Just in from BMW Motorcycles of Las Vegas and it was a crazy trip! Packing for my trip last Thursday was not fun and I had to carry my Ohlins front and rear shock for the bike i was racing this past weekend. Each shock was individually wrapped in bubble wrap. So I checked in, received my ticket, and got on the plane with wild Gator fans and not enough Buckeye fans!
Once on the ground in Vegas, grabbed my bags and was on my way to the dealership. At the dealer first thing I wanted to get the bike finished and quickly went for the shocks in my bag.... front was there, rear shock GONE!!! The bubble wrap was still inthe bag though from the rear shock. I was pretty devastated as this was my first time racing on the West coast, brand new track (California Speedway), and the showing I knew I could have would have been more realsitic with the shocks that I have developed and allowed ride the way I need to.
So a stock shock was fitted up and from there I was able to start getting a new game plan on. Thats when I remebered there was a call missed from Chris at San Jose BMW. I gave Chris a call and when asked, that is when he was told about the shock ordeal. Chris was great and was able to help the est he could with another stock Ohlins from the R1200S, but with a slightly stiffer spring for the BMW of Las Vegas race bike. So at least we were in the parkng lot of the "ballpark", but not yet inside the "ballpark" of the settings needed to run upfront during the race!
Once on the way it was pretty cool to drive thrugh the Mojave desert a bit and see some awesome scenery. Saturday morning would bring even more stumbling blocks. I was on a waiting list now to practice. Once finally on the track at around 1 pm. Half the day was gone and I had about 4 - twenty mnute sessions to learn a very ocal track to the So Cal. racers that go pretty good there. The first practice session ended with a 1'42.500 lap time. I was told I needed a 1'34"s to even think about the podium in the WERA West race there. Well, after some serious settings searching, and 3 more sessions aorund that place, lol, ripped off a 1'34.890 as the sun was going down!
Now I am feeling great about Sunday and the passiveness was settingin amongst the other racers that just had a BMW motorcycle go by them sideways and then was gone! Sunday morning came and at th hotel, maybe a slight breeze. At the track, UNBELEIVABLE! I have never experienced wind so strong and it was no raining, and the sun was out! The gusts topped 70 mph and just constant wind that was so strong all day it blew away the airfence (safety barriers that are inflated), a Port-O-Potty (nasty), and if tehre was a serious accident a helicopter could not land to escort a rider to the hospital. So the races were cancelled.
I was feeling really great and just could not wait to get out tehre and show the credibility of the BMW race bike on the West coast and to give the owners of BMW MC of Las Vegas the exposure they deserve!
Back to Vegas and then on my way home all I could think about is the red flags that went up from the missing shock... I was pretty eager to get some closure on this missing shock ordeal. Due to the fact that the bubble wrap used for the rear shock was still in the bag, red flags went up. Why didn't they take the wrap with the shock? Why was the front shock unwrapped, rewrapped, and left in bag? Basically alot of phone calls and an in person trip to the TSA office/ Delta office in Atlanta airport, brought forth pretty much nothing.
A TSA supervisor gave me the skinny on "prohibited" and "hazmat" items. The items are taken and immediatly logged. They get a sticker with a log # on the item. There is no shock logged on the date of my flight last Friday morning to Las Vegas. from my bags check in tag. After a conversation with TSA, they threw Delta under the bus so i wnet to Delat Airlines office. I thought I was getting somewhere when the gentleman said "Oh yeah, one of the guys downstairs had seen it on Saturday. Finally I thought, it still alive. Gave my cell to Delta representatives felling optimistic. 9pm Tuesday night a call from Delta stating the search was off this evening for the missing shock. "We will resume the search in the morning Mr. Kern..." the Delta rep. said.
Just very inconsistant and I just cannot beleive the front shock was left, rear, missing, and no log # for what was "taken" out of my bag.
See all of you in DC and NY IMS show!!!!!
N8! Kern
Once on the ground in Vegas, grabbed my bags and was on my way to the dealership. At the dealer first thing I wanted to get the bike finished and quickly went for the shocks in my bag.... front was there, rear shock GONE!!! The bubble wrap was still inthe bag though from the rear shock. I was pretty devastated as this was my first time racing on the West coast, brand new track (California Speedway), and the showing I knew I could have would have been more realsitic with the shocks that I have developed and allowed ride the way I need to.
So a stock shock was fitted up and from there I was able to start getting a new game plan on. Thats when I remebered there was a call missed from Chris at San Jose BMW. I gave Chris a call and when asked, that is when he was told about the shock ordeal. Chris was great and was able to help the est he could with another stock Ohlins from the R1200S, but with a slightly stiffer spring for the BMW of Las Vegas race bike. So at least we were in the parkng lot of the "ballpark", but not yet inside the "ballpark" of the settings needed to run upfront during the race!
Once on the way it was pretty cool to drive thrugh the Mojave desert a bit and see some awesome scenery. Saturday morning would bring even more stumbling blocks. I was on a waiting list now to practice. Once finally on the track at around 1 pm. Half the day was gone and I had about 4 - twenty mnute sessions to learn a very ocal track to the So Cal. racers that go pretty good there. The first practice session ended with a 1'42.500 lap time. I was told I needed a 1'34"s to even think about the podium in the WERA West race there. Well, after some serious settings searching, and 3 more sessions aorund that place, lol, ripped off a 1'34.890 as the sun was going down!
Now I am feeling great about Sunday and the passiveness was settingin amongst the other racers that just had a BMW motorcycle go by them sideways and then was gone! Sunday morning came and at th hotel, maybe a slight breeze. At the track, UNBELEIVABLE! I have never experienced wind so strong and it was no raining, and the sun was out! The gusts topped 70 mph and just constant wind that was so strong all day it blew away the airfence (safety barriers that are inflated), a Port-O-Potty (nasty), and if tehre was a serious accident a helicopter could not land to escort a rider to the hospital. So the races were cancelled.
I was feeling really great and just could not wait to get out tehre and show the credibility of the BMW race bike on the West coast and to give the owners of BMW MC of Las Vegas the exposure they deserve!
Back to Vegas and then on my way home all I could think about is the red flags that went up from the missing shock... I was pretty eager to get some closure on this missing shock ordeal. Due to the fact that the bubble wrap used for the rear shock was still in the bag, red flags went up. Why didn't they take the wrap with the shock? Why was the front shock unwrapped, rewrapped, and left in bag? Basically alot of phone calls and an in person trip to the TSA office/ Delta office in Atlanta airport, brought forth pretty much nothing.
A TSA supervisor gave me the skinny on "prohibited" and "hazmat" items. The items are taken and immediatly logged. They get a sticker with a log # on the item. There is no shock logged on the date of my flight last Friday morning to Las Vegas. from my bags check in tag. After a conversation with TSA, they threw Delta under the bus so i wnet to Delat Airlines office. I thought I was getting somewhere when the gentleman said "Oh yeah, one of the guys downstairs had seen it on Saturday. Finally I thought, it still alive. Gave my cell to Delta representatives felling optimistic. 9pm Tuesday night a call from Delta stating the search was off this evening for the missing shock. "We will resume the search in the morning Mr. Kern..." the Delta rep. said.
Just very inconsistant and I just cannot beleive the front shock was left, rear, missing, and no log # for what was "taken" out of my bag.
See all of you in DC and NY IMS show!!!!!
N8! Kern
posted by nate_kern at 8:32 AM
1 Comments:
That sounds great, I just need to look at the schedule and the logistics... I think I have a race that following weekend in WV (Natl. Thunderbike)
I will try! is it the full course we raced on last season?!
N8!
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