Allen's Farm MX - NE AHRMA - 9/20..."I'm Back..."

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Just want to open this thread with a hello to fellow Poggers, a congrats to the Pentonisti that slogged it out in west Tennessee for the Qualifier, and a promise that I'll be back later in the week with an update from the beautiful and DRY Allen's Farm MX track/event this past weekend.

I'm in one piece, a wee bit sore after the long lay-off/recovery, and just giggling at the power of my new MC-5.  I'm also into Deep Thoughts about throttle control, because THAT seemed to be one my bigger challenges with the "beast" (yea, yea, yea...the 400 is probably the real Beast, but I've never raced a 250...ever...so it's relative).  Penton/KTM's were well-represented at this event BTW.

So..to borrow a phrase from Dean Adams over at Superbikeplanet.com, "More...later".  

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So...Sunday dawned cool and foggy for the 2+ hour drive down to Lawton, PA.  I had actually loaded the trailer on Friday night because of a very busy Saturday which implies I actually had the bikes READY to race...and...basically...I did.  I had gone thru both bikes mid-week without any big problems - oh wait!  On Thursday I'm sitting outside my garage absorbing some of the last rays of our Indian Summer, thinking it's great that I'm almost all set to go....and I smell gas.  Gas?  

Night before when getting the bikes ready I had changed the Six Day from its toaster tank XC set-up over to the MX tank. Valved things in and - damn - float valve on the carb is not checking up.  Bike had basically sat since VMD, but ya still gotta love this ethanol-mix gas, huh?  I turned off the gas, cursed, and called it a night due to time (I get up about 5:30....).  When I smelled gas the next day, I raise the garage door and GEEZUS!  The ~1/3 tank of gas has deposited itself on the garage floor.  And it moved in the direction of my wife's favorite folding lounge chair and soaked her yoga mat.  Needless to say...my heart is filled with terror at the prospect of informing her of this misdeed.  [:0]

But back to the task at hand...I scratch my balding head and try to figure out what's wrong with this picture.  I turned off the petcocks, or so I thought.....I pull the fuel lines and..one of the petcocks is leaking when turned off.  Just a small drip-drip-drip, but its steady.   Sigh... Well, no more gas in the tank so I focus on the Mikuni, pulling it apart and cleaning the float valve assembly,etc.  Put it all back together, stare at the petcock, and think - ahhh, later.  Put some gas in the tank, valve things in, no overflow, and she fires on second kick and sounds pretty clean.  NOW I'm ready to go to Allen's.  

Back...to the track.  There were only a few classic 125s signed up, so I thought about running Sportsman with the Wizzers and Elsies, but that would put me back-to-back with my Historic 250s race.  So..I signed up for Classics.  Race 1 and Race 7, with an ATV Race 8, and an intermission before Race 1 again.  I do 3 practice laps on the Six Day and...what a Great Track.  They actually had the ATVs practice in front of us to knock down the grass a bit!  Routing was different from May, some fast turns, some slow turns, a wee bit of woods, and other than its kinda dry, I just have this big smile in my helmet.  I'll take Dry over The Nightmare In May event anytime.

Next up - PV practice.  My second time on the MC-5.  I'm so nervous I can't even get a clean kick to start the thing.  But I do, and she does, and off we go.  Wow.  Wow.  Suspension! Motor!  I'm overshooting the slow stuff and missing all my lines but this..is...something.  3 laps go by like nothing but let me mention that the lap length was measured at 1.4 miles.  That is NOT a short course, ladies and gentlemen.  That is a hoot.  

I wish I had some exciting action to lay on y'all with respect to my 125, but I really don't.  About 15 bikes were in Race 1 and I can't remember if these were +50 or just classics or what...I scored in 6th and 7th respectively.  Two AHRMA regulars on CZs just checked out on everyone else.  They were pitted next to me and would already be taking off their chest protectors when I got back to my pits after each moto.  Fast guys.   I did "take out" one my favorite Ossa Phantom racers (hmmm...this must have been +50 'cause that's a 74 bike right?), a gentleman named Ivan from Vermont.   Okay...okay, ya wanna know how I took out Ivan.  Well..I could hear somebody hot heavy on my ass in Moto 1, Lap 1, until about 1/3 of the way around after the start.  As I entered a fairly slow turn after a decent downhill straight - bam - someone hits me in my rear tire or something.  And then..all silent behind me! Ivan caught up with me after the moto to apologize, saying he had run into me and gone down pretty quickly, ending up at the rear of the field.  I laughed and told him I thought I could wire up a brake light if it would help.

So..that's it for the 125 report.  Oh yea...shocks beat me to death again.  GARY ELLIS - mail me the black Zoke springs.  I'm gonna mount those bad boy Piggybacks from the MC-5 for the final MX race at Broome, baby.

Now..onto Race 7 and the Historic 250s (amongst other bikes).  Probably 12-14 bikes in the field.  First of all, the Pentonisti were present! I had no idea that I had company until I was pulling up to the rubber band and see a 76 MC-5 w/Ohlins mounted up and a 78 KTM MC-5, orange frame and all.  I am now going to officially humble (and humiliate myself) by revealing I cannot recall these guys' names and whereabouts.  I gotta believe they watch the POG board and will come forward (I thought they would post race points/results by now and I could fake it...but no luck).  

And - as you will see in my next chapter - it is VERY important that I acknowledge a certain MC-5 rider!  But first I gotta walk the dogs and hit the Farmer's Market.  Check back later for more.  In the meantime, check out what this photographer captured last Sunday:

http://jimsandersonphoto.com/AHRMA-Northeast-Regional-MX-at/09-20-2009/9723378_xfYoE#657878148_hzVUm

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Hookay..where was I?  Pulled up to my brothers before the start of Race 7, Moto 1 Historic 250 race.  But let me go back a couple of steps.  During practice I had caught some neutrals/unintended gear changes on the MC-5 with my big fat Gaerne boot.  Stared at the peg/shifter relationship and realized it was riding higher than my set-up on the Six Day. Which in general confused me as I thought "just what position does my foot assume when I'm racing?" Being a nuclear engineer I could think this one to death, but I instead just re-positioned the shifter so that the relationship mimicked the Six Day.  Everything else seemed pretty good..did cinch up on the chain tension a bit, leaving more play than I normally would on the "Classic".  I also did a couple of practice starts in the grass field leading up to the starting line, which confirmed two things: 1)ya start one of these in second gear, and 2)even with my weight forward I was launching the front wheel just enough to cause ME (maybe not you guys...) to blink and back off just a bit.  

After swapping spit and handshakes with the other two Pentons, it was time to RACE.  Of course the power threw off my concentration just enough that I ended up 5th or 6th into the hugely fun Turn One-Two-Three.  I know this bike has hole-shot power, I'm just still freaking out at how much is there.  Anyway, I tried to remember to breathe at least and didn't mess up too badly thru the tight stuff before heading off to the upper part of race track.  I pass a couple of guys on Lap 1 or 2 and I'm looking ahead to see where the leaders are...CRAP...a Husky 250 and CAN-AM 125 are already a couple of turns out front.  The 250 was Loren Westcott, who had a great story in the AMA Racer Mag vintage edition (http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/amaracer/1/2/) about finding one his old race bikes.  The 125 was the very fast John Frackelton who was just wailing on his recently-finished Bombadier Baby w/WPs and DynoPort downpipe.  Oh well, I'm still standing and...it looks like I'm now running third.  And THERE IS SOMEONE CATCHING ME/RACING ME. Yikes....well..this is why we do this, right?  And it's a bright orange MC-5, the other 76 that was in the race. Now I really have to figure out how to ride this 250! While having 9" of suspension is a beautiful thing, I'm struggling a bit in a couple of the Point-and-Shoot turns and I realize I'm still hesitating a bit over the rough stuff..call it "Classic Think", not realizing I can just hit it harder.  The WPs are mounted at back (the ones I grabbed from the eBay WP store) and they feel good.  I am very aware of my Penton brother running up on me thru some of slow stuff/turns as I try to figure out how much or how little throttle to use.  I seem to gain some ground on him at other points and as we start Lap 4 I'm thinking "GD Bob...you are NOT out-of-shape, get going!" He's right there at a couple of points on the lap and along side me in a wonderful high speed turn/feature of the track. WHERE's MY FRONT BRAKE LEVER?!?!  I panic. The mount has come loose and it has rotated downward, like straight down.  Pull it up, only to have it fall down again. I LOVE my front brake - I'm an ex roadracer and cleaned up the shoes/drum to make sure I had some for chrissakes. Lets' take a second here and remember those days gone by - here's me on my Ducati 750SS twin racing in Canada back in 2001!:



Back to the racing! Gawd, I'm not going to get thru this...about a third of a lap left and I'm HUGGING each turn making sure I don't leave my compatriot an opening.  I look ahead to see if our two-up racing has translated into us gaining ground on the leaders and..uh...NO... it hasn't.  Oh well, where's that finish line?  Finally its time for the checkered flag and third in the moto.  

My fellow Pentonmeister and I exchange salutes and this gentleman is so cool that he stops by my pit area after the race to talk bikes.  Secretly I'm worried..he's cool as clam while I sit in a chair, chug bottled water, and stare at my bike.  But what a blast as he fills me in some of the things to look our for on an MC-5.  I mentioned the Ohlins he was running and he also has a very trick looking Carl Cranke-design chain guide on his bike that he sourced from Mr. Beahner.

I cool my jets a wee bit more and soon they are lining up bikes for Race 1.  As I mentioned in the first post...uneventful, but fun on the Six Day nonetheless.  Let me mention that - weather wise - we had an absolutely beautiful sun-shiny day in the low 70s.  

And after another hour or so..it's time for Race 7, Moto 2.  I'm thinking - THIS time I'm gonna nail this start, my fellow dirt-balls. And..I don't. Like I don't EVEN nail it.  Just still not able to "Trust in Power" if you would..and I end up back in like 7th off the start.  After the helter-skelter of the first lap, I realize that I must be at least 4th or 5th 250 at that point. I can see the Husky and CAN-AM up front and a Kawi (two Kawis?) and something else and...THE OTHER MC-5! He's in front of me.  Nice Bob...nice.  I - of course - go into override mode and make mistakes.  And get this - I instantly realize that I did NOT tighten my front brake mount between motos and it drops out of site again (I hope this open humility/stupidness on my part is making some of you guys feel pretty good about your mechanical/riding skills...).  I bang it up until it will stay (only about 30 degrees higher than I like) and get going. I just know if I take it easy and ride my race, good things will happen.  I dispatch the Kawi, somebody else, and I've got Orange Crush on my radar.  But he riding very well...no mistakes.  AND let me mention that the race is shortened by one lap (there was an afternoon "moderns" program starting at 2 pm or so).  There are a couple sections where I take some chances and seem to gain ground on him, closing the distance to several bike lengths.  But he pulls me by a few more lengths in another section.  A hundred yards from the checkered and I realize I'm not going to catch this man.  He takes the third and I get a 4th in Moto 2.

So...it turns out that Loren beat Frackelton both motos and that he was signed up as a 250 "C" competitor.  We guffaw loudly at the awards ceremony at this injustice (just joking Loren...but then again...maybe we weren't...).  My fellow MC-5 racer get's the first place 250B Historic plaque and I get squat. .  He ran 2-1 and I ran 1-2.    As I type this, I've continued to watch my mailbox to see if the results get posted so I can give this gentleman and excellent racer/competitor his due credit.  

If you are here and present as a fellow POG member, please step forward and acknowledge that you kicked my butt. []

And THAT'S how it went on September 20th, 2009 at Allen's Farm.  I have a feeling that I'm going to get to know the MC-5 a lot better next year.  Still have one race at Broome in October, and I believe the Vintage and PV bikes both run on the grass track for that last stop on the AHRMA NE racing schedule.  

[G Ellis]

Bob take off the stock sprocket. Get a 56 tooth rear sprocket,2nd gear starts will be fine.With this setup you won't run out of gear.On the brake lever, I advised you to check the bike over when you recieve the monster.[:0] If Al doesn't have the rear brake stay, I might just have an extra.  Later Gary

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A drum roll please....I have identified my fellow Pentonites.  From somewhere near Dallas PA, riding the #88b Penton 250 MC-5, Mr. Bob Shofstahl.  His side-kick on the 78 KTM 250 MC-5 was Angel Bettancourt.

Here's a photo of Bob S. in action.  Given the "all clear" behind him, I must have - by some miracle - been in front of him momentarily:


And what about that TooClose Racing effort? "Look...it's a bird, it's a plane...".  Oh what the heck, I can't fool you guys. Just check out that front brake position-mount and you must...shake...your...head. [|)]

[rs17517]

This response is long overdue.   It was a pleasure to meet Bob here at Lawton and it was a blast to race with him here and then again at Broome-Tioga.  Congratulations to him for such entertaining event coverage and for his abilities as a rider.   I've not followed much on the message board in a while so it was surprising and humbling to see Bob's report.  Thanks!

The Post-Vintage Historic 250 class at Lawton in moto #1 had me stalking Bob, waiting for him to make a mistake upon which I could capitalize on but that never happened.  Nice ride Bob, that was fun.   Moto #2 had our positions reversed only because of my luck in getting a better start or was that in his misfortune regarding his start.  The MC5 ran great and was a lot fun.

Kudos to Ed Roman (a fellow Penton owner and AHRMA regional co-ordinator), to Ray Rondinello and the Back Mountain Enduro Riders for hosting us at this event.  And especially to the Allen family for allowing us to come and play on their farm!  This event is so much fun and for this day we even had great weather.   The track is old school and makes full use of the terrain in this field.


Rob Shofstahl