photo by Kevin McIntosh
... IT’S PURE
WEST COAST TO MID COAST...
WORDS AND PHOTOS BY KEVIN M CINTOSH AND ETECHPHOTO From the west coast (Classic MotoFest™ of Monterey) to the mid-coast, AHRMA’s roadracers arrived at the banks of Lake Michigan for some freshwater sunsets, perfect weather and like always, wonderful hospitality by our host, GingerMan Raceway. After checking off many a bucket list item (for some twice!) at Laguna Seca, GingerMan is like welcome comfort food: you know what you’re going to get, and you look forward to it; a well-maintained track with 11 unique and challenging turns. Navigating turn one from the start is always interesting and as close to rush-hour traffic as one will get on track, but after smoothing things out through turn two, you’re flying down Jill’s Hill into the very tight right-hand turn three. This is where many battles and even races will be decided. Then onto “Deep Demon” where linking turn five into turn six is one of the most challenging combinations to keep your flow and catch a few slower riders before turn seven. In turn eight and nine, a rider can
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make up a lot of ground or separate themselves from the pack heading into Wiggly Field, if you wiggle it right that is. Braking into the off-camber turn ten is a moment of trust between a rider and their tires, both thrilling and nerve racking. Did I mention GingerMan as “comfort food?” Well, ten is definitely the spicy snack that keeps it interesting and leads you right into an uphill grade where the difference in motor comes into play. Lots of “see ya laters” and “bye-byes” happening here, through Phoenix Flat heading into turn eleven where you get some of the best side-by-side corning action on the track right before the finish line. Turnout for this event was strong, with over 400 entries, 40+ classes and nine AHRMA Academy of Roadracing students on Friday, including Kyle Smith taking himself and his Hagerty sponsored XR250R off the dirt and onto the roadrace tarmac for the first time ever. All part of a challenge to experience six different styles of racing on the same bike, within the same calendar year. Kyle’s updates can be found in the pages of AHRMA MAG and in his blog at www.hagerty.com/media/ author/kyle-smith/.
AMERICAN HISTORIC RACING MOTORCYCLE ASSOCIATION
photo by Kevin McIntosh
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
