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Article by
Sandra Sims Martin
THE BIG STORIES
- The event was almost cancelled
- Team comes from Slovenia to race backwards!
- Sam Whittingham grabs the “fastest crash”
record
- Last minute appeal nets $1,600++ in cash prizes
- 16 year old goes 65 (almost)
- Fast Freddie joins 70 mph club
- Gardner Martin is awarded Sportsmanship Award
The fireworks began about a month before the race when a
public on-line brouhaha resulted in the organizer/promoter,
Garrie Hill, pulling out of the event. For a brief moment
it looked like there would be no Battle Mountain, 2003. But
George and Carole Leone stepped up and took over to run the
event as an IHPVA (??) Speed Championship. THANK YOU GEORGE
AND CAROLE! The deci.mach prize, $25,000, disappeared with
Garrie, but it didn’t look as if any competitors dropped
out due to lack of prize money.
Even the Slovenians came to race backwards. They had been
having some difficulty raising enough money for the trip so
Gardner promised them $500 toward the return trip if they
made it to Battle Mountain. Garrie Hill matched that offer.
Gardner was so excited with what he saw of it on the web that
he very much wanted to see it in person. The Eivie, Extreme
Innovative Vehicle In Europe, (pronounced eye-vee, like the
vine, Ivy) is ridden backwards (head-first) using a mirror
for navigation. This allows a smaller frontal area and a more
direct and efficient drive than can be achieved with a feet-first
design. The bike was full of innovative design features. Gardner
was highly impressed—so much so that he bought one of
their streamlining shells to put on a backwards tricycle he
designed.
Gardner took the unstreamlined backwards trike to Battle Mountain
just for show and tell. Lots of people tried to ride it around
the parking lot or at the airport. Most reported complete
disorientation; some to the point of vertigo and/or nausea
and this was on three wheels. Everyone who tried it developed
a huge respect for Eivie’s riders, Matjaz Leskovar and
Damjan Zabovnik, who not only did it at speed, with a full
fairing, but also did it on two wheels. Matjaz is a Slovenian
Track Champion and has over 400 hours practice in Eivie.
Here’s how the racing works. We all gather in the early
evening. The highway is shut down with N-DOT officials in
place at each end to control traffic. There is approximately
a 30-minute window during which half a dozen or so competitors
will get to take a run. Then the road is opened up again to
let traffic pass. Then closed again for the rest of the competitors
to run. When it gets too dark, we stop, and then go to the
evening meeting to get the official times and discuss any
issues. It was at one of these that Matjaz pointed out that
the metal poles, which line the course, are very dangerous
and should be removed for at least a mile before the time
traps. He also wanted more hay bales at the bridge over the
culvert. Carole and George jumped right on it and N-DOT removed
the posts and more hay was added. N-DOT really treats us well;
I can’t imagine Cal Trans being so cooperative.
Even, then Matjaz decided he just didn’t want to chance
it any further, his best speed occurred on Tuesday at 63.25
mph. He had taken three runs on three successive evenings
and that was enough for him! This left the designer, Damjan
Zabovnik, as the rider. Damjan is a small, wiry, guy maybe
135 lbs. He’s probably strong, but Matjaz is 200+ lbs.
of solid muscle! And a trained cycling champion! Still, on
the last day Damjan ran 68.21 mph, which is a new European
record and the only record set at the event. Serendipitously,
his run was also the only wind-legal run to occur on Saturday.
Saturday was pretty exciting altogether. Nearly everyone went
faster than they had previously in the week. Sam Whittingham,
current record holder at 81.++ mph crashed at 82 mph!!!! I
didn’t see it, but all descriptions were about the same—he
slid, and slid, and slid, then slide off the road, went airborne
briefly, and continued sliding across the brush and sand out
through the desert. They measured his slide and it was over
250 yards. That’s 2 ½ football fields. He got
a good, hard, bump, and someone said he cut his finger, but
he showed up at the awards dinner that night and seemed to
be OK. We know that Paul Gracey got some video of the crash,
but he said once Sam went off road, he just couldn’t
watch anymore and stopped taping. Since it happened so close
to the timing traps, we assume someone will be putting video
up on the web soon.
Mackie Martin, Gardner’s nephew, had a slow and disappointing
beginning to the week, only 37.09 on Monday. The wind bedeviled
everyone all week. But Mackie kept getting a little faster
each day and by Saturday he turned in 64.446 mph. That’s
an increase of 27.36 mph!! He ended up 5th overall, behind
only Sam Whittingham (Varna Diablo), Fred Markham (Varna Mephisto),
Damjan Zabovnik (Eivie), and Joe Kochanowski (Silver, Varna
clone). Pretty heady company for a 16 year old. Factoid: Mackie
was the fastest American designed bike.
Since we are concentrating on developing Mackie, Fast Freddie
got himself a ride on Varna Mephisto. Like the rest of us
he was getting slightly faster each day. He had planned to
leave after Friday’s runs and not be there on Saturday.
But, when his Friday run was 68.387, so close to the magical
70 mph, he decided to stay and take one more try. I happened
to be at the catch area when Freddy came in on Saturday. As
soon as they opened the bike up he came out yelling that he
did it, well before the official time came in. He knew he
had and he was right, 71.835. He was stoked; I don’t
think he’s stopped grinning yet! Congratulations Freddie,
newest member of the exclusive (now 3 members) 70 mph club!
No one deserves it more than you!
On Friday there was a “fun” day at the airport
with drag races and a mini-road race, 15 laps through a meandering
course around the airport. It also afforded a lot of non-organized
show and tell and camaraderie. Gardner offered to let Matjaz
race a Fold Rush with only a Zipper Teardrop fairing. Matajaz
won each of his drag race heats to get to the final against
Mike Mowett on a Moulton. It wasn’t even close. Matajaz
won it at 27+ seconds and just missed the drag record of 26.96.
Matajaz also rode the Gold Rush in the mini-road race. In
the early going, Joe Kochanowski on his home-built front wheel
drive recumbent had the lead until he decided to take a short
cut and got disqualified. Matt Weaver, riding an unstreamlined
Rotator was slowly moving forward, he passed Matajaz for 3rd
place. Steve Delaire in his Big Gun was doing well but kept
running off in the dirt. There is a particularly bad corner
on this course. Lots of people have crashed there and this
was no exception. Brian Romano who riding Steve Delaire’s
Frankenstein crashed out there, Steve crashed out there, and
then the two streamliners in the lead, Orin Macquarrie on
a Varna clone high racer and Jason Edwards on the Three Legged
Monkey from the University of Nevada-Reno crashed out there
putting Matt Weaver in the lead on the unfaired Rotator. Ironically,
Steve had put up $100 for the winner of the road race. Gardner
had also put up $50.00. Steve’s bikes ended up first
and second in the road race, Matt won and Dean Pedersen came
in second on the beautiful Coyote.
Saturday night was an awards banquet. Nobody expected anything
more than maybe a plaque since the deci.mach prize wasn’t
available to this event. Joe Nogani of Michigan started a
movement for members and spectators to donate some cash for
prizes. Carole Leone put the idea out on the Internet and
they raised $2,300 in a very short time. All that money was
given out as prizes. It just goes to show how much can be
done when creative people puts their minds together and how
powerful a tool the Internet can be.
Along with the cash prizes, some plaques were awarded. They
awarded one plaque for Sportsmanship and were going on and
on about how in Streamlined Bicycle racing everyone helps
each other out, but than one person is always there and always
ready to help a competitor with a hand or a tool or a part.
As they went on, I’m sitting thinking that if they don’t
give this to Gardner I’m just not going to believe it.
I kept taking glances at Gardner who clearly wasn’t
listening closely and doesn’t think this award is for
him. You should have seen his face when they called his name.
He was totally taken by surprise. He just doesn’t see
it as something out of the ordinary. But, it’s absolutely
true. Gardner has been to all the Speed Championships and
has always been ready, willing, and able to help out even
his closest competitor. He never wanted to win by circumstance.
He always wanted to beat the competitors’ best game.
And sometimes you gotta help them get their best game. And
if they beat you then you gotta learn and come back again
and even faster.
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