Speculating The Spencer

The 2015 race season continued in tornadic fashion with multiple race weekends in May, then races every two to three weeks after that.  Three weeks might seem like a long time between events, but when juggling a full time job, having to make improvements and repairs to the bikes and van on off hours there is no rest for the weary.  Most nights it is home from work/the gym at 5 and into the garage for 2-3 hours before dinner and passing out on the couch.  Weekends are much the same, ride the dirt bike Saturday and Sunday mornings after the gym, then wash it and back into the garage.  Occasionally I will do a load of laundry and I promised the neighbors I would mow the lawn.  In November.

Finally Mid-July comes and a six and a half week break from racing.  I must admit to looking forward to it.  I plan to get some things done around the house (lawn, maybe) and not look at the race bikes for a little while.  There will also be some long hours spent riding in the woods.  In the end, though, racing is never far from my thoughts, and soon I am packing for the ten hour drive to Talladega, Alabama.

2015 WERA Results, so far:

In Vintage 6 Lightweight (with the  Yamaha FZR 400)

• Roebling Road 3/14: 2nd place
• Summit Point, WV 5/10: 2nd place
• Roebling Road 5/31: 2nd place
• WERA Cycle Jam Road Atlanta 6/19: 2nd place
• Barber Motorsports Park Birmingham AL 7/5: 1st place
• Talladega Gran Prix Raceway, Al 8/22: 1st place

In Vintage 5 (with the Kawasaki EX500)

• Roebling 3/14: 4th place
• Summit 5/10: 2nd place
• Roebling 5/31: 1st place
• Road Atlanta 6/19: DNF (mechanical)
• Barber 7/5: 5th place (mechanical while leading)
• Talladega 8/22: DNS (mechanical on warm-up lap)

WERA takes the best 4 finishes of the year so that leaves me (as of 8/23/15) leading the points in V6LW and 2nd place in V5.  My desire for 2015 is to win both the V6 and V5 championships. (I call it "The Spencer", after Freddie Spencer, the only rider in history to win World Grand Prix titles in both the 250cc and 500cc class in the same year, 1985).  Obviously winning two club racing championships is not quite as glamorous as Spencer's feat, but even us mere mortals are allowed to dream.  Unfortunately, with the EX continuing to hiccup at the worst possible moments, and only two events left on the calendar, hope was beginning to fade.

"Fast" Freddie Spencer, Brands Hatch 1982