Barber/Daytona 2011

Folks,

I'm very excited to announce 1993 World Champion Kevin Schwantz will be pitted with us, competing on a Manx in 500 Premier with AHRMA at the Barber Vintage Festival this October, and a 40' container full of Premier bikes (Manxes, G50s, etc) are coming over from New Zealand with Manx guru Ken McIntosh in charge of the lot. And if that's not enough, Maria Costello is returning this year to put the flutter in our hearts while she kicks our butts, riding a Domi Lowboy.

While Schwantz is only doing Barber, Maria and all the New Zealanders (as well as the AHRMA regulars) are doing both Barber, then Daytona the following weekend, and are really looking forward to these back-to-back world class events.

It's going to be a couple of vintage weekends like we've not seen in a long, long time. I hope you all will come and hang out. And if you have any spare race bikes, bring them too!

Show them the way around, Kenny!

Some years ago Ken McIntosh had told me that the best of the Commandos were 5 or 6 seconds slower per lap than his fine singles. Watch out Homeslice these guys know how to do the turn parts.

Now Greg,

I will be humbled to be in their presence. Looking forward to hanging out with Ken McIntosh. And in the Premier race I'll be on the Manx, so apples to apples. I know they're going to be tough (and I'm not even talking about Kevin... he's in another universe). All I can do is do what I can to keep them in line.

And why don't you come down and help with the 750s, as you did at Grattan?

Any Aussies entered ? Wayne Gardner has been doing a bit.
Will be a great spectacle.

To anyone who has never been to Barber and/or Daytona, this year might be the best time yet!

I wish toheck I could go back, but it's not looking good at the moment...

Hoo Boy....can't wait for the Vintage races in Daytona this fall!!! Pretty cool that they're now going to be held in October instead of March!! I met you, Kenny, at the last Daytona event (March 2010) while touring around the garages with Mike Carter of the (in)famous Carter Brother's Garage in Altoona, FL. That was one cold weekend for Florida...me and "Norton Billy" arrived at the Carter's the night before and the thermometer at the shop read 29 degrees F.

This should be a great fall event and hope to see all Forum members within riding distance show up for the festivities. The only bummer this year will be the Greater Atlanta Norton Owners Association (GANOA) folks won't be having their "Turn Six" party to coincide with the races....they've stuck to the March bike-week event.

A little stroll down memory lane:

cmessenk said:

Hoo Boy....can't wait for the Vintage races in Daytona this fall!!! Pretty cool that they're now going to be held in October instead of March!! I met you, Kenny, at the last Daytona event (March 2010) while touring around the garages with Mike Carter of the (in)famous Carter Brother's Garage in Altoona, FL.

A little stroll down memory lane:

Click to expand...

Oh yes. That bike I was riding is John Magyar's Seeley MK2 750 short-stroke. I jumped on it and felt just like home. In fact, it felt almost exactly like my own Seeley (but with an additional 1500 rpm available!) - I didn't change a thing on it, ergonomically. Unfortunately I shredded the belt while making a great pass on John Ellis on the banking on Saturday, then the Boyer rotor exploded the next day! Yikes.

Nonetheless, It is a fantastic bike, and I hope John gets home and gets it back out on the track again (he works in mining and is in Siberia right now - no joke).

If you look close, you'll see a bottle of Loctite on the floor. No surprise there!

Hope to see everyone out at Barber/Daytona this year. It's going to be a cracker.

The Turn Six event will be held at Barber this year.

Wow, very impressive. I bought a lot of parts from Ken over the years. Great source of info too.

I won't be able to make it to Barber this year, but with less than a month to go before the vintage races in Daytona, I just wanted to bump this thread up to the top again. I'm hoping that folks on this Forum within a day's ride to the Speedway will come for a great time. Me and the gang will be hanging with MIke Carter and his brother Dave (Carter Brother's Garage) in Altoona Florida. The pre-race tech day is held a day or two before the races on Sunday and Mike's got the line on all the going's on. Shoot me a PM if anyone's interested....c'mon you fellow Nortoneers, especially the one's in Florida!!

I'm in with a REMOTE chance to make either Barber or Daytona, Daytona more likely.

I'm sayin' my prayers...

Keeping the cornering speed high, typically, is key to riding a single fast. Barber has lots of corners. Twins might have an edge.

I did a two day school at Barber, Mr. Schwantz showed me around that place. Great experience. All around good guy, his folks too.

crossing my fingers to make daytona

Keeping the cornering speed high, typically, is key to riding a single fast. Barber has lots of corners. Twins might have an edge.

I did a two day school at Barber, Mr. Schwantz showed me around that place. Great experience. All around good guy, his folks too.

Click to expand...

Thanx for reminding me about Barber track school and days xbackerdowner : )
At this point in my life about the most desirable thing I feel 24/7 is powering all the way into and out of turns, within a bikes limits of course, which is always the trick on twisty places like Barbers. I was pleased to hear nothing tops 150 mph in the opens at Barbers, which means its mostly all about the turning there. Kenny grounds his rides there routinely so what more can he do against them 125's and big singles? Some day I want to find out on Ms Peel. Until then just got to stick to THE Gravel commutes.

Btw the most pleasing yet flabbergasting little contest I saw last year was 125 whizzing around and out of the place everyone tries to enter just off the edge of the tarmac to dive into a RH 180 sweeper that lets out in a S shape before the long stretch, when floppy eared bouncing bobbing Indian twin comes around right on 125's tail and the 125 tries to cut him off by out tipping and turning under WOT, but the ole Indian ducked in sharper and farther over to hook up more power to get a bike length a ahead then each could not change position one iota the whole way down the straight, perfectly matched power to drag so that Indian flat out handled the 125. I'd never of believed it and made me think real deep about what I'd seen and saw those flexy old hard tail Indians doing, EGADS often with only one hand on the bars while the other shifts!! Seems something to do with relieving tire direction conflicts, don't know yet of course, but I sense it in my joints. Will alert Wes to start packing.