25 Lap Main win went to number #75, I’m second on #71, Rich Oliver on #97.

Why yes. Those are three brand new TTR125LE’s. Yes, they will be racing in the Lindemann Engineering Invitational on July 1st & 2nd at the Buttonwillow Kart Track. Maybe you should enter a team or contact me about joining an existing team.

Car shocks have an exponential effect on my sticker inventory.

These three bikes are entered in the Lindemann Engineering Invitational. Testing went well, time to finish the race prep. Are you ready for the challenge of Twin 6 Hour Racers? Six hours on Saturday July 1st and six hours on Sunday July 2nd at Buttonwillow Kart Track.

I raced with the AFM at Buttonwillow last weekend. As normal, the bike got a bath after but this time I had to pit in the grass so the carpet joined the fun on washing day. The AFM has been around for a long time so there are some odd bits of code left in the program. They have practice groups 2-4 and 5. When you ask about one, they say “there is no group one.” Secret handshakes can be fun. All the F-50 riders have fast bikes and there is no F-60 class. F-40 had a lot of bikes but no SV’s. The same was true of my three races on Sunday. But my goal was to get into the turns on the brakes with the feeling I use to have. While working on that I realized that my SV can’t feel like my TZ. I changed my speed into Cotton Corners so I could brake till the apex of the left that follows the first right. That felt much better and I was on the way to my best lap of the weekend on the last lap of my last races when a red flag flew. Racing at 60 feels a lot like racing at 20.

Today while prepping the SV for this weekend’s race I shortened 8 foot peg mounting bolts that were 4 mm too long. The weight savings is too little to affect lap times much less the outcome of a race but when my tuner does everything he can my rider tries even harder. Or it could just be an obsession.

I just finished building these 17 inch wheels for Matt’s TTR125. One of the bikes that will be in the Invitational.

KurveyGirl.com makes one of the most useful things ever. The Ladybird Style Reservoir Bracket is a bendable metal bracket just right for mounting remote reservoirs. I used two of them on this race bike build. Lady Bird Johnson was the wife of President Lyndon Johnson. She got that nickname as a child because she was as cute as a ladybug. Another name for ladybugs where she grew up is Lady Bird. When you order Ladybird brackets from KurvyGirl.com be sure to ask for a sticker and the story of how this bracket got its name.

Lindemann Engineering Invitational

Minibike Endurance Racing

Overview

A minibike endurance event consisting of two six-hour races.  July 1 & 2 at Buttonwillow Kart Track.  Saturday’s race will be counterclockwise.  Sunday’s race will be clockwise.  Results for each race and overall.  BYOT, bring your own trophy.  In order to keep our speed appropriate for kart tracks a Yamaha TTR 125 with a stock exhaust system running on pump gas will be the standard race bike.  Other similar race bikes that are faster than the standard must be de-tuned or limited so they are not faster.  Make your bike slower ideas: throttle stop, exhaust baffle, intake restrictor, supper tall gearing, creative ideas encouraged.  Teams may apply for an invitation to participate.

Team Qualifications

Riders who: understand that it’s the responsibility of the overtaking rider to make a clean pass, demonstrate maturity in the paddock by riding slowly in first gear, raise their arm before slowing down or changing their line on track for any reason and actually read the rulebook, may form a team and apply for an invitation.  All riders must have personal medical insurance.  Minimum rider age is 18 years.  

Bikes and Modifications

Bikes including the Yamaha TTR125, YSR50, Honda XR 100, NSR50, 125 Grom, Kawasaki Z125 and similar are allowed.  Unlimited modifications.  Any tires.  Pump gas without additives other than premix oil for two-strokes.  Bikes that are faster than the standard bike must be restricted.  If a race bike appears to be too fast, a 3rd gear roll-on test will be performed against the Standard Bike using riders of similar weight.  Race bikes that pass the test but turn out to be too fast during the race will be assessed one billion penalty laps. 

The Standard Race Bike is a 2017 Yamaha TTR125LE.  A mostly stock bike with stock carb, air box and exhaust.

Bike Preparation

Race bikes must be clean, they must be built and maintained in a work-man like manner. 

Safety wire:  Fluid caps, drains and filters must be wired. 

Crankcase breather:  Must connect to the stock airbox or an appropriate catch tank.

Numbers:  Must be legible. 

Night races:  Starting at dusk a steady red tail light must be clearly visible. 

Standard rules:  Working front and rear brakes, balls on the end of clutch and brake levers, water in the cooling system, etcetera are implied. 

Riding gear

Standard road racing gear is required. 

Inspection and Penalties

During the race, teams and riders are responsible for tech inspecting their own race bike, if the bike breaks or is damaged it must immediately be repaired and reinspected.  If a team bends or breaks a technical rule or the spirit of the sport that team will self-impose a five or 10 second penalty at the end of a pitstop.  No work may be performed during the penalty phase.  If a rider bends or breaks a riding rule or the spirit of the sport that rider will self-impose a long lap penalty.

Pit Stops and Behavior

Hot pit speed is limited to first gear.  Refueling during a race requires the engine to be off, the rider to be dismounted, the bike to be on its side stand or another stand, the fueling person and fire extinguisher person wearing covered shoes, long pants, long sleeves, gloves and eye protection.  Race refueling may not be performed under a flammable structure.  Fire extinguishers that are not in use shall be located away from the fuel supply, easily accessible and obvious to all.

Grid Procedure

As the start is not particularly important for an endurance race, the starting riders will line themselves up on the grid based on their relative speed with fast starting riders at the front and slower starting riders to the rear.  Restarts will use the same griding procedure.  The goal is to have the faster starting riders in front with the slower riders behind to manage the first lap risk.  Scoring will be by transponder system with no manual backup.

Race Control

Teams are expected to be low maintenance.  The race director will keep an overview of the track and hot pit.  The director will red flag a race if necessary.  Riders will treat any crash as a temporary waving yellow.  The crashed rider will move away from a crash zone, self tech, rejoin in a safe manner and continue racing.  Teams may pit and work on their bikes during a red flag.

Summary

The primary purpose of this organization is to facilitate enjoyable race battles on track.  Imagine two or more riders racing close while giving each other just enough room, about to lap someone. These riders’ checkup just a little so they pass the slower rider without drama, then continue their battle.  If one rider makes a mistake and cuts the course or gains an advantage through some means other than skill, he or she makes an adjustment to give back those ill-gotten gains. 

Applications

Application is by email, ed@le-suspension.com 

Applications shall include a Team Captain, list of riders and photos of the race bike and practice bikes.  All riders must be 18 years of age or older.  Please include designated team captains phone number for an interview.  Minimum of two riders per team. 

Maximum of 20 teams.

Bench racing will not be limited, bragging rights will be assigned for creative team names.

Race Schedule

Sat & Sun:  8am Tech, 8:30 Rider Meeting, 9-10:30 Practice, 11am to 5pm 6 Hour Race.

Fees

The first event will consistent of two six-hour races.  $600 per team of two or three riders.  $100 per rider beyond three riders.  Pre-entry only.  Entry open till Tuesday June 26^th at 6 pm.

First Event Track

Buttonwillow Kart Track with the chicane.  Counter clockwise, left on Sat and clockwise, right on Sunday.  Hot pit will be under the covered pit area.  Paddock will be outside the fence line next to the covered pit.  Start/finish will be on the long straight.

It’s difficult to define but you know it when you see it.