RACEGUY Restrained

No I’m Not Mad At You

I want everyone to know how truly sorry I am for this article being so behind schedule, and that a number of other elements have  also been late over the past couple of days. It seems every time I managed to get something in motion, something more important like Justin Foreman’s misfortune or the Cooke/Medaglia school came up and pushed the less headline-worthy material to the back burner.

It’s not like these other ideas haven’t been occupying space in my already overcrowded cranium. Many of them were taking shape even while the web site itself was refusing to let me in.

Because of the nature of the way you may perceive what I’m about to say, the delay even included writing this editorial and sitting on it for an additional day before dredging up the guts to hit the “publish” button. In the long run, I decided, while you may not agree with me, that I would be disappointed with myself if I felt one particular way and just kept my feelings to myself.

I have been thinking a lot about all the miscellaneous but somehow interconnected happenings over the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, the only way I can categorize most of it into one convenient folder is to look at the one obvious central theme. Disappointment. (The common denominator.)

Maybe you grew up with one of “those” parents. Maybe you ARE one of “those” parents, or maybe you just end up dealing with one. These people have even been known to invade the workplace, clearly demonstrating that they can also be one of “those” bosses or co-workers.

Everything has gone to hell in a handbasket. Life is out to get you (maybe even the mafia and the bird flu) You have done your best, but everything has gone wrong. You’re raging and “venting” because you know nothing can make even the end of the world turn around like…well, like one of “those” …  you know the type ...
“Honey/dude/buddy/etc., you know I’m not at all mad/upset/pissed-off/homicidal/ ***/etc. at you. I don't feel like killing you at this moment, I’m just really, really disappointed.”

There seems to have been a lot of that lately. I was incredibly disappointed when we couldn’t get your results posted from Mill Hill, and more disappointed with those who could have helped  but treated it like it was a second-rate concern and something that could be dealt with “whenever”. Many of us “live and die” by those numbers. Many were plenty P/O’d that the results they expect as a function of their racing license took so long. I was disappointed with the whole scenario.

I was also completely crushed that a first-rate track and organization like Mill Hill was so poorly supported that there were classes too small to make a gate, and even MORE disappointed that, after their cries of “bloody murder” when taken off the Mill Hill race schedule, the ATVs showed up in such poor numbers this Spring that they made for an uninspired Junior class and not enough Pros to even qualify for points. There were, in fact, more 4-6 50cc riders than Pro Quads. I applaud the guys who DID show up, but I’m just a little…yes, disappointed in the others.

Just so you understand this concept of “disappointment”, the injuries suffered by David Estabrooks and Kyle Doiron made me sad. The incessant rain that came and went all day Sunday, and the cold wind that didn’t belong in June, made me mad, just like the bad drivers on our highways as we head for the racetrack.  Unfortunately, it was the way Blaine Prest, his people, and that race event were treated that left me truly disappointed.

Maybe it doesn’t take a lot to disappoint me, but after surrendering my dignity and unloading on everyone at the Riverglade riders meeting, there were just as as many mis-numbered/un-numbered bikes at Mill Hill as there were at round-3. That disappoints me.

While I’m not “mad”, “P.O.ed”, “disgusted”, etc. about any of these and other inconveniences. I am ALL of these and a whole lot more about our embarrassing treatment of Jeremy Wallace and his masterpiece race facility, whether it was an event for points, cash, or carnival teddy-bears.

To be offered a fully organized day on a classic racetrack that would be at home anywhere in North America, or the world for that matter, and to simply turn your back on that gift when it’s held out with no strings attached, leaves me in that place that is somewhere between unhappy for you and totally P.O.'d at you. That is a place called disappointment.

Wallace is a rider, and a rider to be admired for the way he ran his far-too-short race career. This young man has now invested more than a year of his personal time. intellectual, and emotional energy, and enlisted many of HIS own personal friends, (both moto and non-moto). He put at a huge risk equipment (that is normally used to MAKE money) - equipment costing in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. If it breaks, it stops making money and starts costing in a big way.

Jeremy spent, by some estimates, well into the six figure mark on diesel fuel alone. (That’s more than I paid for my house) I still have a hard time believing how many tandem loads of topsoil were both bought and brought.

We (the users of Mt. Thom’s MX oasis) were treated to a permanent-structure canteen, dry level parking, a great (efficient) admissions/access gate set-up, fencing, signage, infield access roads, TWO infield towers, port-a-potties in three if not FOUR different, easy-to-find little suburbs of scat, run-off barriers, water on site, a Woodstock-worthy PA, and a track that was made for cameras. …Oh, one more thing. Whether you were there as a rider, spectator, or track worker, your medical requirements were being looked after by the absolute highest level of emergency attention in Nova Scotia just this side of your local ER.

So where does anything resembling disappointment come in when I’ve just described nothing short of a dream with dirt!? Let’s just start by saying Jeremy Wallace was devastated. I was, (along with many others), embarrassed for our sport. We were all avoiding eye-contact with everyone else.

So, given the situation as it exists in our sport, as any student of that old “person-to-person” (child rearing) philosophy would point out…while “someone” made a bad choice and probably the wrong decision altogether, the parties harmed show no disdain, or animosity, or lack of respect, or “hate” for our transgressor. So, hoping an attitude can be contageous, you opt for the high road and simply respond with what you feel you can control. That is simply the expression of your disappointment.

The fact that we are having issues of any kind, here in the most effective region in Canada disappoints me. The current situation in Ontario that has prompted open, public responses (blogs) from luminaries including Brett Lee and Steve Dool disappoints me. The MX101/Moto Park group has been studying and tweaking things. The gang at Gopher Dunes are carefully experimenting with ideas to improve their day and eliciting feedback all the way. I am just the opposite of disappointed with the positive signs I see from these guys. I am ENTHUSED.

We have suffered a couple of less-than-successful weekends. My disappointment, and I’m sure that of both Jeremy and Blaine, is directed at many here in our own community. Don’t expect real motocrossers to just get disappointed, discouraged, and dig a hole to crawl in to. This latest single-jump isn’t really much of an obstacle. The right people will again band together, buff out the rough spots, and help any of those who still don’t get it find a way to the exit.

This site gets VERY few comments, but is still read by over 200 people every day. I appreciate every single communication no matter where it comes from. I especially appreciate comments left here. You don’t have to leave your name. You can remain anonymous. There is also NO way for me to see who has visited or the names of anonymous contributors. Look just below this article and click on the word “comments” to read and reply.

(Our last visitor -post went along with the post named "RACEGUY Recovers" to the archive. Just click here, then click "comment" http://raceguysroom.blogspot.com/2011/06/raceguy-recovers.html )

The most unfortunate aspect of our last visitor-post, while written by someone who seems to know a little about the sport, and who also appears to have actually taken in some races this season, is that it comes with reasonable critique and suggestions on how we can be better.

I find it hard enough to face up to the facts that we need to start fixing things when it comes from INside our little community. We now have to face up to the fact that our average fan is also noticing. For that, I could be angry, or vengeful, or unmoving, but instead, I am simply truly crushingly disappointed.

RACEGUY Recovers

If You Build It...

If you believe the movie line, they will come. That wasn't the way things went down this weekend as Jeremy Wallace turned over the results of his sweat, suffering, and cubic $$$ to riders of the CMRC Atlantic region.

Of course, I have a lot more to say here, but I will place the priority on getting you the outcome of today's racing at Mt. Thom. I also have raw results from Mill Hill that I will calculate and get up at the Pts-Atlantic tab as soon as humanly possible. Stand by.

50cc 4-6

1). #81  Brent Chapman

2). #25  Roman Anderson

3). #44  Makayla Clark

50cc 7-8

1). #77  Damon Burbine

2). #13  Nole Chapman

3). #89  Nathan Fraser

65cc

1). #20  Hayden Dennis

2). #141 Adam Hilling

3). #94  Brendon Clark

85cc 7-11

1). #94  Brendon Clark

2). #20  Hayden Dennis

85cc 12-16

1). #91  Jordan Melanson

2). #25  Garrett Anderson

3). #39  Bryce Wasson

Schoolboy

1). #71  Benjamin Morrison

2). #31  Mathew Clements

3). #108 Elizabeth Burke

Supermini

1). #42  Alex Affleck

2). #91  Jordan Melanson

3). #25  Garrett Anderson

Women

1). #108 Elizabeth Burke

2). #82  Hailey Dennis

3). #161 Chelsey Hall

Youth

1). #472 Devin MacPherson

2). #793 Kenneth Miller

3). 54  Bryan Dean

Vet Jr.

1). #211 Murray McEwen

2). #55  Sonny Roy

MX2 Jr.

1). #43  Joshua Ellis

2). #54  Bryan Dean

3). #71  Benjamin Morrison

MX1 Jr.

1). #771 Brandon Carter

2). #211 Murray McEwen

3). #793 Kenneth Miller

GP Jr.

1). #43  Joshua Ellis

2). #54  Bryan Dean

3). #404 Jarret Reid

MX2 Intermediate

1). #264 Josh Archibald

2). #472 Devin MacPherson

3). #906 Ryan Farris

GP Pro

1). #54  Davey Fraser

ATV Pro

1). #152 Damon Baker

RACEGUY Rebounds

Everything Was Just Fine
Until...

First of all, let me say Mill Hill was, as always, a first class event and purely professional presentation from the time the first riders rolled in, until the last remaining soul left the circuit on Sunday night.

With that mentioned, it’s time for a quick history lesson and debriefing on how things have gone sideways in the last 24 hours.

I am happy to provide you all with my “fast five” points standings and summaries that can be viewed without leaving the page. For the Kingston round, it was relatively easy to ask for printed copies of the results, calculate the points in my head, and have them published in no time flat. Things got more complicated after Riverglade, but I figured I could surely do the figuring required and have it posted before the Devlins could make their way home and send the upload to CMRC. I had 4 classes left to calculate when I noticed Tammy had completed the update. That basically meant I should have used my time for something more productive and simply waited for the CMRC site.

Wise individual that I am, I decided to forego the printed results from Mill Hill, as I figured I still had a 2 hour drive beyond the time when Tammy would get home, so everything would be on-line waiting for me when I got home. That all made perfect sense…until…the CMRC site decided it wouldn’t accept the update.

No points, nothing to analyze, I am no longer having any fun. OK, I seem to have over 200 unread tweets as a result of the Nanaimo national. I’ll do a little analysis there. (By the way, since I couldn’t listen in on the motos at MXP, tweets from Rainford and Cunningham at DMX were an amazing synopsis of the day at the Wastelands.)

It was obviously amazing racing on the left coast, but there were also some questions raised regarding what were possibly protests in the MX2 and a sudden announcement from CMRC Timing & Scoring that “official” results would not be available until some time a day later. If there was more to the Nanaimo story than met the eye, I was all for waiting it out and seeing what developed. It may have simply been that Wendy Snelgrove and the CMRC crew were having similar computer problems to those messing with our Mill Hill results.

By this time, Sunday had turned into Monday and it was past 1am, so I decided to catch a few zzz’s and get back at it in the morning. It’s OK. It’s not my fault. I don’t have to feel guilty. I can just start fresh in the morning. Sleep.

My “plan” included a quick review of round-4 and a few Mill Hill pics to keep everyone pacified until I could go through the numbers. Then, go to the CMRC site for some results and add a little further analysis. Those all seemed to be simple and reasonable expectations…until…Google, for some unknown reason, would not accept the upload to my front page. I couldn’t put a message up at the Points-Atl tab. It would not let me change the “Breaking News” page. OK, I get the message. I did discover that the “Things that change often” column could be opened and changed. Small mercies.

Oh, yes…the CMRC points update? It’s still stuck in cyberspace limbo somewhere. I’ll just keep checking.

Now that I can get back into this site, I’ll leave you with this sad little story for the time being and get everything else up as time and technology allow. You see, I have a plan, and I know all the pieces are going to come together…until?...

RACEGUY Revs Up

What A Weekend!

So, what do you think it will be?...Preview, or prophecy? … Quite frankly, I’d rather not involve myself in either, but somehow this space seems to demand some kind of look forward. Here is precisely where my dilemma comes in. Exactly WHAT am I supposed to speculate upon? It’s not like there’s a shortage of MX activities on the calendar, and there isn’t a dud in the whole barrage. Maybe that says something for the overall health of the sport, but it makes it damn tough to focus on any one series.

Why not start with the big guns? This weekend, the AMA Pro outdoor series hits the hills and hollows of High Point Raceway with more story lines than bad daytime TV. Think about it. Reed in the lead, Dungey does the DNF and rumours fly that he will leave Suzuki at the end of the season, Villo has yet to turn his SX success into anything even resembling a convincing performance so far this year, Stewart is a no-show, Alessi has been cleared by his docs, but is still unsure if he will race, and C. Pourcel doesn’t appear to be on speaking terms with David Vuilleman and has been riding a Kawasaki test bike back home in Florida.

Oh, and just a side note, the MX2 (250) class is at least 15 riders deep and the parity shows in the finishes AND in the scrambly championship points battle.  As I said…not much to talk about here. Best just move along.

The Monster Energy Canadian Pro series has only seen a single round so far, but oh, what a round it was! If the buzz is to be believed, the Kamloops crew manufactured a potential “Event of the Year” race weekend, featuring uber human performances from a variety of riders, all the buzz of a first round, and weather nobody could complain about. Now, before the riders and teams have a chance to catch their collective breath, it’s time for a quick hop across the Strait of Georgia and the return of the “Wastelands” and Nanaimo to the schedule.

With the superhuman Colton Facciotti fully capable of lapping all the way up to 9^th in last weekend’s second moto, any other winner this weekend would come as a shock. It’s certainly not that the rest of the top-10 are slow in ANY conceivable way. The list of guys who are capable of pouncing on a win is LONG and they’re all hungry and have committed to their various programs. Meanwhile, Colt may be looking to simply continue his personal record. When he finishes, he wins.

The first MX2 (250) moto was a dice-fest from the front to the back of the pack. No amount of great racing could overshadow Tyler Medaglia’s performance. After scraping himself off the ground and logging lap-1 in 34^th position, Tyler passed a United Nations of smokin’ fast 250s to pull off a 3^rd at the flag. His cool, calculated side was in control for the moto-2 win and the overall. The rest of the class may be rich with stories and drama and riders with illustrious US amateur histories, but for now, they are simply that… the REST of the class behind Medaglia.

Billy Rainford/MX Forum photo

Finally, we get around to the race that will mean the most to most of the people reading here. It’s time for our one-off visit to the classically landscaped Mill Hill circuit and its unique set of challenges.

Tire selection is one challenge you shouldn’t spend a lot of energy on. No matter which tire you choose (assuming the track is dry) it will be perfect through some sections of the track, and completely wrong in others. The standard descriptors don’t work well at “The Hill”. Loamy, sandy, hardpack clay, loose on top, and a dozen other images come to mind in just one lap. The scenery is photo-worthy. The elevation changes are challenging, and the lap length is just perfect for regional level racing.

Over the years, Blaine and his bunch have chipped away at changes following every event with an emphasis on safety and a lot of value given to track flow. Over that time, changes and additions to the infrastructure have kept Mill Hill on the list amongst the finest regional racetracks in the country. When the man behind the much bemoaned RacerX Canada, Brett Dailey and I walked the track a little over 3 years ago, he was amazed that this “little” region had such amazing tracks. He also asked, “what the hell is it with you Maritimers and your grass starts?”.

Brett Dailey photo

The work at Mill Hill has continued this wet, soggy spring in anticipation of the invasion they’ll experience this weekend. There is an all new jump in the rollers in the bottom section of the course. Dick Scott refers to it as a kind of backwards tabletop that is challenging, but achievable. The exit from “the run through the jungle”, the hillside haul through the trees, has been extended in order to allow riders to build up more speed before the jump that sends them downhill toward the “keyhole”, the final turn before the finish line. I’ll predict that extra speed and launch will result in a few “hail Mary” moments when we’re down to the last lap in a number of classes.

The Mill Hill gang have added some fresh organic, (sawdust and chips), and have dragged the discs deep to give us a chance to start the day with a track you hate to leave tire tracks in. How it comes together throughout the raceday depends a lot on the riders and their lines. Those who are creative in the tower turn (as you hit the top of the hill and head down to the bottom) will be rewarded with passing opportunities. Those who play follow-the-leader will create a single line and are doomed to learn that passing in that section is easily done by those who have a little imagination.

Brett Dailey photo

They’ve tested the watering system, confirmed the canteen, made sure they have plenty of flag folks, and triple checked with the emergency medical crew. Mighty Mill Hill is as ready as it’s ever been. Question is, are the riders ready for Mill Hill?

This is the critical fourth round of just six in the spring series. It’s reasonable to predict that the dominant riders from a number of classes will continue to dominate at “The Hill”. We’d also be pretty safe in assuming that Davey Fraser and the Strang brothers will once again be on the attack in order to recover their lost Riviere de Loup points. Those who can do the points in their heads on the fly will recognize just how UNpredictable things are in MX1 and MX2 intermediate as they are in all 3 Junior divisions. Points battles in these classes are intense and deep through the field. Watch the front groups in any of these classes, and there WILL be take-no-prisoners racing.

As for the Pros, when it all comes down to cash and contingencies combined with that “nobody beats me” mindset, you can expect the unexpected. The front of that field is ripe with riders who can race to the win. Mill Hill is another fresh start for Davey and Johnny (if he makes it this weekend) who are recovering from missed rounds. Kyle Chatham not only missed the Clyde River round, he also had DNFs and a crushed exhaust at Riverglade. He will be bringing his best. It’s also a re-boot for “Bad Brad” Lockhart who has had some mechanical struggles in the last couple of rounds, but is fast enough to both lead, and eventually win motos.

Brett Dailey photo

Mill Hill will be the “refresh” round for a great many riders. It will mark a new assault on the points for others, particularly those who stood out at “The Glade”. It could actually be the mathematical “clinch” point for some of the dominators, and it’s the point in the season when the strugglers and stragglers finally get their day in the sun.

If you’re not stoked about what this weekend means to the riders and the series, you’re missing something. I would prescribe a day at Mill Hill for some moto-therapy. I’m sure if you join in our little group session for a few hours we can cure whatever might be ailing you. After all, if you don’t live and breathe moto, there MUST be something wrong with you.

I could keep going here. It's also the Montreal F1 weekend, the "Cup" cars are at Pocono... OK, never mind. See you this weekend at “The Hill”. Don’t forget you can go to the “Planning” tab anytime for up-to-the-minute weather conditions. I’ll try and get a wrap-up started in the car on the way home, so check back here for results and outcomes.

Thanks for reading. Stay safe and we’ll see you at the track.

RACEGUY Reflects

Dealing With Criminals

Google Adsense…crooks with keyboards? That seems to be the only conclusion that can be drawn from the way this entity does business. They appear to enter into business agreements with “the little guy” with full knowledge and aforethought that they will eventually seize and pocket whatever small amount of money might be earned through someone else’s hard work, long hours, and sweat.

When I first saw this process in play, someone close to me received a “no reply” e-mail from Google, informing them their account had been closed and the small amount of cash earned so far surrendered to the multi-billion dollar corporation we know as Google. Any attempts to get an explanation or make any kind of human contact were turned back at door. Any request to get clarification of the simple who, what, and where met with fact-free form-mail devoid of any explanation relating to that user or account. It simply boiled down to Google reaching across the table, scooping up the pitiful stack of change they just said you earned, and simply saying “we did it because we did it” and there is no need to get any more specific than that.

According to Google Adsense reports as late as last Friday night, the site went up May 11 and in the just under 23 days had amassed a relatively small fortune. Small is the operative word. While the site had generated just over $80.00 devalued US dollars, after their unexplained out-takes, Google claimed they owed me just over $50.00. That’s the monumental sum of approximately $2.00 per day for over 6,000 page views. Since this was never about money, that didn’t really bother me in the least. Something was better than nothing at all. The kick in the groin came with a “no-reply” e-mail on Saturday, informing me that my Adsense account had been closed and all money forfeited to Google.

Upon signing up, I had read the terms and conditions and I failed to see where I had breached any agreement. I was not posting porn, or hate-speech, inciting anyone to commit a crime, or engaging in anything slanderous or libelous. I had clearly gotten the message that I was not, under any circumstances, to click on any of my own ads, and as interesting as some of them were, I did not click.

Having seen their form-letter no-reply appeal process in play just days before, I opted to save my fingertips and not bother. Their response to appeals is to simply imply “that is our decision, and our decision is final.” There is no explanation of regulations that might have been contravened. There is no warning that, as a developer, you are doing anything wrong and there would appear to be no second chances. What’s done is done.

In going back over the terms and conditions of the Google Adsense agreement, I now believe I know which Google crime I might have committed. In an attempt to explain to readers that advertising “clicks” are what drive web sites, and reminding you to click an ad when you came to the site, I became yet another Google criminal to be banished to the dungeon for all eternity. I asked you to pay attention to my ads. Sorry.

One great irony here is if you do a Google search on “Google Adsense Complaint” you will find page after page after page of citations including dozens of inquiries that have gone unanswered altogether. What makes this even more interesting is that Google has more search engine knowledge and resources than anybody on the planet, yet they couldn’t find a way to hide the fact that their own help-mail generates more hits than any other source.

I was certainly not counting on my daily $2.00 from Adsense to send me on a vacation, or buy me a car, or pay my bills. My ultimate goal was to be able to afford to register my own domain and put up my own site independent of the blog template sites. For now, it looks like I’ll carry on regardless, Adsense be damned. For the time being, though, it will be done without advertising content from Google. I cancelled the Amazon banners on my own and don’t plan on replacing them anytime soon.

Maybe it’s for the best for all of us. You don’t have to search for things amongst the clutter, and I no longer have to look at the messed up nonsensical math on the Adsense reports. Maybe it really is a “win-win”. Again, I have surrounded myself with winners. I guess I’ve always been comfortable with that anyway. Thanks for reading, gang.

My only worry now is the Google police may read this and deem it inappropriate content, thereby giving them the right to shut down the entire site. At this point, nothing would really surprise me.

I’ll only leave this little taste of whine up for a day or so. Up next, a quick pre-race preview of Mill Hill.

Welcome to the new and improved raceguysroom ... NOW ADVERTISING FREE!