I've got the helmet and pants in a closet. The boots got a lot of miles and fell apart in the Houston humidity. The tank top was sold at a garage sale for fifty cents. The Blaster still makes noise but a different old guy rides it now.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Back in the day.
In order to keep up with the Bishop, I feel like I've got to post an old school pic of me on my first Yamaha Blaster. Old school JT pants, AXO boots, Shoei helmet, Adidas tank top with 'guns' blazin'!
I've got the helmet and pants in a closet. The boots got a lot of miles and fell apart in the Houston humidity. The tank top was sold at a garage sale for fifty cents. The Blaster still makes noise but a different old guy rides it now.
I've got the helmet and pants in a closet. The boots got a lot of miles and fell apart in the Houston humidity. The tank top was sold at a garage sale for fifty cents. The Blaster still makes noise but a different old guy rides it now.
Monday, May 4, 2009
I'm seeing Red!
No, I'm not ticked off, I'm talking about color. What is it with red that makes things fast? My first red car was an IROC-Z. Wow, now there's an inside to my secret past. Camaro, Trans Am and Mullets all go in the same bag.
My first Banshee was blue but the one I am happy to ride now is red. Red is fast always has been always will be. Unless your name is Red. Then your best off and safer in a red wagon.
All joking aside, I recently noticed that the big four mfg in ATV industry all seem to agree and include red in their branding. When I think Honda, I see red. But when I think Yamaha, I see blue. Suzuki, yellow. Kawasaki, green. Then why would they all have red in their badge of color.
Because red is fast!
My first Banshee was blue but the one I am happy to ride now is red. Red is fast always has been always will be. Unless your name is Red. Then your best off and safer in a red wagon.
All joking aside, I recently noticed that the big four mfg in ATV industry all seem to agree and include red in their branding. When I think Honda, I see red. But when I think Yamaha, I see blue. Suzuki, yellow. Kawasaki, green. Then why would they all have red in their badge of color.
Because red is fast!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
No Ferrari in F1?
Max puts the cap on F1 spending starting 2010. Ferrari doesn't like the cap and say's it will pull out. Max says no biggie, we can survive. WHAT? Why would Ferrari threaten to leave the racing world after it has made every season since the start? Ferrari makes F1 as far as I'm concerned and they aren't on my favorite to follow list. Not likely I will own or drive a Ferrari in my lifetime (or a McLaren but I do follow this team closely).Just goes to show, when corporate executives make the calls, it's more often than not, STUPID. Both Max and Ferrari need to break open a jar of their grey poupon and have a sam'ich. Survival doesn't mean flourish. F1 is the king of "World" racing. That's the way it is. They do things we don't do in American racing. They do amazing things that make ugly cars very fast. Those ugly cars soon look pretty good.
Red cars are a requirement for all racing.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Ice! It's not just for beer anymore.
Cryotherapy is probably something most of us Athletes won't experience or have access to. I for one, would give it a shot if I had the opportunity. Now you're asking what is this guy talking about and why here on the Sandtrax blog.
Mark Webber is a F1 driver that has recently used the freezing chamber to help heal a broken leg. The minus 130-degree temperature speeds up recovery. 3 minutes in the freezer stresses the body forcing increased circulation of the blood, especially around an area that is fractured.
Sounds good to me. Pour me a cold one!
Mark Webber is a F1 driver that has recently used the freezing chamber to help heal a broken leg. The minus 130-degree temperature speeds up recovery. 3 minutes in the freezer stresses the body forcing increased circulation of the blood, especially around an area that is fractured.
Sounds good to me. Pour me a cold one!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Photographs of the legends.
I remember seeing a black and white photo hanging on a garage wall, racecar drivers face, grease marks, red shop rag in mouth, sunglasses and a dirty hat - it was the king R. Petty.
I remember seeing pics of a guy named A.J. - tight open face helmet, goggle marks for wrinkles, dirty cheeks.
I think of the first Dale with the helmet, microphone, dark bubble goggles, smirk under the moustache. (no, it wasn't Tom Selleck.)
It's those photgraphs that put a long lasting memory of what a racecar driver looks like in front of the camera. At least until now. I've cleared the memory bank and made room for a new driver gallery in my mind. Go ahead, have a look for yourself.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2008_swimsuit/danica-patrick/index2.html
Now that's a racecar driver!
I remember seeing pics of a guy named A.J. - tight open face helmet, goggle marks for wrinkles, dirty cheeks.
I think of the first Dale with the helmet, microphone, dark bubble goggles, smirk under the moustache. (no, it wasn't Tom Selleck.)
It's those photgraphs that put a long lasting memory of what a racecar driver looks like in front of the camera. At least until now. I've cleared the memory bank and made room for a new driver gallery in my mind. Go ahead, have a look for yourself.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2008_swimsuit/danica-patrick/index2.html
Now that's a racecar driver!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Race Opp.
In the Houston Chronicle today...
Indy Racing League is offering team owners in the rival Champ Car World Series free cars and engines in a bid to reunite. Owners who move to the IRL also would receive $1.2 million in cash.
Load up the race trailer Pops, dust off the goggles, we're going to INDY!
Okay, so we aren't Champ Car World Series owners but it never hurts to dream.
Indy Racing League is offering team owners in the rival Champ Car World Series free cars and engines in a bid to reunite. Owners who move to the IRL also would receive $1.2 million in cash.
Load up the race trailer Pops, dust off the goggles, we're going to INDY!
Okay, so we aren't Champ Car World Series owners but it never hurts to dream.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Old Guys Can Still Race!
FORCE TOPS PX PERFORMANCE LIST
1/28/2008
14-TIME CHAMP MAKES DRAMATIC RETURN TO COCKPIT OF CASTROL GTX FORD MUSTANG
Chandler, Ariz. — For John Force, drag racing’s most prolific winner, four months of intensive rehabilitation following the most serious crash of his pro career culminated Monday in a unexpected and spectacular 4.782 second, 327.51 mile per hour sprint down a resurfaced quarter mile at Firebird Raceway.
It was the quickest run recorded during a National Time Trials test session extended by Sunday’s rain and it all but ended speculation about Force’s ability to rally from injuries that included a compound fracture of the left ankle, broken bones in both hands, broken toes and ligament and tendon damage.
With many his peers looking on, the 58-year-old icon fired the engine on a race car on which daughter Ashley’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang body had been mounted and, on his first effort since Sept. 23, successfully executed a burnout and launch before shutting off at half track.
That done, the 125-time tour winner came back hours later and laid down the aforementioned 4.782 that moved him to the top of the performance list ahead of veteran Ron Capps, whose 4.786 in the NAPA Dodge had been the previous best.
Walking with a noticeable limp, Force passed the first phase of his comeback test on Saturday when he was able to get in and out of the cockpit and exit through the roof hatch, thereby satisfying NHRA safety concerns.
“I had to get in my firesuit and do the drill for them,” Force said, “but I knew it wasn’t going to be a problem because I already had done it [climbed in an out] at the shop. Like I said, ‘it ain’t pretty, but I can do it.’”
For Force, it was important that he was the first member of his team to take one of the new generation, Murf McKinney-built chassis down the track. He was followed by Robert Hight and Mike Neff. Daughter Ashley will make her first runs on Tuesday.
“I’ve been down the road more than anybody out here,” he said. “If there was a problem, I wanted to be the one to deal with it before I sent Robert, Ashley and Mike Neff out there.
“We didn’t know what we had [with the new car],” Force said. “We thought it would be good, but we didn’t know. We still have a lot of work to do but that [4.78] was a good boost for this team. That’ll give ‘em motivation.
Everybody’s worked so hard since the end of the season and to run down through there like that was something.” Force, who missed the last three races of the season and finished seventh
in points, his worst showing since 1984, will return to competition Feb. 7-10 at the 48th annual CarQuest Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.).
“I wouldn’t be here without the doctors in Dallas [at Baylor University Medical Center] who put me back together and without Robert Ortmayer, my physical therapist in California, who’s kept me motivated. He understood why I needed to get back in the car and what I had to do to make it happen.”
Neither of the JFR Mustangs made it to the starting line during the first two days of testing because of mechanical issues. They were denied again Sunday by rain. Hight, No. 2 in the world the last two seasons, and rookie Neff, both aborted their first attempts Monday at half track, as planned. They’ll try to follow Force’s lead on Tuesday. “Right now, it looks like we’ll try to test here through Wednesday,” Force said. “We need to make some laps. We’re behind right now but we’re scrambling to catch up.”
After the death of team driver Eric Medlen in a testing accident last March and after his own crash in September, Force scrapped eight cars and started again with a controversial new design that hadn’t been tested competitively before Monday.
“That’s the first lap on these cars,” Force said. “That’s a credit to Austin Coil, Bernie Fedderley, John Medlen, Ford and Murf McKinney—to get these cars done in three months was unbelievable.”
1/28/2008
14-TIME CHAMP MAKES DRAMATIC RETURN TO COCKPIT OF CASTROL GTX FORD MUSTANG
Chandler, Ariz. — For John Force, drag racing’s most prolific winner, four months of intensive rehabilitation following the most serious crash of his pro career culminated Monday in a unexpected and spectacular 4.782 second, 327.51 mile per hour sprint down a resurfaced quarter mile at Firebird Raceway.
It was the quickest run recorded during a National Time Trials test session extended by Sunday’s rain and it all but ended speculation about Force’s ability to rally from injuries that included a compound fracture of the left ankle, broken bones in both hands, broken toes and ligament and tendon damage.
With many his peers looking on, the 58-year-old icon fired the engine on a race car on which daughter Ashley’s Castrol GTX Ford Mustang body had been mounted and, on his first effort since Sept. 23, successfully executed a burnout and launch before shutting off at half track.
That done, the 125-time tour winner came back hours later and laid down the aforementioned 4.782 that moved him to the top of the performance list ahead of veteran Ron Capps, whose 4.786 in the NAPA Dodge had been the previous best.
Walking with a noticeable limp, Force passed the first phase of his comeback test on Saturday when he was able to get in and out of the cockpit and exit through the roof hatch, thereby satisfying NHRA safety concerns.
“I had to get in my firesuit and do the drill for them,” Force said, “but I knew it wasn’t going to be a problem because I already had done it [climbed in an out] at the shop. Like I said, ‘it ain’t pretty, but I can do it.’”
For Force, it was important that he was the first member of his team to take one of the new generation, Murf McKinney-built chassis down the track. He was followed by Robert Hight and Mike Neff. Daughter Ashley will make her first runs on Tuesday.
“I’ve been down the road more than anybody out here,” he said. “If there was a problem, I wanted to be the one to deal with it before I sent Robert, Ashley and Mike Neff out there.
“We didn’t know what we had [with the new car],” Force said. “We thought it would be good, but we didn’t know. We still have a lot of work to do but that [4.78] was a good boost for this team. That’ll give ‘em motivation.
Everybody’s worked so hard since the end of the season and to run down through there like that was something.” Force, who missed the last three races of the season and finished seventh
in points, his worst showing since 1984, will return to competition Feb. 7-10 at the 48th annual CarQuest Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.).
“I wouldn’t be here without the doctors in Dallas [at Baylor University Medical Center] who put me back together and without Robert Ortmayer, my physical therapist in California, who’s kept me motivated. He understood why I needed to get back in the car and what I had to do to make it happen.”
Neither of the JFR Mustangs made it to the starting line during the first two days of testing because of mechanical issues. They were denied again Sunday by rain. Hight, No. 2 in the world the last two seasons, and rookie Neff, both aborted their first attempts Monday at half track, as planned. They’ll try to follow Force’s lead on Tuesday. “Right now, it looks like we’ll try to test here through Wednesday,” Force said. “We need to make some laps. We’re behind right now but we’re scrambling to catch up.”
After the death of team driver Eric Medlen in a testing accident last March and after his own crash in September, Force scrapped eight cars and started again with a controversial new design that hadn’t been tested competitively before Monday.
“That’s the first lap on these cars,” Force said. “That’s a credit to Austin Coil, Bernie Fedderley, John Medlen, Ford and Murf McKinney—to get these cars done in three months was unbelievable.”
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