2007 Iron Butt Rally - Official Daily Reports

[uctofeej]

Anyone know why two of 'em headed to my neck 'o the woods in Louisiana? Must be some really juicy bonii points to go that far out of the way.

Is there a listing of the bonii on the web that we can see or is it for participants only?

EDIT: Well, it helps if I read the posting first. Dick Peek went for NO before dark...

 

[Warchild]

Yes, New Orleans was a huge bonus point location....

 

[Warchild]

Ignacio, Doug Chapman and George Zelenz are among those in the news in todays's official posting:

2007 Iron Butt Rally, Day 2Tuesday, August 21, 2007

There are over 30,000 members of the Iron Butt Association. Each has ridden farther in 24 hours than most people believe is humanly possible. IBA membership is quite an accomplishment, but today a number of riders are learning the difference between completing an Iron Butt ride and becoming a finisher of the Iron Butt Rally.

Their education began at about 7:00 p.m. on Sunday night when they started to learn the difference between planning a route to earn an IBA certificate and routing for the Iron Butt Rally. It's one thing to have an unlimited amount of time to plan your own route and to choose exactly what stops will document your ride. Whether the goal is riding a single SaddleSore 1,000 or multiple Bun Burner Golds, a carefully designed route is usually the difference between success and failure when attempting to ride a specific number of miles in a specific period of time.

But the Iron Butt Rally is not about who can ride the farthest in 11 days. It's about who can simultaneously ride smarter and harder. It's about figuring out the optimum combination of bonuses in addition to being able to do big miles. It requires the ability to follow the directions to each bonus location on the route. It usually requires being able to ride efficiently through urban areas and over twisty two lane roads in addition to being able to pound out the miles on the Interstate. It always requires clear thinking and reading comprehension; getting to a remote bonus is worth nothing if your brain is so fried when you get there that you can't follow the simple instructions for the required documentation.

Undoubtedly, many of the riders are interested in riding at least 11,000 miles during the 11 days of the Iron Butt Rally, but they can't focus on that objective if they hope to place well. If they focus on a route that will give them maximum mileage, they may not even be listed as a finisher. The winner of the Iron Butt Rally is not necessarily the rider with the most miles.

In just the first two days, many riders have also started learning about the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity. Some riders are already experiencing equipment failures; it's especially a problem for those riders who made last minute changes to their motorcycles and started the rally with unproven equipment. Riders from the Western U.S. are finding out that "riding in the rain" has a whole new meaning in the Eastern U.S.

Doug Chapman and Matt Watkins are two of many riders who were totally soaked on Monday night. When cranking up the heat in their motel room wasn't getting their clothes dry, they tried the microwave oven. Matt accidentally burned his bonus listing while trying to dry it. Hopefully, there is something left besides Goose Bay. Later in the day, Watkins was photographed in the parking lot of Reynolds Motorsports trying to dry his boots by shoving them over the ends of the mufflers on his FJR.

At least Doug Chapman's alternator problem, which was mentioned in yesterday's report, is on the mend. He is now producing 14 volts at cruising speeds. George Zelenz suspects it was a problem with water intrusion in the connector between the stator and the rectifier, a not uncommon problem for FJRs that have been retrofitted with aftermarket stators. (George, a professional Polaroid photographer from Joshua Tree, California, had to drop out a couple of weeks before the rally due to an unfortunate tangle with a Chevrolet Blazer. He has been keeping in contact with some of the FJR riders during the rally and passing tidbits along to me. Thanks George!)

Lisa and Tobie Stevens called in after returning from the Grandfather Mountain swinging bridge bonus in North Carolina. The winds were gusting to 55 mph, but they completed the bonus and said they are having a great time.

Since scouting the bonus in March, the hours of operation have changed for the Devil's Millhopper sinkhole, northeast of Gainesville, Florida. Riders who showed up today (Tuesday) only had to take a photo of the chained gate rather than having to take the 250 steps down to the sinkhole. This proved to be a big advantage for some of the more elderly members of our senior citizen tour group, including George Barnes, who got there today.

K1200LT rider Jim Bain has a damaged front brake line and is hoping that Atlanta BMW can get it repaired first thing tomorrow morning. He's limping towards Atlanta as I write this on Tuesday night. Atlanta BMW owner and Iron Butt Rally veteran Bob Wooldridge is making arrangements to get him back on the road quickly tomorrow morning.

John Tomasovitch called in from Reynolds Motorsports to report that his saddlebag had fallen onto the muffler of his K1200RS and a lot of his equipment was burned to a crisp, including his only clear face shield and his $1,500 satellite telephone. Fellow competitor Jack Shoalmire was gracious enough to give John his spare face shield, making it possible for him to safely continue his ride.

Tony DeLorenzo called to let me know that he was in Pennsylvania last night with other riders who had been to the Hoagy's Heroes bonus in Moundsville, West Virginia. That 5,099 point bonus was available from 6:00 p.m. to midnight last night. Tony says that "a number of riders" are changing their plans to continue east because of the storms and are now heading south "to get dried out and warm up a little bit."

While some riders are feeling beat up, others are charged up. Brett Donahue gave me a call today from South Carolina while on his way to Sullivan's Island and then Tybee Island (which Lisa tells me is a sucker bonus). If he survives Tybee Island, he hopes to score additional bonuses on his way to Key West. Brett is doing fine and the Sportster is still running!

The first rider to use the call-in bonus was Bob Mueller, rider number 49. Here is the text of the call-in bonus (the actual phone number has been replaced with "xxx-xxxx"):

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Call-In Bonus - no specific location 2,000 points Available

August 22, 2007

Call 916-xxx-xxxx and leave the following information:

Your name, your rider number, your location (city/town and

state/province), the last bonus you scored, and the bonus you are headed

for. While it is not required for this bonus, if you have a quick story,

please leave it also!

Time: _____________ Odometer: _____________ Code: CI

Approved:____________

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Bob dutifully reported his name, rider number, location, last bonus scored, and the next bonus on his route. He added that, "It hasn't stopped raining since yesterday; it's pretty fatiguing." I guess so. Had he been less fatigued he might have noticed that he was calling in a day early.

Also calling in a day early was Rob Nye. Rob called from Reynolds Motorsports in Gorham, Maine, where he was in the process of scoring a 5,300 point bonus that was available until 6:00 p.m. today. He says that, "Everything is going great."

Hopefully, Bob and Rob will both realize that they called in a day early and I will hear from them again tomorrow when I also hope to receive calls from 95 other riders.

The problems riders have experienced so far are actually typical. It's the exception for a rider to get through 11 intense days of bonus hunting without something going wrong. Finding an excuse to quit will be easy. Finding the resolve to keep going will sometimes be tough. The Iron Butt spirit is about doing what it takes to finish. Far more people remember Manny Sameiro for his incredibly impressive last place finish in 1997 than remember most of the riders who finished in the top ten. (Manny crashed on route to the first checkpoint, bought another bike, put bandages over his extensive road rash, and continued on.) There is no better way to earn the respect of fellow riders than to be able to pick up the pieces after disaster strikes and still make it back to finish on time.

Tom Austin

August 21, 2007

Copyright © 2007, Iron Butt Rally, Inc., Chicago, IL

 

[uctofeej]

A couple of New Hampshire Gazette stories on the IBR. The newspaper is one of the regular bonii.

Return of the Iron Butt

A Thousand Miles of Rain

 

[KentFJR06]

Wow! Great info on the IBR. Go IBR, Go!

A couple of New Hampshire Gazette stories on the IBR. The newspaper is one of the regular bonii.
Return of the Iron Butt

A Thousand Miles of Rain

 

[Colin24]

Best quote from one of the articles:

These riders are not the posturing, over-the-hill wannabes who think violating noise ordinances will make up for their lack of personality. These are people with an entirely different, and far more engaging, set of character defects.

Bwahhaahaahaaa......

 

[rickcorwn]

Best quote from one of the articles:

These riders are not the posturing, over-the-hill wannabes who think violating noise ordinances will make up for their lack of personality. These are people with an entirely different, and far more engaging, set of character defects.

Bwahhaahaahaaa......

:lol2: Too true

 

[Warchild]

Day 3: The Attrition Begins

2007 Iron Butt Rally, Day 3Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Chip Hyde has been Goosed. His effort to make Goose Bay on his Gold Wing has ended in failure. He has crashed in the vicinity of Churchill Falls, which is less than 200 miles from Goose Bay. The bike went down in deep gravel and Chip was tossed off. He has apparently come out of it with just one broken bone in his hand. There are a lot more broken parts on the Wing. Chip thinks it is totaled.

Tonight, Chip is safe in a bed and breakfast establishment. He will make plans tomorrow for getting back home.

It would be great to have pictures of the bike to show at the riders meeting the next time there is a Goose Bay bonus on the Iron Butt Rally. It might also be helpful to change the name of the bonus from "MANLY" to "YGTBSM."

Today is the day of the first call-in bonus to ever be used on the Iron Butt Rally and it's working out quite well. We are collecting a lot of detailed information about where the riders are, where they have been, where they are headed, and what interesting things are happening to them along the way.

Most of the calls came from riders who were either at, on their way to, or returning from Perce Rock on the Gaspe Peninsula. There was quite a crowd when the tide receded early in the afternoon, making it possible to get the required photo of the ocean floor before making the hike to the rock itself.

Many of the riders headed for Perce Rock by way of Campbellton, New Brunswick, where there was a 3,014 point bonus available for a photo of a statue of a Giant Salmon. Leaving Perce Rock, some were headed for the 8,014 point bonus at the Green Gables National Historic Site on Prince Edward Island; others were headed for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where there is a 10,123 point bonus for a picture of the Pickle Barrel House in Grand Marais, Michigan.

For riders that headed for Key West, a must-do bonus on the way down or back was a photo of a 30 foot high statue of a mother dolphin and her calf at the Dolphin Research Center located in Grassy Key. It was an easy 1,222 points to soothe the pain associated with the 8,999 point bonus for a picture of the Southernmost Point in the Continental USA monument in Key West. Big bonuses available on the Florida mainland included 4,303 points for a picture of the "Coral Castle" in Homestead, 2,888 points for a picture of the giant sinkhole northeast of Gainesville, and 2,310 points for a picture of "Eli's Orange World" in Kissimmee.

A summary of the information called in is presented below, listed in order of rider number:

1 - George Barnes called from Kissimmee after returning from Key West. He's headed for Tybee Island, Georgia. Based on the list of bonus stops he rattled off, he may be scoring more points than many riders that headed for Perce Rock.

2 - Chris Sakala was in Quebec and headed for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

3 - Jeff Earls called from Maine, headed for Campbellton.

4 - Eric Jewell called from Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick. That's another bonus that can only be scored during the low tide window. He was headed for Prince Edward Island. He has gotten off schedule because it took a while to get his R1150RT jump started this morning. He depleted his battery while sleeping on the ground next to the bike with his electric gear running.

5 - Marty Leir called in after scoring the Perce Rock bonus while he was on the road to Prince Edward Island.

6 - Jim Owen called from Maine while on his way to Perce Rock. He may be arriving later than others because of the bonus locations on his outbound route plan.

7 - Brett Donahue made Key West early in the morning after scoring Tybee Island, which Lisa referred to as a sucker bonus (because traffic can be brutal getting in and out of the coastal town). Brett said it was "a piece of cake." He was on his way to the bonus in Kissimmee when he called.

8 - Alan Barbic has linked up with Tom Melchild at the Biltmore Estates in North Carolina. Alan said they are heading to the "Georgia Guidestones" bonus in the Elberton, Georgia area next.

9 - Dick Fish called in from the side of a wheat field in New Brunswick after scoring Perce Rock. He's headed for a rest bonus.

10 - Peter Leap called from Prince Edward Island after scoring Perce Rock. He was on his way to Halifax.

11 - Tom Loftus has dropped out of the rally, stating a need to deal with some business-related paperwork.

12 - Andy Mills called in from Perce Rock. He said he was headed for Campbellton.

13 - Jim Frens called while on the water en route to Prince Edward Island. He said he would be heading for Perce Rock after photographing the Green Gables house.

14 - Tom Melchild reported in from the Biltmore Estates and is headed for the Georgia Guidestones with Alan Barbic.

15 - John Langan called from Maine while headed for Perce Rock. He wasn't having a good time early this morning. At about 3:30 a.m., while riding in the rain, he started hearing a horrible noise that sounded like a wheel bearing might have failed. After pulling over to the side of the road, he discovered that the center stand was dragging on the road; the springs that normally hold it up had fallen off. While trying to lash the center stand up with tie down straps, he knocked the bike off of the side stand. A Gold Wing lying on its side in the rain at 3:30 a.m. is not a good way to start Day 3 of the Iron Butt Rally. Fortunately for John, Brian Roberts soon arrived on the scene. Brian's considerable experience with lifting bikes that have been dropped was put to good use.

16 - Doug Chapman called while on his way to Perce Rock. He mentioned that he is wearing microwaved underwear today.

17 - Chris Cimino called from Marietta, Georgia, where he was waiting for dawn so that he could score a "daylight only" bonus. Chris says the combined heat of Mother Nature and the new Concours 14 have been difficult to deal with. Later in the day, Chris called for a second time saying that he was hoping to be able to earn an additional 2,000 points.

18 - Bob St. George called while riding a ferry to Prince Edward Island. Bob is one of several riders who said they think they should be able to claim a rain bonus when they get to the checkpoint.

19 - Bill Thweatt called in from Perce Rock and said he is headed for Niagara Falls.

20 - Jim and Donna Phillips called from New Brunswick while on their way to Perce Rock.

21 - Tom and Rosie Sperry called in from Campbellton after netting the Giant Salmon. They were on their way to Niagara Falls.

22 - Bob and Silvie Torter are also on their way to Niagara Falls after success with Perce Rock and the Giant Salmon.

23 - Terry and Lynda Lahman called in from Georgia while on their way to Key West.

24 - Reiner and Lisa Kappenberger called from Perce Rock just before heading for New Hampshire.

25 - Karol Patzer called in from Clanton, Alabama, on her way to Mobile.

26 - Tony DeLorenzo, who we assume is traveling with his mother Karol Patzer, called in from Mobile. He said he was headed for Biloxi, Mississippi.

27 and 28 - The Brunsvold father and son team called from Campbellton after scoring the Giant Salmon. Li'l Arlen and Big Arlen said they are headed for Mentone, Indiana for there next bonus. They apparently aren't planning to stop to pick up any of the 8 billion points that are available along the way.

29 and 30 - Mrs. and Mr. Lisa Stevens called from Louisiana after bagging the Superdome bonus. I could hear Lisa in the background telling Tobie what to say while he was making his call. Tobie claimed that his next bonus will be Elvis Presley's gravesite while Lisa claims to be headed for Sciples Mill, Mississippi. Hopefully, Tobie will just follow Lisa; if he really intends to go somewhere else, we may never see him again.

31 - Paul Allison called from Carlton, Quebec, on his way to Perce Rock.

32 - Gerhard Memmen-Krueger was headed for a rest bonus after making Perce Rock.

33 - Chris McGaffin called from Florida headed for Homestead. Chris said, "This Kawasaki is pumping an awful lot of hot air." He has named the bike "The Crotch Cooker." His final words were, "I reckon my sperm count is going to be zero by the time I get back."

34 - Richard Keegan called from Grand Falls, New Brunswick, on his way to Campbellton.

35 - Bill Watt, who is riding with Paul Allison, also called from Quebec while headed for Perce Rock. Bill had a close call last night when he side-swiped a moose but didn't go down. Both Bill and the moose have continued on their way.

36 - Don Wescott called from New Brunswick after bagging both Perce Rock and the Giant Salmon. He may try to grab a few bonuses on his way back, but it sounds like he is basically headed for the barn.

37 - Steve Broadhead called in from Indiana. He is headed to the Gulf Coast next.

38 - Mike Hutsal called in from Campbellton after making Perce Rock. He is headed for Michigan.

39 - Stephan Bolduc called at the end of his sleep bonus in New Brunswick to say that he was headed for Perce Rock.

40 - Bob Joers called in from Gainesville, FL, on his way to the sinkhole bonus. Later he called Lisa to report that he was stranded near Miami with an irreparable flat tire on his Gold Wing. He said he was planning to get some sleep tonight and be at the nearest Honda dealer first thing tomorrow morning.

41 - Vicki Johnston called after scoring Perce Rock. She is headed for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

42 - Don Kulwicki called in from Homestead, Florida, after returning from the Keys. He was headed for Biloxi, Mississippi.

43 - Mike Langford called from Maine on his way to Perce Rock after sleeping in a Laundromat last night.

44 - Greg Marbach called in from Perce Rock before heading for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Greg left a message regarding the difficulty he had the previous night while trying to get a bonus photo of the Giant Salmon in Campbellton. Greg said, "I tried to get it at night; the Polaroid pictures were showing my bike, but not the fish." That's probably why Mike and Lisa decided to make the bonus "Available daylight hours." It's lucky for Greg that the photos didn't turn out and he had to come back the following morning. He had other problems at the Giant Salmon also. After failing to get a photo, his bike wouldn't start. He had been simultaneously running heated gear and auxiliary lights with a stock FJR1300 alternator and had drained his battery to the point that it wouldn't turn the engine over. It took him about an hour to finally get it bump started.

45 - Rick Martin called from Perce Rock. He said he was headed for Campbellton.

46 - Ken Morton called from Perce Rock and reported that he was next headed for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

47 - Jim Mulcahy called from a rest area on Interstate 77 after scoring the New River Gorge Bridge bonus in West Virginia. He was headed for Kingsport, Tennessee.

48 - Peter Murray called while on his way to Tavern on the Green in New York City.

49 - Bob Mueller got word from his wife that he jumped the gun on the call-in bonus yesterday. He called during the proper window to report that he was headed for Perce Rock.

50 - Rick Neeley called from Key West where he bagged the 8,999 point bonus last night. He had just finished his rest bonus and was headed for Grassy Key.

51 - Rob Nye recognized his mistake of calling in a day early yesterday and placed another call to say that he was in Campbellton and headed for Niagara Falls.

52 - Glenn Pancoast called after bagging the Reynolds Motorsports bonus while he was on his way to Prince Edward Island and Perce Rock.

53 - Dick Peek called on his way to the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville, West Virginia. He reported that his fuel cell isn't working and his Star-Traxx has failed. Dick said, "All of my technology is crapping out on me."

54 - Paul Peloquin called from Campbellton, New Brunswick, on his way to Perce Rock.

55 - Dennis Powell called while on his way to Nashville.

56 - Joel Rappoport called in from Perce Rock where he was waiting for the tide to go out. From there he is headed for Niagara Falls.

57 - Brian Roberts called from Grand Falls, New Brunswick, on his way to Perce Rock.

58 - Alex Schmitt is on his way to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan after scoring Perce Rock.

59 - Mike Senty called from Maine on his way to Perce Rock.

60 - Jack Shoalmire is apparently traveling with Jim Mulcahy. He called from the same phone number and from the same rest area on Interstate 77 after scoring the New River Gorge Bridge bonus in West Virginia. He was also headed for Kingsport, Tennessee.

61 - Tom Skemp called from the Varsity Drive-In in Atlanta, Georgia. He was on his way to the Talladega Speedway. Tom reported that he has lost his ID flag but said, "People have been real good about taking pictures of me."

62 - Jim Simonet called in from Mobile, Alabama. He had just returned from the French Quarter of New Orleans and was on his way to the Barber Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Alabama.

63 - Carl Stark was headed for Carnegie Hall in New York City along with Michael Boge. His hydration system is no longer functional after dragging his drinking tube along the roadway surface for many miles.

64 - John Tomasovitch was at Perce Rock and headed for Prince Edward Island.

65 - Rebecca Vaughn called in from Grassy Key, FL, on her way back from Key West. She is having a problem with her fuel cell and is stopping more frequently for gas than she would like.

66 - Bill Wade called in from Maine on his way back from Perce Rock.

67 - Matt Watkins called after scoring Perce Rock. He was headed to the Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine with Doug Chapman.

68 - Jim Winterer called from Perce Rock. He reported missing the Harley-Davidson bonus by 1 minute because of the time he had to spend retrieving his ID flag from Buell Motorcycle Company bonus where he left it.

69 - Kendall Anderson called from West Palm Beach, Florida, while on his way to Key West.

70 - Doug Bailey called in from Maine after returning from Campbellton. Doug said he hasn't had any encounters with deer or moose, but claims to have hit 2 large-mouth bass on Interstate 70 during his soggy ride to Canada.

71 - Michael Boge from Sandpoint, Idaho (population: 5) called from just outside of New York City. He and Carl Stark are riding there together. Michaels says "We are a couple of kids from the west on our way to see the big city."

72 - Mark Collins reported that he and his 1972 Road Glide have already made Key West. Mark was in Fort Myers, Florida, getting ready for a rest bonus. He reported, "The heat has been just brutal down here, but I'm staying hydrated and the bike is running well."

73 - Art Garvin called in from Georgia headed for Tallulah Gorge State Park.

74 - Maura Gatensby called from Quebec after scoring Perce Rock. She was headed for a rest bonus.

75 - Mike Getzendanner called while on his way to Tybee Island, Georgia.

76 - Steve Branner called from a land line in New Brunswick on his way to Perce Rock. His cell phone is waterlogged and no longer working. Commenting on his ride so far, Steve said, "If we had boats, we would have done better."

77 - Curt Gran was headed for Orlando, Florida, after returning from the Florida Keys. He reported having some sort of problem with his windscreen.

78 - Norm Grills called in from Perce Rock and said he is headed for Niagara Falls.

79 - Kevin Healey called from Hardeeville, South Carolina. He was hoping to head for Gainesville, Florida, but the starter has stopped working on his Triumph. Earlier he was able to push start it, but even that wouldn't work this morning.

80 - Dave Hinks called in from Bath, Maine. He said that he has lost the brakes on his FJR and hoping to get them repaired at the nearest dealer. He said his next stop would depend on how long it takes to get the brakes fixed. Later in the day, Dave called again to let me know that his bike has been fixed and he's back on the road, headed for Niagara Falls.

81 - Chip Hyde, as noted above, is a DNF after his crash on the way to Goose Bay.

82 - Don Jones called in from Mentone, Indiana. He was in the process of adjusting his plan because he said, "16 hours after the ride started, I was already 10 hours behind."

83 - Hans Karlsson is headed straight back to St. Louis after success at Perce Rock.

84 - Vance Keeney reported that he had scored Perce Rock and was headed for Michigan.

85 - Homer Krout called from Grand Falls, New Brunswick, on his way to Perce Rock.

86 - Jim Bain called from Atlanta where he is waiting for Atlanta BMW to repair his front brake line. He said he would be heading for Marietta, GA as soon as the bike is fixed. Later in the day, I heard from Atlanta BMW owner Bob Wooldridge, who told me that his shop was able to get Jim back on the road in 2 hours. The source of the failure was determined to have been debris that had fallen off of another brand of motorcycle that Jim was following too closely.

87 - Alan Bennett called in after scoring the Opryland bonus while he was headed for Mobile, Alabama.

88 - David Bordeaux called from Ann Arbor, Michigan headed for bonuses in Ohio.

89 - Mike Evans called from Perce Rock and said he is headed for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

90 - David Derrick called from Perce Rock just before leaving for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

91 - Fred Droegemueller was on his way back from Key West, headed for Homestead, Florida.

92 - Richard Buber called from Maine on his way to Perce Rock.

93 - Gregg Burger called in from Perce Rock. He said he was headed for Campbellton.

94 - Joe DeRyke called from Fort Pierce, Florida, on his way to Gainesville.

95 - Don Catterton called from Homestead, Florida, to say he was heading for Tybee Island. He experienced a slight delay this morning in order to remove about a thousand baby spiders that had hatched in his helmet over night.

96 - Bob Collin scored Perce Rock and then called in from Maine on his way to the Maritime Museum in Bath.

97 - Rick Miller called from Augusta, Georgia, headed to Harlem, Georgia.

Today many riders were elated to have made Perce Rock, giving them the lift needed to continue on. Tomorrow might be a little tougher as many of the riders in this year's rally have never maintained an 800-1,000 mile per day pace for four days in a row.

Tom Austin

August 22, 2007

Copyright © 2007 Iron Butt Rally, Inc., Chicago, IL

 

[Rogue]

Day 3: The Attrition Begins

2007 Iron Butt Rally, Day 3Wednesday, August 22, 2007

70 - Doug Bailey called in from Maine after returning from Campbellton. Doug said he hasn't had any encounters with deer or moose, but claims to have hit 2 large-mouth bass on Interstate 70 during his soggy ride to Canada.

Tom Austin

August 22, 2007

Copyright © 2007 Iron Butt Rally, Inc., Chicago, IL

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[uctofeej]

Warchild, no official report from yesterday? Just checked the site (https://www.ironbuttrally.com/IBR/2007.cfm)... need my daily fix, this is addictive!

 

[Warchild]

Yes, it is addictive, isn't it?

However, I can only prod Tom Austin so much; he is a very, um, detail-oriented BMW rider, so.... "no wine is served before its time"...

Suspect he is furiously pounding the keyboard as I type this.... it should be up in a little while. I hope.

 

[uctofeej]

Yes, it is addictive, isn't it?
However, I can only prod Tom Austin so much; he is a very, um, detail-oriented BMW rider, so.... "no wine is served before its time"...

Suspect he is furiously pounding the keyboard as I type this.... it should be up in a little while. I hope.

Dang! Was hoping you had access to the pre-publication version.

Really enjoying Tom's write-ups. Makes me want to start working my way up to the IBR...

 

[RayW]

My favorite comments from the last update are these:

17 - Chris Cimino called from Marietta, Georgia, where he was waiting for dawn so that he could score a "daylight only" bonus. Chris says the combined heat of Mother Nature and the new Concours 14 have been difficult to deal with. Later in the day, Chris called for a second time saying that he was hoping to be able to earn an additional 2,000 points.

33 - Chris McGaffin called from Florida headed for Homestead. Chris said, "This Kawasaki is pumping an awful lot of hot air." He has named the bike "The Crotch Cooker." His final words were, "I reckon my sperm count is going to be zero by the time I get back."

I guess the FJR isn't the only sport-tourer with heat problems... :yahoo: Looks like the original Concours and the new one also have a bit of a problem in that area.

Ray

 

[uctofeej]

I guess the FJR isn't the only sport-tourer with heat problems... :yahoo: Looks like the original Concours and the new one also have a bit of a problem in that area.

Nothing like 11 days of weiney roasting to build a reputation

 

[Bounce]

Really enjoying Tom's write-ups. Makes me want to start working my way up to the IBR...

that's how a lot of suc^H^H^Hriders got hooked!

 

[Warchild]

Day 4: Phone Calls

2007 Iron Butt Rally, Day 4Thursday, August 23, 2007

Two more riders are out. Don Wescott had a zero speed tip-over on his K1200GT in Bath, Maine. It happened on one of those intersections where a side road meets a slightly elevated highway, requiring the motorcycle to be held at an awkward angle while waiting to enter the highway. Don landed exactly wrong and suffered a third-degree shoulder separation. He plans to limp home to Nova Scotia on the bike, hoping that he can find people willing to help him remove his helmet when necessary; he can no longer remove it himself.

Bill Wade is also out. He parked his R1200RT along the side of a highly-crowned road and didn't pay enough attention to the road crown when he got back on the bike and pulled away. He rode the bike right into the ditch. The bike suffered only minor plastic damage, but Bill was unable to get it out of the ditch by himself. He called a tow truck. The tow truck driver was able to pull the bike out of the ditch, but he pulled a front disk brake off the bike in the process.

Bill's plans for trailering his bike back to his home in New Jersey and continuing from there with his other bike were vetoed by Rallymaster Landry. When a rider switches bikes, the second bike must be ridden to the location where the first bike died. So Bill rented a Harley-Davidson Ultra-Glide in Manchester, New Hampshire. He called in later to report that the Harley was running on one cylinder and would only go 60 mph. He has decided to quit.

Jim Winterer reported that he avoided a DNF only because he wears Rocky Eliminator boots. Jim, a trials rider, encountered high winds, dense fog, and patches of ice while riding up and down Mount Washington in New Hampshire. On the way down, at an estimated speed of 3 mph, he was literally blown over by the wind. His foot was pinned under his Suzuki DL650 and he could not get it free. He was pinned right in the middle of the road in heavy fog, "trapped like a rat." He considered for a moment whether he was going to have to hack his foot off with his Swiss Army knife. Fortunately, he was able to reach the laces on his boot, untie them, and wriggle his foot loose. He's banged up a bit but back on the road.

The weather was beautiful yesterday on the Gaspe Peninsula, but riders returning to St. Louis through the Chicago area were again getting beat up by Mother Nature. David Smith was spying on riders at Buckingham Fountain last night, a bonus he was responsible for scouting. He observed riders Greg Marbach and Vance Keeney trying desperately to get an acceptable photo of their rally flags in front of a dimly-illuminated fountain. David says that Polaroid stock should be going up sharply tomorrow.

David also reports that Chicago has been getting socked with bands of storms producing tornadoes, intense lightning, high winds, and deluges of rain that have knocked down trees and power lines all over town and flooded and closed Interstate 94 for a few hours. He wrote, "If you thought Chicago traffic was bad normally, try getting detoured off the interstate and onto flooded side streets with no working traffic lights as you're trying to get to bonuses with weird time restrictions while riding in a blinding downpour. Classic Iron Butt Rally weather - how do Mike and Lisa do it every time?"

Smith's weather report is consistent with a report received from Jeff Earls from Chicago. Jeff said that the wind was so intense that he had to take shelter in a car wash.

Eric Jewell called in while taking a leisurely boat ride. Some of the riders may not realize that traveling on a ferry is equivalent to riding down the road, except that you can sleep while riding a ferry (but you can't claim a rest bonus because you are making progress). One of the ferry rides available on this leg is from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to Portland, Maine. It's about a 200 mile ride, but the ferry is a fast catamaran. You can bet Jim Owen knows about it.

Now that the window has closed for the first call-in bonus, it's safe to provide a little bit more information on how the riders did. The instructions for the bonus were simple. Here again is what was printed in the bonus listing:




* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Call-In Bonus - no specific location 2,000 points Available
August 22, 2007
 
Call 916-xxx-xxxx and leave the following information:
 
Your name, your rider number, your location (city/town and
state/province), the last bonus you scored, and the bonus you are headed
for. While it is not required for this bonus, if you have a quick story,
please leave it also!
 
Time: _____________ Odometer: _____________ Code: CI
Approved:____________
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * *
All the riders needed to report during the call was their name, rider number, current location, last bonus scored, and next bonus they were headed for. It took Kendall Anderson exactly 10 seconds to provide all of the requested information (that was the shortest call). That's not much time to have to spend for 2,000 points.

95 of our 97 riders did the call-in bonus. The two that didn't call in were Tom Loftus, who quit, and Chip Hyde, who crashed on the way to Goose Bay. Of the 95 that called in, 88 reported the information requested. Seven riders screwed up. When they get to the scoring table, they will learn that failing to report any one of the required items is equivalent to leaving your flag out of a bonus photo.

Marty Leir failed to report his rider number. He doesn't get extra credit for providing his odometer reading while rolling down the highway.

Arlen Brunsvold, Jr. and Vance Keeney failed to report their current location.

Joe DeRyke failed to report the last bonus he scored.

Don Wescott, Bill Wade, and Jim Winterer failed to report their next bonus objective. One of the purposes of this bonus is to let the Rallymaster know where to look for riders who are missing. "I don't know where I'm going next" just didn't cut it for a description of "the bonus you are headed for."

For Leg 2 and for future rallies, the instructions for the call-in bonus are going to be changed slightly. There were a number of cases where the last bonus or the next bonus was reported as "the rest bonus." We are going to accept that for Leg 1 because it meets the letter of the bonus instructions, but what we really wanted was location. From now on, we are going to tell the riders to remember that what's important for a call-in bonus is the same as what's important when it comes to real estate: location, location, and location. We are going to ask for the current location, the location of the last bonus, and the location of the next bonus.

The other two things we want are name and rider number. We want both for two reasons. First, the audio quality on some of the calls isn't perfect and either the name or the rider number sometimes gets garbled. Second, because this is an international competition, it's difficult to understand some of the riders because of the language barrier, especially those from Minnesota.

Friday is going to be a very busy day here at Rally Central. The scorers meeting starts at 3:30 p.m., scoring starts at 4:00 p.m., the checkpoint opens at 7:00 p.m. and closes at 9 p.m. We will try to get the Leg 1 results tabulated as soon as possible and have results available shortly after 9. I'm sure I will be up long after that analyzing the routes of the top ten riders.

Tom Austin

August 23, 2007

Copyright © 2007, Iron Butt Rally, Inc., Chicago, IL

 

[wheatonFJR]

...it's difficult to understand some of the riders because of the language barrier, especially those from Minnesota.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[SkooterG]

Day 3: The Attrition Begins

2007 Iron Butt Rally, Day 3Wednesday, August 22, 2007

44 - Greg Marbach called in from Perce Rock before heading for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Greg left a message regarding the difficulty he had the previous night while trying to get a bonus photo of the Giant Salmon in Campbellton. Greg said, "I tried to get it at night; the Polaroid pictures were showing my bike, but not the fish." That's probably why Mike and Lisa decided to make the bonus "Available daylight hours." It's lucky for Greg that the photos didn't turn out and he had to come back the following morning. He had other problems at the Giant Salmon also. After failing to get a photo, his bike wouldn't start. He had been simultaneously running heated gear and auxiliary lights with a stock FJR1300 alternator and had drained his battery to the point that it wouldn't turn the engine over. It took him about an hour to finally get it bump started.

Tom Austin

August 22, 2007

Copyright © 2007 Iron Butt Rally, Inc., Chicago, IL

Man, o, man!!!! Tom Austin is due for some good natured ribbing. (Done very delicately of course )

After several folks reporting what I bolded above, I went back and checked my bonus listing packet, and it clearly states for the Giant Salmon bonus, "Available 24 hours"!!! Not that I could get the freakin Polaroid to work. Of course if I would have had a running FJR, I might have been able to properly light it up. :lol:

So much for our detail oriented, BMW riding, anal-retentive engineer! But don't tell him I said that.

Does this mean I get extra bonus points when he screws up? :clapping:

Currently in Super8 motel about 270 miles from St.Louis. That Chicago weather was absolutely fukin horrendous last night. Wiped my ass out. And also lack of sleep, food, and water. After bagging the three Chicago bonii between 9-11:30 pm last night, I was starting to feel physically sick. So it was off to Portillos for some hotdogs and a coke and a much needed rest. After rest, it was 12:30am and I sadly decided to skip going back up to Milwaukee and bagging two more bonii this morning. It was tough to do, but it was the right decision. I was soaked again, and badly needed some R&R as well as SLEEP. Will be leaving for St. Louis in an hour or so. I even have my fuel log and bonii all ready to go for scoring. Definitely feeling good that I will be relatively well rested for the start of leg 2.

Wish me luck!

 

[Groo]

Go Greg Go!!!!!

 

[jwhite518]

Currently in Super8 motel about 270 miles from St.Louis. That Chicago weather was absolutely fukin horrendous last night. Wiped my ass out. And also lack of sleep, food, and water. After bagging the three Chicago bonii between 9-11:30 pm last night, I was starting to feel physically sick. So it was off to Portillos for some hotdogs and a coke and a much needed rest. After rest, it was 12:30am and I sadly decided to skip going back up to Milwaukee and bagging two more bonii this morning. It was tough to do, but it was the right decision. I was soaked again, and badly needed some R&R as well as SLEEP. Will be leaving for St. Louis in an hour or so. I even have my fuel log and bonii all ready to go for scoring. Definitely feeling good that I will be relatively well rested for the start of leg 2.
Wish me luck!

I don't know whether to give you hell for posting on a forum during the IBR, or thank you for giving us an update. Anyway, good luck on Leg 2!!

Jerry