Practice Runs
The sidecars were just a sideshow, of course, and had only short windows for practice--the Formula One
racecars got most of the practice time on Friday and Saturday.
Racer Jim arrived in time for Friday's practice. The rest of us
were there on Thursday to set up, while Jim dripped poisons into patients' veins on Thursday.
The first practice didn't go very well. After one lap, they had to stop because of an oil problem. It turned
out that Matt had filled the rig with four quarts of oil, and then while Matt put on his racing leathers; , Jim
arrived and put four quarts of oil in. So there was twice as much oil as needed.
After they wiped that up, they took another lap, and this time the chain went bad. The engine
was just too strong for the rest of the bike.
The next day the rig worked well and Matt and Doc took three good laps. In front of the grandstand.
One of the Dobbs brothers got in the way of my camera.
One of the things Matt and Doc practice is their hand signals. Their communication during the race will be by touch--they will hear no sound,
each alone in his own silent roar. They will not be able to look at each other, there are too many things to watch on the track.
If Matt discovers engine trouble, he will touch Doc on the hand. If he spots a traffic hazard, he'll warn Doc
with a slap on the hip. If Doc is going too fast for Matt's taste, he'll touch Doc on the foot. If Matt says "STOP!!!" he'll do it with a
solid whack in the middle of the back.
After the three-lap practice, both Jim and Matt were lost in their own thoughts.
On Saturday night we went out for a lobster and steak dinner; on the way back to the track we got lost. I
stopped and took a picture of the city from some unknown hill.
Then we went back to the hotel and couldn't sleep and stayed up late drinking and watching TV.
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