Straightface Studios Video

Just about exactly one year ago, Don Lange, owner of Straightface Studios, starting 'filming' at the races to make a video.  Don is an old friend of Kenny Cummings from back in the days that they were both making music in Seattle.  They both had great respect for each others band and became good friends.  But, Kenny moved to NYC and they lost touch for some time.  Years later, Don tracked Kenny down and they revived their friendship.  In the mean time, Kenny had gotten into vintage motorcycle racing and Don became quite intrigued by this hobby.  And, also in their years of separation, Don had established a business doing computerized graphics and animation, largely for advertising.  So, Don decided that he wanted to make a video around vintage motorcycle racing.  He came to Sears Point/Sonoma Raceway last year with two camera people and some GoPro cameras.  He learned a lot and we all had a great time together.  Then Don came to the AHRMA race at Road America in June.  In July, I went to the race at The Ridge in Shelton, Wa., Don's backyard.  I stayed with Don and his wife and he came to the races with his GoPros.  In August, Don came to New Jersey Motorsports Park for the AHRMA race there.  Don was getting hooked.  So, when he found that Kenny and I were going to race at the Island Classic at Phillip Island, Australia, he decided he had to go there, too, and had camera man Lars Larson come. 
After much editing, searching for still photos, and getting Kenny to do the sound track, this is the result:
http://vimeo.com/93292358
I understand the intention is for this to be the first of a number of videos or part of a longer work.  I maybe biased, but I think it's excellent and clearly a labor of love and I look forward to his work that follows.

Oz VII

I just came across a couple of good videos from the Island Classic:
http://vimeo.com/88416915
This is very well produced and seems to be 'official'.  There are some shots on me on track at 12:10 and 12:15, pushing the bike in the pits at 14:03 and a brief interview from 17:00-17:52.

A much less 'produced' and way shorter video that still captures a lot of the feel of the event is:
http://vimeo.com/88137572

Oz V

Here's a link to a video that Don Lange sent me of my slight indiscretion at MG corner of Phillip Island:

http://vimeo.com/87045406
The video was shot by Lars Larson.
I was totally unhurt thanks, in part, to my brand new Vanson Leathers.  They're barely scuffed.  And, as one can see, my Arai helmet never touched the ground.  I just had to get the shift lever welded up and remove the broken pieces of windscreen, and I was ready for the next race that afternoon.

My post yesterday about the '08 Moto Giro generated a photo and a comment, so I thought I would elaborate.  Dick Hollingsworth sent me this photo:

I believe that's Chris Sidlah in the middle and it's Rob Diepenbroek on the right.  I don't know who took the photo, but I suspect it was Tod Rafferty, the maker of the video.

Tod refers to this incident in the video.  Unbeknownst to me, the oil return pipe from the exhaust rocker box to the crankcase fractured, spewing oil out while I rode along oblivious on fast, straight roads on the last day returning to Monterey, inland.  I came over a rise and found everyone stopped.  A rancher was moving cattle from one field to another and the road was blocked.  It was then that I noticed the oil everywhere.  We were able to preform a decent roadside repair making a splint with a split piece of hose safety wired over the broken pipe, then covered with a quick set epoxy.  David Edwards, then editor of Cycle World magazine, gave me a qt. of oil that he had extra, and I was back in business.  If the rancher hadn't blocked the road, I might well have seized the motor as, not long after this, we ran into heavy headwinds and I did a lot of running full throttle in 3rd gear.
BTW, Rob Diepenbroek is the builder and rider of the 900 bevel drive Ducati featured at the beginning of the video.  He's a fabulous metal worker and made all the body work on his Duke.
Tod points out in his comment that it's 'Barry Porter' not 'Barry Gordon' who I'm joking with at the agility test in Paso Robles (5:48-6:02).  Barry had a number one or two below me, so we did lots of riding together.  He had a very nice Bultaco Metralla and is an excellent rider.  But, he would generally let me go by in the twisties then, when we got out on the open, fast roads, I would tuck in behind him and suck the draft.  We had great fun tag teaming our way through central Ca.
In the video, Tod refers to Steve Flack's bike as a Honda 160, but I believe it's actually a CL 175 sloper.  A few of the purist seemed miffed that lowly 'Jap crap' scored the overall win, but it was mostly popular as Steve is such a great guy and impressive Giro competitor.
Tod has a couple of references and shots of Harley Welch's scooter.  It's worth pointing out that it's a Heinkel 150 with the perfect wicker basket on the back and I was very impressed with it's performance.

My friend Stu Carter just sent me a link to a video of the 2008 Moto Giro America which took place in Central California, starting and ending in Monterey and based three days in Paso Robles.  Seeing the video brought back lots of good memories, as it was a fabulous event.  There was a great bunch of riders on some superb bikes and excellent roads, route sheets, accommodations and food.  The USCRA Moto Giro crew did the timing and scoring.  I initially roomed with Frank Scurria, a legendary racer from the '60s.  He had a very serious accident on the second day and was airlifted out, but has since recovered completlely.  Unfortunately, the event was a money loser and so never happened again.
http://vimeo.com/66865312

Here's a video of a great race at St. Eustache near Montreal that took place a couple of weeks ago.  This is the the last race on Sunday, the GP Challenge.  There were no Heavyweights entered, so the Middleweights are gridded in the front with the Lightweights behind us.  I'm the only rider in the 2nd row, on the right.  About half way through the race, my 'team mate', Stacey Nesbitt, comes by the racer taking the video and slots in behind me.  She was riding Len Fitch's RS125 Honda and I was on Len's TZ250 E.  Full report to follow when I get caught up (ha!).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Js5mwbBkbek

Aiko Marinko just pointed out to me that the Classic Racer Experience video is back on Youtube and Vimeo.  Here is the Vimeo link:
https://vimeo.com/51504539 

Here's a link to a video made by 'busapilot1300' at Mid-Ohio.  He followed me out in the first practice on Sat. morning when I'm on the Dondolino.  I believe he was on a CB350 Honda.  It gives you an idea of how treacherous it was.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvcL8r9A9wU

Here's a link to the first lap and a quarter of Sun. 1st vintage race at The Ridge, 14 July, 2013.  After I made the pass at the end of the video, I didn't see anyone else and got the overall win on Mike Bungay's fabulous 350 H-D Sprint.
http://vimeo.com/70493198
Don Lange is responsible for setting up the Gopro camera and editing the video.

Here's a link to an 11 minute documentary on the beginnings of  CB160 racing  featuring Tim Fowler.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hfit5wazvi4yfx7/THE_FOWLER_FORMULA.m4v

Several people have asked me about the video of me doing a lap around the Isle of Man Mountain Course on a G-50 Matchless that used to be available on this website and on Youtube, but is no longer. Someone must have felt there was a copyright problem and it disappeared one day.  The video, Classic Racer Experience, is available as a DVD from Duke Video:       http://www.dukevideousa.com/Classic-Racer-Experience-NTSC-DVD.aspx.

I just stumbled across a video of Ari Henning and me having a dice at Virginia Int'l Raceway (south circuit) 8 or 9 August, 2009, on Motorcyclist Magazine's website:
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/motorcycle_videos/01/motorcyclist_s_ari_henning_and_racing_legend_dave_roper_battle_it_out_at_the_ahrma_races_at_virginia_international_speedway/3150/
Ari was riding Buff Harsh's CB350 Honda and I was riding my ERTT H-D Sprint.  Buff set up a camera looking forward from Ari's bike and one looking back from my bike.  Buff did a superb job of editing and included neat features like the split screen.  Buff's a pro.  If the truth be known, I think Ari was taking it easy on this old man, as he had a fair amount more power than me, though I did have brakes on him.  Anyway, we had good fun and the video is entertaining.
I've been asked about the red leathers I was wearing.  That was the time I got to the track, registered, teched, then realize I hadn't brought any of my riding gear: leathers, helmet, boots, gloves, back protector.  I was able to borrow all that stuff from various people.  The leathers came from Barbara Conners.  I had a choice of too big (from someone else) and too small from Barbara.  They were like a small town hotel: no ballroom.  Later in the day, I slapped down my 250 and tore up the leathers a bit.  They were her 'B' set, Dainese off the rack, and she wouldn't take any compensation for repair.  Luckily, I didn't touch the helmet I had borrowed from Mark Mitchell.  Denny Poneleit  left before I could return his gloves and boots.  I did return them months later at another race.

And, you can find a link to 2+ laps I did at the I.O.M. in practice for the Junior Classic Manx G.P. in Aug. 1983, by scrolling down in the Video section on this website.

Ken Richardson has posted part 2 of practice on the 350 Benelli four at the '93 Manx Grand Prix.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X0V2H-tNFU But, I think part 1 was actually recorded after part 2, as I'm revving the motor to 13K through the gears as opposed to 12K in part 2. The overall gearing is the same as I'm doing very little more revs in 7th gear. I decided on the basis of this that we should gear down for the race and let it sing. To finish well, I had to get a big lead as we had to stop for fuel (and oil!), where just about everyone else could do the four laps without stopping. The bike responded to the lower gearing and I was going a good deal faster in the race than in practice. In fact, I was getting ahead of myself and my timing was a little off and, on the first lap, I ran wide at Kerrowmoar (just after Ginger Hall), and sideswiped the bank on the outside of the corner, dislocating my right hip while I was still on the bike. I then ricocheted to the other side of the road and the last thing I remember is the haybale in front of the light pole I was about to hit. The next thing I remember is being lifted on a stretcher into the helicopter for the trip to Nobles Hospital. I actually made out pretty well, considering. Besides the hip, I fractured my left ankle and they put a couple of screws in. I raced 17 days later at Steamboat Springs, Co. and, while I planned to just cruise around, when Steven Mathews crashed in the lead, I inherited the lead and won the race.

Part 2 is about a lap and a half. It was the first flying lap (going through start/finish without stopping, therefore going down Bray Hill at full chat) I had done on the bike. I actually ran out of gas at the Bungalow on the 2nd lap but, for some reason this tape doesn't get that far. At 35:43 there's a jump in the tape just as I'm about to brake for Sulby Bridge. It resumes just about where I crashed at Kerrowmoar.

I didn't go back to the I.O.M. for 9 years when I did a parade lap at the '02 TT on a AJS 3 valve 7R. That got the juices flowing again, and I raced in the '04 and '05 Manx GPs. I wasn't a contender any more as the locals had gotten a lot more serious with many TT regulars racing in the Classic Manx. '95 was a horrendous year, with five very experience, respected, sober classic riders killed in the practice and racing including a friend I had known for years and another who I had just got to know. I slid off harmlessly at Windy Corner when I miss judged how wet it was (it had rained just before practice started but had stopped, and the road was wet some places and dry others). About 10 min. after I slid off and a mile down the road, John Loder on Dave Nourish's Seeley went off the edge of the earth at the 33rd Milestone and was killed after finishing 2nd in the previous two Senior Classics. While I never thought I kidded myself about the dangers of racing at the IOM, and many times had said to myself before pushing off on Glencrutchery Rd "this could be the last time; do you really want to do this?" And, I had really wanted to do it, until I didn't. I had some good runs at the I.O.M and got away with it. Now, I think I'm cured of needing to race there. But, I love the place no less and am sure I'll go back many times

Ken Richardson has digitized a tape of a practice lap I did at the Manx Grand Prix on the Isle of Man in 1993 on a '67ish 350 Benellli four cyl., 16 valve, 7 speed grand prix bike. The first installment can be seen here: http://youtu.be/2NZ61Bgi2do

I'm way behind on the blog as it's been a frenzy of racing lately and I'm trying to strike the right balance of creating the glory to reporting the glory.

First up was the MotoGP at Indy. My friend Kenny Cummings (www.nycnorton.com) came with me in my van. He was involved in the Gary Nixon tribute at Indy in that he prepared the Rob North Triumph triple, which Gary had raced, and which Steve Parish rode at Indy. Apparently it was Nicky Hayden's idea, but Dorna/Ducati wouldn't let him ride the Triumph. So, Springsteen was going to ride it until the Indy mile was canceled and he decided not to come. Ultimately, Steve Parish rode the bike, which was totally appropriate. You can see a video of Parish revving the piss out of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffb1oA5Aylc

I brought my daily beater, a '90 VTR 250 Honda in the van and we left the van at the motel in Fishers and commuted to the track on the bike.

The GP races were fairly processional, other than Bradl's charge from the back of the Moto 2 grid (22nd) to 6th, but the two XR1200 races were excellent. When privateer Tyler O'Hara won the Sat. race, he took a victory lap which must have been cut short. We saw him running back into the paddock from the infield and he had no idea when to find victory circle. It seemed like he hadn't done a lot of winning at that level. He certainly was chuffed.