True Grit SPANK Results

[beeroux]

Wow. It pretty much rained the entire rally. Tornados, floods, fog with less than 20' visibility. It TOTALLY sucked.

But riders dug deeper than ever to remain focused while being wet and cold. Spirits were sometimes low but not extinguished.

Some veteran riders didn't even open up the 2nd leg pack, just running for the bar/n. Others, like Robert Bolger, arrived at the CP 5 minutes late and lost just a tad over a billion points but was still in the rally. He ran all night for whatever points he could manage. What a guy. Placing well meant staying in the hunt and on the bike, gritting it out in the 100% weather bummer.

I tell you folks, this years Spank Riders ate glass and washed it down with rusty nails. Tough Mo-Fo's.

Several of the first time rallyists placed in the top 10, and one of them would have been top 5 had he surrendered his GPS and laptop for the billion point bonus.

Suffice to say, I'm impressed, and humbled by the talent, strength, and determination of this community. Whew.

Signing out for some grub with some of the remaining riders,

GZ

1-Ken Meese 1000130468

2-Tom & Rosie Sperry 1000105759

3-Eric Vaillancourt 1000100081

4-Mike Mehaffy 1000084596

5-Mike Taylor 1000072576

6-Dennis Powell 1000068782

7-Doug Steeb 1000061781

8-Mike Gragg 1000056654

9-Mike & Betty Ligons 1000048362

10-Allen Dye 1000045738

11-David Morgan & Jan Cote 1000023746

12-Darrin Hicks 71628

13-Kreis Weigal 60772

14-Scott Harrison 59374

15-Michael Snodgrass 50990

16-Brian Collins 49570

17-Al Landry 45596

18-Heidi Still 43396

19-Robert Bolger 26406

20- Jim Mulcahy 0

Aaron & Rene Miller DNF

Winston Oxley DNF

Tony Hudson DNF

 

[Bugnatr]

Hats off to the real hardcore bikers!

 

[Ignacio]

Ken's racking up those podium finishes the past couple seasons, the Sperry's are just flat out a couple that competes at the highest level......and doing even better with a Goldwing over a BMW with final drive issues, and Eric shines old school!

Props folks! :clapping:

 

[sandiegoland]

Your first post has only wet my appetite for more details... please Spank me further... :dribble:

 

[kaitsdad]

I first met Ken at the 07 SPANK - then again at the 08 SPANK - (final drive, kool aid in action there) and now this - If he had an FJR, he'd be really dangerous !!

Tom and Rosie on their 1 year old Goldwing (no final drive failures there !!) are an incredible couple that are so like-minded I'm in awe !!

Eric riding his 'other side' - hope his cookies aren't soggy.

And they did it all in the rain which was continuous. Most folks get mentally whacked by the rain, it would seem that these folks just use it to keep their windscreens free of bug guts!! Great Rides !!

And to everyone else in the rally, I'm envious !!!! Great Job !!

 

[bmwhd]

Congrats to all! Doug S. and Mike G. are good friends and I was happy to see they came through safe and in the top 10.

That was Doug's first 24 hour event and Mike G., a rally vet, was riding his brand new and bone stock RT. Not even a GPS on board!

 

[turbodave_98]

Congrats to all that participated. Really sorry to miss this ride in 2009. Takes a llot of determination to endure those conditions in the tornado alley of the South. I have experience as I learned to ride in Memphis TN.

 

[dcarver]

Gotta be some good stories of riding 'hard' miles in difficult conditons when tired, hungry, and beat down. I can hardly wait to hear them.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Way to go mehaffy! :clapping:

 

[RenoJohn]

Congrat's to all riders .....jeeze tough conditions to say the least.

look forward to hearing a few of the stories.

 

[rangerray]

Like George said, it rained the whole time, but it was a blast. I wish it wasn't over. George hosts one heck of a rally and I'm really glad he posted the scores because I was fading in and out of never-never land while he was presenting trophies. Seeing the score card sure makes me kick myself, though.

I made too many first-timer mistakes. For one, I got caught in 3-5" per hour downpour with every zipper on my 'stich wide open. Not so bad when you're just out pleasure riding and looking forward to a comfy bed in a few hours, but at about 4 AM I was really cold and tired of being wet. With 4 hours left to go bonus hunting, I was instead thinking about a hot shower.

I'm embarrassed to say that I couldn't pry the GPS from my hands. I could have easily picked up a kazillion points by stepping out of that comfort zone, but winning wasn't everything to me and it was not so much a test in my opinion as it was a learning experience. Again, I see the scorecard and weep.

With the curse of the GPS on my head, wouldn't you know that I programmed my route wrong and before I realized my mistake I had missed my first 21,000 pt. bonus (El Dorado, 3 hour window). There was an odd-numbered bonus that would have been within easy reach had I studied the bonus sheet a little closer and which would have been another 20,000 pts if I remember correctly. I was staring at an 8,008 pt. bonus when I finished leg 1, but because I failed to comprehend the directions, I missed getting a picture of George and lost those points too. I didn't even get the roadkill bonus because of reasons already mentioned. I think that would've been another 1,000 pts.

So, you guys do the math. I am. But, I'm not letting that take away from the experience. It was a great time, a good ride, my FJR ran great and the rally was organized very well and ran smoother than anything I had previously imagined. My rain soaked helmet is off to all of the riders that toughed it out. No doubt about it, this was extreme riding. And to George and anyone else that assisted in bringing it all together, many, many thanks. Oh, and a big thank you to Eric, Ken, Tom & Rosie--I listened to everything you guys said--you've got to know they are pros when they ride like they do and still have time to give the new guys some pointers. Although, what I gathered from conversation and eavesdropping may not fully manifest itself until my next attempt.

I definitely look forward to a do-over someday :yahoo:

 

[mehaffydr]

Just a quick note to Thank George for a Great rally. I had a great time other than the suck ass weather. I will give a better report in a few days right now I had to head straight from the rally to a funeral.

 

[tel]

Wanted to add my congrats to all the riders. Sounds like a real tough rally, but as usual George did a great job. Sort of wonder how I'd do in those conditions, I've got used to rain-less riding in Sth. CA. Love the "no GPS" though. Great idea.

Looking forward to next years rally, George.

Terry