New ~ Thursday Practice at Glen Helen

Slow ~ Pro
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Slow ~ Pro
Edited Date/Time 1/24/2012 5:00pm

Starting this Thursday Glen Helen Raceway will have separated bike practices on the National Track.

This will be a permanent change. The session will be from 9am-12pm.

The bikes will be divided by 85cc and below and big bikes. Practice will continue until dusk with open practice.

The REM track and Peewee tracks will be open also for practice starting the following week, Thursday, June 19 and continue to be open for practice every Thursday.

Below is the practice schedule for Thursday practices.


Each practice will be Approximately 30 minutes
8am - 9am OPEN PRACTICE
85cc – under 9am -9:30am
ALL Big Bike 9:30am - 10am
85cc -under 10:am - 10:30am
ALL Big Bikes 10:30am-11am
85cc-under 11am -11:30am
ALL BIG BIKES 11:30am – 12pm
85-UNDER 12noon -12:30
OPEN PRACTICE 12:30- DUSK
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Trip
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Trip 6/11/2008 3:14pm
6/11/2008 3:14pm
Wow, sounds like they just lost some business. There's going to be like 10 little bikes on the track.
Brent
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Brent 6/11/2008 4:12pm
6/11/2008 4:12pm Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 7:15pm
Are they going to prep the REM track?

Will it be the layout from the week prior, or the new one for the upcoming weekend?

Thanks
DL
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DL 6/11/2008 4:27pm
6/11/2008 4:27pm
To me it's a step in the right direction. Nobody can honestly say that it's a good idea to have little bikes and big bikes on the track at the same time. Inconvenient? A little, but it's the only way to do it. High five Glen Helen..... how about flaggers and an EMT?
GuyB
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GuyB 6/11/2008 4:42pm
6/11/2008 4:42pm
The teams and pros might not like it, but it's better for everyone than the current deal. The little guys are like rolling chicanes out on the track, surrounded by pros going National-caliber speed. That's not a good recipe for anyone.

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500guy
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500guy 6/11/2008 4:42pm
6/11/2008 4:42pm
DL wrote:
To me it's a step in the right direction. Nobody can honestly say that it's a good idea to have little bikes and big bikes on...
To me it's a step in the right direction. Nobody can honestly say that it's a good idea to have little bikes and big bikes on the track at the same time. Inconvenient? A little, but it's the only way to do it. High five Glen Helen..... how about flaggers and an EMT?
Exactly

a little inconvenience is OK if it's a safety issue
KAWboy14
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KAWboy14 6/11/2008 4:56pm
6/11/2008 4:56pm
very few pros practice more than 30 minutes at a time anyway!
moto329
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moto329 6/11/2008 5:20pm
6/11/2008 5:20pm
KAWboy14 wrote:
very few pros practice more than 30 minutes at a time anyway!
And if they want to get some race type practice in, they shouldn't be there before noon anyway.
Slow ~ Pro
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Slow ~ Pro 6/11/2008 7:11pm
6/11/2008 7:11pm
GuyB wrote:
The teams and pros might not like it, but it's better for everyone than the current deal. The little guys are like rolling chicanes out on...
The teams and pros might not like it, but it's better for everyone than the current deal. The little guys are like rolling chicanes out on the track, surrounded by pros going National-caliber speed. That's not a good recipe for anyone.
Well...the Pros don't pay, so it is geared to the others. GH has a all current AMA SX/MX Pro gate list.

I don't know how much prep work will go into it, but I do know that John Allen does a lot more work than any previous track coordinator.

No promise ever what the track will look, or run, like. They just tie them together. Sometimes prep for race days gets changed up a bit.

They can't run a National track because of the hills...it's funny how many can't make it up the hills.
Slow ~ Pro
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Slow ~ Pro 6/11/2008 7:14pm
6/11/2008 7:14pm
Trip wrote:
Wow, sounds like they just lost some business. There's going to be like 10 little bikes on the track.
...I'm pretty sure it's the only track that races every week end, year round.
rubarb
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rubarb 6/11/2008 8:39pm
6/11/2008 8:39pm
Is Ronni Jakkson going to be there?
teggers
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teggers 6/11/2008 8:54pm
6/11/2008 8:54pm
That schedule should be run all day.....I actually like the 20-20-20 sets at Bithlo. (If you want to ride a long moto, you can ride the free practice back section.) Little guys, Novice and Experts - but there were about 150 bikes there tonight and that's too many on the track anyway. There are "executive" nights that are open practice for long motos as well.

There are tracks around here that are so crowded that we have to split it up one more class (60's and smaller) and make it 15-15-15-15. The last time I went to Dade City it was 6 sets of 10 minutes!
WORCSRacer
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WORCSRacer 6/11/2008 9:34pm
6/11/2008 9:34pm
teggers wrote:
That schedule should be run all day.....I actually like the 20-20-20 sets at Bithlo. (If you want to ride a long moto, you can ride the...
That schedule should be run all day.....I actually like the 20-20-20 sets at Bithlo. (If you want to ride a long moto, you can ride the free practice back section.) Little guys, Novice and Experts - but there were about 150 bikes there tonight and that's too many on the track anyway. There are "executive" nights that are open practice for long motos as well.

There are tracks around here that are so crowded that we have to split it up one more class (60's and smaller) and make it 15-15-15-15. The last time I went to Dade City it was 6 sets of 10 minutes!
Sounds like you guys need some more tracks. Now that is good news. I hope the sport starts growing again.
Shifless Dos
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Shifless Dos 6/11/2008 9:59pm
6/11/2008 9:59pm
By 2009 there will be no AMA Pro's out at Glen Helen practicing, because they will all have SX only contracts by than.
Slow ~ Pro
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Slow ~ Pro 6/11/2008 10:34pm
6/11/2008 10:34pm
Shifless Dos wrote:
By 2009 there will be no AMA Pro's out at Glen Helen practicing, because they will all have SX only contracts by than.
So...we'll build Supercross track.
Trip
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Trip 6/12/2008 1:57am
6/12/2008 1:57am
Hell, Glen Helen can't even build a decent kids track. They never water or groom the REM track for practice.

Look, props to them for splitting up practice, but I don't see them making more money because of it. Having ALL the big bikes out there at once, I think would be more dangerous. Before everyone wouldn't be out there at the same time anyway, now all the big bikes will be out there at the same time.

Doesn't matter to me, I don't there anymore anyway.

If it's such a great idea, one, what took them so long to come up with it? Two, why not make it last all day? I think once some of the locals see that there are just 5 little bikes out there for a half an hour, they may not go anymore either.

8 to 9 is open practice? Either make a rule or don't. I mean do accidents not happen between 8 and 9, or after noon?

I see they are trying, but damn, maybe prep the REM track, flatten out some of the ruts around noon, all that space and they can't keep two tracks going, plus a kids track?
Trip
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Trip 6/12/2008 1:58am
6/12/2008 1:58am
Hell, Glen Helen can't even build a decent kids track. They never water or groom the REM track for practice.

Look, props to them for splitting up practice, but I don't see them making more money because of it. Having ALL the big bikes out there at once, I think would be more dangerous. Before everyone wouldn't be out there at the same time anyway, now all the big bikes will be out there at the same time.

Doesn't matter to me, I don't go there anymore anyway.

If it's such a great idea, one, what took them so long to come up with it? Two, why not make it last all day? I think once some of the locals see that there are just 5 little bikes out there for a half an hour, they may not go anymore either.

8 to 9 is open practice? Either make a rule or don't. I mean do accidents not happen between 8 and 9, or after noon?

I see they are trying, but damn, maybe prep the REM track, flatten out some of the ruts around noon, all that space and they can't keep two tracks going, plus a kids track?
Slow ~ Pro
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Slow ~ Pro 6/12/2008 7:25am
6/12/2008 7:25am
Trip wrote:
Hell, Glen Helen can't even build a decent kids track. They never water or groom the REM track for practice. Look, props to them for splitting...
Hell, Glen Helen can't even build a decent kids track. They never water or groom the REM track for practice.

Look, props to them for splitting up practice, but I don't see them making more money because of it. Having ALL the big bikes out there at once, I think would be more dangerous. Before everyone wouldn't be out there at the same time anyway, now all the big bikes will be out there at the same time.

Doesn't matter to me, I don't go there anymore anyway.

If it's such a great idea, one, what took them so long to come up with it? Two, why not make it last all day? I think once some of the locals see that there are just 5 little bikes out there for a half an hour, they may not go anymore either.

8 to 9 is open practice? Either make a rule or don't. I mean do accidents not happen between 8 and 9, or after noon?

I see they are trying, but damn, maybe prep the REM track, flatten out some of the ruts around noon, all that space and they can't keep two tracks going, plus a kids track?
Well Trip, I am sure this is there goal, you have several valid points. I don't have all the answers.

It's not about money, it's about safety. The times mentioned are the times where attendance is at it's greatest.

I have piped a sprinkler system at the Pee-Wee track a couple of times, but it gets torn out by idiots wanting to play in the water.

I don't know if they will groom the REM side or not, my guess would that they will. Personally, I'd rather practice on a beat up, rougher track.

You have very legit questions, forward them to Lori Bryant. lori@glenhelen.com

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