Not really Penton-related, but I saw in another post that Dwight Rudder is going to compete in a modern SERA HS on his '82 Husky (good luck,Dwight!!). Well, in that same spirit, John Frackelton is going to enter a 1977 Can-Am Qualifier in the Senior A class at the Unadilla GNCC this weekend. If schedule permits, I'm going to head down Sunday morning to cheer him on. Go John,go!
Got back from the GNCC earlier this afternoon - I know you'll consider this a crime, but I didn't stick around for the XC1/XC2 (Pro)race in the afternoon to see how Cory B and company did against a very hot Paul Whibley - I had a mid-afternoon commitment to make. I only watched Frackelton compete in the Masters A class in the 2 hour race that started at 10.
In general, I am still amazed at HOW MANY guys and girls show up for this race. If I understood the announcer correctly, there were 500 sign-ups for the Sunday races. Or maybe that was just the morning race! And of course, the factories/factory-supported teams are there in force with their big rigs, big tents, and bikes dripping of exotica. One observation (versus 2008 - last time I was there) there was definitely some scale-back by a couple of manufacturers, most notably Suzuki (only Josh Strang's bike under a full length tent). Husky only has one official guy and one guy riding out of the Andrews Team. KTM and Yamaha seemed to bring the most "game" to this event. Probably goes without saying given current economic situation for some of them.
So - how did John and his 77 Qualifier do in the 2 hr morning race on this 9.5 mile circuit? He finished!! And I don't think he was able to finish in front of any Masters A riders (his goal was to finish in front of just one other guy in his class) unless someone DNF'd that I couldn't "see" as I watched the Computer screens at the finish. His lap times were 33-35 minutes and the front runners in his class ran 24-26's. Cripes, there were some women running in the mid-twenties! Overall guy and a few others were low 23's with a few high 22's.
I'm anxious to hear from him, but I THINK he may not have had enough suspension for this course. I did some woods walking and - geez - this is not Vintage trail. Big bumps, big ruts, big whoops - heck, it's like a modern moto track in places. And I suspect- consider this a very uninformed opinion BTW - that the fact that they run ATVs (did I mention that THAT had 500 sign-ups?) on Saturday doesn't do the morning race guys any favors when it comes to course conditions. Moisture-wise it looked great - very loamy/sandy, just a few slick spots that I could see. Oh..and they DO a lot of the Unadilla MX track- which has always struck me as a Land Of The Giants in terms of its proportions.
Told John that I was posting about him at POG, so maybe he'll give us the skinny on his efforts. The GNCC announcer was very gracious and mentioned John and his bike as part of the pre-race "rev 'em up". There was a light mist/rain off and on down at the starting line so I was his Umbrella Girl (forgot my lipstick). The Can-Am tent (they sponsor the series...) asked John to bring his "collection" so they could display it Saturday and Sunday. Finally - who rides by me, stops and says hello before the afternoon race start? Why none other than Rick Smits, making his KTM look like an 85cc big wheel.
So...congrats to Mr. Frackelton on his Unadilla GNCC race. I think the Can-Am factory will be calling you...