Sunday, November 19, 2017

Going to a better place...

Earlier this year, the rear steering ratio was changed from 20% to 34%. I finally got to test it at the track in early September.  That morning at the track, we also got a visit from some good friends (Jeff and Sally) that I haven't seen since my USAF assignment (1981-1983) at RAF Bentwaters!


The improvement in steering and handling boosted my confidence enough to register for the MRA's final HPR event of the season.Then I got a job offer in Yuma, Colorado. Race registration was then cancelled due to new demands on my attention. Time to sell my Englewood home (And 8' x 8' shed) and move into a much better home (With a 30' x 50' insulated 240V workshop and 27' x 31' garage)! There's a lot of romance and mythology about building bikes in sheds - it was a fun and challenging way to start  - but the Rohorn Industrial Complex has outgrown that.


There is a lot of work to be finished on the workshop (And money to be spent on machine tools) before a lot of work gets started on the next racer. But getting this far is a huge step forward. 

The rest of 2017's involvement with motorcycle racing was from behind video cameras at the MRA's HPR events. Time spent at the track, as close to the action as I could get, with an old JVC GY-HM70U and GC-PX100 was an excellent experience. If you love motorcycle roadracing and want to get involved and up close to the action without actually racing, I highly recommend working as a Corner Marshal for a season, then getting a media pass and shooting photo and/or video. I shot most of the off-bike video content in the 2017 MRA Awards Banquet video: