| Author | Message | ||
     Fresnobuell |
Hey guys, made it back from Infineon...thanking the weather Gods for keeping the rain away for the most part. Micheal Barnes ended up hanging out at the campsite next door to us. We chatted with him for a few minutes on the subject of Buell, Eslick, 1190, etc. We talked about the early reports of the 1190 possible racing at Infineon and he knew the current 1190 homologation issue. He also mentioned the fact "they" (Erik Buell Racing and the AMA) want to make sure the homologation issue is addressed completely because "the 1190 is going to kick some ass when it gets out here and there are going to be some people bitching and moaning." He also mentioned about his testing of the 1190 at New Jersey last year and was raving about the power and capability of the bike...about how it felt like a full blown racebike as opposed to the 1125RR which is not quite there HP-wise in its currently frozen-by-the-AMA form. "It (1125RR) just doesn't have the top end (as Barney grabs imaginary grips in the air and pretends to go WFO on the gas) to compete with the four-cylinders out there." We also talked about Eslick quite a bit. Barney has mad respect for Eslick and how he tamed the 1125R to win the DSB title. About Danny's wildly stiff setup that virtually no one can ride--only a guy always riding at the very limit (and sometimes over the limit) can make work. I think what Barney said on several occasions was "he (Slick) rode the piss out of that bike." Also, Danny did some crazy things with his boots on the footpegs (learned from his early dirt/flat track days) to make the Buell do some of the thing he was able to make it do. On the subject of the 1125r being a cheater bike Barney pretty much laughed it off. He said there were plenty of disadvantages for the Buell which more than offset any HP advantage. He also jokingly said he (personally) had more crashes than Top-10s that year on the Buell...not sure if that's true or not. LOL. Lastly, within the paddock Danny has gotten his due regarding his DSB Championship. Fellow racers and AMA insiders respect the guy for what he accomplished on the Buell and what he is continuing to due currently--no matter what the masses or bench racers think about the Buell he rode to said Championship. It is clear the perfect mating of Man and Machine is what happened back in '09 with Danny and the 1125r. After talking to Barney, in my eyes it is even MORE of an impressive feat. | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
Good write up. "He said there were plenty of disadvantages for the Buell which more than offset any HP advantage" It has been discussed to death here, but the fact is that only eslick did any good in DSB on a 1125. And his current season (as well as last) show that it wasnt just the bike that got him the championship, hes an extremely skilled rider. Shame no one else understood that. Really curious about the 'boot' comment, what he did differently that made it work | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Really curious about the 'boot' comment, what he did differently that made it work The only thing Barney did give as an example was to sorta roll his ankles outward. If I wasn't so beer soaked I might have asked him to elaborate. HOwever in retrospect, Barney was on a roll describing (in some awe I would have to say) just what kind of rider it took to tame the Beast. I didn't want to interrupt. Maybe someone at a future AMA round can remember to ask him about that...or maybe 'Slick himself. It's easy to access the riders at any AMA event. | ||
| Rpm4x4 |
Cool to hear Barnes perspective. Sounds like a fun trip | ||
| Blake |
Really cool Harlan. Thanks for sharing. Nice to get corroboration from a fellow racer, especially a veteran racer of many brands and classes like Michael Barnes. | ||
| Cowboytutt |
Dang Fresno! I wish I had known you were there. I got last minute free tickets Friday from my friend JJ who was working as an AMA tire marshal. I got there late morning Saturday. We had a great BBQ at Terry's house from JT&S Performance Saturday night. Maybe someday you and I can hook up for a ride in Sonoma, Marin or Mendocino County. Great roads! I also know some neat roads throughout the Sierra's but your probably familiar with those! -Tutt | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Sounds good. We were up in the Turn 8 area. That HAS to be the windiest part of the track hands down. | ||
| Cowboytutt |
I hung out over turn 2. Good view of much of the track and didn't seem that windy. And just across the street from where we were camped in A1. -T- | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Way better sight lines the more you go towards the Start-Finish line from Turn 8--although there is alot of action in Turn 7 & 8. We actually spent alot of time in the bleacher seating opposite the Grandstands (and a bit north.) It was a short walk from our campsite and you could see damn near the whole track. Too bad the 4-wheelers rut up the track, but I guess it's the same at most venues. | ||
| Cowboytutt |
Yeah, I wish I had walked around more and viewed the races from various points on the track but my friend's seemed to think that where we were was the best over-all. It may have been, but I did miss out on some nice views of other parts of the track I'm sure. I think I will go next year even if I go alone, or maybe we can get a few of Bueller's together and either tent camp or hotel camp somewhere close. Its a lot more "intimate" a race track then Laguna Seca because you can get so close to the track. Nice place to race! -Tutt |
