Camping At The Track On Race Weekends...

**Stoneman** · 05-06-04, 10:25 AM

The single most question I get asked about racing is about camping at the track. I figured I'd toss this out there for our member racing contigent to see what the general concensus is on it...

Living 20 minutes from the track, I don't really think I'm the authoritay on it. I really don't have any need for it now...

I've camped there umpteen times throughout my life. In a tent, in a car, in a p/u truck. I even remember sleeping in a borrowed van with my dad when I was a kid during wunna the nationals...

Again, I've no need for it so I'm not one to really ask. Pro's & con's? Good, bad or indifferent?

**davegsxrold929r** · 05-06-04, 02:27 PM

20 min away .,

bitchslap for you

**Stoneman** · 05-06-04, 02:37 PM

Originally posted by davegsxrold929r
20 min away .,

bitchslap for you

HA! You're welcome to pull up some floor or bring a tent...

...hope ya drink...

**VinceF2** · 05-06-04, 02:46 PM

I personally love camping at the track during a race weekend... it's part of the whole experience... the night life is almost as fun as the racing itself

You meet more people and just get to enjoy yourself more IMO... since you're not having to get there early, unload, race, load up and go...

EDIT: Plus... where else can you camp for a weekend for $20... and have access to showers, toilets, electricity and lots O' motorcycles

I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about camping... I am normally just in a tent... works great

Plus the grandstand in the moonlight is real puurrrty

R7 · 05-06-04, 03:02 PM

What Vince said

Plus you can get up early and walk the track and not only get a good workout, at the same time learning the line and surface condition of the track

**Stoneman** · 05-06-04, 03:17 PM

Originally posted by R7
What Vince said
Plus you can get up early and walk the track and not only get a good workout...

Like you ever looked at it as getting a good workout!

**VinceF2** · 05-06-04, 03:23 PM

Originally posted by R7
What Vince said
Plus you can get up early and walk the track and not only get a good workout, at the same time learning the line and surface condition of the track

Walking it at night is a trip too IMO... gets weally weally dawk out thewe...

R7 · 05-06-04, 03:34 PM

Originally posted by Stoneman
Like you ever looked at it as getting a good workout!

Ok, you cought me.. how about walking off a hangover?

**GMAN226** · 05-06-04, 04:43 PM

Originally posted by VinceF2
I personally love camping at the track during a race weekend... it's part of the whole experience... the night life is almost as fun as the racing itself

You meet more people and just get to enjoy yourself more IMO... since you're not having to get there early, unload, race, load up and go...

EDIT: Plus... where else can you camp for a weekend for $20... and have access to showers, toilets, electricity and lots O' motorcycles

I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking about camping... I am normally just in a tent... works great

Plus the grandstand in the moonlight is real puurrrty

So I will see you at the CPR garage this weekend to eat some food and drink some.

Gerard

**VinceF2** · 05-06-04, 06:01 PM

Originally posted by gsxr600ger
So I will see you at the CPR garage this weekend to eat some food and drink some.

Gerard

Hmmm you may

I have a long week of bike prep ahead of me... if I can get it done I'll be there... actually regardless I will be there on Saturday to cheer on my team.. still up in the air about racing though

**Ken C** · 05-07-04, 02:15 PM

I'll be at the track Friday PM through Sunday. I should be racing as a Junior this time. I'll be sure to stop by and say hi.

**Johnny B** · 05-09-04, 09:42 PM

Except for one time 20 years ago, when I was conned into staying at that fleabag joint down the street that has since been razed, I've been camping at the track since 1981. Facilities are a vast improvement over what we had at the old Bryar Motorsport Park.
You are flexible as to what you sleep in, anything from a tent to a big motorhome is fine. I used to camp in the back of a station wagon all of the time. I finally upgraded to a minivan. With experience you can get yourself situated quite nicely. I've got it down pat with the strereo in the back and the space heater for the cold days.
This Friday, when I come up, I will be doing a 10 day stint, starting with LRRS, then the Hawk School for the DeCamps, and finally the 5-day Vintage Celebration. I break out a tent for this occasion, along with the lawn furniture and some other goodies. We'll have quite the layout set up by the infield showers for this one.

**Ken C** · 05-10-04, 10:23 AM

I can attest to the conditions at Bryar (the old Loudon track). Here's a photo from 1987. The RD is mine.

**Ken C** · 05-10-04, 10:26 AM

Let's try again with the photo:

**Ken C** · 05-10-04, 10:31 AM

DOH!

**Johnny B** · 05-11-04, 06:33 PM

Send it to resthome@mindspring.com and I'll host it. BTW, the picture in my avatar is Animal Hill 1982 or 1983, back when the cops didn't dare go up there!

**Johnny B** · 05-12-04, 06:18 PM

Originally posted by Ken C
I can attest to the conditions at Bryar (the old Loudon track). Here's a photo from 1987. The RD is mine.

Not to be confused with "Junior/Expert" #177 Terry McCormack.

Do you remember if you were a Novice or a Junior at the time? AAMRR originally had the Novices with the white/red plate/number combo and the Juniors were the yellow/black combo. I forgot what year we changed. "Novices" became known as "Amateurs" at the same time for some PC BS reason.
The red building in the background was the men's/lady's shithouse. There weren't even doors on the stalls half the time, and there was either this big black dude or some woman who would come through while you were taking a dump to remind you to flush the toilet.
Further in the background to the left of the tree are the start/finish line grandstands and the scoring/press tower.

**Stoneman** · 05-13-04, 06:00 AM

Wow! That brings back some very fond memories from when I was just a youngin'. My pops used to work for the Bryars WAY back when. Did some announcing, some PR-type stuff, and worked on their crackpot construction crew. He even forgot let wunna Keith's new dumptrucks roll into the old pond...

'Course, I'm going back to the 70's I believe. That's how I got intro'd to the whole m/c scene...

Wunna my most vivid memories of going to the racetrack for the m/c races is when my dad was hit with the task of finding this up & coming, lanky 'pig farmer' from Tennessee (I believe) a place to stay during wunna the big weekends up there. Got to hang out quite a bit with him during that weekend, even getting to sit on wunna his 'factory' rides. My pops has the pic somewhere...

Can ya guess who this young 'pig farmer' hotshot was?

**Ken C** · 05-13-04, 08:43 AM

Yep, the red and white number plates were for Novice racers back then. (1986)

Your memories of the bathroom are identical to mine with no doors on the stalls and everyone pulling the brim of their hats down over their eyes as they crapped.

Stonner, is the Tennasee pig farmer Rich Schlacter?

**Johnny B** · 05-13-04, 08:45 PM

Originally posted by Ken C
Stonner, is the Tennasee pig farmer Rich Schlacter?

Nope. Rich Schlacter was the contractor from Conn. that would say, "Some days your house burns up, other days it burns down." I saw him at Laguna in 2002. One year, I think it was 1988, we were having our Labor Day endurance race. I was watching from the top of the Duckworth building, and I saw LRRS top dog John Grush's bike building up a steady lead from the start. At first he seemed to be having a very inspired ride, but he seemed to be riding too good,
So I went downstairs to look at the grid sheet. Turns out that Grush got Schlacter to be his teammate. This was totally out of the blue, because the last time I saw him race was at an AAMRR event at Pocono in 1984, and that was a rare appearance.
The pig farmer was #30 Dale Singleton from Dalton, Georgia.* Extra credit: His pig was named Elmer. Dale died in a private plane crash in the 80's.
*I have a Loudon (Laconia) Classic program for every year from 1981 up.

**zx1012r** · 05-14-04, 05:27 AM

Ah, if only I could get a taste of a Bryer Burger right now. Wait, I think I can still taste it! Buuurp! I loved pitting in the dirt on a 4X8 sheet of plywood!

**Stoneman** · 05-14-04, 06:23 AM

Originally posted by Johnny B

The pig farmer was #30 Dale Singleton from Dalton, Georgia.*

You may be right. But I thought it was a bit earlier than '81. I THOUGHT it was in the late 70's, but I may be wrong. I'm gonna have my pops dig up summa them thar photos...

**beet** · 05-14-04, 07:03 AM

**Ken C** · 05-14-04, 07:07 AM

Boy, we're a bunch of old-timers aren't we?

Check out my MC website to see a photo of me and my RD at Bryar, circa 1987.
Ken's Motorcycle site

Camping At The Track On Race Weekends...

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