An early shot at Daytona 1995
Mid Ohio 2000 on the TD-3
Hi Everyone!
06 Daytona Report #1
3/3/06
It’s Daytona time again! And 2Old Racing is very busy getting ready for the event. Our races run on Monday the 6^th and Tuesday the 7^th . Tech Inspection day is on Sunday the 5^th .
Again this year I have invited Chris Spargo to ride my bikes in some of the events. Chris will be flying in this evening. Chris will be riding the F500 race with my TR on Monday. And I’ll be riding my TD in F250. Then on Tuesday our riding duties will be reversed and I will be riding the F500 race and Chris will be riding the F250 race.
Two months ago I started converting both my TD and TR to entirely new disk brake set-ups to improve braking power. The conversion consists of Brembo master cylinders, AP Lockheed callipers and Yamaha FZR rotors.
The conversion has required a lot of machine work to make the necessary adapters to allow installing the components. I have spent many hours in the race shop making the needed parts. Both systems are now installed and ready to go.
I still have to finish up the rebuild on my TD motor. It will be finished later today. Then it’s just a matter of finishing up all the little details and we’ll be set to go to tech inspection on Sunday.
That’s it for now – have to get back out to the race shop – stay tuned!
The Grey Fox of Daytona
3/7/06
First let me apologise for not keeping everyone informed on our adventure on a timely basis. This year things were just too hectic to find the time necessary to write the reports daily. By the time each day was done, I was just too tired to deal with writing the reports.
The schedule I maintained for the two weeks leading up to race time had taken its toll.
For that reason this wrap up report will cover all the daily details
that occurred over the course of this years Daytona experience.
3/4/06
On Friday, after I had posted my first report, I discovered that I did not have the correct wrist pin bearings to finish rebuilding my TD motor. Instant “panic city” set in. Without the bearings there would be no TD to race! Fortunately Rick Merhar had the proper bearings in stock and he overnight-ed them to me (Thanks Rick!). They showed up about 10am and I was then able to continue assembly. By 5pm I had the bike ready to go.
In the meantime Chris was working to install a fork brace on the TR. This did not go smoothly either. It required some machine work before he was able to install it.
Carl Anderson arrived around noon and about 3pm Art Doumas, his wife and
mom, alone with Brian Oakley arrived for their stay in Hooterville. They
immediately went to work on their bikes. Needless to say, the
“Hooterville race shop” was now really buzzing with 2strikers! We all
worked on various projects until around 8pm. Then we decided it was time
to head out for dinner and get some rest.
3/5/06
We all headed out for AHRMA tech/riders meeting at 9am and arrived around 11am. Everything went smoothly at tech. Chris and I took advantage of the paved roads within the fairgrounds (where tech was held) to “bed in” my new brake set-ups on both bikes. And it also gave me a chance to get some run time on my newly rebuilt TD engine.
After we finished with tech, Art and Brian headed to the track to
reserve some space for our group to pit from and Chris, Chuck and I
returned to Hooterville to continue with some last minute set up work.
By 8pm we had all re converged at Hooterville and it was time for
dinner, then bed. The stage was set for the first day of racing.
3/6/06
Race day starts early when your commuting 75 miles to the track. Like 4am! We arrived around 7am and got our area set up for the 8am beginning of practice.
After my two practice sessions I was beginning to realise just how “out of shape” one can get when they haven’t raced in 24 months (last year I only got 6 practice laps total, then my engine expired). Anyway, I was really struggling trying to get my rhythm back. In fact, truth be known, I never did really get up to my potential either day!
Chris was having problems shifting the TR during his practices so we made the decision to change to a different oil for the gearbox, and to install a different seat. This led to a big time problem during his F500 race. I won’t go into the details (would take too lone to tell the whole story). Suffice it to say that spraying oil all over your rear tire tends to ruin your race! Chris didn't crash – he was smart and called it a day.
My race went OK, but I was really “off the pace”. Not the bike – it was
the rider! In fact the bike was a rocket ship easily fast enough to win
with. I was just never able to get any rhythm with my riding. I finished
third, and almost made it to second, but ran out of laps. I managed to
close in on second place to within three bike lengths at the end. But it
would have taken another lap to seal the deal. Needless to say I was
disappointed in my riding performance. A 24 month lay off from racing
just doesn't “cut it”, especially when you’re my age! I’m not going to
let that happen again! It’s just no fun to ride like I rode this year,
when you know you’re a lot better rider than that.
3/7/06
Today it was Chris’ turn to ride the TD in the F250 race. And he went in with all the confidence of being able to win. But it didn't happen! A strange set of circumstances occurred that we will probably never know the answer to. Somehow the front tire pressure ended up being 5 lbs. too low. This led to serious front wheel chatter entering all the turns while trail braking. The net result was an inability to keep pace in the infield sections and led to his finishing 3^rd , even though he was able to blast past the eventual winner while on the banking on the first lap. A real bummer as had the pressure been correct, he could have easily won.
For my F500 race I elected to ride my TD rather than the TR. The TR was just way too hard to ride on the new infield sections of the track. So, going in, I knew I had no chance for a decent finish due to having only a 250cc engine against all the 400 and 500cc bikes. After three laps I pulled out of the race. I was just not having any fun whatsoever. I was still making stupid mistakes in the infield and my rhythm was worse than it was the day before (probably because I was getting quite tired). So I called it quits before I hurt myself. I just wasn't up to the task of riding at the level I’m capable of.
So that’s the story of my “Daytona Adventure” for this year. A real
downer as far as my riding went. But overall it was still a great
experience because of all my great friends and the comradeship of the
last four days! We’ll be back for more next year!
I WILL be in SHAPE for next year’s Daytona Experience! No more long lay off’s from riding!
Daytona’s new infield circuit changes SUCK! It’s nothing but a big go
kart track. Now there are FOUR first gear turns. Hey, give me a break!
First gear is for starting! Just to give you an idea of how bad it is
-cars can’t use it. They still use the old track I knew and loved so well!
The Grey Fox of Daytona
2Old Racing
The Republic of Hooterville
Emperor: George Taylor
AHRMA #637
Yamaha TD3
Yamaha TR3
Hi Everyone, This is my first Daytona Report for my '05 racing adventure at Daytona. This will be my 32nd year of racing motorcycles at Daytona. As you are aware, if you read the "Team 2Old Racing" press release on Roadracing World about a week ago, Team 2Ole Racing will have two riders at Daytona this year, for the first time in 5 years.
I've cut a deal with Chris Spargo to ride my Yamaha TR3 in the F500 race. Chris is a one of those "fast" young dudes with more "balls than brains", that it takes to win with! hee hee. Anyway, I'm really happy to have him riding one of my bikes at Daytona this year! :-)
It was a "last minute deal" that we put together so I've been in a "panic" getting my TR3 ready for him to ride. But things are shaping up quite well. Chris will be flying in tomorrow night. Then we will have Saturday to get the bike "customised" to his liking. Then it will be off to Tech Inspection on Sunday in Deland.
I already have my TD3 ready for the F250 race. This will be my 10th year
contesting the AHRMA F250 race on this motorcycle. I'm really looking forward to having a great race!
That's it for now, but stay tuned. I'll be posting more Daytona Reports
as things unfold.
The Grey Fox
Date: 2005-03-04 21:38
Hi Everyone,
Race time is closing in on Team 2Old Racing! We are now in the official
"panic" mode until we have finished tech inspection on Sunday.
My trusty TD3 is now completely prepped and ready for inspection and first practice on Monday. All I have to do is set tire pressures, add fuel and GO!!!!!!!!! (pun)
You hard core Moto GP guys will understand this comment! I have now completed all the work I can do on the F500 TR3 until Chris Spargo gets here later tonight. He should arrive around 11pm. Then we'll get a good night's sleep and start the process of "customising" the TR3 to Chris' liking.
We have quite a bit to do as Chris is bringing his favourite seat and fuel tank combo to use for this race. And we are also going to install his entire front brake system. Then we have to install new Dunlop racing tires.
Bottom line is - we still have LOTS to get done. But it WILL be done, no
matter what! Team 2Old Racing is "go'n for it", and nothing is going to stand in our way! ;-) That's it for now - stay tuned as Team 2Old Racings adventure continues.
Later,
The Grey Fox
Hi everyone,
Sorry about not getting out reports on a timely basis like I've done in past years. But this year's Team 2Old Racing's Daytona adventure has turned into a nightmare! I don't have time now to go into the details. I am totally exhausted, and have to be up by 4am tomorrow morning to go back to the track and try to salvage something good out of this year's Daytona adventure.
In a few days, when I get rested up, I'll get out another report
detailing this year's misadventures.
Sorry,
The Grey Fox
2005-03-09 19:01 Hi everyone,
Here's my wrap up report on Team 2Old Racing's Daytona adventure for this year. Report #3 was only a quick note reporting that things weren't going well, so this report will pick up where #2 left off.
Saturday: Chris and Todd finally arrived at 2am. They got "lost in space" and turned the 65 mile drive from Orlando International Airport to "Hooterville" into a 120 mile trip! I won't bore you with the details. But it was quite an adventure for them.
We spent all Saturday customising Team 2Old Racings TR3 to Chris' liking. This consisted of installing his seat, fuel tank and front brake system on the TR. Then installing new Dunlop rubber. Along the way we discovered that the TR ignition system had lost spark to the left cylinder. Turned out the black box had failed. This was not the end of this story though. More on that later. We finally made it to bed around 11pm.
Sunday: Today was tech inspection/rider briefing day in Deland and everything came off without a hitch. We arrived back home around 4pm and carried out a few last minute details and then settled back to a pizza and beer dinner, confident the we were all set for Monday. Little did we know what lay ahead for Team 2Old Racing!
Monday 4am: We were up early as we had to be at the speedway entrance by 6:30 to get linked up with the "Banos" gang. Glen Christenson had managed to get one of only about 20 garage spaces that were supplied on a "first come" basis. And he offered to share his garage with us. A big "Thanks" to Glen!!
1st Practice:
The first practice session gave us a clue as to what lay in store for Team 2Old racing. We were unable to get Chirs' TR3 to start and he missed the first session. I completed the first session on my TD with no problems. I spend the session getting familiar with the new infield course. It is completely different than in past years. For all practical purposes, half the circuit was the same as in the past, but the other half is all new. By the time the first round was over I was beginning to get a feel for the new sections and had figured out what gear I needed to be in for the new corners. The new layout is much tighter that the old track. Lots of slow, decreasing radius turns are now in place.
During the break between practices we worked on Chris' TR and finally got it fired up. We "thought" he was all set to go. Little did we know!
2nd Practice:
Although Chris' TR would run, it would drop the left cylinder as soon as he attempted to apply any real power. Net result was another practice session lost.
I headed on out on my TD to get more track time in on the new sections of the track.. Everything went fine until the sixth lap. Then all hell broke loose! I had just exited the International Horseshoe turn and was hard on the gas in 4th gear when the crankshaft let go. Instant rear wheel lockup!! I managed to get the clutch pulled soon enough to avoid a crash and coasted to a stop. And that was the end of my attempt to defend my title from last years F250 race. Big time BUMMER!!
Although I had the parts necessary to make repairs, it would have taken all the time available to get the job done in time for Tuesdays F250 race. And since we were still struggling with Chris' bike, I elected to make every effort to get things sorted out on the TR.
We spent the rest of the day trying to resolve the ignition problem on the TR with now success. We swapped out ignition components. We looked a possible carburation problems. We looked everywhere. But no cure was forthcoming.
I don't ever recall being more exhausted or depressed than when we left to head home at 6pm. But there was no way I was going to give up on the TR. When Chris and I cut the deal for him to ride the TR, I had told him he was going to be riding a bike that could take him to victory. And I was beginning to look like a fool! There is not a ounce of "quit" in me, and I was determined to keep working until the TR was "right" or I had "keeled over".
Tuesday:
We were back at the track at 7am to take our last shot at curing the problem. And so was the storm that had arrived during the night. It was raining and the wind was gusting to 40mph! What a grim development! I had decided as a last ditch effort, to replace the entire electrical system with the one from my TD, and hope for the best. So we set about changing everything out.
By 10am we had the job done and were ready to have another go. The rain had quit and the sun was peeking in an out. A sign of things to come for Team 2Old Racing!
I knew the minute we bump started the TR and let her warm up that we had cured the problem! Didn't even have to apply a load to see if the left cylinder was going to go dead again. I just "knew" things were now "right"!
Chris went out for the last practice session and came back in with a big grin on his face. Finally, Team 2Old Racing was ready to do business!! We carried out the final prep of the bike and then sat back to wait for race time.
Now to this point Chris had only seen the new sections of the track in one practice session. And he had only done four laps at that. None the less, I was feeling pretty confident that we had a good shot at the win.
RACE TIME:
The sun was out! The track was dry! The stage was set! Could Chris do it? You need not even ask! HELL YES, he could do it!! Because Chris was a post entry, he was gridded at the back of the pack. Not the best place to be. Especially since he was on a bike that he had only ridden for 4 laps, on a wet track!
As soon as we got him bump started and headed out, we took off running a quarter mile to get to the International Horseshoe to watch. As they came into the International Horseshoe for the first time, Chris was in 9th place.
As they came around for the second time, Chris was already into second! On the fourth lap, Chris was in the lead and opening up a gap. Two laps later Chris got the chequered flag going away! There was no challenger even close! HALLALULIA!!! Team 2Old Racing wins again!!
I'll be honest, I was one nervous dude, standing there watching all this play out! Not about Chris' abilities - that was a given. I was worried about the bike letting him down. But my TR3 came through with flying colours, and lived up to my billing! Chris' first comment after the race? "That bike is a f**king Rocket Ship!! He commented that he had passed 7 bikes the first time up onto the banking and around to turn one.
"Thanks Chris!! You are one hell of a rider", and a great friend!
Well folks, that's the story of Team 2Old Racing's Daytona'05 adventure.
Hard work and a "never quit" attitude turned our adventure, that
appeared to be heading to disaster, into one that will always hold fond
memories for me!
The Grey Fox
Hi Everyone!
Well, it's time for my annual Daytona Adventure to begin, so here's the first report about this year's adventure.
I've been hot at it in the raceshop for the past two weeks. My TZ is ready for action, but my TD is not yet set to go. Due to new belly pan rules for this year, I'm still trying to get this implemented without having to re-design the fairing. It's turned out to be a time consuming deal. 20 hours on it at this point and still have a bit more work to do before it's finished. Really frustrating, since requiring a belly pan on a 2stroke is STUPID!
Last Sunday night I began to realise I wasn't going to be ready for practice day on Wednesday. So I made the decision to withdraw from the Jennings GP event and concentrate my efforts on having everything ready to go for Daytona.
At this point it appears it was not a bad decision due to the predicted weather for the next few days. In any case, I still have MUCH to get done, so it's back out to the raceshop for me!
Hi Everyone,
Only time for a short note. I am really behind in my work on getting ready for Daytona, due to that belly pan rule I mentioned in my first e mail.
Things are most definitely NOT under control. As it stands now I've got about 4 days work to do in 2 days!
We have to be in Daytona on Sunday for Tech Inspection/Rider's Meeting. Then we start racing on Monday. So, one way or the other, I've gotta have my act together by Saturday evening! Aggghhh!!! I'll let you know how it goes - as soon as I can find the time to type it up!
Well, it's 2am Sunday morning and I'm just now finished in the race shop. We have to be over at Daytona by 3pm for tech inspection and riders meeting. Haven't even had time to eat a bite yet. That's next. Then it's off to bed to get a bit of rest. At least I don't have to get up 'til around 10am!
All sorts of problems encountered in getting my TD3 ready. I won't bore you with the details - I'm too POOPED bore you with the details! Suffice it to say, we worked our way thru the problems and I think we're finally set to go racing! Stay tuned for the next report!
Hi everyone,
Daytona racing, day one:
Went thru the tech/riders meeting on Sunday. Felt like carp all day. But I was up by 4am this morning to head to the track. Got set up in the paddock by 7am and was all set for the first practice session at 8am.
My TD3 was the first bike I took out for practice. Went quite well considering all the problems we had getting the new "fat" Dunlop's fitted on Saturday. In fact, it went real well! I really love these new Dunlop tires. Worth all the work it took to fit that wide a tire on the TD.
Then it was time to do practice on my TZ. That didn't work out for the first practice session due to some stuck clutch plates. We ended up missing the first session for my TZ. Fixed the problem and got out for the second session only to find that the new boots I was wearing were enough different than my old ones that I couldn't shift the TZ properly. So I headed into the pits to change the position of the shift lever. Still managed to get in a decent amount of practice time.
Only problem was, I was feeling pretty crappie from whatever kind of bug I caught in the last couple of days. And it was effecting my riding. I had no stamina, and by the time I had completed three practice sessions, I was physically wasted!
Good thing my pit crew was able to deal with all the little details of dialling my TD in for the race because all I could do was rest.
Race time for my F250 (TD) race came around at about 2pm. I had gained some strength back by race time (a good thing!) I was on the front row for the start and got a reasonably good start. Came out of turn three in 4th place. Got around the 3rd place guy coming out of the International Horseshoe, and by the end of the first lap I was in second. But that was as far as I got. I couldn't run the leader down due to just really getting tired and making mistakes in the last three laps. So I had to settle for second place. Boy, I'm really a "bridesmaid" in the F250 race at Daytona!
In the last ten years I've finished 2nd eight times, 3rd once, and had one win. Considering the way I felt, I have no complaints! Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow. I sure hope so! As I feel that if I'm as fit as I usually am for Daytona, I have a real chance at another victory tomorrow. The winner has a fast bike, but it's no faster than mine. It's just that I was so weak today that I started making mistakes toward the end of the race. We'll see how it goes!
I went out for the BOT race on my TZ about 30min after my F250 race. And I was really feeling tired! Got a decent start and came out of the second turn in 5th place, but very rapidly got passed by faster riders. After three laps, and dropping down to 8th place, I pulled in. I was so tired from the bug that I was making all sorts of mistakes. The kind of mistakes that can put you on your head. So I pulled in and called it a day, before I hurt myself.
Sure hope I feel better for tomorrow's races! Because I felt so bad, today was not a whole lot of fun. I'm really grateful to pull off a second place today, because I sure had my doubts before race time!
Anyway, that's it for now. I'm wasted, and I'm heading to bed. 4am arrives really early!! '-)
Stay tuned for my next report.
Hi everyone,
Daytona racing, day two:
My Daytona adventure for this year finished up today. On a very high note!
I won my F250 race with my trusty TD3! Boy, do I LOVE that bike! This is my second win at Daytona with her (I won this race in 2000)! I'm thrilled!
Got up this morning feeling a bit better than yesterday, but still not quite 100%. So when we got to the track I elected to ride only two of the four practice sessions to conserve my energy.
Took my TZ out for my first practice session and even though the bike was working great, I was still having problems sorting out the adjustment of my shifter and rear brake lever to suit my new boots. I just did not feel comfortable on the bike due to continued problems upshifting on the drive out of a lot of the corners.
I finally made the decision to just park it, and not ride the BOT race. Not feeling 100% made the decision seem wise. So we just loaded the TZ up and concentrated on the TD3 for the F250 race, which I felt I had a chance to win, based on yesterday's results.
I only did 4 laps of practice on the TD. I was really grooved in right from the start, so why waste energy I was going to need for the race. This gave me a chance to get well rested up before the start of the race.
I was on the front row for the start of the race and when the green flag dropped, I managed one of my best starts in quite a while! I was in third place coming out of the first turn. Got the second place rider exiting the International Horseshoe, and went into the lead just before the kink. I was never headed from that point on. I lead every lap and won by around 10 seconds! I did not tire in the later stages of the race like I had done yesterday. That led to my making only one small error for the entire race.
What a difference from yesterday, when I made all sorts of mistakes during the later stages of the race. I spent the last half of the race asking God to help me get my second win at Daytona, and he did!
Anyway, Daytona for 2004 has come and gone, and left me with more great memory's! All the hard work and frustration I experienced this year in getting my bikes ready ended up paying off BIGTIME!
2OLD RACING
AHRMA #637
AMA 250GP #42 (ret)
CCS #93 (ret)
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