Flat Rat at WERA Road Atlanta 6/26/2010

What a day, actually, what a week! Here’s a pic to start things off with a BANG!

A fire in the pits is always a serious matter…..and I tie into this one, later. The young 13 yr old lad Nick Bowie (in front of the cooler, his dad Doug is the bald guy) was running / driving the truck to spin the rollers to start the bike at the time of the fire. We were on the track at the time, very stressful situation. He handled the situation and was unharmed. Deans son Martin was a few yards away also….no one was hurt. Other racers jumped in with extinguishers and literally saved the day….yes that is the scorched truck gas tank fill cover…..and not pictured is the (2) 5 gal steel drums of oxygenated race gas on the tailgate….we got lucky….fire crew was on the spot!

The week started with me still wrenching on Donavon Gravlees stocker for the 350GP class. We got the motor built and in, and I was tidying things up. I had my motor sitting there, Dean had gotten the cam timing process down (thanx homie) close to done. I bought new nuts for the main studs, and started checking bolt torques Thursday….POP!….Crap!…there are 2 bolts holding the head to the jugs, just under the sparkplugs, and one let go. Bad part is I would likely have to pull all the hard work with the cam timing apart, to try a Heli-coil. I shelved the idea. No sense in rushing in and making a bad situation worse, so I decided to focus on Donavon’s bike, but tonight it was time to Party.

The High Museum of Art here in Atlanta had a show running called “The Allure of the Automobile”. Very prestigious cars. Well, as a change of pace they invited the Fuller Hot Rods crew to display some bikes and kinda party in the lobby….with my motor wows, the timing was perfect….I headed downtown to meet with the crew, knock back a few cold ones, and take in the sights (both human and mechanical).

Bryan had produced a short film about his crew. Very well done. Each member got their few minutes of glory, gave their history, some of their work….I even made the show with a slide of me racing at Talladega…my boy Dean, yea, We were on the big screen in a world renown museum, who’d-a-thunk that up?!

Great evening….Thanx Fuller, you’re OK by me!

So, Donavon arrived from Birmingham, Al on Friday afternoon. I had already given the bike a couple heat cycles to the rings and pistons that Dean had donated and installed to the effort, no smoke, ran well. I had it ready for Donavon to try.

He hopped on it, and took it for a run. Blasting, then silence, not good. He comes back riding the bike, with half the exhaust in his hand! It had come free, and he RAN IT OVER! Then his seat came loose, but we got things straightened out. He headed to the track about 9pm Friday, I was heading up in the morning.

Motor work at Fullers shop, and a friendly wave for bandit.

He graciously offered me a ride for Saturday, which I accepted, but I was cautious because the race he offered me was BEFORE his. What if I crash and he can’t race? WHICH HAPPENED!

More later.

Since Donavon had never been to Road Atlanta before, he was going to run both vintage practice sessions, and I would try to sneak in a session with the modern lightweight bikes. Well, there were teething issues, we got them fixed, but I missed my practice session.

This is gonna be great, I’ve turned 3 laps since Feb, haven’t been on the track since, was on a borrowed bike, and no practice….things were looking up! Let’s run ‘em boys!

Donavons 2^nd practice goes like clockwork. He is happy….I am happy, and ready to race.

I’m gridded in the back of the pack (Row 7, middle) due to late entry and no points (I usually run the modified class with Dean, this was stock bike) Dean was gridded on the front row, right where the points leader should be! POLE position baby!

The green flag drops, and I dump the clutch, the front wheel raises a little, and the SEAT slides backwards and I almost slip off while doing a wheelie surrounded by numerous bikes! Yee-haw!! We were going full bore into turn 1. I steadily clawed my way thru the field. The bike was fast, the motor was running strong, I had straightaway power, which is good on this fast track.

Here’s where things get interesting.

Lap 1, I get past 3 bikes down the back straight. The 3^rd bike, a friend Brad on an old Harley Sprint, is hanging on. We cross start finish, and charge uphill into turn 1. At the top of the hill is Rich Odalowski, the V2 National Champ on an SR500, slowing and intermittently throwing up his hand, signaling a problem. He was numerous bike lengths ahead of us, but I knew Brad and I would catch him in the tricky “downhill esses”.

Wisely, Rich drops out of the racing line and to the right. I hold the racing line continuing to lead Brad, until an attempt to pass me….

Brad throws his bike to my inside (left), goes off the track and onto the angled curbing.

He gets alongside me, as the curb deflects his bike right into me, as I maintain my racing line…..BAM! COLLISION! It was like getting cold-cocked from the blind side! Donavon’s bike is knocked out from under me! Me and the bike are skidding across the track at about 70mp. I’m thinking “WTF? Great move, just great!”

The crash is about 60% thru the video. There is a warm up lap (You will see Dean 418 and me 798 exiting the pits) then the start, and the crash is on lap 2. You will see the pack of 3 in the esses, Rich slowing and me in the middle…..

Naturally, I was not enthused….come to find out later, Brad had no problem with his actions which I found disappointing since we have been friends for awhile. To each their own I guess.

The wreck causes a red flag, all bikes back to the pits. Then for a total restart.

Well, this brings me back to the bike that burnt. It was Rich O, the bike that was slowing in front of me when the wreck occurred. The red flag had given him time to get back in and try to fix it. It was a carb (FUEL) issue and he is working on his bike in the pits.

photo 11912]

I’m fuming in my pit. Donavon, being the outstanding guy he is, jumps right into repairs, which aren’t really all that bad. I did destroy a $300 helmet, luckily Dean had a good spare, or I’d have been done. (Yo Bandit, know anywhere I can get a deal on a helmet? J) And my leathers will need repair, but, we get the bike and myself patched up and ready for the restart…..here we go boys!

We grid up, and all of a sudden the officials are running into the grid frantically, waiving, hollering, sending us off the track, shutdown. I then look over and see the plume of smoke rising like a cloud from the pits!!!!! FIRE IN THE PITS FIRE!!!!… I say to myself “Hey, that’s over near us???” I know Dean was thinking the same thing, with his young son Martin sitting over there. And so was Doug with Nick.

Turns out Rich on the SR500 thought he had fixed the problem and was trying to start his bike. Doug’s 13 yr old son Nick was driving the rollers when the flames erupted. You’ve seen the pic, but here is another. Old Rich has had a rough time lately, and it shows here.

To make a long story short, I made the restart, got past several bikes, including the rider that took me out, and finished 4^th. I’d have done better, but a pipe was knocked free in the wreck, and I couldn’t wind it out. Not bad for being smacked down at 70MPH fifteen minutes earlier. Jamie Brenton finished ahead of me, with a job well done. Jamie is just starting out, and coming along well. You may remember his name from Deans Nashville report.

After the race, I was kinda waiting for Brad to show up and give his side of taking me out. He didn’t show. So I went over there, and asked his side. He acted as if it was nothing. I held my tongue, (difficult) cuz I knew there was video. I had my opinion, but wanted backup. He never asked what I thought happened, so I moved on.

After my race, we were frantic in the pits, getting things buttoned up for Donavon. The boys fixed the exhaust, so the bike should and did run like a top.

Donavon did well in the 350GP race, finishing 4^th. He got held up by a 2 stroke guy not in his class. The rhythms of the bikes are totally different; 4 strokes (us) are hot in the corners where the 2 strokes are slow, then the 2 strokes just open up the power on the straight-aways and the cycle repeats.

Dean again went on to double VICTORY in V1 and V2, turning a fast lap of 1:59….OUTSTANDING Time, and here is Deans results / standing for the year…..LOTS of # 1’s!

Dean Middleton 418 Points standings for 2010 Season

Region	Class	Total Points	PPIC
Mid Central Region	V1	95	1
North Florida Region	V1	55	1
South East Region	V1	115	1
Mid Central Region	V2	97	1
North Florida Region	V2	57	1
South East Region	V2	117	1

What a frikkin day. I’m still sore and scraped up. Bruises are turning nice colors. Deans son Martin also crashed a pit bike racing with Doug’s son Nick. Nick told Doug, “He’s cool dad, when he crashes he doesn’t cry like the other kids”. Like father like son I guess!

To add to things, Race day was Dean’s daughter Chloe’s 4^th Birthday, and she graciously let her Dad race, as long as she got her party on Sunday! So in return, she got a new bike with free lessons! She was up and running in no time. Future Flat Rat? I think so…