Thanks

A big Thank You to all those who came to Sears Point. Ex-racers came from as far as New York (kudos to Peter), wandering in and out during the day as old friends reconnected. I enjoyed hearing many more stories about early CA roadracing and seeing a few beautiful classic machines.

You guys keep me excited about this sport--and renew my respect for how much it has been affected by California racers.

In With the Old, Out With the New

The bumper sticker for a new generation.

Revvin' Up

It's almost time...

Is There Food?

Don't know how I forgot to mention food in my earlier post...

This is an informal party so you're own your own for meals. There's a pretty good cafe in the paddock; I suggest going before or after the racers' lunch break 'cause it gets crowded. You can bring your own food or if you're the real friendly type maybe you can join in on a racer's pitside BBQ.


Traffic Note: I-280 Northbound in SF will be closed between 101 and King Street. That's the route to the Giants Stadium so you shouldn't be headed that way anyhow, but it may affect traffic on the parts of 280 and 101 you do want.

Can We Top This?

The "experienced" race bikes on display at our 50th Anniversary.

Bring Your Bike!

We have an even larger display area this year--let's impress the new kids.

Latest update: There's 5 confirmed bikes...the tally is growing.

Who Put Me In Charge of Herding The Cats?

I went to the AFM meeting on Wednesday and settled some of the details. It's great that the group is on board with the celebration.

We have a confirmed area for displaying race bikes! If you have one from any AFM era, bring it down (or over, or up) so others can drool over it. The bikes will be front and center in the paddock, in the area where tech inspection takes place on Saturday morning. After Tech closes down (by 10 am) we'll have that area for your machines. So far, I have two bikes confirmed and would sure like to see more...at the 50th, the bikes were one of the highlights for everyone.

Official time for the Unofficial party is 10:00 am until Sundown. All that means is that I get to sleep in a bit later and the final showing of the AFM 50th retrospective will be at sundown. We'll follow that showing with a special presentation of a more-recent AFM short film that is just stunning--you won't want to miss it. 

This is a full AFM race weekend so the track gates will be open by 6:30 am and racers will be hanging around all night. Come early and stay late if you want the full experience. Track entry is $12. If you tell them you're there for the 60th, it's still $12. If you bring the kids or grandkids and they're young enough they get in for free.

There's a raffle being held with all proceeds to benefit the AFM. I'm not sure what prizes will be available for the raffle so you'll have to come and see for yourself.

The AFM will set up their Benevolent Fund booth to sell t-shirts, hats and other AFM gear. All proceeds go to the Benevolent Fund (duh) to help injured racers. There may be something special for the 60th Anniversary..we're working on it.

We're also working on a few other surprises so clear your schedule and come to the racetrack.

Did You Know? The AFM... [Part Troix]

Has raced at Sonoma Raceway (née Infineon, née Sears Point, née Golden State Raceway) since 1973.

Held its first motorcycle-only Laguna Seca race in 1974. Noise complaints prohibited any more races for several years.

Had 85 teams signed up for the 250-mile (4-hour) endurance race at Sears Point in November 1978. It was rained out and took place on Thanksgiving Sunday.

Created Formula Pacific (FP) as the premier class in 1992. It originally did not count toward the overall championship. In later years all top 10 numbers came from FP, and a more recent change set the top 5 numbers from FP and 6-10 from other classes.

Started racing at Thunderhill Park in 1995.

Started racing at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in 1997.

Ran the California State Championship Series with Willow Springs in 1997 and 1998. Races from each club counted toward overall class championships.

Introduced electronic timing and scoring in 1999.

Introduced online registration in 2001.

Held its first race in over 40 years in Las Vegas in 2003. It was popular with those who went, but not a financial success.

Added AirFence soft barriers at Sears Point starting in 2005.

Has had at least 5 overall Champions who repeated for a second straight year, but has never had a Champion for 3 years in a row.