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Jerseyguy
| Posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 09:59 am: |
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Well, it's too early to brag, but what the hell... Drummer Racing Products team rider Marty Beshears is the early points leader in 2 classes in Southease WERA. 1st in heavyweight twin supersport 1st in lightweight twin superbike I was discussing the racing effort with Kevin today and he could really use some help to keep Buell on top in these classes. One would think that Buell MC would want to help a successful privateer out with parts and even a little cash maybe. Seems like you have to be a dealer/privateer to get noticed. Anyone have any ideas on how we can get some help for Kevin's team? |
Aeholton
| Posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 11:55 am: |
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Congratulations! What kind of help does Kevin need, specifically? |
Court
| Posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 12:05 pm: |
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It'd be a very poor choice to look to Buell. Buell would need to determine the criteria for sorting amongst the many requests they get monthly, someone would need to decide if money is better spent support racing or one of the several "mega journeys" currently underway on Ulysses (I've had 3 "Buell should give me a Uly) inquiries. In addition, someone who have to sort through the liability (If we put a $1 do we incur any liability . .. before you say no, take a look at the things HD has been sued for . . . that's right, your rider bumps someone in the pits and they see HD/Buell on the bike . . . ) and they the racer would have to deal with all the strings that go with "factory" support. The recent thing we went through with coverage at Daytona was a great example. . . "we'll provide support but we own everything you shoot while there". No one's being ornery, that's just the way the game works. Traditionally the best way to support this kind of effort is through individuals. You can raise significant funds and it leaves some of the freedoms intact. The tough part is actually moving folks . . . while the "if 100 folks tossed in $100" plays well on paper, the reality is that w/o proper organization and management it generally (based on experience during the last year) yields about 3 folks. Folks . . the good ol' badweb crowd is the best source. Buell is doing a great deal by providing contingency (your chance to win/place/show your way into their pockets) and great parts support. Just my $0.02 |
Court
| Posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 12:06 pm: |
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By the way . . . Buell DOES want to help privateers and, to that end, has committed to maintain Henry, staff and parts. I'd be interested in tossing into this pot as well. |
Jerseyguy
| Posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 04:45 pm: |
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Aeholton - Well, last week was $260 in entry fees +$330 for tires +$300 for gas + food etc. It's probably $1,200 a weekend typically. That's not counting the cost of the bike or parts that broke. It's a lot of time and money for a small team with no help. It's a typical privateers dilemma. It would be nice if someone could kick in some parts like a RR front end, some tires, sprockets and other trick parts that would help put Buell on the podium. Court - Thanks for your advice. Henry has been very nice but as we understand it, he can't help us because we are not a HD/Buell dealer. Please correct me if I am misinformed. I'm sure you & Erik remember how tough it was back in the day. I sure do when I was sponsored by a local dealer. Yeah, that's me with the bad tie - I had hair in the 70s.
Sometimes a little informal help can go a long way. Kevin's not looking for a mega racing budget, just a little help and encouragement. |
Aeholton
| Posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 05:20 pm: |
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I can't help with parts but I can pitch in a few bucks toward the cause. I noticed that Kevin accepts Paypal on his KDFab.com website. Is it OK to just paypal my contribution to his email address or do I need to send a check? |
M1combat
| Posted on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - 07:31 pm: |
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"of the several "mega journeys" currently underway on Ulysses (I've had 3 "Buell should give me a Uly) inquiries. " BTW Court , I was one of those . The guys it was for just won a 50+ pro class race sponsored by AARP . |
Jens
| Posted on Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 05:19 am: |
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Great result, Congratulations! Give me an e-Mail and let us talk about parts. We are discussing a racerssupportprogramm for 2008. But you need help now, a slipperclutch for the start means a second per lap... info (at) hillbilly-motors.com Jens |
Blake
| Posted on Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 11:58 am: |
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Woohoo! Way to go Team Drummer! Got any pictures from the track, a video even? |
Jerseyguy
| Posted on Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 04:34 pm: |
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Jens - Danke sehr. You should have mail from Kevin. Blake - We have photos and video. Kevin has dial up so he's got to mail me a CD. I've never put a video on a website (or YouTube) so I'll have to figure it out. |
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