Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Steel Shoe Fund Endurance Ice Race section of the course. J.R. got around him and got away, also passing the Hahn/Nafzger team at least once - and maybe twice - during his second shift. I watched as Jesse rode away, then felt that sensation of excess pressure inside the old bladder. And someone spoke and I went into a dream...wait, that's a Beatles tune. That's when I learned the second rule of ice racing: Cross-rutting on the ice is a very, very bad idea. See, unlike your favorite dirt berms, ice offers little in the way of friction, demanding that you cross each rut at almost a gO-degree angle to avoid getting sucked into it. It's a prettY hairball deal when you're doing 50 mph, and it didn't take long - about 15 minutes before I, too, was struggling, part of my problem coming when my goggles fogged up because I chose to run one of those "no fog" face masks that they sell to snowmobilers. Well, the damned mask didn't fog anyway, restoring my faith that there is truth in advertising. Yeah right. Sensing my dilemma, the guys waved me in. At least I think it was them, because at that point, I couldn't even see the friggin' crossbar pad in front of me. Disgusted, I reluctantly rolled in, quickly passing the bike off to Uncle Scott so he could have his 15 minutes of fame. The mask was tossed into my gearbag ne'er to be seen again. Reassurance by the crew that I, like Jesse, had held my own, helped a little bit. Meanwhile, it was prettY easy to see who was fast out there as the race wore on, Team Fredette and Hahn/Nafzger were the guys to beat. We were actually hanging in there. Then there were the Heavyweight and Lightweight leaders. The Michigan team of Mike Miller and Mike Beckwith was doing the business in the big-bore class, while the tiddler class was being manhandled by the squad of Josh Webb, Biff Rickgbauer and Joey Jancoski. With J.R. rested a full 45 minutes, it was his tum to head back out and pull out all the stops again. Uncle Scott had also held his own, and by the time he pulled in for our second fuel stop, we hadn't lost that many laps to the leaders. J .R. did his thing again, taking advantage when Team Fredette pulled in and swapped to one of their riders who was clearly not Jeff Fredette. We also knew that Hahn/Nafzger would have to pull in eventually. Things were looking up by the time that the race passed the halfway mark. With all the changes and pitstops that were taking place, it was really easy to lose track of who was actually in the lead - at least that's what I'll say now because we did lose track of who was actually in the lead. But near as we could tell, Hahn and Nafzger were in the hunt for the overall, with Team Fredette second. We knew we were running near the front, thanks to Schnabel's stellar displays, but we had no idea how close we actually were on the lap count. Then came the rumor. Don't have any idea who started it, or how, but the story started to circulate that Fredette's team had lost time in the pits with mechanical problems, and maybe we were running right with them on the track after all. Then came another morale boost when Fredette actually slipped out of his cocoon of smoothness just long enough to crash in the back 36 FEBRAURY 14, 2001 • cue •••••••••••••••••••• So here comes the kid now, and I'm ready for him. The transition is smooth, and I waste no time in hustling back out onto the course. Racing as fast as I can on the first lap, I immediately notice that things are different this time around. First of all, I can friggin' see. Second, there is now a huge water puddle covering the outermost corner in the back section, and third, the whole course is absolutely chewed - no doubt thanks to Schnabel's ice race kung fu. It might not otherwise be that bad, but we are riding a DTX machine and thus giving up a lot of suspension that we could have used. Slamming across the ruts and through the braking bumps, the trusty little CR feels more like an old buckboard than a motorcycle, and I soon face the fact that I'm only gonna last about another 15 minutes on this, my final shift. This time, at least it'll be because I'm beat, so I decide that there is no time like the present to ride over my head a little and see just what I can get away with. The strategy is working well when all hell breaks loose about halfway through my run when I attempt to outbrake a lapper while we're going down the first long straightaway, which leads to a series of esses. The guy moves over just enough to force me into a rut. Clearly it is the wrong rut. Next thing I know, my legs are over my head, which is trying to spin around like that Linda Blair chick in The Exorcist, and my elbows are pistolwhipping me in the rib cage as I go into the mother of all tankslappers, completely blowing over and through the ice berms and prone pine trees that line the corners. I'll crash about three times before it's over, but I never hit the ground. And I pass that jerkwad who pushed me wide in the first place. Hah, hah! Take that, sucker! Soon as I start to get a little ragged (I mean where my team can actually see that I'm getting ragged), I get the onelap sign from big Schnabel, which is good because after that little off-track excursion, I have to pee again anyway. And thus ends my part in one of the most unique motorcycle racing events that I've ever contested. The race isn't even over and already I'm running around telling our crew how I'm going to be calling Acerbis for two quickfills and a fuel tank that holds 15 gallons, and we're actuaJly going to ride to the event, race it and then ride home. They just tell me to shut up. Once again rested, J.R. is up and running so well that we actually believe we might have taken the lead when he passes the 41 machine of I • n __ s • Hahn/Nafzgfer and the 13 of Team Fredette late in the going. We get even more excited when J.R. gets the white flag first after the race crosses the threehour threshold. Wait, are we actually gonna win this thing? The checkered flag is followed by jubilant high-fives as we bask in uncertain glory. Only time will tell if we actually won the race, but we feel like winners anyway. Of course, I'd love to tell you how the flagman's call held up, but once the official scoring was completed, we leamed that we had actually come home third overall and third in the Middleweight class. Fredette's team actually was scored first in the Middleweight class but second overall, while Hahn and Nafzger were credited with second in the Middleweight class and first overall. You try and figure that one out. I think that someone caught the mistake later. But perhaps the best summation of the day is that 32 teams were winners on a cold but awesome day on Lake Koshkonong. Some just came to compete. but more importantly aU of them did their part to contribute money that could someday mean the difference between winning a little and losing a lot for a flat-tracker who has been injured in the heat of battle. That's what will keep me coming back, because if I'm gonna be freezin', it's gonna be for a reason. And unless you can think of a better one, then I should hope to see you there next year, too. Just don't try to push me wide in the esses. eN Simmer's Sunset Tevem IJIke Koshkonong, Wisconsin Resurb: Januery 21, 20001 O/A: 1. Terry Hohn/Roy Nofzer; 2. Jeff Fredette/Tim Ferrell/Jerry Westhouse: 3. Jesse Janisch/J.R. Schnabel/Scott Rousseau/Scott Schnabel; 4. Chuck Russell/Scott Fittshur/Scott Herbsts: 5. Dave Dupree/Rob McGee/Miro Pokorny; 6. Mike Miller/Mike Beckwith: 7. Troy KlossfTroy Screw It!: A typical rear Ice-race tire will take about 12150 hand-tuned screws before completion, while a front can take over 800. nre sets run $1500 and can last for about three seasons. Oestreich/Chris Foskett; 8. Jeff Moore/John Stewert/Tyler Smulders; 9. Josh Webb/8iff RickgauerjJoey Jancoski; 10. Jay Waalen/Rick Becker/Scott WIlHems/John Mench; 11. Tony GiornofTerry Vestel/Rocco Giorno; 12. Nick Moeller/Dave Moeller/Billy Brown; 13. Marc Ottenad/Eron Ezerins/Jeff Bennett. 14. Jim CounsfRuss SWiggumlEric Bethke/Jim Neupert; 15. Frank Klliser/Llloyd Getts/Den Biddle/John F1eschner; 16. Don Schmill/Rondy Coulkln: 17. Joe Stoppleworth/Scott Diedrich/Brien Meyer; 18. Mike Knabel/Craig Knabel; 19. Mark Schmidt/Jered Vox/Todd Sleever/Eric Kemler; 20. John Erdman/Steve Forrest/Jim Sumner; 21. Ken Schuck/Ric.herd Brereton/Brian Millane/Andrew Jensen; 22. Ben Rader/Dave Mengo/Mark Klees/Cody Koprovic; 23. Tom Desorte/Gary Pllynter; 24. Michael SnorkeyfRick Pierson/BiJI Holz; 25. Matt Young/Jeff Wudi/Joe Tschumperlin/Kevln Fardoux; 26. Jeff Wilson/Greg Koepsel/Jeff Wilson Jr.{Tim Hermlln; 27. Greg Mellinger/Matt Carr/Kevin Olliges. 28. Merk Gruber/Rick Gruber/Wes Orloff. 29. Matt Pohleber/Kevln Keiser/Jake Klliser; 30. Deve Kiesow/Brian Kiesow; 31. Shane Myers/Chuck Russell/Steve Bloz.is; 32; Jim Beckrrom Cochran. L/W: 1. Josh Webb/Biff Rickgauer/Joey Jancoski; 2. Marc Ottenad/Eron Ezerins/Jeff Bennett; 3. Merk Knobel/Cl'llig Knobel: 4. Ken Schuck/Rlchord Brereton/Brien Millane/Andrew Jensen; 5. Ben Rader/Dave Mengo/Mark Klees/Cody Koprovic. M/W: 1. Terry Hahn/Roy Nafzger; 2. Jeff Fredette/Tim Farrell/Jerry Westhouse; 3. Jesse Janisch/J.R. Schnabel/Scott Rousseau/Scott SchnllbeJ; 4. Chuck Russell/Scott Fittshur/Scott Herbst!; 5. Dave Dupree/Rob McGee/Miro Pokorny. H/W: 1. Mike Miller/Mike Beckwith; 2. Tony Giornorrerry Vestal/Rocco Giomo/Rocco Giomo: 3. Nick Moeller/Dave Moeller/Billy Brown; 4. Joe Stoppleworth/Scott Diedrich/Brien Meyer: 5. Tom Desorte/Gory Poynter. A division of the Wegman Benefit Fund, the Steel Shoe Fund is a non-profit corporation that has been structured to assist injured flat track motorcycle racers who have been hurt during competition. The fund is registered as a charitable organization with the State of Wisconsin and is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt entity. The fund is run by an allvolunteer board of directors, and its benefits are open to any licensed dirt-tracker in any organized flat track association in the United States. whether they be an amateur, expert, or professional. To date. the fund has distributed over $15.000 in medical aid to assist fallen riders with the astronomical medical bills that arise from a serious accident in such a high-speed sport. In the majority of cases, the fund makes its donations directly to the doctors, hospitals, clinics, etc., the relief coming as secondary assistance to the racers' own insurance. All cases and amounts are decided upon by the board of directors. with every effort made to ensure that funds are not misused. The amount of relief is currently qUite limited. As fund trustee AI Sumner put it: "Right now we're on the ground floor of what we hope will one day be an Empire State Building.' That said, money is raised for the Steel Shoe Fund via racing events such as the ice race, auctions, merchandise sales and contributions. The fund is open to monetary gifts of any size, and is also in constant need of assistance in other areas, such as printing, advertising and materials. Volunteers are also a precious commodity, and anyone interested in helping is urged to contact one of the two men listed below. As friends and fans of flat track racing, we are encouraged to do what we can to help those who are helping our heroes in their time of need. For more information on the Steel Shoe Fund, contact: AI Sumner 4630 W. Mill Rd. Milwaukee, WI 53218 • 414/353-5920. e-mail: stelshoe@execpc.com Gordon Lunde Sr. P.O. Box 26635 Milwaukee, WI 53226-0635 Donations may be sent to: Steel Shoe Fund 4630 W. Mill Rd. Milwaukee, WI 53218

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