wheezy_e

What an awesome fucking night. Midnight Mayhem rarely happens 2 weeks in a row, when it does there's a lax turnout for the second week. I guess people assume there will be an off weekend in between so they don't check the schedule until the following week. Last week I made 4 runs, this week 11. I have not been that entertained in years, more by people (& machine) watching than anything else. We'll get to the American Spectacles in a minute, first here's how I did. My cousin backed out so I took the ZRX instead of the mustang. Last time on the thruxton I set my sights high and was disappointed. I wanted 12.5 and got 13.088. So this time I said I want 11.5 My first run was 12.1 which left me feeling pretty pessimistic, but my 60' wasn't good @ 2.34 so that kept my hopes up. steady progress, the next runs were 11.98, 11.68, 11.72 (tried to clutchless shift like I was doing last week on the thruxton, I missed third - it did not want to shift that way, maybe needed more letting up on the gas or something) 11.58, 11.49. Then I realized I hadn't had any food since around noon and I was kinda shaking. So I got a hotdog & some nachos and watched the racing for a bit. I decided I'd try power shifting (stay on gas, fan clutch and shift) Next runs were 11.3, 11.37, 11.19 and the last and best an 11.16. So I'm happy It would be nice to know what someone who is proficient at launching would do on the same bike. I'm guessing a full second quicker or so? I never felt uneasy about traction or lofting the front (basically kept it down on the launch, some skimming above the pavement on 2nd & 3rd shifts. That means there's lots of room to go faster with practice. My best 60' time (that same last run) was only 1.958. Bike went into neutral twice on the way home, once from first & once from second. I take that as a sign I should shift the bike the way the bike is meant to be shifted. I hope I didn't already fuck something.

Ok, on to the night's entertainment. First up is stretched Hyabusa guy. My third run of the night was against him, he ran a 8.999. I suppose that's entertaining in itself, I'm sure there was no car or bike faster than that last night. But that aint the curious bit. As we were in line approaching the lights I kept wondering when he was going to put his helmet on and how he was going to strap it with his gloves on. I'm like "dude, you're going to be really rushed if you don't get that on right about now... uh, gotta go now, our turn." I stopped paying attention to him and got myself staged. His reaction time was much better than mine and he just left me in a hurry. By the time we were at the end of the track he was way, way ahead. So get this. He never stops or anything, but makes the U-turn into the control lane and when he does that he's positioned sideways to me and it looks like he has no helmet on. I think "weird" and pay attention as he passes me going the opposite way. His helmet was on his tank at that point. Once he went across the line he pulled his helmet off and put it on the tank. This coupled with him not having it on his head about five seconds before we were to get in place makes me think he must not even have a fucking strap on the helmet. No way would the stagers let him go with a dangling strap and no way could he strap it and unstrap it that quick with gloves, even if it were the clip style. Until today I was questioning what I saw, maybe I was seeing things. Nope, someone else backed this up. They ran against him twice, he did the same both times.

Think that was the best thing? fuck no. I'll save that for last. The second best thing that delighted me nearly teared me up with nostalgia. Two late seventies/early eighties long haired greasy jeans back yard muscle car hessians battling it out all night. One with a green 70-74 cuda (I'm not great identifying mopar years) and one black 67 chevelle. Fucking awesome. I was in awe of those guys when I was in elementary school. On Friday and Saturday nights they'd all be hanging out smoking pot on "The Bridge" in Garresttsville. Cars lined up one side and down the other - some shiny some ratty but all mean as fuck and built for business. Once my best friend and I went "camping" in the woods as was customary and fully within our parents consent. Only we didn't remain in the woods. My begging and pleading had finally broken down his older brother. I got him to take us along for part of the evening's festivities. Brother looked like Ted Nugent- soul patch, long ass hair, fringed deerskin jacket and everything. Drove a bad as fuck Competition orange 69 chevelle SS 396 with a 4 speed and posi. That may still be the best night of my life where I didn't get laid. It's the stupidest nonsense, but press me to tell you our purpose here or what "really matters" and my final answer will be "a fast car." When I hear "God Bless America" I think of those miscreants on the bridge. (And also their girls in the cut-offs and feathered hair. but you know...) What the fuck am I messing around with about the fastback? have you seen the Weber set up that's on the shelf for it? Get your shit together erik. The coupe is practice and learning so I do the fastback right, but if I die tomorrow alas my life will have been for naught. Better get that car together before The State tears the bridge down so to speak.

So the best? better than that? yessir. In line I'm right behind these two: in the other lane a kid on a ratty, filthy old KZ. wires hanging out everywhere, a luggage rack barely hanging on, no air filters on the carbs, cracking tires, etc... In my lane some dick in a Honda (car) with a $10K+ paint job appears to be giving the KZ kid shit (later the kid said Honda guy was saying "don't go getting oil on the track" and "people will be pissed if you break down and hold the lines up while they get you off the track") KZ kid seems to be trying not paying attention to the Honda guy, I'm feeling pretty bad for the kid and starting to get pissed at the Honda guy. People in Vegas can be the shittiest anywhere. Honda guy refuses to line up against KZ kid and motions for me to go around. Now I wish I hadn't, the KZ kid would have served him a shit sandwich. But anyhow, I get a decent reaction to the light, better than KZ. But he launches better, his 60' ended up 1.996 to my 2.165. So at 60' he's right beside. I'm like "what the fuck?" It's not until 3rd gear that he's in my mirror, and he's RIGHT THERE. He runs a 12.583 to my 11.582 we crossed closer than it sounds because of his better reaction time (reaction times aren't part of the ET, they are separate) I'm ecstatic for him. That's too fucking cool. So we shoot the shit for a while after the race & he tells me about the bike. He bought it for $200. no tank, missing other shit, who knows when it ran last. He scrounged what he needed, got it running and rode out to watch the drags last week. Saw some guy on a Busa running 13s and said "fuck this" I'm gonna beat that guy next week. 13 second Busa guy wasn't here (I know who it was from a Vegas bike site) but he beat everyone else until me. He said "I was really starting to hope someone would beat me, it was kinda freaking me out. like some kinda twilight zone shit". Yes, GuitarGeek I told him about UTMC. I more insisted than suggested. he seemed intrigued, so hopefully he'll show up. I didn't think to ask if he was on KZRider or whatever that KZ site is though. Keep your eyes out over there for a guy in Vegas with a '79 1000 with ignition troubles. (ignition troubles and 12.5 the first time out?- I think he must be imagining the trouble) He said he used to have a 440 too.