Friday Night Flat Track - Paris Speedway Aug 20, 2010 from Jerrett Bellamy on Vimeo.
Click read more for a short story on the night
There is an 1/8th mile dirt track in Paris, Ontario that up until this year would only hold speedway bike races (500cc methanol fueled brakeless rocketships). This year they opened it up to flat track bikes and as soon as I heard this I wanted to give it a try. Since I live in Kitchener which is only a half hour away from Paris this made it even more appealing.
I finally made it out this past Friday and it was a Blast! I mounted up the supermoto rain tires, dropped the tire pressure, cranked up the compression dampening and took off the front brake.
Not having the front brake safety net was a little un-nerving at first...
I showed up to the track at 7:15, paid my $25 entry fee, there was a quick riders meeting then the races started. That's right - no tech inspection and NO PRACTICE!
The first heat kicked off and I made it 1/2 a lap before crashing when the front wheel went out and I low sided. Maybe some practice would have helped this... I couldnt get my bike fired before the end of the race so I had to wait until the second heat for anymore practice/racing. Second heat went better - I didnt crash but was taking it pretty easy trying to learn how to slide the corners. The rest of the night went pretty good. I only laid it down once more but there were lots of close calls!
I'd suggest anyone with a dirtbike to come give this a try. its cheap, real relaxed and a lot of fun. I'll be back for more
