Parker Bulldoze

[mhniles]

Does anyone else out there think it's ridiculous that BITD bladed the goat trail at Parker? How is it "The Legend Lives On" when the "off-road" course has all the bumps flattened? I'm fairly new to this sport, but I think flattening the course takes all the credibility out of off-road racing. It's supposed to be hard, dangerous, rough, and rocky. If I had the money, I'd take the turbos off a WRC rally car, run it in Class 1, and beat everybody.

 

[DMSRACE]

Well, were you on the pre-run? I was and let me tell you, the goat trail might be graded now, but what till after the first lap. It is not nearly as flat as you think. Casey had the bike to think of and I didn't hear of to many complaining.

Kevin

Racer

To live life half throttle would be a waste....

 

[deleted]

Bladed or not that course is very technical. You couldnt drive your WRC car around if you wanted to with or without a turbo. I agree that blading courses does take a lot out of it, but try to drive a stock production class race vehicle through some of that stuff and you will have a whole new appreciation for grading. Kevin is right, after one lap that course will be just as torn up as it was before they graded it.

Matt Scaroni
SMD Motorsports
Flat-Bill Up

 

[dave]

I was not going to say anything .....but Damn. I know it will get rough again but lets try and remember
what sport we are talking about here. Off road racing the whole point is to challenge the desert and beat it ???
Just my 2 cents...

 

[Jimmy8]

The whole reason for the blading of the Jeep Trail was because of the motorcycle race. Before it was way too rough with boulders and rocks ect., and with the speeds the bikes are going one of them would have seriously been hurt. Happens every year on the Jeep Trail. Casey made mention that Honda, KTM, ect. would not be really pleased if he made them run over it, and there is really not a logical way around it, so it got bladed. (Partly BLM as well) The Jeep Trail has been bladed in the past when SCORE promoted the race, and trust me, by the end of the first lap it will be rougher than ever. If you want rough and rocks, you will not be disapointed.

Trophy Truck #15
www.JimmyBeaver.com

 

[Kritter]

MHNiles...are you racing Parker?

Kris
"Buy American before it's too late"

 

[vman]

it's a shame that bitd had the goat trail , now it's the jeep trail , bladed. It's a good thing that bitd didn't do the mint track or the rock garden would be bladed .And how does everyone like the one line in osborn wash .

racing

 

[deleted.]

Its going to be ridiculous due to the fact that it will be extremely hard to get by someone even if u are faster.

 

[RacnCPA]

Are you guys listening? You have professional racers here telling you what the course is like before and after grading. Get a grip, Parker is not a walk in the park, that blading will last mere moments.

Sc

 

[Kritter]

Unless you are signed up to race it...pipe down on the Parker comments. and if the Mint was brought back...you probably wouldnt sak up for that either! Rubbin is racin!!!

Kris
"Buy American before it's too late"

 

[Will_Higman]

Not that my .02 is worth anything but here are my observations after pre-running(eating dust) with everyone else. First of all regarding the roughness of the course it may be smoother in the bladed spots but personally I think that it could actually unfold to be more challenging in those areas. All of racing is relative regardless if your slipping and sliding on the dirt or glued to the pavement at 200 mph. My point is that I think everyone will drive a little faster in those areas and with the freshly graded ground it is going to create new problems. The first being on the Goat Trail. The grooming has up rooted many of the medium size rocks and they will be playing ping pong between the new berms. Medium size rocks are great for flats and flying up into the car after just nicking one. I also think that coming down the freshly graded wash is going to be slower do to the lack of a groove to "lean on". Also the new berm is just big enough to make it hard to get in and out of. This next one is complete speculation on my part but here it goes. I think that the grading may be a selling point to the BLM by Casey. Although it disturbs that ground the berms will keep more cars in a one lane track. Anything make sense?
<img src=http://www.cheshire2000.com/boxhauler/images/spinning2.gif>
Will Higman

 

[martininsocal]

I sure am glad most of the folks who ran the first offroad arces are old enough to not be around anymore...Do you guys hear yourselves? It will be faster...There is only one groove...Makes it motre technical. I remember when technical meant getting a car THROUGH a section of the course...just getting through it! Race courses are always...ALWAYS permited as a corridor, not as a lane. If I wanted to race or watch a slot car track, I would go find one. Remember lines? Picking the right one meant the difference between winning and not finishing in many cases. Glad we don't run the huge silt beds of the Mint or Frontier 500 any more.

If your gonna go, go BIG

 

[rdc]

OR THE ROCK GARDEN TERMINAL VOLICITY SILT BEDS IN THE 82 FRONTIER 500 TOOK OUT OVER 50 % OF THE FEILD AND THAT WAS IN THE FIRST 120 MILES HMMMMMMMM

 

[TROPHYSEDAN]

Its funny to here people complane about how rough it is when they drive a unlimited car or a truck.I raced my 11 car last year and finished.Marten they are to young to remember what real off road racing is.My first parker was the 72 norra dam 500 .that i can remember.It just cracks me up to here people complain its dusty,its rough,WE NEED A WATER TRUCK,Hope to be at parker .Thanks Dennis

 

[vman]

Martin you are so right, I have heard that the goat trail,now the jeep trail, was bladed for the bikes at parker and I have heard that it was bladed to keep everyone in the same track. I have heard that it will turn rough after the first lap and I have heard it will be slower now that it is bladed. Most all of this is bull .The jeep tail will take years to rut out like it was because of the soil content in most areas. Whiplash raced bikes on the goat trail for years. Everyone will not stay in the same track, if they do someone will get run over. It mite be slower in spots that the top soil have been disturbed and will turn to silt. Our team just spent $1800 on micro stubs for the 1600 to get 2.5 inches of wheel travel and just put on new king shocks. Why do you ask ,to go faster in the rough. If we had known that bitd was going to blade the track we would have just put in taller gears. After preruning parker our team will be racing the MORE Barstow race instead. Isn't it funny last year when whiplash put on parker everyone was so happy and talking about the big race, makes you think

racing

 

[mhniles]

Yes, I was on the pre-run. As far as bike safety is concerned, haven't bikes been racing over the goat trail for years? And if it's going to be rough again after 1 lap, what was the point??

 

[mhniles]

Ok, I’ll try to explain my thoughts. First off, I am racing with a team. We spend a lot of money to have the latest and greatest technology built into a car, then we spend countless hours testing and dialing the car in to make it better than the other guys. Motors, shocks, balance, weight, tires, parts….every piece on that car. I might add this is only a drop in the bucket to what other teams spend who are racing like Honda, KTM, and Chevy (when they built the three Vortec trucks). If you want to race in stock full that’s awesome because it brings more people to the sport, and more people get to have fun, but don’t trash the desert and groom the rocks because you can’t get around. If the course was groomed for the bike riders by KTM maybe they should have done the simple thing and re-routed the course. I guarantee Larry Roseler would never complain about a PROFESSIONAL racecourse being to rough. That’s where he’s going to shine over Johnny Weekend Racer. IT’S CALLED BEING A PROFESSIONAL. If BITD wants to be a professional series, they need to put on a professional caliber race (with bumps and rocks). One last point for the argument I keep hearing “it will be rough as ever after one lap” What the hell was the point!

 

[Waldo]

Why don't you guys who are concerned or questioning the reasons for the bulldoze call Casey himself? I hear he is a pretty upfront and "for the racer" kind of guy.

BTW, how long is the trail they graded? Did they grade the entire trail? Is the goat trail at the beginning of the race?

The last two years at the BITD/Desert Vipers Adelanto GP, they graded and watered the first 3/4 of a mile or so of the race course. I am sure this was done for safety reasons. Different from a car and truck races, the motorcycle starts have numerous starters at the same time (anywhere from 4 to 100's depending on the type of race). It is very dusty and riders can get pretty jacked up at the start. I have crashed at the start of a race in the dust and been plowed into by other racers who didn't see me. It's not too fun. MI TU SENTZ

Confucius Say - "Every man who do Flying-W, come down with nuts in mouth."

 

[Guest]

They should never grade anything unless it's impossible for the slower classes to make it through. My best memories over the past 20 years of racing off road are the really rough races that you felt good just to finish. The old Mint 400 is at the top of the list, and the "Goat Trail" was always what you talked with your buddies about after the Parker race. I remember racing a 1600 car through the "Goat Trail" and shifting into 3rd gear and you couldn't even focus your eyes it was so rough! Not only does it take one of the only rough areas out of the course but it makes it REALLY to difficult to pass when youre going fast with big berms on the sides of the road. I understand if the BLM forced the issue, but otherwise it should never be done.

 

[DMSRACE]

mhniles, Casey is as good as it gets as far as promoters go. I know for a fact, that the BLM wanted the goat/jeep trail smoothed out. And if you think about it, now there is more room to pass throught there, no 3-5 foot ruts. I was the next to last guy throught the pre-run in a 4x4 ranger, and it was not all that smooth. Parker has always been a somewhat fast course that I know of. The 1 line in Osborne wash was not all that previlent when I went through there, eveyone was making trails for their own lines. The BLM was very in favor of the bladed wash. We race where they let us. And as far as all the time you and your team put into you race program, welcome to racing. I do it just as much as you, and pciscott, and everyother racer who is serious. Racing is time=money, money=time. As far as vman not running Parker, to bad, you will be missing out on a great race. Good luck against my boy Mike Malloy at the MORE race.

Kevin

Racer

To live life half throttle would be a waste....