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Bertman
| Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 10:56 pm: |
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Slaughter
| Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 12:24 am: |
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Alans sent me some pics that he took in the pit this weekend with his cellphone camera - of the activity going on with Higbee (orange comes from the shade being orange - don't blame the PHOTOGRAPHER!!): Up on the stands: Shawn sweating between practice and the first race OVER 4 Hours LATER! Shawn, Mitsu, guy with hat - conferring: Guy with hat, David (mech from Bartels), Shawn wrestling with stuck pin on front end lift Mitsu. This guy is a WIZARD on these machines. He came over from Japan as part of a Sundance Motorcycle Company sponsored training and as I understand it, he decided to stay. Google up Sundance, Jay Springsteen and "Daytona Weapon" and you'll get a picture of what Sundance Motorcycles means! Guy in hat, Shawn and Mitsu in pit: THE MAN: Bill Bartels
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Alessio66xb12r
| Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 08:45 am: |
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i need your help i think i miss understood ....(my bad english) Higbee won riding a 1125 ??? the xbrr was third ??? |
Slaughter
| Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 09:49 am: |
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Yes Alessio - you are correct. Higbee won TWO twins-class races. His first race (heavyweight Twins) - against Ducati and other Twins (TLR1000, RC-51, SV1000) Second race (Formula Twins) - against Ducati AND Dixon on the XBRR The Twins classes are often referred to as Battle Of The Twins (BOTT) |
Alans
| Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 11:49 am: |
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First off, I don't know anything about racing. But Steve (Slaughter) was nice enough to invite me out to watch the proceedings at WSIR the weekend just concluded. I would highly recommend to anyone within striking distance of one of the tracks where Buells are running to go out, stop by, and say 'hello' to the racers. For example, the people from Bartels, Hollywood, and Glendale HDs were simply great this weekend. Plus, I got to meet some BadWeb members I've heretofore only interacted with online. (Thanks again Asbjorn for the sunscreen!) 'Guy with Hat' (Steve Slaughter) is an important component of the 1125R team I saw in action. Shawn, Mitsu, and Steve are the main players of the trackside effort, with Shawn of course the on-track guy. BTW - someone said it before I saw it but Shawn IS 'smooth' on track. He seems to glide through the corners. From what I saw Sunday, in classes where previous Buell models and the 1125R are both legal, I would venture to guess that the most competitive Buell riders are going to be on 1125Rs in the future. You had to be there to see it. But though we were all apprehensive, it was really no contest in either of the races Shawn won. He won them 'going away'. Shawn is a great rider, but he was many seconds ahead of Dixon (for example), and Dixon and he are, from what I gather, both great riders. In my uninformed opinion, the largest difference this weekend was the potential of the respective machines they were on. (I own an 1125R, so might have a bias in this regard). The next WSIR races are June 13, 14 and 15. Ask Slaughter to be sure, but I believe Shawn, Mitsu, Bill and the rest, including the 1125R will be back, then. For those interested, they have a Sport Riders group at WSIR. If you want to take your bike out on the 2.5 road course, there's a couple things you need to do, but once these things are checked-off, the first day (Friday) of the three day WSMC weekends allow Sport Riders on track to try their hand. That's what I'm working toward myself, now. Alan |
Blake
| Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 12:28 pm: |
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Thanks for the link to the race results with lap stats Steve. http://mylaps.com/results/showevent.jsp?id=306552 Cool! Check this out: 1:23.848 best lap for Jeremy Toye on GSXR1000 Superbike (Toyota Forumula 1 Ulimited) 1:23.888 best race lap for Shawn Higbee on the Glendale Buell 1125R (stock exhaust). A virtual dead heat! Let the doubters commence their excuse-making and prevaricating. The Buell 1125R is for real folks. Would have been way cool to see Shawn in the Forumula-1 Unlimited race. The resulting headline might have grabbed some serious attention. (Message edited by Blake on May 21, 2008) |
Blake
| Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 01:31 pm: |
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TOYOTA CUP UNLIMITED FORMULA 1: 1. Jeremy Toye (Suz GSX-R1000) 2. Jeff Stern (Suz GSX-R1000) 12 seconds back 3. Chris Duran (Yam YZF-R1) 4. Mark Simon (Suz GSX-R1000) 5. Jack Pfeifer (Kaw ZX-10R) 6. Mitchell Wissner (Suz GSX-R1000) HD BUELL OF GLENDALE FORMULA TWINS HEAVYWEIGHT: 1. Shawn Higbee (Buell 1125R) 2. Eric Nolan (Ducati 1098R) 6.8 seconds back 3. Jeff Dixon (Buell XBRR) 4. Matt Cusumano (Suz) 5. Michael Biard (Duc) 6. David Ortiz (Duc) KAL-GARD LUBRICANTS HEAVYWEIGHT TWINS: 1. Shawn Higbee (Buell 1125R) 2. Matt Cusumano (Suz) 13 seconds back 3. Eric Nolan (Ducati 1098R) 4. Kenny Kopecky (Duc 999R) 5. Michael Biard (Duc) 6. Richard Downer (KTM) |
Rfischer
| Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 02:03 pm: |
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"Let the doubters commence their excuse-making and prevaricating." Ahem, Trojan...?
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Alessio66xb12r
| Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 02:32 pm: |
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thank you Steve now is clear to me. ....so , not so good for the xbrr respect the new 1125....my opinion is that in a couple of years no more racers on air cooled 45°twins in those classes. i think that converting a 1125 to "race bike" is less expensive than doing it with an xb and the results are better. xbrr was a dream that did not come true.... just surpassed by a semi-stock bike.....really BAD for me. here happened the same.....3 weeks ago was the first race of italian supertwin in 2007 Spiller(the only competitive buell xb) got a lot of "non finished" races (engine failures) and a 10th place like best result , now in 2008 with a 1125 first race 5th place (a good beginning). i really don'nt like to say this but this is true. bye bye 45 Alessio |
Slaughter
| Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 02:46 pm: |
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Blake - it would have been cool to see Shawn racing in the F1 and it might happen when the bike gets dialled in. I can't speak for Higbee but my perception is that he has more interest in campaigning in the Twins classes - and might use F1 as a test/setup session but you have to realize that just that one race costs a set of tires... don't know if that's a discriminator in his thinking or not. There's Buell money in both Twins races and Glendale money in BOTT Heavyweight. In F1, there is still decent money on the podium but you really HURT your bike to earn it now that it's a 20-lapper. |
Blake
| Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 05:10 pm: |
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Let's be fair here Steve, YOU are the one who hurts your bike, and your noggin, and... Well, I guess Shawn has some experience in that field too. Please tell Shawn that when he wins the F1 race on an 1125R, BadWeB will pay for the tires. |
Slaughter
| Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 08:26 pm: |
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Please tell Shawn that when he wins the F1 race on an 1125R, BadWeB will pay for the tires. You DO realize of course, that you ARE ON THE RECORD!? (Slaughter asks, giving Blake a chance to back out gracefully) |
Unibear12r
| Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 09:57 pm: |
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A few pics from Saturday, all taken by Blue Eyed Buell Girl.
Mr Dixon and the XBRR
Take a close look at the lower left corner
Mitsu and Shawn. That's Mitsu's knee you see under the bike
The RR dosn't like the 1125 getting all the attention.
Waiting in the heat. Super nice guy!
If I had to judge by the size and investment made in the pit area I would have thought that the Ducs should have won hands down! Nice! |
Blake
| Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 12:30 am: |
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BadWeB is on record and thrilled to be so. We're also fixing to announce a Buell racer's award purse for the CCS and ASRA races at Road America during homecoming weekend. We have $6K to give away and it's high time we did so. But that's another topic. |
Doerman
| Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 12:33 am: |
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Alessio Don't be sad! When you are at the racetrack and hear/see/feel the Buells run and win it is different in every sense, whether it is an XBRR or an 1125R. I agree, it is something very special about an XBRR. It's presence is visceral. If one could have a look into the cylinders when it is running would be like seeing the fires of hell . To me, the XBRR is the most unique and special motorcycle ever made. I am lucky to have the opportunity to see it run as much as I have (another special thanks to Glendale). The 1125R is coming into its own and is just as special as the XBRR, just different. I wish you could have been there. Alan.. I am glad to hear from you. It means you didn't totally burn to a crisp in the intense sun! To everybody that brought pics to the thread: It really makes me relive such an enjoyable day. (Message edited by doerman on May 22, 2008) |
Fresnobuell
| Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 12:45 am: |
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Please tell Shawn that when he wins the F1 race on an 1125R, BadWeB will pay for the tires. Shoot, I bet you could get members to pony up for a set of tires easily--just to run in that race. I know I would in a heartbeat. It would be like WSBK with a Twin that I can actually root for! You can bet that I will be down there for anything that happens mid-July on... |
Alessio66xb12r
| Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 04:29 pm: |
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Doerman ....it is different...whether it is xbrr or 1125.... for me any(and only) xbs are different (xbrr or xb) because of their harley 100 years old project engines , and mr. Buell was a genius to put that engine in a light sport frame. for sure the new 1125 is more competitive ,is a nice fantastic bike , less problems than xbs but don'nt tell me that it is different. if the 1125 is different ...so ducaties are different , ktms are different ....bimotas ....aprilias.... bye Alessio |
Mutation_racer
| Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 05:09 pm: |
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I have to say that i've had the privilege to race this great bike for the past two season meaning the XBRR. And has been a dream come true. But with the new 1125R that has come out i'm really looking foward to racing it on aug.30th in the MOTO-st race in N.J. This bike is as good as the RR and way cheaper to race. |
Blake
| Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2008 - 05:33 pm: |
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Thanks Harlan. |
Fresnobuell
| Posted on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 02:35 am: |
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Blake, what about Badweb using that 6K to help sponsor a race team? It would be enough to put a few sets of tires on an 1125r, I am sure. Get some Badweb decals for the bike. I dunno, maybe I am crazy--but it is fun to think about. |
Fresnobuell
| Posted on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 02:42 am: |
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I have to say that i've had the privilege to race this great bike for the past two season meaning the XBRR. I think we all have a soft spot for the RR. Getting to watch it run (for a while anyway) at Laguna last fall and then getting to chat with Walt and Dick (mostly Dick) in the paddock cinched it for me. |
Blake
| Posted on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 11:15 am: |
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Sponsoring a specific team would be problematic; we discussed that option and set it aside back when we originally raised the award funds. If we could raise enough to have our own team, that would be okay. That'd require a lot more than $6K, though. |
Slaughter
| Posted on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 01:48 pm: |
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Contingency would work much better than sponsorship as Blake had indicated (unless of course, you are going to sponsor ME!!!) - Racing - at the local/Club level costs on the order of $1500 per race weekend - ONLY for the direct costs to the racebike - NOT meals, NOT crashing, NOT travelling, NOT hotelling. That $6K would be nice to make available on a high publicity one-time thing rather than be diluted across a half dozen VERY DESERVING Clubs with a couple dozen VERY DESERVING racers. |
Scout66
| Posted on Sunday, July 27, 2008 - 10:40 pm: |
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Who was that Masked Man? (or, a...) Who was that man in the hat? |
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