Fontana: Day two and <I>redemption</I> for Nicky

Re: Fontana: Day two and redemtion for Nicky

I was there! It was an awesome day, and Nicky was all alone out in the front, WAY ahead for pretty much the whole race. That red flag was a giant let down, because the battle between Mladin, Bostrom, and Chandler was so fierce. The crowd was relatively small in comparison to the HUGE facility, but everyone was very enthusiastic, and we all let the racers know how much we loved em. Awesome races, and a really wonderful day.

Also I got to sit on the new Yama FJR 1300- I felt my wallet tingle!

As I passed by the Harley tent I spied the V-Rod and the gaggle of onlookers surrounding it. I must say the thing looked cool in person and that Porche twin staring you down was neato, but I couldnt help wondering why you'd pay as much as you would end up paying, when you could score an FJR1300 AND an RC51 for probably near the same amount of dollars...

I cant wait for the next superbike races to come to Fontana but hopefully they'll throw a little more effort into the advertising campaign, and get more of the fans to come out and show the support that these great racers deserve.

Re: Fontana: Day two and redemption for Nicky

No one has said a word about the crashed rider that kept Chandler off the podium. I've been following this guy, #31, Dr. Jeffrey Something or Other, DDS, since the late 1990s. I remember the first time I saw his name in a race program, noting that he was the only rider to list his official title (Dr. Jeffrey, DDS). At a couple of races I've looked up the name of the slowest Superbike rider, the backmarker who was first to be lapped, and there it was, Dr. Jeffrey, DDS. I've seen him crash in person at least twice, both times at Road America. In 2000, he rode off the track near turn 7, rode over to the fence, leaned his bike against the fence, and stood shaking until the corner workers came over and made him get back on his bike.

I missed the good Doctor last year, but when I saw him at Fontana, I told my wife, "There's that damned fool who rode off the track at Road America, the one who's so damned proud of being a dentist that he lists it on the racing program." That was the first time the leaders lapped him. When I saw the #31 bike sprawling across the middle of the track, I wasn't surprised.

I have two questions. First, was the good Doctor all right after the crash? The bike looked like it fell over at extremely low speeds, which isn't hard to believe if you've seen the Doctor ride. Second, why do they keep sending this guy out on the track with the Superbike racers? It provides some comic relief, but it is dangerous for the fast guys.