| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
I’m trying to get a group of people from both Badweb and the XL Forum to go to the Memorial Day weekend running of the Springfield Mile. It’s an amazing race and I’m pretty sure that it will be a good time. Having spent time with members of both forums, I think we’ll all leave having made new friends and we’ll all have some good memories. I’ve been going to Springfield since 1984 and I’ve learned a few things over the years that I want to share. If you’re planning on camping, I recommend staying at the State Fairgrounds. I also recommend arriving on Friday. The Amateur National TT is held on Saturday at the Arena in the Fairgrounds and hundreds of racers fill the campground. If you get there early, you can get a better spot. The price is fair, they charge $15.00/night for a tent w/o electric. If you don’t want to stay at the Fairgrounds, there’s Riverside Park. It’s another campground that’s a mile or two away. I’ve stayed there a couple of times and I think of it as Mosquito Heaven. I definitely prefer the Fairgrounds. If you prefer staying in a motel, I strongly recommend booking your room as soon as possible. Motels fill up for the weekend and rates go up as the date approaches. If you want cheap, I like the Red Roof In and the Motel 6 in Springfield. If you want a little nicer, there’s the Route 66 Motel. I like the Route 66. They feature old bikes on display in the hall ways. The last time I stayed there, a 1948 Sunbeam was just outside the door to my room. There are TT races on Saturday. The amateurs race all day long and there are a sh*tload of classes. I think there will be something like 100 races happening. In the evening, they hold the Professional races. Be warned, though even a diehard enthusiast like me can burn out. Last year, everything was running way behind schedule and by the time the Main Event rolled up to the line it was nearly midnight and the stands were almost empty. It was a shame, because the race was a good one, but I could understand why almost everybody left. The Mile, though is another story. If you arrive in the morning and watch Practice and Qualifying, it’s possible to stand up at the fence along the front straight. The experience of standing there while racers fly past at 140 MPH or so turning as much as 14,000 RPM less than two feet away will make the hairs on your neck stand up. It can also be painful if you’re not using some hearing protection. Ear plugs are definitely your friend. You will be watching some of the most skillful motorcycle racers on the planet. Flat Track looks simple, but that’s deceiving. In any major Road Racing event, there are multiple practice and qualifying sessions over two or three days. In Flat Track, it all happens in one day. There is one four lap practice session followed by two timed sessions which sets the field. Then there are three heat races followed by two Semis and the 25 lap main. Also, between Practice and the start of the heat races, the pits are open. You can get right up to these bikes and the racers are available for autographs. Flat Track is very Fan Friendly. If you want a close look at an Indian FTR 750, or a Harley XG or Brian Smith’s amazing Kawasaki, you can get one. I know that there are Tuners on this forum that wouldn’t be that interested, but for mere mortals like me, it’s a treat to get that close to cutting edge machines. Flat Track hasn’t been as popular as it should be for many years. It’s starting to increase in popularity the past couple of years, though and I think that once more people actually go to a good Mile, they will really enjoy it. Springfield is The Mile. Once you’ve seen it, you’ll understand why. | ||
| Cupcake_mike |
The one in may or sept? I might be coming to the one in may...waiting to hear back from a buddy if he wants to tagalong. | ||
| Pwnzor |
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| 86129squids |
  Dang! That's the day before my birthday! Lemme start lining up ducks... | ||
| Pwnzor |
Show up - I'll get you a cupcake. | ||
| 86129squids |
Hah- how about a shot of good whisky?  Matthew, you and I would have to plan a 2 day up, 2 day back trip. 8.5 miles apparently on the superslabs, I'd much prefer splitting the time. Too early to tell- I'd be off work for a week. | ||
| Crusty |
Brad; if you've never been to Springfield, you have no idea what you're missing. Talk Vern into jumping into a 'Vette and doing a straight run. Get a room in Springfield for Saturday night, then head home right after the race. When I would go from Massachusetts with Terri and the girls, we'd leave on Friday afternoon, as soon as we got home from work/school Drive until midnight or so, get a room and sleep for six hours and get there by Saturday afternoon. We'd leave right after the race ended on Sunday, drive for 2 or 3 hundred miles, get a room for the night and make it home on Monday. We wouldn't miss any time from work. It was 1200 miles each way for us. Before Terri and the girls and I would go, sometimes I would go with friends in a car. We'd drive straight through, stopping only to get gas or food, and we'd eat while going down the road. Try it; it will be an Adventure! And Matthew, bring Gretchen along. I bet she'd love the race, and there will be other women for her to socialize with. I'm pretty sure Megan (my Daughter) will be there, along with Dani (Froggy's SO) and Carol (Mrs 04 Buell ) and who knows who else. The idea is to get together for the race. get there in a car, or on a bike. I once flew to Chicago on Friday night and met my friend Leigh, who drove us down to the race. After the race, he drove me back to O'Hare and I flew home. It will be a fun time, and after you've been there once, you'll be thinking about riding there the next time. (Message edited by Crusty on January 02, 2019) | ||
| Ourdee |
May 26, 2019, Sunday 1:00 PM. Springfield Mile At Illinois Fairgrounds Springfield Gates open at 9:00AM. Racing at 1:00 PM. I know where I'll be! | ||
| Kenk |
I've attended the Memorial Day running every year since 2003. It's always a lot of fun. And as Crusty says, make sure you have ear plugs :-) Ken Austin, TX | ||
| 86129squids |
Good points there, Crusticle. I'll look at the logistics options for sure. It'd be the best adventure to ride the whole trip, taking two days up/back to enjoy a few good stops along the way, but yes, a straight shot in a 'Vette wouldn't suck too bad either. IF Vern were willing, he and I would split a room nearby. I'll also look at cheap airfares out of Knoxvegas, if they exist. | ||
| Pwnzor |
With or without Gretchen, I'm definitely coming by car. She's on the fence, there are some other things going on around that date which may preclude her. | ||
| 86129squids |
Keep me posted on how that develops, Matthew... | ||
| Crusty |
Here's an interesting article about the changes to the bikes for this coming season. https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/do-american- flat-tracks-rules-changes-go-too-far-to-help-india ns-rivals | ||
| Ourdee |
Thanks | ||
| Tootal |
From what I understood is that the only real complaint is the bore size altering. Since bore size is evidently the same, I'm assuming this, and Indian uses a flat slide instead of a butterfly then they do have an advantage since a butterfly reduces the flow in an equal size bore. So why hasn't everybody gone to a flat slide? Is it because of the rules when using a production bike? The Mikuni HS42 I had on my Harley is much faster than the stock 40mm with a butterfly however when street riding I prefer the smooth nature of the butterfly. But if I'm racing, that's a different story. | ||
| Crusty |
https://www.springfieldmile.org/Tabs/Events/EventL ist.aspx Tickets are available! OK; Section NN is my favorite spot to watch the race from. It's just before the Start/Finish line and there's a good view of most of the track and there's a Jumbotron right in front of us, so we can see the parts of the track the Jumbotron obscures. The first four rows are available for us (or anyone else) to buy directly from the Promoter. Rows 5 and up have to be purchased from a dealer. (I think Workman's H-D sells those seats). Anyhow, the tickets are available online. I recommend buying early; I've got a feeling the race might be a sell-out. | ||
| Crusty |
Greg; while the article is good, the comments below it are quite interesting and written by people who have considerably more knowledge than me. I found them fascinating. | ||
| Zac4mac |
OK section NN Where If I buy a seat, Ill be there. <edit> Closest I've been to a race like this was a county fair in N. Cali(Eureka) with cars. Almost got hit by a chunk of dirt. Visceral (Message edited by zac4mac on January 05, 2019) | ||
| Tootal |
Greg; while the article is good, the comments below it are quite interesting and written by people who have considerably more knowledge than me. I found them fascinating. Thanks, I just went back and read the comments. I had no idea Indian was running a much bigger flywheel! Remember when one of the Harley tuners had the cylinders fire 45 degrees apart making it act like a single! A Twindle or Twingle? | ||
| 86129squids |
I'm in. Ticket Section: NN - Seat: R2-S4 | ||
| 86129squids |
Dang!! OK, Recon. Who's camping, who's booking a room? I'm hoping to ride, I'd like to camp, but, variables. My Bday is the next day, glad to be riding this old blue marble... Sunday, let's have breakfast and roll home. | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
Looks like I'll be setting next to Squids. S3. I have booked a room at the Rt. 66 hotel. I hope to ride there and back, but time will tell. Can't hardly wait! | ||
| Akbuell |
Re Tootal's comment, IIRC it would have been Bart Markel. MAY have been at the Louisville Downs race for its debut. Late 1960's ? | ||
| Crusty |
Bill Werner also tuned Scotty Parker's bike to run as a twingle. The AMA later prohibited that as it gave them so much of an edge over the competition. It was easy to figure out which bikes were tuned as twingles, because the exhaust sound was very different. | ||
| Ourdee |
Brad, Don't spill your hotdog and sody on my back. | ||
| Ltbuell |
Pwnzor...that pic would be me...expecially with the popcorn.Can't touch the soda, due to dealing with cancer.Sugar is related to cancer.Also have to eat organic popcorn( which i have found at Trader Joe's...  )Great tasting and its okay for me, too.Win win.LT | ||
| Tootal |
A new brewery opened up nearby and they serve bacon popcorn. It's got bacon grease drizzled on top with real crumbled bacon. Uh, YUMM! | ||
| Crusty |
Well; they don't sell bacon popcorn at Springfield, but I'll show you where to get a good rib eye sandwich. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Section NN Row 1 seat 7 & 8 Game on. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I'll show you where to get a good rib eye sandwich You lead me to it, and your sandwich is my treat. |
