Ask a Racer - photos, stories, tech tips, etc.

[Gdkarma]

I purchased something off of Ebay this week, and the seller contacted me today. He had some great stories to tell, and I'm hoping to have some more contact with him to learn more about his history in racing trikes. He sent me this picture today, and I thought I would share it with the group!

[X053]

So what did you buy from him???
Did you tell him about the site???
Cool picture

[bryan raffa]

Oh cool check out the nerf's!! Looks like my bike Sweet!! Git this guy to Open Up.. verry interested!!!

Find out his mods and get more pictures!! whats his name?

[Gdkarma]

He's from my hometown of Topeka, Ks. and I am trying to see if he would be interested in joining up with us and sharing some of his experience. I'll do what I can to learn more about his history of racing back in the day! I guess there's a group of these guys, and they still get together each year to tear it up.

[Gdkarma]

"Mike, thanks for the payment. I will ship on Friday. I still have my '86 Tri Z. Every year around Thanksgiving I have the "old man 3 Wheeler Ride" at my house. This year its December 1st. I have 22 acres and a practice Vintage MX track and I have 4 of my buddies come over and we ride, race, eat, drink beer and BS (in that order) on the 3 wheelers that we used to race (3 of us were Experts back in the day). We were in our 20's back then and the youngest of us is 49 now. Fun machines, hard to hang onto but love the challenge. Here is a picture taken 9 years ago after I had just turned 40 leading the main event at a local race. Cart tires and nerf bars on a clay banked 1/8 mile oval. Who needs brakes, just pitch it and grab more gas Burned the crap out of my left leg that night as I had a chrome pipe and no heat shield. OUCH!

Thanks for the purchase. Let me know when you get it."

I think it would be really cool if I find out we might have crossed paths in my old hometown! I'll try to get him and his buddies to stop by and share their stories and knowledge.

[Mr. Kasey]

fantastic!!! would be awesome if they would stop in and chat!!!!

[Gdkarma]

Just got another reply with stories and photos. More to come, I hope!

Feb 1983, WInter indoor race at a fairground in Feb at Sedalia Missouri. The famous Sedelia one mile AMA pro oval track was behind the building we were going in. The lead guy flipping you off is "Crashin Curt Moore". The first guy in our group to start racing and the first guy to quit. The machine is a one year old 1982 Honda ATC 250R. He would either win or crash. No 2nd places for him. Chipped a back vertebra edge about 1984 in a ferocious high speed wreck where his wheeler was flipping like a helicopter 10 feet above him and came down on him. OUCH! This is one of my favorite wheeler pictures. I was 25 years old and we were rebellious hell raisers. 3 Wheelers out numbered the bike entries and the flip off says it all.






This was another fair race summer 1998. This one a TT with right & left turns. Cart Tires. I am leading the main event with my buddies Fast Eddie on a '86 Tri Z and Mike Cook on his '85 ATC 250R. This is the core group of the fastest Kansas 3 Wheeler guys. All former Experts still racing into our 40's. Us 3 plus Curt Moore mentioned above were all from Topeka and all started on the balloon tired hard tails as pit bikes for our drag cars. As the cars became too expensive, the 3 Wheelers took over our gear head minds and racer needs. You could always throw a blanket over the 3 or 4 of us. Eddie #7 claim to fame was a week after the very "final" AMA pro 3 Wheeler race of all time, about 1986, in Iowa, that race was won by a Missouri guy named Mark Lee. We didn't go. Eddie beats Mark the very next weekend at a local race. We should have gone We were known as "Team Topeka" and hated by the Missouri guys as if not all of us, someone in our group always made the podium, sometimes 1,2,3.



Exactly one year ago this coming Saturday. the "Old Man 3 Wheeler Ride 2006". I'm on the inside, and Eddie on the outside making the Honda of Mike Cook the meat of the sandwich. The other two guys are setting out as they were Novices back in the day. Next week, Dec 1st we ride again, YIPPY!



sorry for the poor pics but its a scan of two really small pictures from my photo album. The top pic I am closest on the '82 Honda. The bottom pic I am in the far lane and spanking the crap out of a '84 Tecate 250. Shifting with my hand. Full Christmas Tree on a asphalt 1/8 mile track that we raced our cars on a few years previously. Home made wheelie bars. Can you imagine revving up your wheeler max RPM and dumping the clutch on pavement? Scarry but what a rush. 7.9 1/8 mile times. The funniest thing you can't see but I had a pink jersey and pink striped "JT" (now a paint ball supplier) black pants. The deal at the time was Brock Glover Pro MX'r shocked the world with racing in pink gear. You better be fast to wear pink gear right? I had to have the stuff. I was pretty cocky that way. I was young and was on my game and had the confidence to be so bold. Tough guy psych out BS really. Anyway the funny part was this was taken at a "all bike drags" put on by a Harley Club. Back then, pink meant "I'm Gay" to them. I was very uncomfortable that day and wished I was not so bold and was hoping to get out alive

[Gdkarma]

Rad Randy is awaiting his activation, and then we can all enjoy hearing some of his stories that he has to share! I look forward to hearing more about his experience, and sharing his knowledge with our group! I have a feeling he has some pretty cool photos that we all will get a kick out of!

[firefirefire90]

Sweet pictures Karma! I can't wait to hear all of this guy's stories!

[jenndnn3]

I look forward to hearing the stories..

Those are really cool Picts!

[Rad Randy]

Hi everyone. I am the old guy that used to race back in the day and in the pictures above. "Rad Randy" was my nic name thus my user name. I am willing to share what ever I can about what I know. I started riding 3 Wheelers in 1980 when they were pit bikes for our drag cars. They had no suspension and balloon tires and difficult to ride so naturally we were attracted to making them faster and handle better. That led to racing them. I remember when the very first issue of 3 Wheeler Mag came out (I still have issue #2). There was also a newspaper called ATV News, just like Cycle News thats still around today. We were getting a new issue twice a month and with 3 Wheeler racing exploding all over the USA, we were right in on the cutting edge. Garden Tractor Tires were all the rage. What the Pro's ran, we ran. I have several boxes of those ATV News and because of this, my issues were recently used by the ATVA to restore the race results of the first Grand Nationals which had been lost. The current Race Director of the ATVA is a good friend and former Topeka Kansas guy Doug Morris, he's a super nice guy and I think its cool that he is the head dude over ATV racing in the USA. I will check in and see if you have any questions that I can answer. You can email me direct at wegofast@mindspring.com

[chrisr200x]

Excellent! Thanks for stopping by and sharing some stories and pics!

We really dig those old school pics from back in the day! Was that your Tri z? I remember seeing that listed on ebay a while back

You'd be surprised how many diehard trikers are still around these days. Lots of cool members (with sweet rides) both here and over on three wheeler world.com.

WELCOME!!!

[Rad Randy]

Thanks. Yep, that was my racer on ebay. It sold to a nice guy about two hours away. I have another '86 Tri Z through a strange twist of recent events that I am going to hang onto. My old racing buddies are coming out for our annual "old man 3 wheeler ride" next weekend.
Randy

[Dammit!]

Nice pics and Welcome to the board!

[random-strike]

those nerf bars sure are narly