Spencer Steele | Climb to the Clouds 2017

Here is our local badass Spencer Steele doing what he does out on Mt Washington. They are bringing back this hill climb this year... The week after Lands End... Not sure my Homebrew could handle the bumps, not sure I could afford to drive that far to a race, not sure I'm not sure if you know what I mean....

Mounting a Coyote tranny with Colorado Kool-aid machine.

 The Aluminum molten puddle is a lot like the secret to joyful enlightenment. True happiness and inner peace. A state of perfection if you will. There are many things that can make an old refrigerator sized Miller 330 AB/P welder not create that shiny molten puddle of perfection. After trying to tig weld aluminum with this old boat anchor for 10 years I finally found it possible to make a bead with the correct amount of preparation, practice, and focus. I have been told many times I should give up and buy a new digital welder that would make life much more easy. However this old Welder has a story: When my shop was in Denver I had a sketchy automotive shop one block down 38th Ave. One day the sketchy mechanic said he was out and if I wanted his tig welder it was mine but his sketchy land lord/fellow tenants were on their way to seize anything left behind. So I high tailed it over to his shop on foot as that was all I had and started rolling the giant welder down the sidewalk. I could not get it across the intersection so I left it in traffic and went back to my shop for some tie down straps that I could use to better pull, tug, and haul with. I got it to my shop and found it would not fit through my shop door! The tenant behind me let me take out some drywall and 2x4s to get it into my shop. And then I began the struggle to learn how to weld aluminum. I think I nicked a hole in the torch's gas line during the moving process causing intermittent issues and many foul words for many years.  A customer identified my welder, with it's unique decal logo numbers as one of the welders he worked with at the Coors brewery in Golden just up the road. Who knows how many beer kegs the machine once put together.

I built a jack as practice before tackling the engine and trans mounts. 

Luckily someone else has previously cut the car up so I don't feel as bad attempting my fabrications on it. The car has previously had a Subaru, Ford SHO, and other engines. It is recorded as being totaled at least twice.

I am going a different way than all the other CHCA cars and doing soft mounts with the thinking of less cracking....

Some of the previous repairs and alterations make me feel not so bad about my welds...

But I have a long way to go before I reach true enlightenment. Hoping my future is not full of cracks....

Greely to Telluride

Good ol Mick wanted to go flattracking. How could I say no to my oldest and fondest dirt bike buddy. I also needed an excuse to get John's Champion XS framer out that he so kindly is leaving in my care for the time be. I even took Mick out to some patch of flat desert and gave him one of my old steel shoes to see if he had more than just blind ambition to go fast and turn left. He did. So I buttoned up the Champion, dusted off the old Pikes Peak bike with some fitted 19"s, and loaded up my future; Nova Rose and her Lightning bug bike. The drive to the Mile High Showdown was on the other side of the state and it took us all day. The chatter in the van was mostly centered around racing, flower print dresses, and "what's that sign say". After unloading the bikes my daughter was stone quite as we walked the track inside the stadium. Her eyes were wide and my stomach had that old familiar tinge of excitement. It has been about 7 years since I was racing flattrack regularly.  The only other time being the Am Nationals in Illinois. Nova and I practiced late into the night friday before retiring into the ol trusty van. We woke to camp stove burritos and coffee. My little chip off the block was her usual timid and smart rider rather than racer in her heat races. I told her if she wanted to race rather than ride she had my blessings. I am proud of how brave she is but even more proud of how smart she is. In her main event race she pulled the cork out and passed tow bigger older kids to finish 2nd, earning her first trophy. Proud dad moment. My races were good but nothing spectacular. With big purses the competition was stiff. The Champion desperately needed a gear change but I forgot my quick change sprockets and did not have time to do much anyhow. I did remember the CRF gears and got it dialed in good enough for 2nd in the TT 40+. In the 40+ short track I got the holeshot in the main and was feeling good when I got run into by a rider trying to pass me on the outside. I had to restart from the back and worked all the way back up to 4th. Mick bagged a win the Amateur TT, he must have a decent coach!  Max Whale from Australia was in attendance and cleaned up the pro class. It was fun to strap my steel shoe back on and for a few days I was buzzing on doing some more flattrack. It would be great learning for Nova at least until she gets to the 85cc when shit gets serious. I don't know though, the little impact I had, not even going down, was still enough to remind me of the dangers of banging bars so close going around in circles. I always thought when I got older that I would be more of a flattrack racer than anything else but honestly it is the first form of competition I that I have grown to fear the dangers of. Fuck old age is replacing young desire... We shall see....

I may be older but I am still a ham

Getting to share the podium with my good old buddy Matt was a real pleasure. We grew up riding dirt bikes and playing in a punk rock band together. I introduced him to flattrack a few years back and he has taken to it mighty fine. Last podium we shared was probably at our local moto cross in 1998 when we were 16 year olds.

I started racing with Mick in 2006 when his parents gave me consent to drive him to Lake Havasue and sign his minor waiver.

Nothing more flattrack essence than skidding around a couple of old tires played out on the ol desert floor. I remember how cool it felt to get into flattrack back in 2009. You could only get tires from one A and A racing. It was like joining a secert club. I think Mick and the bug. I told him to build a vintage tracker...

Van life is the good life

A week later we were invited to a right proper concourse on the Telluride golf course by our good friend Dylon who we race the Colorado hill climbs with. He has connections... and they wanted bikes to spice up the ordinary show of Jags,  high end Porsches, GT40, open wheel Indy cars....

So I brought Beasty the old desert sled. Did not even wipe off the years of dust.

Of course Nova stole the show the Lighting bug. It was also a good excuse to dust off Lipstick, The late great Tommy's Triumph Shop show bike/real hooligan flattrack race bike/ Dirt Quake USA race winner. It was a fun different way to spend a day. And I will probably never again be invited to any golf course let alone the one Tom Cruise uses. Always fun to be the turd in the punch bowl :)

"DRIVEN TO EXCELLENCE" 1983 AUTO RACING DOCUMENTARY w/ MARIO ANDRETTI &...

Some interesting narration by Sam Posey.