I am putting together a team to race the 6 hrs in PA, 30+ class. I'm not expecting to be a contender but hopefully finish high enough to get an award in the top half. We're running my Prairie.

The rules say "no rider is allowed to carry fuel except in the machines fuel tank". PrairieWrench are you running the stock tank or have you outfitted with "my" extra tank and is it legal?

I only have one set of tires the Mud Lites (hope it's muddy), I'm hoping to borrow some from a friend to bring only thing is their different size so I'll need to change at least 2 if needed. Such are the problems of a wannabe racer.

I've read the rules, sounds simple to set up a machine to run, "run whatcha brung".

Any words of wisdom would be appreciated!!!

This should be a blast
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

EGG... good luck in your up coming race... ( Iwas registered to race the 12 hours last year, & had to drop out, because of a MC accident 2 weeks before the race ), & haven't raced one of the 6 hour races, but can offer some "common sense" advice...

while the extra gas tank is nice, you'll likely find that you are, or could change riders more often than you'll need fuel, so, IMO, a fast pit stop, is better / more important than an extra tank... try rigging up a few cheap gas tanks with larger vent hoses, to allow them to fill faster ( I like to keep 3.5 - 4 gallons in each, so that you'll fill the tank nearly full, but not overflow )

riding sanely will offer a faster race, than having to change tires, or repair, if you hit a tree, etc...

don't forget about fluids for the drivers... a Camelback or similar system is really a necessity... I like to add cubes ( if you have a wide mouth ), or freeze a part liner full of water... fill with Gatoraid or similar, or just water...

If it is muddy, protecting your radiator from blocking mud chunks / splatters, can help keep you from over heating, even duct taping fine mesh window screen, etc. over the grill & air intake, can help...

sore thumb is likely, gel gloves or grips can help, but don't use one of the thumb extenders available, as you can find yourself in a control situation that it can be difficult to release the thumb extender, & grab brake, & still hold on... ( a front end roll over, down a very steep hill,with my wifes 300, with the thumb extender ( while the 750 kit was getting installed in my quad ), during a race, gives me the expirience to know that it can happen...

bypassing jamb ups on the course, can be the easiest way to move up, or get passed up on the course, so try to look ahead enough to avoid getting caught in those...

make sure your quad is properly maintained & starts good, practice starting it from a race start point of view... key on, quad in gear, parking brake locked on as light a setting, as the quad will start in... you'll either be running up to it ( with the quad in this condition ), or sitting on the front bumper... most guys can have their quads running, before they even get in the seat...

again, good luck, but most of all... have fun...

 

Thanks Newbeatle

Your right, probably won't need the extra fuel just fill up at the rider switch, should be able to run 2 hrs, I hope!

There's 3 of us riding 2 hrs each with me riding the last 2 hrs, which will be after dark. It's my bike so I wanted to be the one to cross the finish line and to push it at the end.

I was going to make up some radiator "tear off's" out of screen and duct tape on. Thinking about posibly installing a second fan in front of the radiator, have to see about funds.

Aside from the usual maintenance I wanted to add some lights that turn with the bars. Making the bracket should be easy enough but do I make it a quick connect or more permanent and run it the whole race?

I have helmet radio's so each rider will be able to communicate with the pits.

 

EGG... another few "common sense" suggestions...

alot of riding teams switch after only 1 hour instead of 2, as a fresher rider will often overcome the pit stop time...even if you do decide to go 2 hours, you'll likely have enough gas... however, you'll find that after 60 minutes of extreme riding, you'll be exhausted, your team will turn in a much faster total time, riding in 1 hour sessions...

I personally wouldn't worry about the 2nd fan, because if no air is going through your radiator, all the fans in the world, won't help...

an old dirt track, stock car racer, gave me this tip... get an old 5 gallon air charged, water filled, fire extinguisher... if you look around, you can usually find one for $25.00 - $50.00... these will really quickly & effectively wash out your radiator, without having the PSI of a pressure washer, to damage anything...

one of the best lighting tricks that I've found, is to mount a 55 watt light to my helmets visor, wired with a coiled cord, that plugs into your accessory plug on the quad... this gives you light, anywhere you look...

if there is an "afterdark" session, try practicing "afterdark"... Jumps are downright scarey, as all you can see is the fronts... blind, to whats on the other side... here is where the helmet mounted light helps some... although not completely...

 

Those are some good tips, even if I'm not racing. Cool.

 

Newbeatle

You must be psychotic I I I mean psychic [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] j/k

We were just discussing only going 1 hr each last night 1) because we're old and will tire quick, 2) I wanted to ride the course in the day light a little. Incase you didn't know this race is from 5 to 11pm so the last couple of hrs are after dark.

I'm going to stick with the handle bar mounted lights a pair of 55 watters and make them permanent since I will keep them on after.

Another thing is placement of the front number plate so it doesn't block the head lights or air flow to the radiator. 3 are mandatory front, rear and side.

 

Everyone, Thanks it's all good advise.

I'm preparing now because I will be travelling for work a lot during June. There's a couple of mx tracks around that we will do some practicing/evaluating on also, try to get a good handle on the fuel range. One of the guys has not spent much time on an automatic or utility so we need to get him used to riding it.

Really would like some 25" Alltracks but the wife would definately kill me. I've made enough deposits into the "marriage bank" recently so that the race withdrawl didn't hurt too much but I think the tires would put me into overdraft, with no overdraft protection[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Hey Egg,
All the above info is good stuff. Where you are going to be racing(Raush Creek) I would do as Barlett said, have extra tie rods on hand. We have never bent a tie rod on any of the Prairies but we have not raced there! As for tires, you may want to have at least one extra front and rear, Raush is not very forgiving!!! I will PM you with my phone number, I may be able to help you out if you want All Traks. I have several sets here and the fronts wear like iron compared to the rears! I can sell ya some fronts cheap and maybe a rear for a spare just in case.
Rider changes, Bartlett is right there also,,,, we went in thinking our guys who are all young could go out, ride 2 hours each with no problems! Wrong, 2 laps into the Texas 6 hour race our first rider was clipped in the rear and flipped the Prairie trapping him between the quad and a tree! He got it off, got up and made one more lap hurting badly but said he didn't pit because he seen we were not ready for a rider change!!! We used hand signs as the riders went by such as he waved 1 finger to let us know he was coming in after this lap! Always have whoever is to be the next rider ready at all times!
Gas, with the Prairie you can run just over 2 hours on a tank. Unless you want to spend a little money for a fast dumping can you can do as Bartlett said or I watched team Thumpers who pitted beside us in Texas make very fast fuel stops! They had milk jugs filled with gas, they would tip it to dump it and stab it from the bottom with a knife,,,, one gallon in very fast!
Practice practice practice,,,
practice everything from starting to rider changes and pit stops!
You will start the race Lemans style: your quad will be sitting and you will have to dash across (at least 20 yards or so) jump on, start and go! Make sure your quad starts in gear, I can tell you more when we talk about this! Whoever can run the fastest should start!
Rider changes, nothing more embarrising than when you go to change riders and they jump off into each other! LOL!!! Off one side, on the other! Change riders as needed, not by a specific time schedual! If the feel good and are running consistant or faster times, let um go! If their times start t drop off, pull um, they are getting tired weather they know it of not. That is where the stop watch comes in very handy.
Pit stops, practice gassing it! The less time you are in the pits the better off you are! Your extra tank would be handy on the start but you will not have time to fill it after that! Have somebody in the pits to take care of pit stops besides the riders, they have enuf to think about if it is possible!
Good night lighting will be especially needed at Raush, you never know when a boulder will jump out at ya!

You may want to enter the Utility class instead of the vet, reason being there has been nothing but 2 wheel drives in the vet class and you stand a better chance of winning the utility than you do the vet! There have not been many utilitys in any of the 12 hour or 6 hour races!