Scott,
I am aware of the speed concern you voice opinion over at Wilmington. I have intentions of going very fast at Wilmington and look forward to breaking many records and holding the track record there. I will be taking baby steps so that I can be sure that using traditional braking systems will stop me safely in the distances provided at Wilmington. I also have been told that I would not be allowed to go much faster than 260 unless I could continually prove that I could stop safely which is my plan. So basically, if I go 250 and stop safely, I would be allowed to try 260. If I can stop safely from 260 and have total control over my bike, I would be allowed to attempt a faster speed. But...the moment I am unable to stop safely at higher speeds due to my inability to safely control my bike, it only makes sense that I would either need to re-think my braking process, drogue ribbon chute deployment, or possibly a linked ABS braking system. Either way, I won't stop trying to go fast. I do believe however that only Loring provides the required braking distance for attempting 300mph in the 1 mile.
Your 265 runs at Maxton were very scary runs because if I remember correctly the long shutdown was used in it's entirety and well beyond to the wire barrier. be that here nor there, Wilmington has a new owner on the team so things do change. I do hope to see you again sometime at Wilmington, I miss your wife's cookies.
Guy
Thank you Guy.
Ellen and I both look forward to Wilmington,
coming well supplied with the crowd-pleasing
home-made chocolate chip cookies in quantity.
If I were to have a bike inspected by the ECTA,I would
want nobody but you to do the initial looking.
Your trained eye, careful approach to a potentially - dangerous
outing would make me feel much more safe going down the track.
If you said change it.....It would be changed !
Yes, there should be additional "Licensing"
for higher speeds, as you suggest.
Live to race another day.
When my team races at Bonneville, there are often 3 or more "inspectors"
watching us with binoculars as we race down the 5-mile track.
Often an "inspector" will speed to us before
we are completely stopped, just to give us
a "look over" at the completion of a run.
They raise the bike up, take
the temperature of the tires, etc.
"Just bein' careful." we are told.......
Sometimes professional photographers are "appointed" to
take pictures of us on a run to provide "clarification"
if it is needed later....
The shut-down area at Wilmington doesn't scare me like
Maxton did, but there is all that aircraft-landing stuff
right in the center of the grassy run-off area....
Blow something up (I have), and you can get a
faceplate covered in fluids (Happened to me twice,
both @ Bonneville and Goliad)
that made it so, at 240+ mph, I was blind,
and I would NOT have been able to see
WHERE those uprights are at Wilmington.
You, Guy, are the last "good head" for motorcycles in the ECTA.
You have a tough - and often thankless - job ahead of you.
I trust you implicitly, and hope that the new owners of the ECTA
understand what a treasure they have in you,
and give you the authority you need and deserve !
Be Safe,
Have Fun,
Get your AA license,
and go 300 mph, young man !