. DRC at Buttonwillow ............................ |
. 4/22/00 |
| This is the garage that some of the boys rented. Anybody trying to enter who hadn't paid rent was jabbed with a hot cattle prod and told to bugger off. I snuck into the back of the garage by pretending to be Greg's license plate tucked invisibly under his seat. In this picture, Greg looks like he's just taking in the view, but he's actually trying to put his finger on just exactly why his license plate looked funny. |
| Here's an outside shot of the garage. Some of the members who opted for canopy living set up just outside the garage. I think these guys were tapping into the garage's electricity to keep their tire warmers and curling irons juiced. The rest of us were on the opposite side of the garage, staring at their showroom conditions. Except for Martinez: His shades were so dark and bad ass he couldn't see past his hands. |
| And there are the aforementioned shades. Michael looks like he's taking a break from his job with the Medellin Cartel. In the middle is Bob Setbacken, aka "The Fastest Man in Cordura" (honest Bob, it's a compliment). And then there's Chris, his hand fresh out of position from giving Bob bunny ears for the picture. If you think he's a riot when taking pictures, try living with him. He's a regular carnival. |
| A.J. and Dan are from San Diego. We had an A.J. sighting well before we met him. Seems that one day he got pulled over on a San Diego county road and was "of interest" to several sheriffs. Chris and I were riding by at that moment and saw this guy with his helmet off, saying nothing, face so forlorn you would've thought they told him his dog died. A.J. was having what we call a "Greg" moment. I forget whether or not he got stuck with a ticket. |
| Heidi is the woman who stands behind The Cop Magnet. I did learn something interesting this day: Greg is a CPA. Seems that the structure, the preciseness, the boundaries of his chosen career causes him to act out on his bike. I wonder if professional motorcycle racers like to go home and balance their checkbooks for a change of pace. |
| Ducatis are a dime a dozen compared to Andy's Ford Falcon (63?). I would love to own a car like this, but we already have a few bikes that need a fair amount of maintenance. I'm actually surprised Andy ventured so far from home in this. Come to think of it, do we know for sure he made it back home? |
| Steve Smith and his bike. I'm pretty sure they both passed me in a major hurry on the track. I think Steve said he'd been at Buttonwillow before, but it was in a Porsche. Odd, Steve seems too young to be driving a car designed for middle-aged men with Viagra dependencies. It's good to see him out of a cage and on a bike. |
| James used Zappy to break in his knee pucks. Unbeknownst to most people, Zappy has the ability to really lean in the turns. And as with many bikes, the first thing to drag is the sidestand. Chris will probably have a thinner and lighter sidestand milled from some exotic metal. Everybody has a purpose in life and Chris' purpose is to buy every expensive bike part made. |
| Okay, so it's the crapper. But for us world travelers, it's an extraordinarily clean crapper. The only bad thing is that it doesn't have windows; instead, it compensates with a fan and a very dim bulb, which makes you feel a little bit like you're in some bad person's basement. There are liquid soap dispensers, which really beats those grungy little cakes of motel soaps at Willow Springs. |
| And speaking about bad persons, doesn't Steve Faerge (on the right) look like he could be one of those bad persons with a bad basement? I believe I said, "Look up," not "Look up and give me your best vampire vibe." It's good, though. We already have too many guys with short hair looking like cops. Steve's friend, David (The Easter Bunny) Leblanc is on the left. |
| The DRC camp. Buttonwillow has done a good job creating a nice environment. The grass helps keep the dirt factor down. The trees are a great idea. The 50 gallon garbage cans are all over the place (you can even cook hotdogs on the radioactive waste coming off those drums). I might prefer Willow Springs' track, but the pit accommodations are pretty choice. |
|
Go to Zina's Home Page . |