2007 Iron Butt Rally - Official Daily Reports

[nubfjr]

looks like Rob nye is out...heard he couldnt' get enough points so he bagged it and is heading back to St. Louis.

 

[Bounce]

Day 10's Update from Tom Austin

I especially like the part about the NV State Trouper.

2007 Iron Butt Rally, Day 10Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Jim Frens called from Grande Prairie, Alberta, at 4:41 p.m. Central

Time. At that point, he had covered at least 5,875 miles in just under

109 hours since the bonus listings were distributed last Saturday at 4:00

a.m. Central Time. He has been averaging slightly over 1,300 miles

per day. If he can maintain his current pace, he will make it back to

Chesterfield, MO, EXACTLY on time. Whether he wins or not, it’s going

to have been one hell of a ride.

Jim reports that, if he has time, he’s going to try to snag the bonus

in Two Harbors, Minnesota, on the way back. That would add 18,674

points to the minimum of 170,731 points he has already gotten for Watson

Lake and Homer. Two Harbors could put him ahead of the highest point

rider who went to California. Even if he comes straight back to

Chesterfield, he is going to have over 12,500 miles for Leg 1 and Leg 2

combined.

ATGATT

If you ride a motorcycle and you don’t know what ATGATT stands for,

you should: All The Gear, All The Time! We have one rider who

especially appreciates the importance of ATGATT tonight.

Early this afternoon, Leg 1 leader David Derrick, who has been plagued

with mechanical problems on the current leg, was involved in an

accident on Interstate 80 in the vicinity of Rock Springs, Wyoming. According

the state trooper who went to the scene, David ran into the rear end

of a slow moving vehicle. He has several fractures that will need time

to mend, but the preliminary information we have is that there was NO

head trauma and he will make a full recovery. The trooper on the scene

commented, “It’s a good thing he had the right gear.â€

IBA member Frank Taylor, a resident of Salt Lake City, is providing

major assistance on the scene. Frank is meeting David’s wife at the

airport tomorrow and she will be staying with Frank tomorrow night. Frank

also offered to make arrangements to deal with what’s left of the

R1100RT David was riding.

Other News

Nine days on the road is starting to wear on both riders and their

machines.

Jim Owen called in from Glacier Point, where he had just taken his

picture of Half Dome. He says he isn’t running his normal rally pace

because he’s nursing a rear tire with two punctures. He had to plug the

tire a second time when the first set of plugs blew out. He said he

wasn’t sure whether he was going to Bristlecone and he may have to

head for Las Vegas for a new tire. Later in the day, Lisa saw his Star

Traxx signal at Bristlecone.

Jim called in later to say that he experienced a third puncture on the

way to Bristlecone, but he is still “gingerly†moving along.

Chris Sakala is the THIRD BMW rider to experience a final drive failure

on this rally. His R1150GS Adventure is broken down in Leadville,

Colorado. Chris is carrying a huge number of bonus points which obviously

overloaded the final drive. He is going to do everything possible to

get back here by Friday morning because he thinks he has a good chance

to place highly even with some down time for repairs.

Mark Collins is back on the road after spending celebrating his 55th

birthday in a Harley dealership yesterday waiting for his rear wheel to

be repaired. Mark says that he is having to hold his speed down because

the base gasket on the rear cylinder is leaking a lot oil.

Paul Allison and Bill Watt had a fairly miserable ride over the Cassiar

Highway on their way to Hyder and back. They ran into lots of road

construction and had to travel part of the way on dirt. Paul broke the

seat on his rental Gold Wing. After a particularly tiring stretch of

riding over the rough road, they parked the bikes along the side of the

road and just laid down on their backs in the dirt. Paul turned to Bill

and said, “I think I may have just violated the terms of my rental

agreement.â€

After one of several close encounters with wildlife, Paul called back

later to tell Lisa that “At the border crossings into Canada, there

should be a sign that says, ‘Welcome to Canada – F’ing Big Animals

Are F’ing Everywhere!â€

Evidence of the wear on the riders is apparent in some of the phone

calls we are receiving. Before his final drive failure, Chris Sakala

called in with an interesting scoring question, “If I fill up with

Diesel, but then drain the tank, do I still need to turn in the receipt?â€

Fortunately, it was only the auxiliary cell that Chris filled during a

fuel stop in Wendover, Nevada. I think we are probably going to offer

extra points if necessary to get that receipt. I desperately want it

for my presentation at the IBA National Meet next year.

It wasn’t the normal, chipper tone in Chris Cimino’s voice when he

called in today. Chris said, “I wish I had a funny story to tell

you; I really do. I wish I had something to make me laugh.â€

Bob Collin called from a parking lot in Las Vegas after dropping his

bike while sitting at an intersection. He has hit the wall and doesn’t

think he can continue. He called Rally Central and said he will head

straight for a hotel.

Matt Watkins called from Wendover, NV. He has apparently lost track of

time. Matt said, “It’s day eight. I’m ready to come home.

<pause> Is it day eight or is it day nine? <pause> Day nine; it’s day

nine.†No Matt, it was day nine yesterday.

During Art Garvin’s call-in bonus, he expressed his disappointment

that Fire Station #6 in Livermore, CA, was unexpectedly closed when he

arrived. At that location he was supposed to sign in and take a picture

of the Centennial Light Bulb that has been burning since 1901.

Usually, when a bonus location is closed, a rider is allowed to document the

closure and still get the points. At this particular bonus, you had to

wait if the firemen were out on a call. Art couldn’t afford the

time.

While some riders are heading for the barn, others are working their

tails off. Tom Skemp was in 73rd place at the end of Leg 1. Since

bagging Lick Observatory yesterday, he also scored the big bonus points

available at Mono Hot Springs. This morning, he called from Glacier Point

in Yosemite where he was waiting for the sunrise. Then he was headed

for Bristlecone pine.

The ideal motorcycle for Bristlecone, assuming the final drive

doesn’t fail, is a GS Adventure, the one with the extra suspension travel.

This morning, Tom and Rosie Sperry were headed for Bristlecone 2-up on a

K1200LT. Fortunately, Rosie can take a lot of punishment. I’ve

seen her handle a Smith & Wesson 500 magnum with no problem; I’m sure

she can handle the Bristlecone goat trail.

Jim and Donna Phillips are also headed for Bristlecone 2-up on a 900

pound Gold Wing. They should be able to make it too. They didn’t

finish in 11th place in 2005 by only getting the easy bonuses.

Maura Gatensby also attempted Bristlecone on one of the heaviest

sport-touring bikes on the planet, a 700+ pound ST1300. The elation in her

voice when she called in after making it was in stark contrast to how

she sounded during earlier calls.

At least five separate riders, Karol Patzer, Tony DeLorenzo, Michael

Boge, Stephan Bolduc, and Richard Buber, had an interesting encounter

with a Nevada state trooper on Interstate 80. They each were sweating

bullets as the cruiser pulled up beside them and rolled down the window.

The officer then held up a clipboard with a sign on it reading, “Tell

Kneebone hi for me.†He sometimes held up a second sign saying,

“Good Luck!â€

Listed below, in order of the time that they called in, is the location

and next destination for each rider. All times are Pacific Daylight

Savings Time.

12:07 a.m., Brian Roberts was in a place unknown headed for Wendover,

NV

2:57 a.m., Terry and Lynda Lahman were in Elko, NV, headed for

Wendover.

3:41 a.m., Donald Jones was in Oakdale, CA, headed for Yosemite.

3:45 a.m., Jim Simonet was in Fargo, ND, headed for New Salem, ND.

3:45 a.m., Carl Stark was in Fernley, NV, headed for Gerlach, NV.

4:06 a.m., Rick Miller was in Bakersfield, CA, headed for Baker, CA.

4:07 a.m., Jeff Earls was in Clovis, CA, headed for Mono Hot Springs.

4:18 a.m., Jim Mulcahy was on the Vancouver Island ferry headed for

Olympic National Park.

4:38 a.m., Alex Schmitt was in Oakdale, CA, headed for Yosemite.

4:51 a.m., Dick Peek was in Bakersfield, CA, headed for Trona, CA.

4:58 a.m., Chris McGaffin was in Indian Springs, NV headed for Las

Vegas.

5:08 a.m., David Bordeaux was in Richfield, UT headed for the Grand

Canyon.

5:10 a.m., Chris Cimino was in Indian Springs, NV, headed for Las Vegas

5:12 a.m., Jim Bain was in Tracy, CA, headed for Sacramento.

5:35 a.m., Bill Thweatt was in Winnemucca, NV, headed for Wendover, NV.

6:15 a.m., Tom Skemp was at Glacier Point, headed for the Ahwahnee

Hotel.

6:18 a.m., Bob Collin was in Las Vegas where he may be sleeping for

about a week.

6:52 a.m., Brett Donahue was in Ballard, UT, on his way to Dinosaur

Monument.

6:53 a.m., Tom and Rosie Sperry were in Lee Vining, CA, headed for

Bristlecone.

7:01 a.m., Karol Patzer was in Sacramento going for a local area bonus.

7:12 a.m., Jim Owen was at Glacier Point, hopefully headed for

Bristlecone.

7:14 a.m., Jim and Donna Phillips were in Livermore, CA, headed for

Bristlecone.

7:15 a.m., Steve Branner was in Battle Mountain, NV, headed for

Wendover.

7:15 a.m., Kevin Healey was in Bishop, CA, headed for Bristlecone.

7:18 a.m., Paul Allison was at Lake Louise headed for Bena, Minnesota.

7:20 a.m., Stephan Bolduc was in Livermore, CA, headed for Aspen,

Colorado.

7:22 a.m., Bill Watt was at Lake Louise headed for Bena, MN.

7:24 a.m., Tony DeLorenzo was in Sacramento headed for a local bonus.

7:41 a.m., Gerhard Memmen-Krueger was in Tonopah, AZ headed for San

Antonio, TX.

7:51 a.m., John Tomasovitch was in Hammond, CA, headed for Baker, CA.

7:51 a.m., Marty Leir was at Dinosaur headed for Split Rock Monument.

7:53 a.m., Curt Gran was in Wadsworth, NV, headed for Wendover.

7:54 a.m., Peter Leap was in Three Rivers, CA, headed for Baker, CA.

8:14 a.m., Reiner and Lisa Kappenberger were in Wells, NV, headed for

Wendover.

8:25 a.m., Rebecca Vaughn was at Lake Havasu headed for Kingman, AZ.

8:25 a.m., Matt Watkins was in Wendover headed for Salt Lake City, UT.

8:54 a.m., Mark Collins was in Bismark, ND, headed for Bena, MN.

9:19 a.m., Ken Morton was in Fernley, NV, headed for Wendover.

9:26 a.m., Gregg Burger was in Wendover headed for Salt Lake City.

9:26 a.m., Glenn Pancoast was in Lusk, WY, headed for Mount Rushmore.

9:31 a.m., Paul Peloquin was in Medford, OR, headed for Bly, OR.

9:51 a.m., Art Garvin was in Battle Mountain, NV, headed for Laramie,

WY.

10:06 a.m., Rick Martin was on his way from Death Valley to Las Vegas.

10:10 a.m., Kendall Anderson was in Jensen, UT, headed for Rocky

Mountain Park.

10:43 a.m., Dennis Powell was in Idaho Springs, CO, headed for Rocky

Mountain Park.

10:54 a.m., Richard Keegan was in Lovelock, NV, headed for Wendover.

11:15 a.m., Jack Shoalmire was in Elko, NV, headed for Wendover.

11:48 a.m., Don Catterton was in Mono Hot Springs headed for Sequoia

National Park.

1:29 p.m., Chris Sakala was in Dinosaur, CO, headed for Independence

Pass.

1:31 p.m., Greg Marbach was in Vernal, UT, headed for Split Rock

Monument, WY.

2:06 p.m., Michael Boge was near Winnemucca, NV headed for Bayard, NE.

2:13 p.m., Rick Neeley was in Boulder City, NV, headed for Jack Rabbit

Trading Post.

2:41 p.m., Jim Frens was in Grande Prairie, AB, headed for Two Harbors,

MN.

2:59 p.m., Mike Getzendanner was in Beatty, NV, headed for Las Vegas.

3:04 p.m., Vicki Johnston was in Meeker, CO, headed for Independence

Pass.

3:47 p.m., John Langan was in Winnemucca, NV, headed for Wendover.

3:52 p.m., Maura Gatensby was in Big Pine, CA, headed for Las Vegas.

6:04 p.m., Fred Droegemueller was in Edmonton, AB, headed for the barn.

6:07 p.m., Joe DeRyke was riding with Droegemueller.

6:15 p.m., Bob Mueller was in Rock Springs, WY, headed for Split Rock

Monument.

6:29 p.m., Dick Fish was at Mount Rushmore headed for Wall Drug

7:02 p.m., Tom Melchild was Crowley, CO, and headed for Idaho Springs,

CO.

7:11 p.m., Alan Barbic was riding with Melchild.

7:22 p.m., Mike Senty was in Wendover and headed for Salt Lake City.

7:23 p.m., Jim Winterer was riding with Senty and Buber.

7:23 p.m., Richard Buber was riding with Senty and Winterer.

7:24 p.m., Bob and Silvie Torter were in Billings, MT, headed for Sioux

Falls, SD.

7:28 p.m., Eric Jewell was on his way to the Colorado passes from Salt

Lake City.

7:37 p.m., Andy Mills was on his way to Tennesse Pass from Utah.

8:20 p.m., Lisa Stevens was in Steamboat Springs, CO, headed for Milner

Pass.

8:38 p.m., Tobie Stevens was still keeping up with Lisa.

8:43 p.m., Joel Rappoport was in Scott’s Bluff, NE, headed for

Alliance, NE.

9:11 p.m., Mike Hutsal was in Casper, WY, headed for Bena, MN.

10:09 p.m., Mike Evans was in Las Vegas headed for a local bonus.

11:49 p.m., Doug Bailey was in Kramer Junction, CA, headed for the

barn.

Riders missing the second call-in bonus included George Barnes and Don

Kulwicki, who are trying to make it back from Homer, AK, and Rob Nye,

who called the Rallymaster to say that he has given up on trying to

score enough points to finish and is headed back to Chesterfield. Vance

Keeney, Mike Langford, and Peter Murray also missed it.

There will be just a short report tomorrow as we prepare to score the

longest leg in the history of the Iron Butt Rally and continue to

provide assistance to riders who are stranded on the road. I also hope to

post some good news for my fellow BMW riders making plans to ride in

2009.

Tom Austin

August 29, 2007

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

© 2005 Iron Butt Association

https://www.ironbutt.com

 

[Mick]

According to Matt Parkhouse, Chris's drive line failure is the Transmission and not the final drive.

He's at our shop in Colorado Springs.? It's the gearbox - a diagnostic oil drain got a LOT of metallic debris.... We're looking at options now....

Matt Parkhouse

 

[squeezer]

Really bummed to hear about David Derrick's accident. Send good thoughts that way.

 

[twowheelnut]

:huh:

I also hope to post some good news for my fellow BMW riders making plans to ride in 2009.

 

[Indian Scout]

:huh:

I also hope to post some good news for my fellow BMW riders making plans to ride in 2009.

[SIZE=36pt]???[/SIZE]

 

[airboss]

From MTF the other side of a good cop story:

From: beerme (beermeplease) 3:22 am

To: ALL (1 of 23)

28121.1

I saw upwards of more than a dozen riders today (Wednesday). I told my son before work that I was going IBR rider hunting, and I think I bagged my limit. BUT... for those that know me, not in the way that you’re probably thinking. Before work, I made a couple of hand printed signs attached to a clipboard, and kept them handy on the passenger seat. Oh yeah, I also had a spare IBA sticker (thanks, Tobie!) affixed to the rear window in my patrol car, prominently displayed just below the 3rd brake light. I didn’t have to wait but maybe an hour before the first sighting. A little after 1pm, I saw a reddish Goldwing, licensed out of Washington, passing traffic just east of the Carlin Tunnels. Ken Morton, maybe? I flipped a U-ey (U-ie?), pulled up alongside of the ‘Wing, rolled down the passenger window and flashed one of my signs which read, “SAY HI TO KNEEBONE FOR ME!” The rider was obviously amused, and gave a big thumbs up. The other sign said, “GOOD LUCK!”, which resulted in another big thumbs up.

A few minutes later, I spotted a FJR coming out of the tunnel. Similar reaction with both signs there. I’m not 100% certain who it was, but from what I could see through the helmet visor, the rider looked like Alan Barbic.

There were a few more individual sightings throughout the afternoon; quite a few of them were BMWs. I kinda wish I’d had the presence of mind to make up a sign referring to final drive issues. Coulda shoulda woulda.

Late in the afternoon, I saw a long string of LD motorcycles way out east of Elko. They were stretched out over the course of 3 miles or so. In front, was a silverish Goldwing, which I suspect was Dennis Powell, but I can’t be sure, since I never got up close enough to it. Overtaking the train from the rear, I flashed the Kneebone sign to all, except for the poor, heavily laden wee-Strom pilot bringing up the rear. That poor guy was riding sideways, at about a 20° list, in a brutal right-to-left crosswind, and I figured he didn’t really need the distraction. My heart was with ya though, brah!

I made my way up the line, and every single one acknowledged with a thumbs up or OK sign. They were all behaving themselves, so I didn’t have a chance to chat with any of them. Although... I was passing what appeared to be a GS model of some sort (the one you’ve all seen pictures of, with the “easy button” on the dash), and the rider started making wild hand gestures. It wasn’t until I got behind him that I realized he wanted me to pass again so that he could get a picture of the sign. Too late... I was already behind him with the rear flashing emergency lights on, and traffic was beginning to come around on the left. So we pulled over to the right shoulder and stopped. After a quick introduction (damned if I can remember his name), he wanted to take a picture of me with the sign. I asked to pose with his rally towel and he was happy to oblige. FAIR WARNING: WHEN, not IF, that picture shows up somewhere on the net... oh geez, how do I describe this??? *sigh* I’m gonna look like an even bigger dork than I normally am. The wind was blowing like a sonuvagun and I was trying to hold the rally towel & clipboard so that both were visible, using both hands plus my chin. A recent bad haircut doesn’t help matters. Plus, it seemed like it took an unusually long time from pose to shutter, so I’m guessing my facial muscles were getting a little impatient. There’s no telling what that pic is going to look like! Guess we’ll find out together.

Shortly after that, I gave up the hunt, as it would be getting dark soon. The last few riders are likely through here by now. Good luck to all, and say HI to Kneebone for me!

:lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

 

[dcarver]

:huh:

I also hope to post some good news for my fellow BMW riders making plans to ride in 2009.

Yeah - like next year they'll ride a more reliable, cheaper, faster, better handling bike.. like an FJR! B)

 

[RoadGlide]

Easy Don, they are suffering enough as it is.

 

[R62FJR]

Easy Don, they are suffering enough as it is.

https://www.ironbuttrally.com/IBR/2007.cfm?DocID=42

:lol2: :lol2:

 

[Bounce]

2007 Iron Butt Rally, Day 11Thursday, August 30, 2007

The 13th running of the Iron Butt Rally isn’t yet complete, but we have already gotten some good ideas for 2009. The call-in bonus is likely to be a permanent feature in future rallies; it was a great source of information. We also have plans for leveling the playing field with respect to routing assistance.

We may try to level the playing field with respect to each rider’s choice of motorcycle as well by adding the following bonus:

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

Any BMW Dealership in North America 1,000 points Available Up To 3 Times

Pick up a copy of the repair order for the correction of a final drive or transmission failure from any BMW dealership in North America. Your motorcycle’s vehicle identification number must appear on the repair order. Have a glass of Kool-Aid while you are waiting. No documentation is required for the Kool-Aid; we already know you drink it.

1st Failure Time: ______ Odometer: _______ Code: BMW1 Approved:____________

2nd Failure Time: ______ Odometer: _______ Code: BMW2 Approved:____________

3rd Failure Time: ______ Odometer: _______ Code: BMW3 Approved:____________

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

There is a button you can pick up at your friendly, local BMW dealer that has printed on it, above a BMW logo, “I’d Rather Be Riding.” That phrase has taken on a whole new meaning from the one intended by some marketing genius at BMW. During the last eleven days, there were a number of riders who would rather have been riding than sitting in BMW dealerships waiting for repairs.

My only consolation is that nobody tried to get me to wager on whether any of the all-new, never needs maintenance final drives would have failed during this rally. I would have lost my shirt. As an owner of nothing but BMW motorcycles for 32 years, I really wanted to see all of the current generation models do well. I was hoping that would have ended the BMW reliability jokes I have to listen to from those insufferable FJR and Gold Wing riders. In the last eleven days, my suffering not only continues, it has intensified.

Another One Bites the Dust

Only once before has the Iron Butt Rally had a theme song. In 2001, it was “I Can See Clearly Now.” It was played at the pre-rally banquet as a clue about what was to come. This year, the theme song is the 1980 hit by the English rock band Queen: “Another One Bites the Dust”

“Are you ready, are you ready for this

Are you hanging on the edge of your seat

Out of the doorway the bullets rip

To the sound of the beat

Another one bites the dust

Another one bites the dust

And another one gone, and another one gone

Another one bites the dust”

Gerhard Memmen-Krueger has experienced a final drive failure near Oklahoma City, OK. Can you guess what he is riding? Duh! Another of the all-new, never needs maintenance BMW final drives has failed. His bike won’t be fixed until after the final checkpoint closes at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.

I finally understand how Robert E. Higdon came to be widely regarded as a sarcastic, bitter old man. Covering this event 24/7, and getting to know so many of the riders personally, you learn how much it means to them to do well in this rally. They spend hundreds and hundreds of hours and thousands and thousands of dollars preparing for these eleven days. It can’t help but give you a sour disposition when you watch it all go down the drain for someone like Gerhard. The only error he made was believing that BMW’s reputation for building durable machines applies to recent models.

More Late Breaking News

Mike Hutsal, riding my (not so) old K1200GT, had been having a great ride until about 5:00 a.m. this morning. That’s when a forest rodent crossed his path. At first it looked like it was K1200GT: 1, Bambi: 0. Mike kept the bike upright and was able to continue on. Unfortunately, there was more damage to the bike than he originally thought. The cooling system was obviously damaged in the collision; the engine overheated and quit.

Mike was intent on a top ten finish this year. With over 100,000 points on Leg 1, he demonstrated that he is a top ten-caliber rider. All that was missing was luck. If there are endurance keyboard riders out there who think a deer strike is avoidable by a prudent and competent rider, they don’t have a clue. Try riding a few hundred thousand miles at night and you will learn that Lady Luck is a significant factor. Yes, you can reduce the risk by slowing way down when in deer infested areas, but most of North America is a deer infested area and traveling 10 mph under the speed limit is no guarantee that you won’t eventually be run over by one of these incredibly stupid vermin.

As we suspected yesterday, Bob Collin has called it quits. After a long sleep in Las Vegas, he is headed back east, but he is no longer competing.

We got word this morning that Don Kulwicki and George Barnes were both okay and on their way back from Homer, Alaska. But Don has hit the wall and has dropped out. He needs sleep and it was obvious to him that he wasn’t going to make it back in time. Homer was the wrong choice for his first rally; dropping out was the right choice at this point. Trying to make the final checkpoint would have violated the last and loudest instruction given at the riders meeting eleven days ago, “Don’t do something stupid.”

George Barnes was still on the road, but maybe not for long. His K1200LT has developed a vibration at cruising speed. George called his daughter to report the problem at around 4:00 p.m today. He was about 1,200 miles from the finish, something George can handle on a bike that is running properly. As this goes to press, we don’t have the final word on what the source of problem is and whether George will be able to continue. It will just be the frosting on a rancid cake if George’s vibration problem turns out to be the onset of yet another final drive or transmission failure.

While the Alaskan drama has been interesting, most of the top ten places are going to be determined by how well things went for riders who went to the West Coast. It was clearly possible to score more points out west for strong riders who understood the local conditions and knew how to put a route together (or who had support from someone with knowledge of the West Coast who also knows how to route).

For some of the riders who had little or no previous rally experience, just heading for the bonus-rich West Coast did not guarantee success. There have never been more difficult bonus listings to deal with in an Iron Butt Rally. To score sufficient points to be considered a finisher, you had to demonstrate that you could plan a route that would put you at various locations within a time window. Just riding a lot of miles wasn’t enough. With a decent route you could never exceed the speed limit, get eight hours sleep every night, and score enough points to be a finisher.

It will be heart breaking for riders who invested so much time, money, and effort if they fail to score the minimum number of points required to be listed as a finisher. In most cases, riders in that situation will have no one to blame but themselves. All but three of the rookies took a pass on Michael Kneebone’s offer to provide some basic advice to new riders at the start of Leg 2. What were the others thinking?

Tom Austin

August 30, 2007

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

© 2005 Iron Butt Association

https://www.ironbutt.com

 

[Bounce]

Barnes DNF'd - more to come.

 

[twowheelnut]

:huh:

I also hope to post some good news for my fellow BMW riders making plans to ride in 2009.

:rofl: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

We may try to level the playing field with respect to each rider's choice of motorcycle as well by adding the following bonus:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Any BMW Dealership in North America 1,000 points Available

Up To 3 Times

Pick up a copy of the repair order for the correction of a final drive

or transmission failure from any BMW dealership in North America. Your

motorcycle's vehicle identification number must appear on the repair

order. Have a glass of Kool-Aid while you are waiting. No

documentation is required for the Kool-Aid; we already know you drink

it.

1st Failure Time: ______ Odometer: _______ Code: BMW1

Approved:____________

2nd Failure Time: ______ Odometer: _______ Code: BMW2

Approved:____________

3rd Failure Time: ______ Odometer: _______ Code: BMW3

Approved:____________

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

 

[bmwhd]

Barnes DNF'd - more to come.

Rear drive?

 

[Bounce]

Barnes DNF'd - more to come.

Rear drive?

don't know. i got it as a text message from a finish line cell phone.

 

[rickcorwn]

Barnes DNF'd - more to come.

Rear drive?

No just ran out of time, he might still make the banquet.

 

[kansas transit]

From MTF the other side of a good cop story:

From: beerme (beermeplease) 3:22 am

To: ALL (1 of 23)

28121.1

I saw upwards of more than a dozen riders today (Wednesday). I told my son before work that I was going IBR rider hunting, and I think I bagged my limit. BUT... for those that know me, not in the way that you’re probably thinking. Before work, I made a couple of hand printed signs attached to a clipboard, and kept them handy on the passenger seat. Oh yeah, I also had a spare IBA sticker (thanks, Tobie!) affixed to the rear window in my patrol car, prominently displayed just below the 3rd brake light. I didn’t have to wait but maybe an hour before the first sighting. A little after 1pm, I saw a reddish Goldwing, licensed out of Washington, passing traffic just east of the Carlin Tunnels. Ken Morton, maybe? I flipped a U-ey (U-ie?), pulled up alongside of the ‘Wing, rolled down the passenger window and flashed one of my signs which read, “SAY HI TO KNEEBONE FOR ME!” The rider was obviously amused, and gave a big thumbs up. The other sign said, “GOOD LUCK!”, which resulted in another big thumbs up.

A few minutes later, I spotted a FJR coming out of the tunnel. Similar reaction with both signs there. I’m not 100% certain who it was, but from what I could see through the helmet visor, the rider looked like Alan Barbic.

There were a few more individual sightings throughout the afternoon; quite a few of them were BMWs. I kinda wish I’d had the presence of mind to make up a sign referring to final drive issues. Coulda shoulda woulda.

Late in the afternoon, I saw a long string of LD motorcycles way out east of Elko. They were stretched out over the course of 3 miles or so. In front, was a silverish Goldwing, which I suspect was Dennis Powell, but I can’t be sure, since I never got up close enough to it. Overtaking the train from the rear, I flashed the Kneebone sign to all, except for the poor, heavily laden wee-Strom pilot bringing up the rear. That poor guy was riding sideways, at about a 20° list, in a brutal right-to-left crosswind, and I figured he didn’t really need the distraction. My heart was with ya though, brah!

I made my way up the line, and every single one acknowledged with a thumbs up or OK sign. They were all behaving themselves, so I didn’t have a chance to chat with any of them. Although... I was passing what appeared to be a GS model of some sort (the one you’ve all seen pictures of, with the “easy button” on the dash), and the rider started making wild hand gestures. It wasn’t until I got behind him that I realized he wanted me to pass again so that he could get a picture of the sign. Too late... I was already behind him with the rear flashing emergency lights on, and traffic was beginning to come around on the left. So we pulled over to the right shoulder and stopped. After a quick introduction (damned if I can remember his name), he wanted to take a picture of me with the sign. I asked to pose with his rally towel and he was happy to oblige. FAIR WARNING: WHEN, not IF, that picture shows up somewhere on the net... oh geez, how do I describe this??? *sigh* I’m gonna look like an even bigger dork than I normally am. The wind was blowing like a sonuvagun and I was trying to hold the rally towel & clipboard so that both were visible, using both hands plus my chin. A recent bad haircut doesn’t help matters. Plus, it seemed like it took an unusually long time from pose to shutter, so I’m guessing my facial muscles were getting a little impatient. There’s no telling what that pic is going to look like! Guess we’ll find out together.

Shortly after that, I gave up the hunt, as it would be getting dark soon. The last few riders are likely through here by now. Good luck to all, and say HI to Kneebone for me!

:lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

Thanks for the heads up AIRBOSS when the 18 wheeler rally takes I'll make sure not to post it here. LOL

 

[Bounce]

Here's the final report from Tom

2007 Iron Butt Rally, The FinishFriday, August 31, 2007

Marty Leir has won the 2007 Iron Butt Rally. He bagged a staggering 45

bonuses on the second leg to pull himself up from 6th place to 1st.

Added to the 109,032 points on his first leg, his second leg score of

235,090 points gave him a total of 344,122 points. Marty was lucky

enough to be riding one of the BMWs that did not suffer a catastrophic

failure, an R1200GS-Adventure.

In 2nd place, 10,651 points behind Leir, was Jim Owen with 333,471 total

points. The only significant problem Jim had with his R1200RT was

multiple punctures in a rear tire. He had to drop several bonuses on

his route plan to get an unscheduled tire change in Las Vegas. Jim

estimates that the last minute routing change cost him approximately

20,000 points.

16,764 points behind Owen, was third place finisher Brett Donahue riding

a Harley-Davidson Sportster. An amazing second leg ride pulled Brett up

from 14th place at the end of Leg 1. His total score for both legs was

316,707 points.

Rounding out the top ten were the following riders:

4th place was Jeff Earls on a BMW K1200GT with 309,681 points.

5th place was Eric Jewell on a BMW R1150RT with 304,597 points.

6th place was Tom Melchild on a Yamaha FJR1300 with 299,729 points.

7th place was Greg Marbach on a Yamaha FJR1300 with 298,492 points.

8th place was Michael Evans on a Yamaha FJR1300 with 298,077 points.

9th place was Alan Barbic on a Yamaha FJR1300 with 294,561 points.

10th place was Peter Leap on a Honda ST1300 with 292,596 points.

The bonus locations visited by winner Marty Leir during his strong Leg 2

performance included Grand Canyon, AZ, Death Valley, CA (three), Gering,

NE, Lick Observatory, Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, CA, Mancos, CO,

Bena, MN, Glacier Point, CA, Colombia, MO, Mono Hot Springs, CA, Wall,

SD, Salt Lake City, UT, Grass Valley, CA (twice), Bayard, NE, Yosemite

Village, CA, Olathe, KS, Big Sur, CA, Leadville, CO, Sacramento, CA,

Livermore, CA, Santa Cruz, CA, Sequoia National Park, CA, Dinosaur

Monument, UT, Two Harbors, MN, Mt. Rushmore, SD, Alliance, NE, Shiprock,

NM, Jeffrey City, WY, Idaho Springs, CO, Powder River, WY, Wamego, KS,

Paradise, NV, Casper, WY, Wendover, NV, Sioux Falls, SD, and Las Vegas,

NV.

Jim Frens, the only rider to make it to Homer, Alaska, and back,

finished in 11th place with 288,910 points. Jim had the highest mileage

for the rally, logging 12,658 miles on his Honda GL1800. He arrived at

the finish line with less than 5 minutes to make his way to the check-in

table before the beginning of the penalty point period. After the

points for his fuel log, call-in bonuses, rest bonus, and emergency card

return, Jim had time for nothing other than the 28,230 point bonus at

Watson Lake in the Yukon Territories. His Leg 2 total of 196,531 points

was impressive, but exceeded by a number of riders who built their

routes around the Lick Observatory near San Jose, California.

I'll post an epilog providing more details later. Listed below are the

final results showing, position, rider name, motorcycle model, miles

ridden, and total points scored. Gold Medal finishers are those with at

least 240,000 points, Silver starts at 225,000 points, Bronze at

210,000, and the "finisher" level starts at 190,000 points. Please note

that the 148,232 points shown for Alexander Schmitt reflect a 50%

reduction in his score for changing motorcycles 140 miles from the

finish. His unadjusted score of 296,464 points determines his medal

level, which is solid gold. He would have been in the top ten without

the bike change.

1 Martin Leir, BMW R1200GSA, 12,460, 344,122

2 Jim Owen, BMW R1200RT, 11,137, 333,471

3 Brett Donahue, H-D XLH1200R, 11,283, 316,707

4 Jeff Earls, BMW K1200GT, 11,059, 309,681

5 Eric Jewell, BMW R1150RT, 10,873, 304,597

6 Tom Melchild, Yamaha FJR1300, 10,025, 299,729

7 Greg Marbach, Yamaha FJR1300, 10,323, 298,492

8 Michael Evans, Yamaha FJR1300, 10,921, 298,077

9 Alan Barbic, Yamaha FJR1300, 9,832, 294,561

10 Peter Leap, Honda ST1300, 10,910, 292,596

11 Jim Frens, Honda GL1800, 12,658, 288,910

12 John Tomasovitch, BMW K1200RS, 10,874, 285,875

13 Curt Gran, Honda ST1300, 11,090, 285,512

14 Vicki Johnston, BMW F650GS, 9,868, 284,724

15 Andrew Mills, Victory Vision, 10,552, 283,621

16 John Langan, Honda GL1800, 10,096, 279,770

17 Matt Watkins, Yamaha FJR1300, 9,857, 272,054

18 Paul Peloquin, Yamaha FJR1300, 10,001, 270,097

19 Gregg Burger, BMW R1150GSA, 10,626, 261,475

20 Brian Roberts, Suzuki DL1000, 9,758, 253,273

21 Dick Peek, Yamaha FJR1300, 10,531, 251,924

22 Michael Boge, BMW R1200RT, 8,924, 250,985

23 Reiner & Lisa Kappenberger, Honda GL1800, 9,849, 250,236

24 Carl Stark, Honda GL1800, 8,644, 246,335

25 Art Garvin, Honda GL1800, 8,826, 245,768

26 Mike Langford, BMW K1200LT, 9,349, 242,524

27 Rick Miller, Honda GL1800 9,026, 242,060

28 Vance Keeney, BMW K1200GT, 9,392, 239,863

29 Terry & Lynda Lahman, Honda GL1800, 9,397, 235,736

30 Jack B. Shoalmire, BMW R1200RT, 9,306, 235,156

31 Jim and Donna Phillips, Honda GL1800, 10,022, 233,202

32 Richard Buber, BMW R1150RT, 10,180, 228,077

33 Kendall J. Anderson, Suzuki DL1000, 9,522, 227,164

34 Tom Skemp, Honda GL1500, 8,669, 225,515

35 Kevin J. Healey, Triumph Trophy 1200, 9,407, 225,439

36 Jim Bain, BMW K1200LT, 8,899, 223,659

37 Steve Branner, BMW R1200RT, 9,723, 223,595

38 Rebecca Vaughn, BMW R1100RS, 9,998, 222,607

39 Jim Winterer, Suzuki DL650, 10,209, 219,488

40 Mike Senty, BMW BMW R1150RT, 10,121, 218,975

41 Bill Watt, Honda GL1800, 10,603, 217,078

42 Doug Bailey, BMW R1150GS, 10,353, 215,467

43 Paul Allison, Honda GL1800, 10,207, 214,733

44 Dennis Powell, Honda GL1800, 8,624, 213,250

45 Ken Morton, Honda GL1800, 10,271, 213,101

46 Tony DeLorenzo, BMW R1200GS-ADV, 8,521 208,659

47 Tom and Rosie Sperry, BMW K1200LT, 9,603 206,879

48 Charles "Tobie" Stevens, Yamaha FJR1300, 8,711 206,332

49 Lisa Stevens, Yamaha FJR1300, 8,719, 206,332

50 Don Catterton, BMW K1200GT, 10,218, 205,393

51 Bill Thweatt, Honda ST1300, 9,999, 205,319

52 Stephan Bolduc, Yamaha FJR1300, 9,897, 203,572

53 Chris Cimino, Kawasaki Concours 14, 7,915, 203,427

54 Karol Patzer, BMW K75C, 8,386, 201,741,

55 Rick Neeley, BMW R1200GSA, 9,354, 200,120

56 Peter Murray, BMW K1200LT, 10,255, 199,693

57 Bob Mueller, Suzuki DL1000, 10,272, 199,263

58 Richard Keegan, Honda GL1800, 8,906, 194,071

59 Fred Droegemueller, Honda GL1800, 10,124, 193,096

60 Dick Fish, Buell Ulysses, 9,900, 191,546

61 Joe DeRyke, Suzuki DL650, 10,095, 191,346

62 Rick Martin, Yamaha FJR1300, 9,595, 191,040

63 Robert & Sylvie Torter, BMW K1200GT, 9,318, 190,964

64 David Bourdeaux, Honda GL1800, 8,570, 187,222

65 Jim Simonet, BMW K1200LT, 10,987, 187,035

66 Chris McGaffin, Kawasaki Concours, 8,690, 176,784

67 Joel Rappoport, BMW R60/6, 8,885, 175,945

68 Bob Collin, BMW R1200RT, 9,050, 157,920

69 Jim Mulcahy, BMW K1200RS, 8,833, 150,023

70 Alexander Schmitt, Honda ST1100, 10,584, 148,232

71 Mark W. Collins, H-D Electra Glide, 7,869, 147,905

72 Maura Gatensby, Honda ST1300, 9,117, 147,868

DNF Glenn K. Pancoast, BMW R1200GSA, 8,981 173,779

DNF David Derrick, BMW R1100RT, 5,399, 112,249

DNF Chris Sakala, BMW R1150GS-ADV, 4,874, 108,861

DNF Mike Hutsal, BMW K1200GT, 4,501, 100,160

DNF Rob Nye, BMW R1200RTP, 4,492, 100,100

DNF Homer L. Krout, BMW R1200GS, 4,278, 83,758

DNF George Barnes, BMW K1200LT, 5,198, 79,131

DNF Gerhard Memmen-Krueger, BMW R1200GSA, 3,995, 77,872

DNF Doug Chapman, Yamaha FJR1300, 4,007, 76,026

DNF Norm Grills, BMW K1100LT, 3,852, 75,998

DNF Donald A. Jones, Honda GL1000, 3,475, 75,782

DNF Robert Joers, Honda GL1800, 3,758, 63,261

DNF Mike Getzendanner, Honda GL1500, 3,884, 60,489

DNF Steve Broadhead, Honda ST1300, 3,337, 60,123

DNF Alan Bennett, Kawasaki Ninja 250, 2,919, 53,225

DNF Arlen Brunsvold, Jr., H-D Road Glide, 4,202, 52,669

DNF Arlen Brunsvold, Sr., BMW R1200RT, 3,849, 51,155

DNF Don Kulwicki, Honda GL1800, 3,462, 50,691

DNF David Hinks, Yamaha FJR1300, 3,594, 45,903

DNF Hans Karlsson, Honda GL1800, 0, 0

DNF Don Wescott, BMW K1200GT, 0, 0

DNF Robert St.George, Yamaha FJR1300, 0, 0

DNF Charles "Chip" Hyde, Honda GL1800, 0, 0

DNF Bill Wade, BMW R1200RT, 0, 0

DNF Tom Loftus, Honda ST1300, 0, 0

Tom Austin

August 31, 2007

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

 

[beerme]

...he wanted to take a picture of me with the sign. I asked to pose with his rally towel and he was happy to oblige. FAIR WARNING: WHEN, not IF, that picture shows up somewhere on the net... oh geez, how do I describe this??? *sigh* I’m gonna look like an even bigger dork than I normally am. The wind was blowing like a sonuvagun and I was trying to hold the rally towel & clipboard so that both were visible, using both hands plus my chin. A recent bad haircut doesn’t help matters. Plus, it seemed like it took an unusually long time from pose to shutter, so I’m guessing my facial muscles were getting a little impatient. There’s no telling what that pic is going to look like!

Has anyone seen the picture yet? I have it on good authority that it's posted on a BMW forum somewhere, but I have no idea where to find it. Frankly, I'm not sure I want to!

 

[Rogue]

...he wanted to take a picture of me with the sign. I asked to pose with his rally towel and he was happy to oblige. FAIR WARNING: WHEN, not IF, that picture shows up somewhere on the net... oh geez, how do I describe this??? *sigh* I’m gonna look like an even bigger dork than I normally am. The wind was blowing like a sonuvagun and I was trying to hold the rally towel & clipboard so that both were visible, using both hands plus my chin. A recent bad haircut doesn’t help matters. Plus, it seemed like it took an unusually long time from pose to shutter, so I’m guessing my facial muscles were getting a little impatient. There’s no telling what that pic is going to look like!

Has anyone seen the picture yet? I have it on good authority that it's posted on a BMW forum somewhere, but I have no idea where to find it. Frankly, I'm not sure I want to!

How much trouble would you have gotten into if you gave all the IBR riders a code 3 escort through NV at about 125? :blink: :blink: