AHDRA Mid-West Nationals

Presented by Blue Springs Harley Davidson

June 20-21, 2009

7:15pm

Racing is done and all ladders are posted. Thanks for everyone’s patience. The racers are my first concern and their safety and was not able to get updates done like normal. Stay tuned for the press release of all the action from Kansas City International Raceway and the AHDRA Mid-West Nationals.

12:35pm

We are underway at the AHDRA Mid West Nationals. You can check out all the action on the Live Race Update ladders or you can go to Kansas City International Raceway live timing

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Fathers Day! What a beautiful day it is going to be today.

The weather forecast is: Isolated thunderstorms this morning, then partly cloudy during the afternoon hours. Hot. High 93F Heat index 105F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

The schedule for today has changed slightly as will go as follows:

11:15 am Mandatory Riders Meeting

12:15 pm Opening Ceremonies

12:30 pm 1st Round Pro Eliminations with Sportsman Eliminations following pros

2:30 pm 2^nd Round of Pro Eliminations followed by Sportsman classes

3:30 pm 3^rd Round of Pro Eliminations followed by Sportsman classes

4:30 pm Finals

(there will be no runs early this morning due to class sizes)

5:30pm

Well folks, the track staff has dried the track off and we are calling pros back to the lanes and we will finish round 2 as well as everyone getting a 3^rd round in today.

4:00pm

Well, the rain has stopped and the KCIR track staff is out starting to dry the track. They are guessing it will take about an 1 ½ hours to dry track. AHDRA’s goal is to get the second round of pro qualifying in yet today. I will update when we return to racing.

3:15pm We are still under rain delay and all the qualifying pages are updated. We have gotten through 2^nd round of Sportsman qualifying and will return to the Pro’s as soon as possible.

1:00pm

Just to clarify in regards to the Pro classes running the 1/8 mile. Craig Tharpe had met with a lot of the pro racers and discussed the issues and concerns of the shut down area everyone was having. After their discussion it was determined that for safety purposes they would only run 1/8 mile this weekend.

12:45pm

We are on a slight rain delay and will get all the pages updated while we wait for it to pass.

10.30 am

Second round has started for all classes. We have some technical issues with the computer in the tower so qualifying pages are slightly behind.

Saturday 9:30 am

Good morning from Kansas City International Raceway. The weather forcasted is Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 84F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Saturday night: Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low 74F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

You can check everyone out on the Live Updates Qualifying / Eliminations pages this weekend.

Craig Tharpe has made the decision that all Pro class will be running the 1/8 mile this weekend. All sportsman will be running the ¼.

Stay tuned and I will let you know of any breaking news.

On the evening of June 17^th, 2009 the Second Annual Josh Tharpe Memorial Big Wheel Rally was held in honor of the passing of my son three years ago. It is the brainchild of Chris Martin, a long time friend and confidant of Josh. I see this thing growing into one of the largest “All Big Wheel” events in the Tobaccoville metropolitan area. Even with inclement weather, the crowd just kept pouring in. I cannot confirm it, but I was told that the local fire department has said that occupancy restrictions are being reviewed for the facility. Josh’s Mom (Terry), brother (Jacob) and Dad (me) were on hand for the occasion. They sure enjoy seeing all of Josh’s friends and catching up on where everybody is in life. Judging from the number of rug rats, there’s a lot of love in this group.

As usual, the beer truck was backed up to the door and the fire was lit in the big SPEVCO cooker to get things started (thank you SPEVCO). Tim Sellers volunteered his culinary skills to prepare some of the best hot dogs and hamburgers I have ever eaten (thank you Tim). Beer and the device to cool it were provided by the R. H. Barringer Distibuting Co. at a cost of $0.00 (thank you R. H. Barringer Distibuting Co.). Condiments and sandwich construction materials were provided by the Dirty Queen Restaurant at a cost of $92.13. I only mention the costs involved because this thing is free and it is obvious that they spare no expense to make it right.

During the meal and social time music was provided by a couple of guys playing a guitar and a harmonica and some bongo drums. They were great! No. Seriously they were.

Of course the meat of this event (except for the hot dogs and hamburgers) is the racing. If you have never seen these machines and their oversized pilots racing side by side at speeds only gravity can produce, well I just can’t describe it. I mean it doesn’t rattle your chest or anything, but it sure is funny. Due to the economic down turn or maybe because Chris and Morgan just forget to order new Big Wheels, the machines from last year’s rally were recycled and used again this year. There were some pretty high tech methods incorporated into the refurbishments. Most innovative was the use of run flat tires-the result of the continuous refinement of these temperamental machines and the fact that blown tires were a major problem in 2008. Morgan and Chris had the immaculately prepared machines on the line and ready for battle. Teams were strategically paired and the racing began. The Tharpe/Martin team (defending champions from the 2008 season) were the favorites to win, but the rules and the scoring system were so screwed up that they somehow finished second. That’s the only part of the rally I didn’t like. Everything else was really good.

Anyway. If you missed this year’s Josh Tharpe Memorial Big Wheel Rally, mark it on your calendar for next year. It’s always on the 17^th of June. See you there!

Fly Josh Fly.