| Author | Message | ||
     José_quiñones |
Post Pics, race reports, etc HERE  L to R: Brian Bemisderfer (2nd), Dan Bilansky (1st), Dave Estok (3rd) Race Reports are HERE and HERE | ||
| Turnagain |
Buells at the (other) Point....              | ||
| José_quiñones |
Buell Motorcycles Fill The ASRA Thunderbike Class Podium At Summit Point Raceway May 31, 2006 From a press release issued by Harley-Davidson: SUMMIT POINT, W.Va. – West Virginia’s Summit Point Raceway was the site of a dominating Memorial Day Weekend performance by Buell riders who swept the podium in the American SportBike Racing Association’s (ASRA) Thunderbike class. Hal’s H-D/Buell – Hal’s Speed Shop rider Dan Bilansky took the victory on Monday from pole position, with Harley-Davidson/Buell of Frederick’s Bryan Bemisderfer and Veatch Motorsports rider Dave Estok filling the final steps on the podium. Bilansky took the ASRA Thunderbike Pole on Sunday with a 1:18.865, followed by Bemisderfer with a 1:19.274 and defending 2005 National Thunderbike Champion Estok’s 1:19.325. Seven of the top 10 qualifying spots were held by Buell XB riders. Nate Kern led the opening laps of the race on his BMW, but the heart of the 14-lap Thunderbike race was the three-way battle between the top-running Buells with positions swapping until the end. Bemisderfer took the lead on the last lap only to have Bilansky overtake him coming out of the final corner for the win with Bemisderfer settling for second and Estok third. “It was a real good weekend for us. We scored maximum points and that’s important for the Thunderbike championship. We need every point possible,” said Bilansky. Fourth place went to Kern. Buell riders Sam Rozynski (Sound Waves/Hal’s Speed Shop), Art Diaz (Classic & Schaffer’s H-D/Buell) and Joe Rozynski (Sound Waves/Hal’s Speed Shop), finished fifth, seventh and eighth, respectively. Buell racers also took four wins and 11 podium finishes during the Championship Cup Series support races at Summit Point, with Estok nabbing the expert CCS Thunderbike and SuperTwins race wins and Roanoke Valley H-D/Buell rider James Delk, Jr. winning the amateur Lightweight Supersport and Thunderbike classes. Bemisderfer’s second place finish closed his gap in the ASRA Thunderbike Championship points standings to just two points behind Kern. With three of eight rounds completed, Kern leads with 81 points, followed by Bemisderfer (79), Bilansky (73), Rozynski (61), and Estok rounding out the top five with 58 points. The next race on the eight-round ASRA Thunderbike National schedule is June 16-18 at Kansas’ Heartland Park-Topeka. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, visit your local Buell dealer today and experience the pure streetfighter attitude, style and performance only found on board a Buell. For the Buell dealer nearest you, pull into www.buell.com. | ||
| Blublak |
Ok, here we go with a hodge podge of 'test' pics to make sure I've got 'em right.. Then it'll be on to posting .. uh.. More.. First up.. This..    Now, why did I post this guy?  What do you think?  One of several No. 1 plates that were there..    Yep, these folks look fast.. And look good while doing it..    There were a lot of riders out there..     And yes, there were crashes..  Now, do you see what I thought I saw, and had to stop shooting for a moment to double check my eyes?  More to come.. Stay tuned friends.. | ||
| Jscott |
Any pics of Mike Hale shaking down the XBRR? Word is he was there. | ||
| Blublak |
Ok.. There are more things at the track then bikes going around the MacAdam.. There is the human side as well.. so let's look at a little of that shall we? Of course, there are the safety folks, flaggers and marshals..  There are the sponsors.. Who help pay for things like, the dyno station.. Hmmmmm.. Did someone say that Buell didn't do anything to help the smaller racing organizations?  Anthony, early in a very hot day..  Moose! Prepin' the bike..  Hydrate or die..  See, Keith took that lesson to heart..  Did we mention it was hot?   Is this the secret to the speed of the Buells?  Despite the heat.. You want the tires at the right temp.. so on go the tire warmers..   Ok, while friendly, these folks took more heat then the racers did.. Working out in the sun without a break.. Just thought you had give 'em their just due..  Sometimes, it's not so nice in the pits.. Here is Anthony, after his second (and day ending) crash. His anger was more for the preventable and stupid way he went down.. for the second time.  Damn, it sucked, he was running so well .. adding more pain to it. But he's tough, he'll be back and he'll be faster..Just you watch..  Some racers, like Chris Young spent a lot of time waiting around for their races.. Here's Chris watching the Expert Middleweight Superbike..  yep, more to follow... Stay tuned... (Message edited by blublak on June 01, 2006) | ||
| Blublak |
JScott asked if Mike Hale was there.. I didn't see him, however I do know that Jeff Johnson was there, only he had a bad crash on Sunday (prior to my getting there Monday) and was taken to the hospital. Now, there were a bunch of other Buell racers there.. Let's take a look at a sequence and see who we see.. During the Expert Middleweight Superbike race, there was a bad wreck early on. This caused a red flag and we saw all the bikes in that race pull into the pit lane to await the re-start.. Yeah, she's not a Buell racer, but I just kind of like her.. and I'm not the only one.. you'll see what I mean later..  Now, who can you name in this sequence?   and of course, you can name the bike that was being ridden by one of those racers..  One of the neat things is..  Notice the bike in the rear? See how many other racers are gathered around it to help out? Now, look at the Buell, support came out of the pits unbidden.. Cool huh?  A quick check of the DE-TUNED XBRR that was racing..  And the machine was ready to go..  Note the 'new' starter?  Yeah, he digs it...  Now, I already named one of the racers in a previous post. Can you name the rest that are in the pictures? Oh and one last thing.. do you know where that push rod V-twin started the race? (Message edited by blublak on June 01, 2006) | ||
| Blublak |
Ok.. a quick answer now... This bike and rider..  Started the race 26th of 26... This bike and rider finished the race..  Fifth. So, does anyone think this is a failure? The damn thing ran in SUPER BIKE.. go figure..  Now, the rest of the Buells were coming out fast and furious..  Heading into turns..  Running down the competition..  Yep, another big No. 1...  OK, so what else could you do?  But enjoy the thunder!  Of all the Buells Running..    Some rocked on after an earlier wreck, still running strong..  Others ran strong and would, after a day of waiting, only run one race..  Knee draggin' was the order of the day..  Even if, as rumor stated, they were just 'testing'.. that didn't keep them from running hard, fast and clean..   Runnin' 'em down..  And of course.. basked in the pride of giving their best and proving they will not 'fade away'...  Yep, you guessed it.. More to come.. | ||
| M1combat |
Sweet  . Thank you for taking the time . | ||
| Rasmonis |
Pete, These pics are great, can't wait to see more. We had a great time there, K said she's ready to hit the track - she doesn't even have her license yet! It was very inspiring to see the Buells rockin' @ Summit Point. I'd like to thank Mr. Mike V. of Frederick HD-Buell for his support of the Brag members that showed up to the track, the food and admission passes. Thank you! | ||
| M1combat |
Long time no see Ramon . | ||
| Rasmonis |
M1, I read your posts often, I mostly stick to our local stuff. Still learning, keeping quiet...Send me a PM so I can get your email address. -Ras | ||
| Cmgaviao |
Was that a loose boot or leg that I saw in one of those crash photos? Great pics by the way, thanks for posting... | ||
| Blublak |
I was waiting for that.. Yep, it was a leg.. The rider is an amputee and has a special rig to replace the foot controls. Now you know why I stopped shooting for a few minutes and gasped.. heheheheh.. Oh, and as for my next post.. | ||
| Blublak |
Back at it! A few more pictures taken at random from all the files.. as with all of them, sorry for the low res but I gotta get 'em small enough to post..                             Yes race fans, this is your BadWeb photo reporter.. and as you guessed it.. there will be more.. just give me some time and I'll get them up.. in the meantime.. enjoy.. (Message edited by blublak on June 02, 2006) | ||
| Jimidan |
Blublak, What great photos! And remember folks, these aren't nearly as impressive as the higher res shots themselves. How about a big hand for Blublak? I like the way you use these in a narrative form...it is almost as good as being there. For all of those folks who think that CCS racing isn't as good as AMA or any other body, you are mistaken. It is fast and furious competition, and it is cheap for the spectator. We paid $25 bucks for the whole weekend and camping and pit was included. That's right, as a spectator, you could stand out on the front straight wall or in the hot pits (as long as you didn't have open toe shoes, that is). You could walk around and talk to all of the racers themselves. CCS/ASRA is the best kept secret is racing. I saw you their snapping shots, but you were always pretty busy so I didn't approach you. I am so impressed with your work though...next time I will butt in and introduce myself. Thanks! Jimidan | ||
| Mutation_racer |
JOSE nice pics man my bike looks good going into and out of the turns. Great to see all the buell riders at the track, hope to see everyone at VIR. | ||
| Blastgirl |
Here is one more for ya!  | ||
| Blastgirl |
 It pays being a Buell fan with a camera working the corners at the track! | ||
| Cluckcluckpush |
is it me or does Veatch look ready to smash the camera? | ||
| José_quiñones |
Anthony, credit goes to PETE not me (GREAT SHOTS PETE) | ||
| Blublak |
And now.. ASRA THUNDERBIKE… As seen from ‘the Carousel’.. (turns 5, 6,7 and 8 .. with a distant view of turn 9) The start of the race was a little delayed, there was a serious crash in the previous race and actually had two ambulances there to treat the riders involved. So at first, I sat there looking at the yellow as it blew in the wind..  Finally track was cleared and the ASRA ThunderBike field took to the track for their warm up lap. There was an eerie silence as I sat in the sun, waiting for the race to start.. then, living up to it’s name there was a rumble through the air that sounded like the most powerful of storms erupting half way around the track. I waited, listening as the first bike appeared. Nate Kern, on his BMW; a perennial champion at Summit Point lead the way into Turn five by a slight distance, but from watching him run in the past, the locals knew it would only be a matter of time before he opened up a nice distance between his bike and those chasing after second…  As usually hot on his heels were a host of bikes.. Only there was something else going on.. you could tell as they roared through the turn with a rumble that seemed to vibrate off the hills..   Those that follow the ASRA Thunderbike series would know the numbers as they dove through the tight left hander leading into wide sweeping right that is officially called turn 6, but riders call it the carousel..   Mixed into the pack was a smattering of other bikes, all fitting into the special category of racing that is the ThunderBike Class..               It was thrilling and fun and you couldn’t help but feel the tension as the riders roared away from the complex of corners and around to lap two…  The second time the big BMW roared into turn five.. he hadn’t opened up a lead.. as a matter of fact, a line of Buells was stalking him..        Battles were already forming for all important places on the podium still 13 laps away..           The variety of bikes in this class is pretty impressive.. You never know what you’re going to see.. it’s kind of cool…  The bikes roared around the carousel and ran through turn 7/8 headed for the slightly distant turn 9.   By lap three.. things had changed.. Slowly, pacing themselves, Estok, Bemisderfer and Bilansky were taking the measure of the track champion and showing him the skills that have made them national level racers.. This was going to be everything people had thought it would be..   Each of the ‘Buell Crew’ was looking to make a statement.       All of them exploding through the complex and heading out through turn 9 .. on their way to turn 10 and the main straight where the world of WFO was the only thing that existed.  By the third lap.. it was obvious.. this race was going to be about the Buells..   Into the wide sweeping turn 6 – The carousel..     It just makes the heart pound being able to get so close you can feel the bikes as they pass..        This was racing.. these guys weren’t holding anything back and that’s why we go.. to watch each of them try their best for every little yard of track they can get..  Each lap..  Each yard..  Each Turn..       Each of these racers proved, lap after lap.. that they were fighting the good fight.. for all 14 laps.. no quarter asked..   Some seemingly trapped in one position.. Others..  Trying everything in their bag of tricks.. to make up the ground, to take that next position..  \imagetr28a} The real battles, continue to the bitter end.. That’s a fact..  Others never give up.. looking for the extra tenth of a second..       Some were of course, trying everything they could to hold what position they had..  As others sought to find that elusive way around..    The racing mind set not letting them give up.. the hope they can get back to the front .. never giving up..     Until finally.. the race ends.. friendships return.. and the riders relax…  Some holding the intensity ..  Others signal their happiness with the end of the ‘battle’ ..   Now.. here’s a question.. What is Art looking at?  Well.. I’d look too.. wouldn’t you?  The story behind the flag? Chris Young, fighting as hard as he could and had actually missed the checkered flag coming out.. As he flew into turn one.. he found a bunch of slower machines and avoiding them.. he ran off.. bringing out the yellows.. and the ambulance..  Now you know the rest of the story.. Thanks for taking your time to read all this and look through the images. I hope you’re not too disappointed by the low-resolution versions, however Blake would have to triple his investment in the BadWeb to handle the high-resolution versions.. Thank you.. and until the next race.. Keep the shiny side up.. and the dirty side down.. And lean it like you mean it! | ||
| M1combat |
BRILLIANT thread . Thanks for taking the time . I have a collection of new backgrounds now. | ||
| Smoke |
spectacular job! thanks, tim | ||
| Rasmonis |
Pete, Your shots are absolutely magnificent! -Ras | ||
| 1stbuell |
And to think he got all those shots with just a camera phone! What if he used a real digital SLR!  Seriously, Blublak goes out of his way to get nice shots, and it shows.  | ||
| Blublak |
Thanks for the compliments everyone.. Oh, and Mio, how dare you give away all my secrets..  Next you'll be telling them how I use an etch-a-sketch to get those close ups of the folks in the pits..  On again, it's a lot of fun going out and shooting this stuff.. As always, I apologize for the low resolutions images, but as stated earlier.. Blake may not be able to afford a place that would let me post the high-res versions. Thanks Again... |
