I500 jitters already

[lwb140]

so chris [hotrodcr] and i plan to leave home 17 weeks from this friday loaded up with 2 race prepped jd sleds for a week of tuning and minnesota hospitality before the big race jan 14 , ive begun to wake up at night in the middle of a dream blasting down the sideditch on some peice -o-crap sled freezing my butt off . trying to go to sleep wandering what spare parts to take ,thinking of what little details we need to be thinking about or what big issues could bite us bad . chris is well underway on his ride . an 80 liquifire .ive got several ideas and projects under way but haven't desided which one im going to "marry". been planning on riding a 78 liquifire BUT ive got some 340/s chassis ,hoods and pans painted up and keep gravitating back to the idea of a 340/s at red lake . spill your guts guys chris and i need some inspiration of what everyone else is thinking and doing. chris came down today and picked up some goodies and we had a great visit about our sleds and stratigies for making things reliable and staying warm,really looking forward to seeing faces from last year and maybe even more this year wade

[kwc]

Come on, we need to see some pics of the work that has been done so far!

Better get busy, 17 weeks will be here very soon!!!

[WinnipegStPaul9]

I'd most likely stay away from the 340/S idea. Law of average says you're going to break something in that race so I'd go with a sled with easier to find parts. Just my .02

DA

[JDT]

I'm with DA. While it would be super cool to see a 340S at the startline the risk to the machine is heavy.

As for the temps, last year was unusual with the -38 degree readings. But you never know untill that morning. Remember global warming?

I like the 78 as it is built to take the pounding.

Well wishes on your build and prep.

[hotrodcr250]

ok so thanks to my good friend wade b.(lwb140)i am going to be participating in this years red lake i500 wade is supplying me with a top notch ride a 1980 lf ,completly gone thru every thing new or rebuilt, wade is owner and i am driver/mechanic, started teardown last week .started the clean up procsess today getting the chassis ready for some fresh paint after a thurogh check over and some reiforcements here and there. here a some pics of progress so far-chris

jd race sled 003.JPG (178.91 KiB) Viewed 1883 times

jd race sled 007.JPG (187.86 KiB) Viewed 1883 times

jd race sled 008.JPG (206.27 KiB) Viewed 1883 times

[hotrodcr250]

few more pics

jd race sled 006.JPG (174.41 KiB) Viewed 1880 times

jd race sled 001.JPG (143.25 KiB) Viewed 1880 times

[I500]

Interesting but i need to ask 3 questions here.
1> Why do this?
2> Wade, You were there last year and what did you mostly learn from what you saw and experianced?
3> You stated that you were going to test for 1 week. Is that enough ?

Look forward to answers from you both.
Thank You

[lwb140]

chuck thanks for your questions ill answer them the best i know how , what i learned last year sadly falls on the rainville watersboy saga , and that is being prepared .we are hoping to have our sleds together early enough to get some riding time in around here if we get some snow. we are leaving friday night after chris gets off work and plan to spend a week up north putting some miles on. this is really all the time chris and i can afford to be away .

and ill answer the first question last "why do this" i take that to mean why is chris riding my sled . there are several reasons this has come about but it starts with chris . he is a HUGE vintage sled enthuisast growing up riding kawi invaders . he has been making kawi liquids run and live since he was a kid . he has several sleds of his own ,but they are either a little too new or this or that .i plan to go and ride and hopefully finish ,chris however has the potenial to be a contender if we can get him on a sled that will live , chris tips the scales at a buck-35 and rides as many miles most saturdays we have snow than ive riden collectively in the last 20 years . the idea isnt at all to go and plan to win , i think that would be stupid. i do however know that chris will be able to ride much more aggressively than i will . after last years race i wrote off the idea of myself riding a kawi powered sled because of reliability issues . i do think the 80 and up sleds have many performance advantages over the older stuff and i think chris is as capable as anyone at putting a sled together and getting it to fruition race day . i have considered many times i should really just be support crew for chris, be at gas stops etc . grumpy has offered to fill these shoes for us this year. the idea of having the chance to be a part of an event like this and having a taste of what it would have been like is just something i cant pass up . it will be really cool to have a teammate too, now during construction and even moreso race day


so chuck what are you riding ?? wade

[JDT]

Wade you have stated some real truths.

I wish you and Chris all the best.
No mater what happens... win, finish or just start, you will have acomplished what many others have never done.

I will be there again just to say I was there. It was an experience I loved last year.

[hotrodcr250]

first off this is a once in a lifetime experince for me, and when your buddy calls and says hey do you want to race the i500 i said yes pretty easily, i have been banging the ditches of indiana for awhile now on old leafers so this should be a awsome ordeal. as far as choosing the 80 lf i dont see what the fuss is about ,belive me after burning a few kawis down you learn what to do and not what to do ,if a engine wont last 175 miles something wasnt right to begin with ,good egt gauge and tuning is alot simpler ,my sled will be ready by the fist snowfall this year, me and my boys are planning on hitting it pretty hard this week, -chris

[I500]

Thanks Wade and Chris for answering my questions. Greatly appreciated as i was curious as to others motives are.

Short story to just think about:..... On my second leg i encountered a crossing guard 3 miles out to the next fuel stop that i was not going to make it in time and that i was about to be timed out. He told me to give it up and jump to the groomed trail across the street and take that trail back into town. I noticed that he cracked a smile and that He was being funny. Keep in mind the brutal trail conditions that include skipping across open water ,frozen fingers, below zero temps, money paid out , risking injury, etc... You get the idea. Needless to say i was pretty upset and slammed my helmet down and jumped all over this guy telling him that i just went thru 125 miles of Bu#^&* it and i wasnt about to give up........ I stayed on the course and finished it in record time..... Kind of wish he would of been there to tell me this and the very first road crossing as i surely would of won the race.

What i,m getting at is dont let anybody tell you, you cant do this, do what you say your going to do, follow thru at all cost and never, ever give up.................Race for yourself.

For me i just need to get better and try harder as i just wasnt good enough that day. I will not give up.

Best of luck

[hotrodcr250]

Thanks Wade and Chris for answering my questions. Greatly appreciated as i was curious as to others motives are.

Short story to just think about:..... On my second leg i encountered a crossing guard 3 miles out to the next fuel stop that i was not going to make it in time and that i was about to be timed out. He told me to give it up and jump to the groomed trail across the street and take that trail back into town. I noticed that he cracked a smile and that He was being funny. Keep in mind the brutal trail conditions that include skipping across open water ,frozen fingers, below zero temps, money paid out , risking injury, etc... You get the idea. Needless to say i was pretty upset and slammed my helmet down and jumped all over this guy telling him that i just went thru 125 miles of Bu#^&* it and i wasnt about to give up........ I stayed on the course and finished it in record time..... Kind of wish he would of been there to tell me this and the very first road crossing as i surely would of won the race.

What i,m getting at is dont let anybody tell you, you cant do this, do what you say your going to do, follow thru at all cost and never, ever give up.................Race for yourself.

For me i just need to get better and try harder as i just wasnt good enough that day. I will not give up.

Best of luck

thanks for the words of wisdom ,greatly apperciated and good luck to you also.-chris

[WinnipegStPaul9]

If I had a dollar for everytime I was asked "why is a guy from Indiana racing up here?" I'd have a lot of money. Follow your dream....life's too short. That's all, dismissed!

DA

[lwb140]

thanks guys , you know i told myself and others last winter that if i spent every minute working on myself instead of my sled and simply took a sled out of the shed that had fresh seals and fuel system ect i would be farther ahead than any prep work i could ever do to a sled .i still believe it to be true .quite simply though id rather go to the shop than any gym . i plan to go and enjoy the moment, enjoy the people and do the best i can race day with no expectations .it will be a blast wade

[400brian]

Don't forget to wave at Rainville when you go by.