In a message dated 23/12/2006 9:26:43 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

I used  to ride motocross and enduro, but am now interested in motorcycle
road  racing.  I rarely ride on the street, too dangerous :)
Any other road  racers out there?

Well, I used to be one !  Long, long ago while  living in Montreal back in
the 70's I took up Motorcycle Road Racing.   Spent 6 ~ 7 years at it and
probably rode most of all the tracks in NA back in  the 70's.  I still get the twinge
to take it up again every time I watch a  race on the TV.  I try to make it
to an event as a spectator now and  then just to "keep in touch"  I keep
hearing they are gonna do a replica of  the Isle of Man out in Nova Scotia next
fall.  I was thinking............oh  my don't tell Rita. she'll have a conniption
!  So, I guess you wanna know  what I rode.  Started off with a Suzuki X-6
that I transformed into a road  racer.  Then got the very first Ducati 250 Desmo
in Canada, won a race with  that one out in Nova Scotia.  Rode the 24 hour at
Mosport for the Canadian  Honda Team on a Honda 4 with a bunch of other nut
cases.  We did not  finish.  While in ninth place with one hour to go the motor
threw a rod out  the front of the case !  Then I rode my friends Norton 850
Commando for a  while and put it head on into the fencing at Sanair, I cleared
the fence !   Spent one winter in southern California riding loaned bikes of a
friend, a  factory Suzuki and a factory Triumph Triple.  Then I got one of the
3 first  Yamaha TZ-350s in Canada and my first race on it was at Daytona.  I
was  clocked at 180 in time trials. Scared the crap outa me !  Then after
some time of spending way too much of my money and getting no good sponsors I
gave it up to go live in the bush of Northern Quebec !  Now I'm over here  in
Almonte working on Vanagons.  And, wouldn't you know it, one of my  customers
from near by is a road racer I used to ride with back in the 70's and  he's
still at it riding in the Old Farts Class !  He keeps trying to  persuade me to
join him !  YIKES !

Cheers,

Frank  Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy, '90 Carat, '87 Wolfsburg  (Forsale) & Lionel Trains
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa  Valley
_Frank Condelli  & Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
_Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust  Systems_ (http://members.aol.
com/Fkc43/stebro.htm)
_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a VW Camper
camping event, Almonte, ON, June 07 ~ 10,  2007