2012 - Barber Vintage Race of the Century

[1919dave]

Great Race of the Century for 2012 at Barber Vintage Weekend - Thanks for everyone who made a special effort to attend and enter the Race. This year we had 9 bikes on the Paddock and 8 made it on the Track for the Start. I would like to thank my support team for Tech inspection and safety crew, also thanks to George Barber, Brian Slark and Jeff Ray for their continued support to this event. I am sure Dale or Joe will add some race details, but this race was one of the Greatest! Here are a few photos I have seen of the race.
Thanks again and we look forward to next year with high hopes of out preforming this years event.

David Lloyd
Race of the Century coordinator
Confederate Chapter - AMCA

[1919dave]

ROC2012 (11).jpgROC2012 (2).jpgROC2012 (3).jpgROC2012 (5).jpgROC2012 (6).jpg

[1919dave]

[Slojo]

Barbers Motorsports Museum Race of the Century.

I am waiting on a possible video review from two cameras , one secured facing off the back of my bike and the other a frontal view mounted on my helmet . The only way to get the blow by blow right is by review. What I can tell you is the 2012 event is the best (read... most exciting) Barbers Century Race yet.

With Dales 1912 hot 61" chain drive Indian twin , Matt's sneaky fast 1911 Chain drive Indian single and my 1912 49" belt drive twin Harley hyphen Davidson we had more position changes in two laps than most races (any racing form) have in an entire event. These three bikes dominated lap one with a tight first , second , and third place alignment until Matt blew out his rear tire while holding a fractional lead onto the front straight following the final turn of lap one , of two.

More later.

joe

[c.o.]

Great pics!!! Thanks Dave!

Joe, some action video would be good when you get to it!!!

[Slojo]

Cory

I doubt I will have rights to post the video , it was recorded for a future TV program . I hope I will be able to get the video for review to give an accurate account of what happened during the race.

joe

[c.o.]

Joe,

I see... well when it's about time for air would you let us know what show to look for???

[Tom Lovejoy]

Awesome, can't wait to hear and see more.

[PRG]

Howdy chaps,

For anyone having witnessed Dale, Matt and Joe in tight formation needing almost the entire width of the track to make it through the ess's up from the museum, we've likely seen our last race in jeans, t-shirts, open faced helmets and stogies tightly gripped in the pilota's teeth. These guys were flying - probably time for leather and/or governor's judging by the organizer's reaction.

[Slojo]

Peter

You are correct! We are pushing the limits of the clincher tires , refer to Matt's rear tire blow out (a modified tire).

The guys with clinchers on the board trackers at Davenport and Wauseon have been using them succesfully for some time . I don't believe they are pushing the lean angles and G forces we achieve on the excellent track surface at Barbers.

Next year I will run modern street tires much like my 1914 cannonballer "Gray Ghost" has wrapped around it's clincher style drop center rims. These rims can be purchased from your local Harley hyphen Davidson boutique. They are a 21" rim with a good look similar to our clinchers. Safety first !

joe

[PRG]

Howdy Joe,

I can just hear you saying safety first, followed by a sly grin.

Another time, another track: Daytona Speedway, 2009 or so, vintage races on Monday, an event with even less (obsessive) oversight than the century race at Barber - the lunch “cruise” laps around the track. Explosive popularity of this event now meant nearly 100 participants on everything from JD’s to Yvonne Duhammel warming up a current race bike. You rolled up with a leather jacket more suited to riding a Duc and full face helmet on……while astride a 61-ish dressed pan with a for sale sign taped on the windshield.

Pull around to the back of this herd at pit-out to avoid the rugby scrum coming out of the infield into Nascar turn one(apparently you’d done the same thing) then swiftly made my way around nearly 90% of them by running the apron to the exit of turn two while they jockeyed around with each other on the high banks. Had just passed the exit from the bus stop chicane, feeling pretty smug astride my Shadow at a very fast clip. No right side mirror but I could “feel” someone above me off my right shoulder – no way. Just as I dove down to the bottom entering turn 3 you went by me on the top side hanging off the side of the seat with that FL in the classic dresser duck and weave, sparks flying each time it bottomed the suspension.

That leather jacket and full face helmet all of a sudden made a lot of sense - safety first, boyz.

[Slojo]

Peter

Good memory. Those Daytona AHRMA days were big fun , to bad they moved the event to an inconvenient time away from the bike week and Eustice events.

Running the ole 63 Duo Glider on the Daytona track was a blast , without pushing the pan to hard , 85 mph was common. The last Datona track event for the 63 found me as the second to the last bike/rider out on the track , a weak battery delayed warming the dual coil ignition a sufficient amount to fire the outside oiler pan motor. Once on the track I was on my own way out back. The Duo Glider actually handled well if due care (read, SMOOTH ACCURATE inputs) was considered when manipulating its heft around the track.

While ripping around the high banks back straight , fourth lap of the weekend I knew the chicane well and a calculated approach could yield the most pleasure passing through. Watching the chicane entrance rapidly approach I pressed the left bar with care , the ole pan cut into the chicane's left enterance. Quick right bar , watch out for the slippery painted apex strip , blend the two chicane right handers into one, snap left , out of the chicane and onto the high bank , way cool.

As I rolled down to the apron inside the high bank a Ducati super bike (remember the second from the last bike out?) pulled up along my right side with the rider on the bank leaned over , on two separate planes we were nearly helmet to helmet at 85 and all I could see through the helmet face shield was a big toothy grin, Doug Pollen? Yes the former Ducati / Superbike World Champion and track day instructor. I cranked the throttle with an exaggerated twist , the race is on. (the pan was essentially wide open already) Doug laughed even more , then disappeared with the same exaggerated throttle motion only his worked.

Apparently Doug snuck around the track closely watching my lines (remember , track instructor). Doug latter told me he was wondering if I was ever going to hit my brakes while approaching the chicane.

Following the track tour I strolled over to Doug Pollens pit introducing myself (and bike). Doug's laugh was followed by , "you know they spend a hundred dollar per gallon on that track paint, it has friction enhancement compounds built in so you can safely corner on it" Doug then claimed he saw both saddle bags kiss the track surface while chasing the pan through the chicane.

joe

[PRG]

yessir. And it being before the repave and with that experience you made a beautiful arc down low out of three to avoid the hump over the tunnel picking up speed along the way. In my zeal to catch back up to you, had dropped into third, it began to push with that skinny 3.0 x 20 and I promptly drifted up, hit it square and almost became unseated.....just in time to have Doug blast by with a thumbs up and then loft a wheelie into the tri-oval.

That's the year some guy tried to drop onto the apron off the bank at start finish, tank-slappered into the grass and then some of us helped ourselves to an extra lap only to have the fire truck, lights ablaze, bound over the grass in the infield to intercept us.

Somehow I thought that was the end of an era....and it was.

[c.o.]

Here's an article on the WTT website... http://www.wheelsthroughtime.com/lat...12-indian.html Don't forget to click on the picture on the bottom and follow the arrows for some great shots of the race!!!