As vintage motorcycle racers here in the Pacific Northwest, we have a lot of choices where we can go dirt racing. It can bust the budget!! Our winter 9-race series in Washington state is called "Vintage Diet Racing... err... sorry, DIRT RACING Northwest, VDR had over 200 entries last time out at Riverdale near Toutle, Washington, including TWO viable 100cc classes and age classes for us older guys, including an "over 60" class for the crotchety set. In the summer, the Pacific Northwest Regional AHRMA series or in longhand... the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association of which the late, great Jim Pomeroy was a defending champion, holds events for both vintage and evolution bikes as far south as the Bodner Ranch near Klamath Falls, Oregon and as far north as Hannegan Speedway in Bellingham, Washington. Then there's the 3-race Hammer & Tongs summer series with twin-shock Trials, Cross Country and Vintage and Evolution motocross all weekend long wherever we can get promoted and people can put up with us. In 2006 H&T was in Goldendale, Washington, Onalaska, Washington and Spokane, Washington. But don't forget the big daddy of 'em all, the National track at Washougal, Washington where in '07, our vintage bikes will roar again!! Whoo-hoo!!

...just to pass the time between rainstorms. It's written by Donnie Bales with Gary Semics and has some great racing tips, including doing burnouts on concrete start pads before lining up. Anyway, this quote from eight-time National Enduro Champion and eight-time ISDE Gold Medalist Dick Burleson about off-road eyewear was astounding to me. "For a long time I didn't use goggles a lot. Before I got my eyes fixed, I needed to wear prescription glasses. Now I only wear (non-prescription) glasses when I don't really need roost protection but when I'm worried about fogging. Moose Racing makes a wide variety of plastic sunglasses that provide a lot of venting yet protect your eyes from debris and wind blast." The book goes on to say Dick Burleson is the lead off-road test rider for Moose Racing and for Dirt Rider magazine. But I remember him as the bespeckled member of the Penton East team riding with Tom Penton and Doug Wilford starting 1 minute behind me in position no. 62 at 9:15 AM in the 1972 Trask Mountain Two Days Trial put on by the Motorcycle Activities Club of McMinnville, Oregon. Wow... How can that event have taken place almost 34 years ago!!? I vividly remember riding in that race to this very day...!!

It's drying out here in Kirkland...Sun peeking through the clouds. But rain swells the Cowlitz today. The Cowlitz... where 3 houses were violently swept downstream last week. The Cowlitz... where the river bank crumbled spilling a guy in his truck into the river. He hasn't been found. We pray for his family. The Cowlitz... the very same river you have to cross over on Hiway 505 to get to Riverdale Raceway.

 

Yeah, let's gear up for Dec. 9.

 

Good call, Blake.

It's coming down real hard now... Can't help but think that the racing at Riverdale will be sloggy and very, very wet. Wonder if they'll even race this Saturday. Guess I'll plan on driving out there anyway unless Siege posts on the VDR site that there will be no race... Pastor Thom, last time I asked you to pray that the driving rain would lift, it did!! How about it??

I get this inkling I need to ride when I start feeling a little lost and bored. Sometimes when I haven't ridden for awhile, I start to feel disconnected. It's time to head towards Toutle, Washington with my dirt bikes in tow and get back on the track again. My friends will be there and who cares that it's raining in sheets and the track is muddy? Line up, twist the wick and watch out for flying debris in the first hairpin! Jump the tabletops and get it on baby...!! More later..