Dirty Work
Dirty Work
RACE WATCH
Roadracer by day, dirt-tracker by night
DON CANET
Do YOU OWN A STEEL SHOE?" ASKED the boss before elaborating on the nature of his inquiry. Seems Buell had offered up a pair of racebikes for me to hop aboard at the 79th Loudon Classic held this past June near Laconia. New Hampshire. A ride on an XB9R Firebolt roadracer? I’m there!
But why the hotshoe?
This year's Loudon weekend also was the debut of the Formula USA Grand National Championship, which combines roadrace and dirt-track rounds into a single, separate points chase. The series opener was a Friday night half-mile held on a dirt oval in nearby Rochester. I’d be riding a Buell Blast in the Pro Singles class against a field of national-level talent.
Come again, boss? A Blast? Yep, one of those cuddly little entry-level bikes. Truth was, it sounded like an ideal mount for a novice dirt-tracker such as myself. My game plan was to escape the half-mile with limbs intact, then redeem myself with a strong finish in Sunday’s 600cc Sportbike class on the road course at New Hampshire International Speedway.
This isn’t a new idea, the combining of racing disciplines. Back in the day, the road to an AMA Grand National Championship required mastering both dirt and paved racing surfaces. Record books show several of the “old school” GNC champions scored wins at both, but by the 1970s motorcycle racing had become very specialized, making it ever more difficult for riders to fund competitive efforts on both surfaces. In 1986, roadrace events were separated from the AMA GNC calendar, establishing the dedicated dirt-track and roadrace series we know today.
Spearheading this new F-USA GNC is Mike Kidd of Clear Channel Motor Sports, himself a former AMA Champion. Kidd understands the problems that led to the demise of the classic cross-discipline format, and has applied this hindsight to create a package that appeals to riders, sponsors, manufacturers and fans alike.
“Back when it was the old Camel Pro and Winston Pro, there would be something like 17 dirt-tracks and six roadraces,” recalls Kidd. “This wasn’t fair to the roadrace guys, because they never got up in the Winston money.”
With a balanced schedule of five roadrace and five dirt-track events, F-USA riders of both disciplines are given a fair shot at a chunk of the $50,000 points fund, offered in addition to the identical amount available in each series. That’s an important point, for while a rider can do just fine racing one series or the other, there’s big monetary enticement to do both.
“I went to our company a year ago and said that because we were doing both a dirt-track and roadrace series, there was no reason not to tie them together,” explains Kidd.
In addition to the bigger prize money, another key ingredient is keeping equipment costs under control. “It was hard to do back then,” Kidd recalls, “because you might have ridden a Yamaha roadracer and Harley dirt-tracker, where our dirt-track emphasis now is with the 450cc class. You can actually ride a Yamaha 450 set up for dirt-track and a Yamaha 600 roadracer, or do the same with Honda, Kawasaki or Suzuki.”
Having the option to stay with a single brand can only help a rider gain support from sponsors and manufacturers.
The concept certainly grabbed my attention. Some deep rummaging through the garage unearthed my Maely hotshoe and the crusty motocross boot it fits. I also had the foresight to stuff a faceshield tear-off kit into my gearbag, something for which I’ve never really had use in nearly two decades of roadracing. Kidd arranged a private practice ses-
sion on the half-mile the day before the race to give me a chance to test the waters before diving in headfirst. Good thing, too, as the bike I was to ride looked like anything but a “B-last ” In fact, it was very similar to the Pro Singles machines campaigned by the Harley-Davidson factory team. Heck, I even had legendary tuner Bill Werner to look after my bike.. .or me, whatever
the case might be! The Blast tracker’s production-based mill retained its standard bore and stroke, yielding 492cc. Power gains are reaped from a 12.5:1-compression piston and solid-tappet cam actuating titanium valves. Additionally, it breathes through a Keihin 41mm carburetor and handmade exhaust. While Kidd’s master plan stipulates that beginning next season all Pro Singles bikes will be required to use production-based frames, for now purpose-built dirt-track chassis-like the C&J of my Buell-are allowed. It’s a pretty trick setup that also included an M2 Cyclone fork and Penske shocks, with Morris mag wheels carrying Goodyear rubber. A carbonfiber XR-750 fuel tank painted in The Motor Company’s racing livery lent a touch of brand identity. After a couple of dreadfully slow sighting laps, I opened the throttle. Boy! This isn’t your kid sister’s Blast.. .unless her name is Jennifer Snyder, that is. Young-and-swift Ms. Snyder races the Blast ’tracker on the Harley-Davidson factory squad alongside Rich King. While she was tight-lipped when it came
to offering tips for this greenhorn, she did lay down some tracks for me to follow on the freshly groomed oval. Werner thought perhaps I’d feel more at home with a narrower handlebar, but I soon learned the reason for a wide bar as I wrestled through the loamy ruts that had already begun to develop in the turns. Werner then suggested I try a thicker seat pad. The man truly knows how to tune for a pampered journalist! Gearing and jetting seemed fine, and frankly, the bike was much better than I was.
Official practice commenced the following afternoon with one free five-lap session followed by a pair of equally brief timed qualifying sessions. I qualified 30th of 37, seeding me onto the second row in my heat race.
But lapping alone is one thing, racing in a pack quite another. I got my first real taste of dirt spray in the face as our 13-rider pack drove through Turn 2 onto the back straight. I must admit I was pretty tentative in this baptism by fire, and I methodically worked my way to the rear of the field where I engaged in a cut-and-thrust battle to avoid finishing last.
Things got tougher yet in the semi-final as light rain began to fall. Tearoffs are wonderful things, or so I’ve been told. Buried in the pack once again, the roost was intense. While I wasn’t running near the front, I was getting more comfortable and really racing, having made ground on a Honda CRF450Rmounted rider ahead of me. But just a few laps in, I could hardly see through the muddy buildup of chucked roost on my shield. “Glad I brought this tearoff,” I thought to myself, planning to tear away the single sheet I’d applied on the next straight. Here goes...feeling for the tab...got it, rip...Ah, crud! Nearly as much mud already lay beneath the tearoff, resulting in little improvement in visibility. Worse yet, the closer I got to the rider ahead, the more I caught his roost. Visibility got so bad I decided to back way off so I could finish the race with my visor lifted open.
Okay, so I didn’t make the main. Cut an asphalt guy some slack! There’s no doubt a tough road awaits pavement types trying to make the 18-rider main of a F-USA dirt-track. Unless, of course they grew up racing dirt ovals and TTs, as did series regulars Larry Pegram, Matt Wait and youngster Cory West.
These are the first riders to jump on the GNC bandwagon, with Loudon rides in both disciplines. All three made the Rochester main, with Suzuki DR-Z400mounted Pegram topping the trio in eighth place.
Even persistent rainfall during the following day’s qualifying session on the NHIS road course failed to dampen the sense of relief I felt being back on
my own turf. Kosco Buell had prepared an XB9R for me to ride alongside its regular rider, local favorite Eric Wood. Team manager Richard Cronrath quickly pointed out the bikes were still in development, the Bloomfield, New Jersey-based operation having taken delivery of them only a couple of weeks prior to the event.
Sportbike class rules allow 600cc inline-Fours, 800cc liquid-cooled Twins and unlimited-displacement air-cooled Twins. While rules for engine modification are quite liberal, bikes can’t exceed 112 rear-wheel horsepower, which is checked by an on-site dyno. There’s also a 365-pound weight minimum, and although DOT tires are required, roadrace rains are allowed in wet conditions. Even with the limited development time, my bike was making more than 100 footpounds of torque at 3000 rpm, with a sweet, easy-to-manage torque curve. When applied through sticky Dunlop rains, this power package offered a discernable advantage over the more peaky 600cc Fours in the slick conditions.
During a pair of dry sessions the previous day, I quickly gained confidence in the XB9R’s chassis and an appreciation for its rideability exiting corners. Handling was lighter than a stock Firebolt-although at the price of some stability-and cornering clearance proved superb. The front brake lacked bite, prompting crew chief Michael Morris to swap the pads for a more aggressive compound. The stock fork revalved by Traxxion Dynamics and Penske racing shock made for a firm, responsive ride and precise road feel. Perhaps the most important racing-oriented chassis mods were the grafted-on rear-axle adjuster blocks and chain final drive to facilitate gearing changes.
Coming from a successful drag-race background, Cronrath sees plenty of untapped potential with this engine, but ran into time constraints getting prepped for our outing. The package he whipped together used a modified crank and Fisher Concepts harmonic damper driving an Andrews Products five-speed gearbox through a stock clutch that was fitted with heavier springs. Cronrath uses ceramic Barden Precision Bearings throughout and can’t say enough about those alone. Millennium Technologies cylinders carry higher-compression pistons residing under ported stock heads with larger-diameter valves operated by a race cam provided by Buell. Larger injection nozzles are used in unmodified throttle bodies.
Nearly 50 entrants meant the field was split into two qualifying groups, each allowed a single 20-minute timed session. Maintaining smooth flowing lines in the rain, I was fourth fastest in my group. Slightly better than my dirttrack effort! Unfortunately for me, the weather let up for the second group and I was bumped down to eighth on the grid, putting me on the outside of the second row for the 20-lap race.
Sunday’s main started on a dry racetrack, but a multi-bike crash mid-field on the opening lap brought out a red flag. At the restart, 1 was ready and felt that I had the right tool for a legitimate shot at a podium finish. What I didn’t have was an ounce of luck. In the heart of the first turn after the restart, factory Buell rider Shawn Higbee lost the front end and collected Owen Weichel and his Kawasaki ZX-6R. As the double stack of fallen bikes slid to the outside of the track, it swept my bike right out from under me. In one of the most bizarre crashes of my racing career, I was knocked over and flopped right on top of the Kawasaki, never even touching the pavement on my 50-mph green magic carpet ride into the muddy grass and muck trackside. My podium hopes were dashed, but even worse, the shifter was sheared off, so I couldn’t finish the race. If it wasn’t for bad luck...
Wood went on to give Buell its first win, beating the inline-Fours of Michael Barnes, Pegram and Wait.
While I managed once again not to score a single GNC point, the top 18 finishers did. And just as I’d found with the dirt-track regulars, the majority of riders didn’t think they would be making a crossover this year, but liked the concept.
“Right now, there are a lot of veteran dirt-trackers who have no interest in starting to roadrace this late in their careers,” says Kidd. “But the young dirt-tracking kids coming up see in the past champions like Kenny Roberts or the current stars like Nicky Hayden that you can do both and learn skills in one that are useful in the other. I think our series will attract these young riders, because they can get their dirt-track experience and roadrace experience in the same year.”
It’s hard to imagine a much better way for breeding future world champions than racing both dirt and asphalt. It may not be easy, but that’s what makes it so good. Hopefully, they’ll be better versed in the subtleties of tear-off management and collision avoidance than I was!
