with thanks to my bosses for the tickets, a friend and i attended the annual street races here in town. this event has been running since the 50s and draws massive crowds every year. its almost always a scorcher, and my friend got quite impressively burned. i havent been since 2008 due to the ticket cost [$45 for adults].

riders of sports bikes, BEARS, modern and vintage sidecars, plus motard, lap the streets all straining to beat the records and win. some just want to get around the track without breaking down.

there were several crashes, none of which were on the section where we were sitting. one classic sidecar pair crashed coming out of the esses on the first lap. didnt hear reports of major injury, but the ambulance went around after one.

this video is a ride around i did a few years ago, while the safety pads and barriers were being set up on christmas eve.
[video=youtube]https://youtu.be/zFYlWY5Rqag[/video]

this guy had trouble keeping up. think i heard over the loud speaker his lap time got slower each time

a view through the trees, across the old cemetery to the other side of the track. people arent buried here anymore, and many of the graves are barely standing upright, with no family to care for them. if i ever won millions, i would put a lot of it towards repairing and preserving the headstones and concrete walls and pads protecting what lies beneath.

then a walk through the pits. poor santa! this was race by a husband and wife team

the building with anchor on it is where i work. the street was used as pitlane, and some riders even moved our cones so they could park in front. one guy even snuck down the side of the truck and parked behind it. the place has a couple of chillers of milk, and my job is sorting milk products for delivery to local supermarkets and corner dairies.

and then a bike show nearby, held in the firehouse.

the teeth were all raised up on this.

whoever said size doesnt matter was lying! im in love with both of these, though the american flag one has a slight edge for actually having a few stone holes in the radiator and no stereo. boss hoss

scuse me while i wipe up the drool...

my friend liked this one because it was "kiwi-fied".

i like big butts...

a norton 3 wheeler!

my absolute favourite of the day. original tyres at a guess, by the sag and age damage. 1913 indian.

and directly across the floor was this handsome chap. this one is local, and ive actually ridden alongside him at least once. a 2015 indian chief. 102 years younger than the old boy.

grandpa and grandson

and this old timer BSA was in another room. so old its even lost the gas cap

and to top it off, this was outside.

hope you enjoyed these few photos. wish i could have got better ones of the racing, but they move so fast and my camera isnt a high quality one.