familiar with the unpredictability of the weather around there. If they get another shot at this, I sincerely hope many will look at this year as a huge learning experience.

I don't know about anyone else, but I thought it was a great shot at getting some national recognition again and hope they get another shot at it. I'd love to see a King Of The Baggers round there too!

[Stoneman]

So if this was the, or one of the all time lows, what was the height of this race? Late 90s? Mid 00s?

There were well over 20k fans in attendance in ‘99 IIRC.

As far as actual race fan attendance, not just the schmoes who were there strictly for partying purposes (and had absolutely no desire to spectate racing), in my lifetime I'd say the mid 90's until 2000 (the year before the final AMA race) were incredibly attended. Decent crowds, tons of vendors - including factory schwag trailers, top-level US talent, etc., it was just awesome.

I have many memories going up with my dad as a kid, but those memories often get skewed & distorted. But the late 70's/early 80's were fuckin' insane too.

[scottieducati]

That would be such a shame. I give mad cred to NEMRR for putting this together. I can't imagine the work that went on to make this happen. I'm just blown away they didn't have a contingency plan for the weather, especially being so familiar with the unpredictability of the weather around there. If they get another shot at this, I sincerely hope many will look at this year as a huge learning experience.

I don't know about anyone else, but I thought it was a great shot at getting some national recognition again and hope they get another shot at it. I'd love to see a King Of The Baggers round there too!

Sadly I’m afraid that was NEMRRs last shot and it went through their foot. Purse or not, I don’t think those top riders want to waste their time again, or risk causing more crash damage than purse money available.

Anonymous quote after 9th red flag, “this is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.”


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[Stoneman]

Sadly I’m afraid that was NEMRRs last shot and it went through their foot. Purse or not, I don’t think those top riders want to waste their time again, or risk causing more crash damage than purse money available.

Anonymous quote after 9th red flag, “this is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.”

As much as I feel you're correct - man, I just don't want to believe it. This had such potential. No one within earshot could wrap their heads around what the fuck they were trying to accomplish with that.

But yeah, I fear this will further push away any hopes of having national events there again in my lifetime...

[Jim]

i've been hearing the last 3 years that they had the money budgeted for a repave...yet never happened.

i've been riding there since 2009 and recall talks of a repave coming, and never happened.

since the 2nd NASCAR round getting pulled, the track has just fallen apart and seems to just let it run its course.
being there saturday really gave me back good memories as there seemed to be a large group of us former racers all collecting there and happy to see each other again.

With the direction I see the series going, i'm glad i got my experiences with them.

[Kurlon]

I'd love for a KOTB + Super Hooligan round at NHMS, would make my logistics easier.

But I agree with Jim, shit's going downhill with pushes from both sides of the equation at NHMS it feels like. NEMRR has made some bad decisions in my opinion, and the track isn't helping with their new fees (Everyone pays for camping now, even if you paid for a garage spot) with absolute crap facilities maint at the same time, etc.

[OreoGaborio]

I'm absolutely gutted we (all of us... the organization, the racers and the spectators alike) didn't get to see the kind of show that we deserved because of the weather. Such a shame... the amount of work that the officials put into it, the racers prepping themselves & their bikes, the fans that came out & stood in the rain? Ugh... such an absolute bummer.

As far as rainy conditions go, however... those were as PERFECT as they could get (just enough rain to keep the racing line damp) but I guarantee you, EVERYONE would've rather have had a drying line.

It's just a shame that the traction isn't consistent around the whole track, and when you factor in the higher horsepower of the built bikes.... it was just a losing combo.

That said, I think they did about as good as they possibly could have given the circumstances. It just really sucks that all their hard work didn't pay off.

[scottieducati]

I'm absolutely gutted we (the organization, the racers and the spectators alike) didn't get the kind of show that we deserved because of the weather. Such a shame... the amount of work that the officials put into it, the racers prepping themselves & their bikes, the fans that came out & stood in the rain? Ugh... such an absolute bummer.

As far as rainy conditions go, however... those were as PERFECT as they could get (just enough rain to keep the racing line damp) but I guarantee you, EVERYONE would've rather have had a drying line.

It's just a shame that the traction wasn't as consistent, and when you factor in the higher horsepower of the built bikes.... it was just a losing combo.

That said, I think they did about as good as they possibly could have given the circumstances. It just really sucks that all their hard work didn't pay off.

There was ample warning to move the race…. Absolute failure to avoid repeating the *exact reason AMA left*.


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[JettaJayGLS]

A cool thing about motorcycles is that they race rain or shine. Having a rain date for what seems to be normal rain conditions is strange to me.
Further...not everyone can uplift their schedule to wait out the rain. I bet most of the teams would have stuck around 1 day, but what if it rained Sunday too?

Considering this was supposed to be a major event, with a lot of investment, that was supposed to draw spectators, and the weather happened to be good the next day: maybe it would have made sense to delay it.
The underlying cause seems to be that NHMS just isn't suited to safely hold a rain event. Add in a big purse, fast bikes, and the fastest riders and apparently this is the outcome.

My opinion is that NHMS wasn't ready for an event of this type, and it probably doesn't make sense to try to do another one until track conditions can support it rain or shine. A rain date really isn't a good answer, what if it rains 5 days straight?

[Paul_E_D]

My opinion is this: The track IS racable in the rain BUT, with all that money on the line, the only way to guarantee that the race runs to the finish is to make the rules such that if you crash and or cause a red flag, you are out. Period. That's the only way I can see to incentivise staying on 2 wheels for the entire 25 laps. I mean, the other 2 races went to the end. And they rode fast for the conditions. Throw in the money and no consequence for crashing, and it simply could not function.

[Paul_E_D]

My race report for those not on FB

Hey Race fans! the 100th Classic is in the history books, and here is how my part in it went.

Thursday practice was about the best I've ever had. They made a pro group and there was relatively little slow traffic out there to interrupt the flow. As a result, I ran my best practice times and tried a few suspension changes. One of them made a nice difference (thanks Tim Hogan) and I went with it.

In practice Friday morning the bike cut out. it popped an ignition fuse. It looked pretty old and punky, so we replaced it and soldiered on.

Friday racing: MWF40 - race stopped for a scary incident involving my friend Todd Fanciullo. Thankfully he is going to be fine with some rest and recovery time. Race rescheduled to Sunday morning.

MWSS I was headed out on the warmup lap and the bike cut out hard on hot pit. DNS. It was another popped ignition fuse. This would prove to be a thorn in my side all weekend.

We got the bike running again and thought we had found the culprit in a corroded starter solenoid.

After racing ended we had 2 rotations of provisional qualifying. I was a bit stressed about my bike and had to put it out of my head and try to send it. Needless to say I was pretty tense and riding a bit tight. I did manage to get into the 13s with a 13.8 in the first session. Good , but not where I wanted to be.

We put a stickier tire on for session 2 and I was straight into the high 13s. I cracked off two 13.7s in a row and decided it was now or never and I just went all in. As I crossed the seam in T1 though, the front and rear tires started to push. I tried riding it out for what seemed like forever, but I was down and sliding towards the grass. My right hand was on the ground to prevent tumbling and my finger tips hit the edge of the track. OUCHIE. Session over Qualifying Position 19th.

Dang, the field was deep! Probably the deepest in recent history of SS racing in the U.S. 5 riders were under the current lap record and a bunch more were on race winning pace. It was definitely something to behold.

Saturday I woke up to rain and my right index finger was pointing slightly the wrong way and a few others were swollen. Wow, not the classic I envisioned. Braking was going to be possible, but painful! As it turned out, in practice I was able to kind of splint the finger against the brake perch and squeeze hard enough with my other fingers to get the job done.

At this point, something unexpected happened! All of my sisters and my nephew showed up to watch me race. I was almost in tears at this surprise. I can't say how much that meant to me.

The race came, and I was on my rain bike, so no electrical gremlins to worry about. To be honest, I can't remember the order of all that happened. To say it was a mental ordeal is an understatement.

The start was incredibly sketchy as the painted stripe is like ice. I was worried about a multi bike incident right off the line. That didn't happen. I started cautiously and was near the back of mid-pack following Joe Limandri and as we came out on the straight I saw him slide up track and bounce off the concrete wall back first. He had nowhere to go as the rest of the pack came by and the first red flag came out.

The second start was similar and I THINK we completed 5 laps after this one. Again, I was a bit conservative and trying to let my tires come in and build pace for the long haul, but my visor was fogged completely limiting my vision and my pace fell to a miserable level. Luckily, another red flag came out. More bikes sliding down the straights and bouncing off the walls. At least I would have a chance to fix my visor issues. I took the pinlock film out as it was somehow compromised.

Now came the mentally tough part... The next 9 starts in a row there were crashes, often multiple bikes, before we could complete a full lap. This meant I was perpetually sent back to 19th position. That's where I was on lap 5 when I couldn't see, and that's where I finished almost 2 hours later because there was not another lap completed (or maybe there was 1?)

Anyhow, By the end I felt like a rookie. I had seen more bikes and bodies sliding than I have in my whole career and my confidence was in the toilet. This was something unprecedented to my knowledge. Riders where simply unwilling to do anything but throw themselves down track after a good place/payout. I was hoping that attrition would kick in and things would settle down, but riders simply restarted and many crashed multiple times causing more than 1 red flag. The race ultimately had to be stopped. At that point I was relieved, exhausted, mentally drained.

I made an incredible effort to prepare for this weekend, and so did NEMRR, my sponsors, friends, and family. I have to thank them all!
Thank you to MTAG Pirelli, DP Brakes, Tonys Track Days, Antham Racing, Woodcraft Technologies, and my team: Kerry Smith, Cathy Smith, Charles Keighley, Geoffrey Bonnard, Semir Fazlic and Kris Hopkins I would be nowhere without you!

Sunday dawned with no rain. I was back on the A bike and it made it through practice. It hurt my hand more to brake in the dry, but I was going to make a go of it.

MWF40: I got a terrible launch as I wheelied badly off the line. I slotted into 4th place. I made my way to the front as quickly as possible and checked out for a win. Phew. finally, a result.

GTU: headed out to the grid and the bike cut out again on the warmup lap in T3. DNS. Damnit, my season is going up in smoke!

I was unable to sort the issue and also DNS for The Dash for Cash.

This weekend was brutally hard as race weekends go. I made strategic and technical errors. But there's always next time!

[hpw22077]

That's my main gripe too, letting everyone back in. Danny weems didn't even make the last restart and was still classified because a lap wasn't completed. I know in the sprint races if you cause a red flag that ends the race you are DQed, and something similar needed to be in place. I know there isn't the manpower to make the re-starts gridded how people were running, but at least the crashers should have been put at the back or time penalized.

[OreoGaborio]

Like rescheduling it for a rain date, telling a rider that's crashed that they can't re-enter is another "damned if you do, damned if you don't" position for the organizers. If you tell a rider that's gone down that they can't re-start you have to apply that rule to the WHOLE GRID. When Josh Hayes crashed out I wanted nothing more than for him to return.

However I agree that a back-of-the-grid re-start probably would have been the right call. If I recall correctly I've been in that position myself but I can't remember whether I gridded right back up where I was before the red or not.

[Stoneman]

All good points, really...

My take is they should have postponed it. Maybe made it the first race Sunday? Spectators would have still gone and been happy, racers may have been putting on the show they thought they could. And at THAT point, make it a definite rain or shine event. No more chances of postponement. Penalizing those who crashed may have helped as well.

I dunno. The whole fuckin' thing was so confusing. Whoever was running the reader board couldn't even figure it out. I mean, on the final laps it was reading 999 to go? 17 to go. No, 19 to go. No wait, 14 to go. And so on, and so on...

[Kurlon]

I know at least one team couldn't be there for Sunday, and they were already scrambling to re-arrange flights for racers as it was with how long the race dragged on. The MA guys had to get all their stuff over to the west coast for racing this weekend.

On the scoreboard, on the fourth or fifth restart their scoring system glitched out. Not a new problem, sucks that it's persisted for so many years.

What would have made more sense to me, pull the race up to Friday when you saw the forecast for the weekend. Teams were already in house and expecting to run that day, the forecast was better, get it done. Now, the theoretical objection, the 'fans' were expecting it on Saturday... those that were interested had already been doing their own digging to keep up with what was going on 'cause it wasn't being broadcast worth a damn for the general public, so they would have known anyways. Likely would have had more draw from the vendor area given they'd be open instead of the shutdown by 11am due to weather and lack of people on Saturday too.

I agree with Paul, that track can be run in the rain without issue, particularly with riders of that caliber. A one and done rule would have caused grumbling, but likely a better race for spectators.