The Dudes.

#55 BILLY BELL

                  #56 BRENT POSTLETHWAITE

The good with the bad

The bad bit was spinning out in my time trial, smoking into the wall and coming out Joe slow in 'C' class. Oh, my wounded pride. I blame this entirely on my crew. Actually I can't really do that. I knew there was something funky about the handling, it kept breaking loose on the corners in practice and I could only give her about 80%. After the 'crash Kinkaid' (as Curtis Williams put it) routine of the first two race days, yon car was a little 'dialed out'. Squarely my fault I should say then. After monkeying about blindly with tire pressures and hoping for the best, off I went into the 'C' heat starting on the grid next a bloody Porsche 944 driven by a man called Thor. What he was doing in the 'C's I have no clue. Then again, what the hell was I doing there for that matter. Anyway, he handed my ass to me and I took 2nd place. The rest of the pack were not really a challenge, you almost feel bad, like taking advantage of the handicapped or something. Then the 'B' main, on the grid next to that frikkin' Porsche again. I wound up lapping several other cars, but Thor skunked me again, this time taking the trophy with the hot chick in the photo with the chequered flag and the whole bit. Bastard! Still, good for him I guess. If you can't take defeat and personal humiliation then the race track is not for you. Getting second in that race put me up into the 'A' main (next to guess who on the grid) so I got to race again! Never a bad thing. Now, I'm kicking the 944's ass and he pits for some reason, only to re-emerge and I scream by him again. Damn! Granted, by now the crew had switched me over to a different tire and adjusted some more pressures and I had my handling back, but that would have been so nice in the last race. Oh well, dems da breaks. I managed to slog past about five cars, had a great battle with #20 (the highlight of the day actually) and finished somewhere midfield which is better than I've done so far in an 'A' main event. So, there was redemption after the humiliation, and that's the microcosm that is racing. Team mate Billy Bell in the prelude #55 finally got some scars on the car and came in 4th saving the day once again for Fairway Motors. Last I saw as I was leaving he was schmoozing with an entourage of young, good looking women. Me? Drove my piece of crap onto the trailer and checked out for a beer. Kris Mckenzie #29 made up for his character building experience last week and got the 'A' main trophy, and good for him, he was a lot more talkative this time and it was done in front of Pops McKenzie too, a proud pair to be sure. Great driving Kris, came right from almost at the back to boot. Usual ace drivers Curtis #41 and Garry Radford #98 had rotten luck with their cars but then again that gives the rest of us a chance but I still feel bad for them. Hate to see a mate in that state. Peter Chick #4 who got smashed to bits last week came back swinging with his old car, a civic, and won a trophy although I can't remember in what event. The 'A' heat maybe, whatever, it's hard to keep track when you're driving too and trying to remember where you're supposed to be on the grid so you don't look like a tool. The best thing about the raceday though was the fact that my Mum and Dad, who are octegenarii showed up, "Lookit Mom, Lookit!" The low point was a nasty car fire for #16 and although nothing came of it, it reminds one of that horrible potential for fireball. Anyway, lets not dwell on that. Cool picture though. (see below). The screwed up time trial really sucked too but as Billy said, "Don't let it ruin your day man." Two weeks before the next raceday seems too long to wait, but I must be patient. One other thing, every time I visualize that green flag dropping for go at the beginning of a race I get the goosebumps. I guess I got it bad.

I must not crash into the wall during time trials.        

I must not crash into the wall during time trials.

I must not crash into the wall during time trials.

I must not crash into the wall during time trials.

I must not crash into the wall during time trials.

I must not crash into the wall during time trials.

I must not crash into the wall during time trials.

Carnage!

June 14 was my second race day and a chance to not screw up so bad this time. Some hopes. Fairway motors is running two cars now so no matter what I do, Billy in the 'lude is there to redeem things. That is just what happened. Having said that though my heat race went ok at first, I actually found myself climbing through the pack like a guy who knows what he's doing. Of course this couldn't last for long, I went sideways in turn two (after a careful review of the video it's pretty obvious I was tipped by #25) and got smunched between #25 and #39 simultaneously, punched down into the grass and on regaining the tarmac blew out my left front tire. #39 dropped out into the pits right away and I continued to race to the finish on the flat, what else could I do? Billy in the prelude took fourth in his heat. In the A main final I found myself entering with a bent steering knuckle (whats new?) and early on went to cut off Rick Sellers in #47 perhaps a little too harshly and pit manouevered myself sideways onto his front bumper with my driver side door. Rick lost his cheese and kept ramming under full power taking me seventy yards or so down the track with all wheels smoking. (much to the delight of the ever-bloodthirsty crowd) I saw my pit crew go by through the windshield! Then I hit the wall. Still running though, and back in, at the rear. Rick got himself black flagged for that little excercise and joined me. According to him later, he figured if he kept pushing I would eventually slide off his bumper. But I didn't. I saw Curtis Williams in #41 get a black flag too for smoking someone into the wall, and it seemed like every time I did a lap someone else was sideways or backwards or getting intimate with the wall. My wonky steering prevented me from doing anything but hanging on to the pack with grim determination but after a few more trips through the daisies it was all over. On my last go around I saw poor Peter Chick in # 04 in bits and pasted to the wall coming out of turn 2 (shame!). He had such a nice car too. Kris McKenzie in #29 took a few beefy chunks that night but nuthin' that can't be fixed said his Dad Larry. Kris didn't seem like he was in the mood to discuss much. But all said and done I finished the race! Oh yeah, and team mate Billy got third so I guess that's OK then. Looking foreward to more madness this Saturday... Tally Ho!

PS. My new moniker which I wrote on the bumper was 'Plunderdog'. I see this has now been altered to say 'Blunderdog' which I suppose is more than apt considering. So far I'm fifteenth and Billy is second out of thirty two cars in the season standings. (see agassiz speedway.com for profiles and schedules etc.)

2008 Hornet season