Hells Dark Lord
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posted September 25, 2005 08:47 AM
Ping Redelk, or Jon
Hey is BMR going to do any events next year over on the west side of TX? or in NM?
Just wondering, I would like to come see you guys at the track, maybe give you a hand, but the east side is a very long drive from El Paso.....
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When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
  
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Hells Dark Lord
Needs a life
living life, and loving it.
Posts: 7981
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posted September 26, 2005 01:37 PM
bump
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When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
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redelk
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posted September 26, 2005 05:53 PM
Closest we'd get would be TWS in College Station. The other two TX tracks we run is The Motorsports Ranch in Cresson (S of Arlington) and Oak Hill in Henderson (far eastern part of TX). The fourth track is OK, about 40 miles west of Tulsa.
We pretty well quit going to TWS for several reasons.
1. JW crashed bad there our first season and the track owners have continued to ignore CMRA's requests concerning the unsafe aspects about numerous parts of the track. A rider died there in '98 in a turn that continues to injure countless riders at each event held there since. Even after CMRA offered to pay $25,000 to cover the expenses of addressing just this one problem.... the track owners refused.
2. At all of the CMRA events, we each pay a fee to enter and camp at the track. It will range from $15 to $20 a head at most events. At TWS, after you get there and pay the CMRA folks, when you pull up to the entrance gate, someone from TWS is there and you have to pay an "entrance fee" of $10 each to actually enter the track. If you are camping, that's an "additional fee" of $20 for the group. I might be off on the TWS "entrance/camping" split, but all I know is that when I pull up with the team trailer, I'm out $50 before I even get to the tunnel to go under the track and into the paddocks.
3. TWS is a 1,000 mile round trip for the BMR boys and it is also where the longest of our endurance races (8 hour) is held. Entry fee for that one race is $320. When you add up the various sprint race entry fees, two or three sets of tires, 5 gallons of U2 (for the TZs), 5 gallons of U4 (for JW's R6), at least 25 to 30 gallons of 93 pump gas for the endurance bike, about 25 to 30 gallons of 87 pump gas for the generator and food/drinks for three days... it adds up real quick.
The thing is, those numbers are not that different from any other event we go to, except for slightly cheaper fees for endurance races (the others are 4, 5 and 6 hour) and the double dipping at the gate (CMRA does pay a "stiff" track rental fee above what TWS gets at the gate from the teams). Where it really hurts is the extra 400 or so miles involved in the round trip. That's about another $150 worth of truck gas (getting 8 MPG at best).
It boils down to a team cost to TWS could easily run over $2,500 and even approach the $3,000 mark. This year we were scheduled to go there three times. Our other events rarely approach $2,000 in total costs. In other words, the cost of those three trips to TWS almost equals the cost of the remaining SEVEN events at the other three tracks (the OK track has RV hook-ups at $20 for the weekend, so we rarely use the generator there).
Next year will likely be the last year CMRA races at TWS. The "talk" is that CMRA will move to NPR (No Problem Raceway) in Baton Rouge, LA in 2007. There really isn't any mileage difference for us, but JW (and the rest of us) hates paying those extra TWS "fees", he (or the rest of us) won't mind the NPR expenses as much. MSR (the Motorsport Ranch) is also opening up a track in Houston and that might get on the CMRA schedule in '07 or '08.
Due to losing some team riders, some of which were BMR "investment partners" over the last two seasons, might force the rest of us to cut back even further. We had talked of selling the '99 R6 and spare motor that we use for endurance racing and get a '05 636. Now that there are few folks involved, the rest of us can not afford to shell out the $20,000+ expense of campaigning a full season (not to mention the monthly trailer payments, trailer insurance, etc.), much less the cost of prepping a bike for racing and getting all new "spares" (sprockets, levers, etc.).
To add insult to injury, even though JW has missed a podium finish by as little as less than 2 seconds, he will likely be bumped up to the expert class next season, because of his "rider index". Since many of the CMRA experts also ride in AMA (Ty Howard, etc.), the chances of seeing a podium in the expert class are slightly less than ZERO! To finish in the top ten of just about any CMRA expert sprint race is almost like making the grid in AMA superbike. The only problem is neither rates trophies of contingency money.
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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Hells Dark Lord
Needs a life
living life, and loving it.
Posts: 7981
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posted September 27, 2005 01:49 AM
dam, I hate to hear that Red.....I was hoping to see you guys in action atleast once. And when i found out I was going to TX I thhouhg tthat might be possible....but I am the wrong side... 
I fel your pain for expensesss, just did a track day in RA and it coast me $700 when it was said and done..... fukn crack......
____________
When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
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kz2zx
Pro
Nobody in Particular
Posts: 1166
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posted September 27, 2005 05:50 AM
Red,
You all are too far from my side of the Divide, or I'd toss a ring in the hat.
I'm doing my first Endurance race on my '05 636 in November at Arroyo, this is a 4hr on a Friday before Sunday sprints. If this works out well for the teams and track, we may be doing it a little more often in '06. And may Heaven have mercy on my checkbook.
At anyrate, we're having our issues in the SW regions too, but fortunately not with the tracks themselves. CCS has decided to abandon the SW region, and some of the (really longtime) crew is trying to form a new affiliate. Love the end-of-season stuff we go through - just can't wait to see what January brings in silliness.
Is JW petitioning?
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ASMA 47
WERA 147
www.dhowellbooks.com
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redelk
Moderator
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Posts: 3212
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posted September 29, 2005 06:03 AM
It seems every day is a new development.
The CMRA 2006 season schedule has been posted and guess what? The first event is at NPR! They also cut TWS down to 2 events instead of the normal three. It seems the process of dumping TWS has started. There is still a additional event thhat might be added and some are guessing it might be MSR in Houston. So after years of having 10 events at 4 different tracks, we have gone to a possible 11 events at 5 or 6 tracks. Woo Hoo!
This weekend is the season ending race at TWS. The event is also the season ending event for the national USGPU championship. In other words, there will be more 125/250 "two smokers" than you can shake a fuel can at. Since Pierson runs a pair of TZs and the USGPU pays to 20th place... he'll be there. JW and I will not be going.
While there, Pierson will be discussing with some other potential endurance riders about joining/merging with BMR for the '06 season. Since the other riders won't be from our home town, they won't be sharing ALL of the team expenses (truck gas, trailer payments, etc.), but will likely chip in a small percentage. Any amount would help of course. I guess you call this "BMR's Silly Season" as we jockey around for new riders.
The is a chance that JW will protest his advancement to the expert class. Many riders have been talking about a "split level" novice class. Kinda like a "beginner" and "intermediate" level. This is because there is a loss in club membership when folks get bumped up to expert class.
One could say that while in novice class, racing is still fun because on can be jockeying for a podium after participating for a couple of seasons. To be bumped up to expert before getting a single podium and not really ever again getting a chance to see that podium, pretty well takes out all the fun of racing. While it is exciting to get a fourth place every once and a while, finishing fourteenth at best, does not hold that same excitement. It is having an effect on the club's overall membership and hopefully will be addressed during this off season.
A few years back, CMRA was part of CCS as well. Breaking out on our own was a gutsy move and some said it would be the death of CMRA. At the same time CMRA dumped Pace trailers as the chief sposor and they were saying that by doing that would surely seal CMRA's fate. Instead, membership has almost doubled and at the AMA Mid-Ohio event, CMRA has been proven to be one of the most competitive clubs in the nation (regularly handing WERA racers their "collective asses").
CMRA is still "teething", but we still have a understanding BoD, that listens to the wishes of the general membership. They are willing to work with the membership when it comes to tracks, fees, classes and rankings. A perfect example is the explosive growth of our mini endurance and sprints series. CMRA already has 62 mini endurance teams spread over 4 different classes. It's a hoot to watch "grown adults" on NS50s,80s and CRF100s dicing it up for 4 hours or more.
I'm actually thinking about putting my tools down and jumping into my leathers for some mini racing. I've already been asked to join three different endurance teams and BMR is also seriously thinking about getting into some mini racing. Of course, I'd love to get a Metrakit Mini GP Cup XL bike. It comes with a Pro Race kit 25HP 72cc engine, 17" magnesium wheels, Carbon Fiber body work, Dual rotor front brake kit and tips the scales at about 160 lbs. The down side is that it is a $5,000+ bike.
In some of the mini motard sprint classes, you can do what ever you want to the bike. There is only one catch. During the race, a CMRA official will be standing next to the track with a radar gun and they better NOT clock your bike doing over 50 mph! Just try to tell me that running in those classes would not be a BLAST!
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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zeta xray
Expert Class
Posts: 416
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posted October 04, 2005 05:08 PM
quote:
Next year will likely be the last year CMRA races at TWS. The "talk" is that CMRA will move to NPR (No Problem Raceway) in Baton Rouge, LA in 2007. There really isn't any mileage difference for us, but JW (and the rest of us) hates paying those extra TWS "fees", he (or the rest of us) won't mind the NPR expenses as much. MSR (the Motorsport Ranch) is also opening up a track in Houston and that might get on the CMRA schedule in '07 or '08.
After reading this, I talked to a CMRA board member and I was told that "not racing at TWS is not a consideration at this time." "We need TWS and it is our best facility for several reasons." "It is not without problems, particularly turn 8a (turn 9) but we are hopeful that improvements will be made in that area."
At the event last weekend, CMRA charged $15.00 per person at the gate. The track had no additional charges.
I have raced at numerous tracks around the country. All tracks have areas where safety could be improved. TWS is a better track than some well known, big bucks race tracks that are currently hosting various national and international car and motorcycle races.
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redelk
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posted October 04, 2005 09:07 PM
 Edited By: redelk on 5 Oct 2005 06:38
ZX, I can agree with the board member... for the most part. That one corner has been an issue long before a rider died in that corner in the late '90s. CMRA has offered to pony up $25K to cover the costs of those "improvements". TWS has repeated declined to both take the offer or make any changes for quite sometime.
On the other hand, as a "non-racer" myself, it is almost laughable to question the safety of TWS when compared to... say, Oak Hill. Geez, has anyone ever wonder why CMRA no longer hold big bike endurance race there? From what I understand, they used to, years ago. Running off several of the corners at Oak Hill could be equally, if not MORE hazardous than turn 8a at TWS.
Jonathan has raced TWS serveral time after his crash there, BTW - it was in turn 7 after his front tire was clipped by an over zelous white plate that sent both to the hospital and concluded the race an hour early. Still, I can not believe that the crash doesn't still get some free rent in his head. Maybe. Maybe not. Only Jonathan can honestly answer that one.
As far as "expenses" go, it is not hard for us to realize that a trip to TWS takes a bigger bit out of the BMR wallet than any other track. Endurance bike tire wear can be brutal at a track like Cresson or even Hallett. Yet we'd still consider using "sprint take offs" for either of those tracks. Because of the speeds at TWS, we wouldn't think of running anything but "fresh" tires.
Combine that with "transport" (my truck) and generator fuel costs, it starts adding up real quick. TWS is a good 300+ miles (round trip) further than any of the other tracks. Almost twice the distance for us when compared to Oak Hill. Ahhhh, but it is kinda hard to "embrace" the addition of NPR to this upcoming season's schedule when the "travel distance" for us is almost identical to TWS.
Well... kinda. NPR currently has 24 RV hook ups in the pit area and 50 under construction on the spectator side. I believe Hallett has about the same number of RV hook ups, but it is not uncommon to have the 150A main breaker trip with the demands of 3 RVs/Trailers and various tire warmers plugged into the same pole. Even if NPR's RV hook ups aren't much better than Hallett's and I still have to fire up the generator every once and a while, BMR can still save about at least 50 gallons in generator fuel alone over a three day race weekend. It's that same savings that make Hallett about as expensive (in travel costs) as a trip to Oak Hill, even though Hallett is a good 250+ miles (round trip) further.
Of course, when it comes to "amenities", Oak Hill would be a joke if it wasn't so sad. on the other end of the spectrum, TWS is up at the top. The covered paddocks are hard to beat (as long as I don't try to plug my air compressor into one of their outlets). It would be at the very top if they had RV hook ups, but counting that "feature", TWS is similar to Cresson on the "amenites" scale and Hallett ends up on top. That is if you call in advance and rent one of their covered paddocks (which are free and "first come" at TWS).
As far a whinning of the extra gate fee, hopefully, the folks at TWS have either reconsidered that aspect and not just dropped it because of the USGPRU. Having been to TWS once this season, they might have dropped it and I not know it. Reading the bitchin' on the CRMA board makes me think that was not the case for the other events held there earlier this season.
There is a lot of good things that can be said for TWS. The fact that it is a 2.9 mile course, compared to the other three 1.8 mile courses, speaks volumes. Not sure what the mileage of "Walter's Short Course" that they ran last weekend, but I'm sure it was still well over 2.5 miles. Still, there is a lot going on at the other tracks as well. Cresson is supposedly adding another "loop" that can almost double the size of that track. NPR is also talking about adding more track. Not to mention MSR-Houston getting ready and wanting to join in the CMRA mix.
What would almost be a "dream schedule/point scoring" deal would be to have a 12 to 14 race schedule where 10 to 12 races would be scored, allowing two "throw away" scores if all events were attended. Ah, but that is as likely to happen as a "reclassification" of the classes for the current expert and novice to something like expert, "sportsman" and novice. Where after competing in two seasons, a rider isn't thrown to the wolves (expert class) even though they had not seen a single podium in those two seasons.
Like I said before, TWS isn't that bad. Especially when we have a "full roster" of endurance and sprint riders on the team and all of the expenses are split between 4 to 6 riders (and their "mechanic" - me) versus just me and two other riders footing the season's expenses. Admittedly, I do not pay as much as the guys who race (I just pay a percentage of the trans/gen fuel, trailer and food costs), but going the distance to TWS ain't gonna happen unless something changes in the team membership for the '06 season.
We're exploring a various options ranging from getting into mini endurance/sprint racing to merging with another team that has a "short" endurance team roster (read: has room for two more riders and willing to pay for a sleeping spot in an air conditioned trailer). In reality... it's just "racing". Plain and simple. It takes money to play and if one wants to "play hard" (run for points), one will "pay hard" as well.
What's kinda funny is that we still finished the season 5th in C Superbike (35th out of 117 overall) even after missing two TWS races and crashing out at MSR. Last season, we finished 4th in Medium Superstock and 20th overall (out of 94). Since everybody (almost) loves playing "what if", we might have taken 4th in class and MAYBE broke into the top 20 overall... IF we had made at least the two TWS events (and maybe not crashing out at MSR), but in reality, we will never know... since that's not what happened and for the most part, it was our own choice and not "fate".
All the same, "Season Three" for BMR will hopefully be a better planned and better financed and maybe even an "expanded" (if we get into minis) effort. Only time (and money) will tell. In other words, the "Uber BMR Trailer" AIN'T up for sale quite yet!
Hope to see ya at the banquet!
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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Hells Dark Lord
Needs a life
living life, and loving it.
Posts: 7981
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posted October 05, 2005 01:41 AM
good read Shewrm, I look forward to following BMR's antics for another year....and I still hope to get out to watch you guys atleast once.....
____________
When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
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