Big news out of Rock Springs. "Gatezilla"

[bnd]

From Billy Mahaffey -

"I just got home from building the track for this weekend and I have to say I think everyone is going to be surprised by not just the track but the gate.The Events Complex and Chris Lebrech (mostly Chris) have built us a VERY impressive new starting gate.It is 10 foot tall,has a walk way leading up to it,hydraulic legs that lift the gate up to that height and a runway coming out of the gate.So far they have spent about $25,000 not counting man hours.The hydraulics have not been installed yet but will be by the next race.If you see Chris this weekend be sure to tell him what a good job he has done,he has been working countless hours on this thing.Could you forward this email to some of the Utah riders hopefully that will bring more riders out this weekend."



b.

[Diesel]

Weather not looking good for the drive on Saturday. I've got to work so Robby will try to get there for Saturday race and I'll be coming in behind him Saturday evening. May have to pull the plug if it's really bad. Gate sounds real interesting!!!

[bnd]

Pics!







More later. The track looks pretty awesome too. Look like Beau is getting darn good at track building.

b.

[mhp800]

Wow That starting hill and gate looks great !!! Any results on the race ?

Thanks BILL

[bnd]

Thanks to Dan Patterson fo rmore pics. For some reason I was only able to upload 1 pic from my e-mail. I'll look to see why I can't get them all up tomorrow. The gate looks awesome & the reviews are steller from the riders who have ridden it. Maybe RC will have to build a 25ft'er for next year.




b.

[greg]

that gate does look sick!

I think we need to figure out how Rad can come off of the upper deck. We could have the start gate up where registration currently is and build some kind of ramp coming down to the lower level.

[sspencer]

Big props to the Rock Springs crew for adding a new dimension to their indoor program! That is awesome that they have the outside support from someone who is willing to spend that kind of money which is pretty nonexistent anywhere else in the country. I look forward to trying to make it up to RS to check out "Gatezilla" and to hang out with the good folks up there.

I dont want to come across negatively but there are some factors that should be considered when adding new elements to a track. The heighth of a starting gate contributes to the amount of speed that can be generated down the first straight (think of outdoor Rad Canyon) and the track needs to be able to handle the increased speed. Most indoor facilities dont have a ton of room or dirt so when the speeds are increased it could create dangerous situations with the lack of track and/or obstacles to absorb the high speeds. We need to be mindful of all of the new riders who are not as skilled as others who have had ample track time. In order to keep the newbies coming out to the races the tracks need to be a little tamer so not to scare them off.

I just wanted to drop a little knowledge on everyone as it is so easy to overlook some of the pieces that go into running a safe, fun and efficient running track.

Steve

[Diesel]

Yep, I think Steve is right about the speed thing. To the RS crews credit, they had the first straight slowed down pretty good going into the first turn. They had a fairly large group of 5 & under Ns and they didn't have any problem at all. The down angle of the ramp looks steeper in the pictures than it really is. I ran the gate on Sunday and didn't see any problems! That's my 2 cents.

Dan

[mike kelley]

This is the best gate and starting hill I have ever came out of. Rock Springs crew did it right. There were very few crashes on the first straight. We had fast, slow ,new and old riders all loved it. The biggest problem with that gate is it is not at Rad. You can set this gate at any height, I feel they set it up perfect. Best thing since paved turns. It is not the staring hill it is the jumps, Rad outdoor was way more scary than this, good job WY it was a great weekend, Thanks Mike Kelley

[sspencer]

That is great that the gate worked so well. Again, I am excited that Rock Springs has the support and the funding to add a new dimension to their indoor facility. We need more people and programs, like Rock Springs, who are able to contribute at such substantial levels. My comments were merely opinions/observations based on my 29 years on BMX racing and 15 years of track building.... but what do I know

Keep up the great work Rock Springs! I hope to be able to come up one of these weekends to partake of your always welcoming hospitality.

Steve