Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2006 06:51:57 EST
Reply-To: RAlanen@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Come out of the closet, all
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
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
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