Shedman’s Flattrack & TT Festivals

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Fellow Motorcyclists,
WooHoo! Another excellent day spent in the agricultural veggie basket known as Aromas, swilling chilled brew while watching grown men revert to the level of teenagers, in racing competition where the lighter weight of the younger racers is a distinct advantage over old age and treachery. PLUS! The usual feast of tender BBQ’d tri-tip with assorted homemade side dishes! I always have more fun here than at the professional racing venues. And of course, the opening ceremony with a live singing of the national anthem and fly-over by the Watsonville Squadron are appreciated traditions.
Shedman and I arrived at the event “just in time” early Saturday morning – another five minutes and we’d have lost our usual, primo observation spot at trackside; eventually there were eight of us in our TDM group.

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The track was just a bit smaller this year, the outside sweeper having been removed to tighten the track and therefore the racing by removing some of the power-and-weight discrepancies among the bikes (power as in tweaked motors) and riders (weight as in skinny young kids versus fat old guys). The track is a loop-within-a-loop design with a couple very tight corners:

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This was how Scott spent almost all of the racing, helping out as a corner worker. Shedman, in the foreground, did a short tour of duty also.

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Shedman was quite protective of his new protégé, Darlene, holding her off the track until everyone else had finished their warm-up laps and the track was vacant so that she wouldn’t get run over. Alas, Darlene… How was it Scott described it? Oh yes: “Darlene… promptly crashed out in front of the entire crowd on her first lap.” Here’s Darlene scrambling to get the mini-racer upright before photographic evidence can be obtained (Fail!), as Shedman ambles to her aid while wondering where he left his first aid kit:

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Darlene later on, lined up with the other Powder Puff girls (that’s Darlene looking our way, in the foreground):

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There were three (!) 10-second placard girls taking turns at the start of each heat and a professional announcer, a friend of the host, provided color commentary. That’s Shedman lined up in the inside lane; the rider facing the wrong way at the left of the picture was so good, that’s where he was handicapped, on the inner part of the track! And he couldn’t cut across the grass at the start of the moto, instead having to stay on the track and turn left, then loop around to cross the start / finish line and eventually catch up with the pack. Of course, he was one of the skinny youngsters…

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There’s the “Le Mans” racing start, wherein the racers run to their machines at the start of the race; here, with grown (heavy) men riding the required Honda CT-70 mini-bikes, there’s a modified Le Mans start, with the racers running WITH their bikes at the start:

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Shedman vying for first place in one of his motos with Scott getting a video close-up of the action (we expect Scott to provide an entertaining video of the racing at Shedman’s upcoming FT and TT Festival):

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Navigating a corner along the inside portion of the track:

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It gets a little dusty for the backmarkers in the larger motos, which can get to be disagreeable during motos that last from over four to nearly eight minutes:

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The day was bright and sunny (perfect for growing veggies!) as you can tell from the clear blue sky and the sharpness of the shadows, necessitating occasional track watering to keep the dust under control:

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There were sidecars, as usual. Here’s an unusual sidecar, decked out like a space shuttle; the riders were dressed as astronauts, and periodically the monkey would open the carbon dioxide portable fire extinguisher so that the CO2 vapor leaving the rear-facing nozzle simulated rocket propellant visually and auditorily.

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I saw a couple pristine Mini-Trails:

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The award ceremony was professionally done; check out the size of the recirculating master trophy:

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Class winners received classy CNC laser-cut metal trophies and all Win / Place / Show riders received a large plastic sign designating their order crossing the finish line.

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Darlene had to scurry off early, before the award ceremony; here’s Brian showing us Darlene’s place sign and a bouquet of flowers presented to all the competing women of motherly age (the race was held the day before Mother’s Day). Kudos to Brian for getting up on the podium with the Powder Puff teens.

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Shedman did us proud:

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Shedman and I were having such a good time, we hung out at the ranch house with the event’s inner circle until nearly dusk. As we packed up to leave the evening coastal fog was rolling in over the western hills:

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Every time I attend this annual racing event, or Shedman’s Flattrack & TT Festivals, I wonder how many other similar events have become local traditions that are enjoyed by avid motorcyclists. I’ll bet there are lots.