Vintage Festival at CTMP and Local Accommodation

[bitzz]

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VRRA is not AHMRA, the mandate seems totally different. Not wrong, just different.

You have to go back to the start of VRRA. The early eighties were turbulent motorcycle racing times. There was actually money in the game (sponsors, contingency money, race purses) and more people started coming out, bigger grids... which pushed a group out. The group that raced ol' brit bikes, the group that till the "super bike" class of the early eighties, they was the "big" show, but with KZs, GSs they were no longer competitive. Their class morphed into Battle of the Twins (which morphed into BEARS and when the 900SS hit BEARS that was the end of Nortons and bevels... sorta).
So now we got a bunch of racers, that USED TO BE the stars, with limited track time, looking for somewhere to race (and here's the important part) and get some else to pay for it... so they formed VRRA
What should have been a track day club is VRRA.
Denis Curtis did the most to bring it back to it's claimed raison d'etre; To recreate an era of vintage racing... that was was in the early '00s, but costs went up, management changed and the decision was made to loosen the rules try to attract entries... and it has kinda got away from them... and have post '89 bikes now, P5, which if you were around when VRRA was formed you would know there wasn't a seismic change in motorcycles in '89 from what they have in P4... which we "old guard" of the VRRA argued against.
It seems to me VRRA raison d'etre has change to "collect entry fees" or to put it another way "get someone else to pay for it".
My "old guard" stance has always been pre '82 bikes (up to and including "super bikes"), standardize the rules, LEARN HOW TO PUT ON A PROFESSIONAL RACE WEEKEND and build on that. VRRA is mostly run by folks that decided to go racing later in life and have no history in racing and have no management skills.
Why does the rule book for +40 year old bikes change EVERY year, sometimes mid year, sometimes DRASTICALLY... the BS I've seen makes me sad. Instead of "vintage racing" VRRA has turned into "Club" racing with old bikes... but not THAT old... isn't that Ken's lane? (If you don't mind getting yelled at: Ask Ken what he thinks of the VRRA, they screwed him over GOOD)
Go to VRRA events, have a good time, see some neat bikes, get TOO MUCH sun (on the VRRA Mosport weekend it is either Gobi desert like sun or a tornado... nothing in between, always) , just try not to pay too strict attention to what's going on.
I'll be going, but I won't be bringing any of my REAL vintage racers, nor will a bunch of others I know, that own some of the coolest vintage racers in Canada... not worth the BS (Darcy is supposed to be there with the world famous YAMANDO, and I want to see if he's ruined the bike... I guess not IF but how much he's ruined that bike... that used to be such a cool bike)

 

[bitzz]

I mix them up too!

Don't tell Gpfan...YIKES

Yeah it embarrassing going to Belleville, pull off the highway in Bowmanville.... Where's the Walmart?
OOPS... I've done it more than once. Mixing Brantford and Bradford is worse... done that too... and I used to live just outside Bradford... I also used to drive a cab. I guess it's cuz I'm a complete massive idiot ... yeah that must be it

 

[TK4]

Having been involved in road racing on and off since the middle 1970s I can say this: There must be a clear mandate and an ultimate goal for what you're presenting. If it's club racing (SOAR, RACE Superseries and the like) that mandate is clear - put on an event for the racers.
If you're staging an event to put spectator bums in the seats (CSBK), satisfy sponsors and media your focus is different and racing must be carefully controlled and presented in the best light possible. Safety must always be paramount. Yes, racing is a high risk sport but organizers must do everything possible to minimize that risk and prepare for it when it does happen. It is tough to juggle all factors, especially relying on an all volunteer effort. VRRA, I wish you all continued success. I'll likely be at CTMP wandering around looking lost...

 

[bitzz]

The argument came down to
Old guard: If you build it, they WILL come
Everybody else: I wanna pay the least amount of money possible to get track time (and it seems to me the folks that want the cheapest track time available, also AREN'T the type to buy a 60 year old racer)(there's actually WAY too many VRRA'ers that had a ol' Gixxer in the garage... HEY I've never been on a race track before, why don't I race THAT? WELL BECAUSE an ol' Gixxer could be a fast street bike, but you need some REAL talent to race one. You have to ride them like two stroke, on the pipe at ALL times, which if you don't know what you're doing, is going to be dangerous to you and everybody around you... you should see all the ol' Gixxers at VRRA meets, being ridden SLOWLY. GET A HONDA YA TARD!!!)
And we know who won the argument.

And now we got slews of real vintage bikes stored away in garages, and what ever they want to call the thing VRRA hosts at the race track. It ain't VINTAGE racing. (P4F3 is half Honda Rc31s. WTF? Erion Bros. raced a RC31, that was it. NO ONE raced a RC31 when they were current. The RC31s took over from the EXs. No one raced an EX but... what's his name, from NY) (I say that but I was probably the first one to race a EX at VRRA. Sorry, my CB450 racer died, and I ran home and grabbed my street bike. EXs make lousy racers).
I'm usually the last one to say this but: you get what you pay for... and they're gettin' it good. At least half the people on the track at VRRA have no business being in a race, some of them are DANGEROUS. Les was slow, but he knew how to ride. The last time I was at Shannonville, one of the side car rigs (wearing orange vests) successfully navigated about 1.7 laps, in the time the winner did 8 laps... and no one thought that might be a problem. Hey, they paid their entry fee....
We tried "vintage only" track days, where the sidecars could get track time, the "new" rider's could build experience... no one showed up. We offered a mentoring program, no one signed up.

 

[TK4]

I was thinking about maybe trying to organize a 'slow' track day for folks with nakeds and 'classic' style machines (Triumphs, W800s, etc.) - you're dissuading me from the idea.

 

[bitzz]

A telling VRRA tale:
The year after Denis gave up the presidents chair, we were at Mosport, and one of Ewan's buddies (I remember him as Crash Pat, but my memory isn't great, he was the guy that died on a RD-LC at Shannonville that year) crashed in early Saturday practice and wrecked a cover on his bike, so he was done if he couldn't find a cover. I got enlisted to look (I knew people) and spent till about noon asking around. No cover. I got one at home, so I jumped on my bike, went home to MIssissauga, grabbed a couple of covers and brought them back, Pat made last practice on Saturday, and raced on Sunday.
Later that Saturday afternoon I was accosted by the then President of VRRA (NO I will not name the guy, but if you know VRRA you'll figure it out) and he wanted to know why I would do that. He just could NOT fathem why someone would leave the track to go get parts so someone ELSE could go racing. I wanted to yell at the guy "BECAUSE THAT"S WHAT RACERS DO"... but I didn't.
I made Pat SWEAR that I would get the cover back... and the next VRRA meeting he died... and I STILL want my cover back...this is uncomfortable... I got it... Ewan made SURE I got it... BECAUSE THAT"S WHAT RACERS DO... and one of the most influential people in the VRRA in '00s didn't know that.
Racers help each other out, and privateers eat sausage

 

[TK4]

The argument came down to
Old guard: If you build it, they WILL come
Everybody else: I wanna pay the least amount of money possible to get track time (and it seems to me the folks that want the cheapest track time available, also AREN'T the type to buy a 60 year old racer)(there's actually WAY too many VRRA'ers that had a ol' Gixxer in the garage... HEY I've never been on a race track before, why don't I race THAT? WELL BECAUSE an ol' Gixxer could be a fast street bike, but you need some REAL talent to race one. You have to ride them like two stroke, on the pipe at ALL times, which if you don't know what you're doing, is going to be dangerous to you and everybody around you... you should see all the ol' Gixxers at VRRA meets, being ridden SLOWLY. GET A HONDA YA TARD!!!)
And we know who won the argument.

And now we got slews of real vintage bikes stored away in garages, and what ever they want to call the thing VRRA hosts at the race track. It ain't VINTAGE racing. (P4F3 is half Honda Rc31s. WTF? Erion Bros. raced a RC31, that was it. NO ONE raced a RC31 when they were current. The RC31s took over from the EXs. No one raced an EX but... what's his name, from NY) (I say that but I was probably the first one to race a EX at VRRA. Sorry, my CB450 racer died, and I ran home and grabbed my street bike. EXs make lousy racers).
I'm usually the last one to say this but: you get what you pay for... and they're gettin' it good. At least half the people on the track at VRRA have no business being in a race, some of them are DANGEROUS. Les was slow, but he knew how to ride. The last time I was at Shannonville, one of the side car rigs (wearing orange vests) successfully navigated about 1.7 laps, in the time the winner did 8 laps... and no one thought that might be a problem. Hey, they paid their entry fee....
We tried "vintage only" track days, where the sidecars could get track time, the "new" rider's could build experience... no one showed up. We offered a mentoring program, no one signed up.

Anyone that's been to an AHMRA event or seen the Goodwood Festival of Speed would understand what 'real' vintage racing is all about. The bikes have to be raced as they were in the period (with safety updates) and the riders must meet eligibility requirements. I had an old friend go to Barber with his SOHC Honda CB750, EXACTLY as it was raced back in the day and he was welcomed with open arms.

 

[bitzz]

I was thinking about maybe trying to organize a 'slow' track day for folks with nakeds and 'classic'

Talk to Dave, the CVMG guy with the cool ol. Susuki's. It cost him LARGE... so he opened the next ones to anyone with an old bike, didn't work. "Never again" I think were his words

If you do it, I'll come out

 

[TK4]

A telling VRRA tale:
The year after Denis gave up the presidents chair, we were at Mosport, and one of Ewan's buddies (I remember him as Crash Pat, but my memory isn't great, he was the guy that died on a RD-LC at Shannonville that year) crashed in early Saturday practice and wrecked a cover on his bike, so he was done if he couldn't find a cover. I got enlisted to look (I knew people) and spent till about noon asking around. No cover. I got one at home, so I jumped on my bike, went home to MIssissauga, grabbed a couple of covers and brought them back, Pat made last practice on Saturday, and raced on Sunday.
Later that Saturday afternoon I was accosted by the then President of VRRA (NO I will not name the guy, but if you know VRRA you'll figure it out) and he wanted to know why I would do that. He just could NOT fathem why someone would leave the track to go get parts so someone ELSE could go racing. I wanted to yell at the guy "BECAUSE THAT"S WHAT RACERS DO"... but I didn't.
I made Pat SWEAR that I would get the cover back... and the next VRRA meeting he died... and I STILL want my cover back...this is uncomfortable... I got it... Ewan made SURE I got it... BECAUSE THAT"S WHAT RACERS DO... and one of the most influential people in the VRRA in '00s didn't know that.
Racers help each other out, and privateers eat sausage

Pat Barnes ? I knew him well.

 

[TK4]

Talk to Dave, the CVMG guy with the cool ol. Susuki's. It cost him LARGE... so he opened the next ones to anyone with an old bike, didn't work. "Never again" I think were his words

If you do it, I'll come out

Dave Grummett is running a street riders skills school at Shannonville now. I think that would be a worthwhile activity.

 

[bitzz]

Pat Barnes

No... with more thought and a couple of twisty ended smokes, he was "Mad Crash Bill", another crazy, now dead, Irishman... a real "win it or bin it" type... I liked him, he was fun... crashed a lot, more than me even... that's an achievement... dying wasn't

Dave Grummett sounds right, does he have a GS1000? ... a really nice GS1000? crusty black leathers? smokes too much? Long time CVMG member?

 

[TK4]

No... with more thought and a couple of twisty ended smokes, he was "Mad Crash Bill", another crazy, now dead, Irishman... a real "win it or bin it" type... I liked him, he was fun... crashed a lot, more than me even... that's an achievement... dying wasn't

Dave Grummett sounds right, does he have a GS1000? ... a really nice GS1000? crusty black leathers? smokes too much? Long time CVMG member?

No, that must be another Dave.

 

[GreyGhost]

Family stuff came up. I can't make it. Damn. It will be a fun weekend for those that are there.

 

[Fuzzbuster]

Family stuff came up. I can't make it. Damn. It will be a fun weekend for those that are there.

I was planning on going but gonna see NOFX instead.

 

[Hardwrkr13]

Family stuff came up. I can't make it. Damn. It will be a fun weekend for those that are there.

VRRA is a great weekend (I much prefer it over the CSBK weekend as there’s less ego/attitude around).
I haven’t been in a couple years after my good friend in the series passed away (non-race related) but will get back to going soon.

 

[GreyGhost]

How did the weekend turn out? Do they cancel a session for hard rain or just lightning?

 

[Brian P]

Wasn't there, but evidently they pushed things through quicker on Saturday before the rain to get as much in as possible, the last few qualifiers from Saturday got pushed into Sunday's schedule, and Sunday (with the additions) completed successfully.

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