First Person/Opinion
Via e-mail:
My favorite memories of Road Atlanta are from the Big Kahuna 2001 when my boyfriend (now husband) and I took our first “big” vacation together. We loaded up my little 1990 Honda Civic hatchback with a few extra clothes and a large box of Maple Brown Sugar Pop Tarts and made the 8 hour drive to Road A for the weekend.
It was the weekend that I really fell in love with road racing and I was completely star struck by being able to walk amongst all the racers that I had been watching on TV. I managed to get pics with all three Hayden brothers: Nicky with his leopard hair, Tommy with his nipple ring, and little Roger who we caught turning wrenches on his own bike he was riding for Bruce Transportation.
To this day, it’s still one of the best trips ever and I’m so excited because this year my husband and I will be celebrating our 8th anniversary by taking our 2 kids (and my parents) back to the Big Kahuna where, for us, it really all started! Hope to see you guys there! Kasey Ray Jacksonville, North Carolina
FIRST PERSON/OPINION
Via e-mail:
In 1973 Yamaha sponsored the 1st motorcycle race ever at Road Atlanta, the “Yamaha Paper Cup.” This AMA sanctioned amateur road race caused quite a buzz and drew many entries in each class.
At the time I was a young man with only 2 road races under my belt, both on a 175cc 2 stroke single Ossa Sport streetbike. A friend living 75 miles away in Crystal River, Florida had a later model 250cc version, a 4 speed Wildfire.
The 250cc production class top dog in the Southeast at the time lived in the same small town and boasted a Yamaha 250cc twin DS-7.
Even as a beginner, I had a good grasp of the smack-talk part of racing. My friend Gary and I pooled our resources and entered the Ossa with the naive expectation of winning.
Our research of the track led us to conclude extra tall gearing was a necessity. Early ’70s Florida was no place to find a range of gearing for an obscure Spanish streetbike, so we adapted a small sprocket from a local garden tractor dealer to the Wildfire’s rear wheel.
Arriving at Road Atlanta was an awesome experience for us, as the scope and majesty of the track was breathtaking. The elevation changes were spectacular and the field of competitors was imposing.
Lots of Yamaha DS-7 250cc 5-speed twins, Suzuki X-6 250cc 6-speed twins, a few Ducati singles, Bultaco Metrallas and our under-appreciated Ossa.
My first few laps of practice had me pleading in my helmet for my mama to come rescue me from the frightening “gravity cavity” at the bottom of the downhill backstraight and the blind tunnel a the top of the next hill. I finally came to grips with the course and became comfortable with WFO.
Feature race time…a giant gaggle of racers buzzing into turn 1, then clogging the esses into the back section. I picked my way through traffic until the downhill backstraight on lap 2, when I could see that I was running 2nd.
The leader was none other than my buddy’s neighbor on the Yamaha, comfortably out front.
The Ossa’s gearing was so tall that it would barely pull itself from overreving any gear to the bottom of the powerband in the next gear. Its 4-speed gearbox was quite a disadvantage. However, once in high gear and rolling down the mountain approaching the “gravity cavity,” it built some serious speed for a production 250cc.
As I rolled by the Yamaha at top speed, my nemesis looked over to see what/who was passing him.
I don’t recall ever seeing anyone’s eyes get so big as his did when he realized what/who was taking the lead from his mighty Yamaha. We won that race going away. The cool off lap after the checkered flag was a moment to remember…Fans along the fence were waving arms, cheering wildly, even holding up babies as if they had just witnessed David slay Goliath.
I have raced and won several events at Road Atlanta since on bigger, faster bikes, but no memory comes close to that magical day.
Arthur Kowitz Ormond Beach, Florida