[BBD_Racing]

Kurtis didn't slam on the brakes, he rolled off (just as he was supposed to), then Bonehead Hacking rammed him and Yates. Yamaha needs to get rid of that joker. I hope Aaron is OK. Congratulations to Kurtis for finishing his first 200 in 3rd with a busted up hand and an ill handling machine.



Speaking of the RC, that thing has some serious steam. Did you notice how Miguel was toying with Mladin? He let Matt around him than ran him down on the front straight. The Suzuki is a great bike, but Honda has really got its ponies in the stable now. Sad that Miguel biffed it out of the race. He was very, very likely to have won it.



As for Russell, I am sorry to see that happen and I hope that he and the other two riders are OK. Still, he really screwed up. One of the first things you learn in roadracing is if you have a problem, DO NOT pull off the track. Rather, put your hand up and wave it, signifying the problem. People will find their way around you. Scott swerved left and caused the crash. Really strange to see such an experienced rider make that sort of mistake. I hope he is not too badly beaten up.



Lastly, endless kudos to Eric Bostrom for wringing that old Kawasaki's neck to a 2nd place finish. On a competitive bike, Eric could easily take the championship. Speaking of which, I heard a rumor about a Kawasaki liter twin in the works.

 

[BBD_Racing]

Whoops on the Yamaha thing, I meant Suzuki. So, I'll restate, Suzuki may have made a mistake with Hacking. Remember, he was the guy who caused last year's 600cc pileup as well.



As for what racing org I learned in, try the CMRA. You know, the guys who produced such medicrities as Freddie Spencer, KevinSchwantz, Doug Polen, Jamie James and Colin Edwards. Bunch of clueless amateurs, really.



I'll restate for those too old and crusty to think straight: On the start, you never change your line when the bike quits. If you stay predictable (as in stationary with arms waving), the guys behind you have a fighting chance to miss you. Russell screwed up by trying to move right and thereby caused the accident.



Thankfully, he is in better shape than I feared (although a broken femur is no party). Nobody said anything about the other two riders who were involved. I hope they are OK.

 

[BBD_Racing]

The AMA does certainly need to improve its record concerning rider safety-related track layout and such.



As for ESPN2, the thing that really torqued me is that we missed DuHamel's crash, DuHamel's first pass on Mladin and numerous other things whilst watching that slow moving disgrace to American engineering (the Harley) circulate five seconds off the pace.



Kudos to Picotte and Smith for riding that "bike" as well as they did. As for Harley getting serious and going fast with Ford's help, I'll believe it when I see it. Maybe they could just repaint some Mille's and add a few conchos and fringe. That way they'd have a shot at winning and still kepp their base happy.

 

[BBD_Racing]

I don't think it was his chain. As I understand it, his tire tore itself apart and exploded on the banking. Nearly has a 180 mile per hour highside. Geeze, for Gobsmack to be as shaken as he sounded, it must have been a scary moment.

 

[BBD_Racing]

I dunno what the rules are in other racing leagues, but in the CMRA, it is clear:



1) Second wave must have their clutch hands in the air whilst the first wave is going. It is literally impossible for a second wave guy to go during the first wave.



2) If you stall at the start, raise your hands and wave them. DON'T try to move, as the guys behind you will then have to guess what you are going to do. It is dangerous any way you slice it, but staying put is the best rule.



Starts can be scary (I once had a guy wheelie and then virtually land on my throttle hand), but Russell is an experienced pro. My guess is he thought everyone was already by him and he wanted to get out of the way for the second wave.



He was probably in mid-expletive about Ducati reliability when he got hit.