Special E-mail note: This newsletter and worker applications should be in the snail mail by January 27, 2001. If you dont get your application and want one please e-mail me.Please give the USPS time to deliver before requesting. Also note the new e-mail address and worker hotline phone number. The new worker hotline number is the regular AFM number but "press  2 for the crew" and should be fully functional by Feb.3rd. Thanks

End of season / First of season newsletter.

What a great way to end the season! The season championship was up for grabs and we had Worker Appreciation Race raffle and the BBQ. Even though we were shorthanded, the hands we had were the best. Thank you for making the long drive to Buttonwillow. I would also like to thank everyone who donated to the Worker Appreciation Race raffle. Your generosity was overwhelming. There were tons of hats, T-shirts and jackets, boxes of cool AFM-logoed fanny packs, sports bottles, hand-made candy leis(?), great d.i.y. rum and coke kits, gift certificates, a bike ramp and the list goes on. We ended the evening’s festivities with a toast! Champagne and glasses donated by Rob Brown of Sears Point. Oh yeah, and over $3000 to split up. Holy greenbacks, Batman! WOW! Every worker walked away with an extra hundred bucks in their old pay envelope. Not a bad way to end the season what with great grub from Sonja, a great raffle, and more bucks! Thanks again to all. The workers couldn’t stop talking about it!

As I write this we are about half way through the off season. The mailing list just jumped from 240 to 399, thanks to the Motorcycle Show signups. One of our workers, Harold Kaye and others spent lots of time in the booth signing up newbies to help us out. And being shorthanded most of the year we can sure use the help. Thanks, and welcome, to all you new folks! Your first race you’ll be guests. After that, you’ll be family. Enclosed is a letter of introduction, this newsletter, a worker manual (a good place for new worker to get familiar with what we do) a No cost worker application and release forms, and some information cards to hand out to others about us. Workers Lois Roth and Mick Housel are working on point-of-sale displays to put in motorcycle shops. Some racers have signed up to put these displays at their places of business. Lots of effort is being made by lots of people to make sure we are not shorthanded in 2001. Thank you all! Lots of changes in 2001. Read on.
 

Race Notes - Doug Smith
The Season Closes

All of us who made the Buttonwillow trip were treated to a special weekend. The racing was a big part of it, but the dinner Saturday night might have been more fun. A dozen new die-hard hats are gracing deserving heads, there was good fun with the riders and their crews, and a lot of appreciation from the racers for the work we did all year long. It was a little tougher this year with some smaller crews, but a lot of you have gotten a lot better at what you do out there. It shows. Thanks to all of you who came the last weekend and any or all of the other weekends this year.

The races !!! Great stuff. Lots of class titles were on the line even though some were in the bag in August. Some done deals: Peter Hofmann topped off a dominant F-III year with another win, and Ken Hill won again in Open Twins to win that class by a very wide margin. Some cliffhangers: In F-1 Shawn Reilly was a point behind Brian Lefevre coming in, but edged him in the race and took the title. Don Jones took the F-Singles title over John Duhig by a single point with a win Sunday. And in the Champagne class, Rob Mesa had a small points lead over Jeff Hagen Sunday morning. In the race Rob finished third to Jeff’s second, but that was enough to hold on and take the Number 1 plate back after surrendering it to Jeff Short for a while. James Randolph took the win in a very good F-P race to earn the Number 3 plate for next year. Congrats to all of the class champions and to all the others who made the racing so great this year. All over the paddock I heard “Wait till next year“.

Next year. The Crew is always a growing and changing group. Next year one of those changes involves me. Because some things have changed over the past few years in my professional life, I am going to have to step back a bit from doing what I’ve been doing with the AFM for the last 15 or 16 years. I chatted with Barb about a week after Thunderhill, and told her that I didn’t think I could commit to the away races next year. Lots of options exist for the Barb and the board to choose from. I will be able to do the Sears races. Till then, I’ll miss you guys at the road shows - I may even make it to some. My deepest thanks to all of you for your support, friendship and putting up with me all these years. If I started naming names, I’d have to name hundreds. So know that you’re all in my thoughts. It’s been a special part of my life, and it still will be - just a little different now. So it’s the holidays. Take a break from the track and have the best of times with family and friends. Make it a special time. I look forward to seeing you all next year. Best - Doug.

More Notes -  Barbara Smith

The end of this millenium (yeah, THIS is the REAL end!!) is bringing lots of changes. We’ll have the opportunity to welcome new people into our ranks, and we’ll have to say goodbye to others.

One difficult goodbye will be to Doug Smith. I hired Doug on as Chief Communicator soon after I became Race Director in 1985, and he made life much better! Doug is an expert at his job! He collected information from the turn communicators, kept a concise race log, and never stopped teaching new communicators how to make the best race calls ever. He was another set of eyes at Start-Finish, where just about anything can and does happen!

The good news is that Doug isn’t going away... he’s just pulling back a little. He can’t make it to the away races, but I’m sure he’ll show up at Sears Point races and will fill in wherever he’s needed most. We haven’t decided on a replacement for Doug yet... they are big shoes to fill! But we’ll keep you posted, and I’m counting on all of you to help the transition go smoothly and seamlessly.

It will be an adjustment for me too... to not have Doug right behind me, helping with protests, starts, concerned relatives of a crasher, confused ambulance people, the lunch truck, the crash truck, the haybale truck, angry riders, bummed-out riders who’ve just been fined (by me!), the occasional happy rider,... and this is all in between doing his real job Ñ that of chief communicator. So I’d like to say a huge THANK YOU to Doug, for all his years of dedicated work for the AFM. He’s made the races safer and more fun for all of us.

The Crew has more key people leaving in 2001. More about them in the next newsletter as details are still a little sketchy. We will be looking for some help the things that Doug and the others do,  like a column for and help with the newsletter, The worker Holine phone,  picking up the soda and donuts, and about a million other things they do for us. If you would like to get more involved with the AFM, here’s your chance! Call now! Operators are standing by. This offer is not available in stores, some states or where prohibited.

The only new worker for the last race of 2000 was Chuck Boatwright in turn 2, with racer Dick Rossi. Thank you for your special effort in making our raceday possible.

Don Alexander, Bob Beach, John Dede, Michael Edmiston, Phillip Groves, Russ Hayes, Harold Kaye, and Lois Roth made it to every race in 2000. Besides the receiving pestegious DieHard hat, they will also receive a special gift at the first race of 2001. Do you want to be a DieHard in 2001? It starts at the first race.

Some other changes in 2001 will be a new Worker Hotline Number (510) 796-7005, and a new e-mail address for The Crew: crew@afmracing.org. This will make it easier in the future for people to move around, change their Internet Service Providers and not change all our literature and web pages. Speaking of web pages, there were at least 3 different Crew home pages. They will go bye-bye. Bookmark www.afmracing.org/crew.html  or place it in your favorites. I’m going to try to spend more time updating our web pages, freshening them up and adding new pictures. One more major change, we will be going from thirteen races down to twelve on raceday. To give us more down time between races to check the track, blue room breaks, and to take a break and get off our feet. I do believe that Formula 40 took the hit. They’ll just have to race with the younger guys.

2001 Schedule

 March  10 & 11 Buttonwillow
 April  14 & 15 Sears Point
 May  12 & 13 Thunderhill Park
 June  2 & 3 Sears Point
 July  21 & 22 Thunderhill Park
 August  18 & 19 Sears Point
 September  22 & 23 Sears Point
 October  20 & 21 Buttonwillow

That’s about it for now. About a month before the first race we’ll put out a post card with the Buttonwillow (reserve at your own risk because there have been problems) motel list and reminder that the season is approaching. And about two weeks before the race will be the “beginning of the season - full blown - nitro burning funny cars - newsletter.” We all hope your holidays were bright -and may all your racetracks be dry!

 Buttonwillow Hotels
@ I-5 @ Highway 46 - 10 miles north of Lerdo Highway
 Motel 6                                      Economy Inn
 14685 Warren Street                 14684 Aloma Street
 Lost Hills, CA 93249                 Lost Hills, CA 93249
 Telephone: (805) 797-2346       Telephone: (805) 797-2371

Buttonwillow Off-Ramp / Highway 58 - 10 miles south of Lerdo Highway
 Good Nite Inns                         Motel 6- South
 20645 Tracy Road                    3810 Tracy Boulevard
 Buttonwillow, CA 93206           Buttonwillow, CA 93206
 Telephone: (805) 764-5121       Telephone: (805) 764-5207

 Super 8 - Buttonwillow              Motel 6 - North
 20681 Tracy Avenue                 20638 Tracy Boulevard
 Buttonwillow, CA 93206           Buttonwillow, CA 93206
 Telephone: (805) 764-5117       Telephone: (805) 764-5153

@ 1-5 Stockdale Highway - 15 miles south of Lerdo Highway
 Econo Lodge                             Best Western Heritage Inn
 200 Trask Street                       253 Trask Street
 Bakersfield, CA 93312             Bakersfield, CA 93312
 Reservations: 1-800-424-4777 Reservations: 1-800-328-1234
 Telephone: (805) 764-5221      Telephone: (805) 764-626
1st Newsletter...
The Crew
Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

First race of 2001, March 10-11, Buttonwillow Raceway, I-5 and Lerdo Road, 25 miles west of Bakersfield.

Spring is a long way off. We’ll have two races under our belts by time it arrives. Meanwhile it’s time to focus our eyes to motorcycle roadracing. The first race at Buttonwillow is quickly approaching and we should start thinking thoughts of good weather, fast bikes, and safe races. It’s also a good time to start working toward the version of The Crew 2001 DieHard hat and jackets. The DieHard hat and jackets are presented to Crew members who have attended every AFM race during the season and worn with pride. We are trying to get jackets also for the 2000 DieHards but they may not be ready by Buttonwillow. It’s a long drive to Buttonwillow, so share it with a friend and be there. It’s worth it. It’s a great facility and their new scoring tower and restaurant should be completed. Saturday, after open practice and the race school there will be a free for workers BBQ! You’ll also get 80 bucks, the Season Opener Sweatshirt, and the famous 2001 schedule key fob. Oh yeah, and that up-close and personal, Be There, kind of racing the AFM is famous for. Don’t miss a single minute. Just one more thing; remember that Buttonwillow is pretty far away from any Walmart, so bring what you might need.
 

Race Notes - Barbara Smith
Race Director

The REAL new millenium starts our 2001 season with more changes.  Jim Short, who has been our equipment manager for over 15 years, has moved to the state of Washington to help take care of his Dad.  We wish Jim many new opportunities and hope his life in the Great Northwest will bring him luck and exciting new possibilities.

Jim stepped forward to take on the daunting task of equipment manager when we really needed someone to fill some very big shoes.  Jim helped to organize our equipment, maintain it when we break things, replaced the grease sweep, fixed the brooms, recharges the fire extinguishers, and kept an eye on all the items we use every raceday.  He even took the flags off their poles in the off-season and WASHED them.  That is real dedication.  In addition, Jim created a very comprehensive binder of what equipment to put out at every turn at each track.  He and Melanie packed the equipment trailer at each and every race, which made for very long days for them.

Ah, yes, you wondered about Melanie... we did too!  Well, it turns out that she couldn't resist the magnetic attraction of Jim and the great Northwest, so we're losing Melanie as well.

This is another loss for AFM.  Melanie has quietly and efficiently assisted Jim with all the equipment needs.  She also made some of the best (and calmest) calls from any turn.  I'll really miss her dry sense of humor!! From helping Jim load the trailer, to putting the equipment out on the turns, to being an ACE communicator, to loading the trailer at the end of the day, Melanie is a true professional in every sense of the word, a true unsung heroine (until now!)

Yikes, you say, what are we going to do without them??  Well, after I revived Phill and put the smelling salts away, we asked Don Alexander and his bride Ardyth if they would step in.  Happily, they agreed, at least for the short term.  We already know Don is intimately familiar with the crash truck and trailer, and he and Ardyth have used all the equipment on it.  It seemed like a natural choice!  So when you see Don and Ardyth at Buttonwillow, give them a big thumbs up!

And to Jim and Melanie.... our grateful thanks for your many years of professional work with the AFM... we'll miss you!

Enclosed is a sign up sheet for the 2001 Sears Point Nationals. April 27-29 and May 4-6. Fill It out and send it in. Preferences for assignments working the event are working all three days and experience level. Need Experience? You can start by working Buttonwillow and the second race at Sears Point. And you’ll have a great start on getting your 2001 DieHard hat.

Strangely enough the annual Easter Sunday race at Sears Point is one of our better-attended races. Apologize to your family, have them keep the dinner warm. Better yet, bring them along.

Do you want to get your newsletter faster? Drop us an e-mail at crew@afmracing.org. We’ll add you to our ever-growing list and you’ll get the newsletter at the speed of light. (Or whatever speed you’re hooked up.) Need to give us a call? (510) 796-7005 and press 2, the # sign and leave us a massage. We’ll get back to you ASAP. We’re also updating our web site at www.afmracing.org/crew. We’re adding more essays, Nuts and Bolts on communication, flagging and handling, pictures, and dropping some areas because of lack of use.

Because a lawsuit no one under 18 years old is allowed on a hot track. Here is why: a worker had brought in their under-18 year old youth (lying about the youth being over 18) and was speeding on a motorcycle out to their turn before the raceday started. Both were injured when they hit another vehicle on track. There are exceptions to the policy, mostly dependent on the track, turn and parents' position on the track. The youth must work with their actual parent and both sign the Worker Application and Release forms. Other positions like Pit Steward are also available. The youth must be dressed in worker attire if allowed to work with parent on the track and then only as an observer in the Comm Box. Parent must contact the Race Director or Worker Coordinator well prior to the raceday for particulars.

First, go to the front gate and sign the Gate Release form. Everyone, including campers, must sign the gate release each day they work. Be ready to show us your AFM Track Worker Card. If don’t have one, get the application at Registration. Even if you have applied for an AFM Competition or Associate license you must fill out the Worker application. They are different. From there, proceed to Registration and sign the Track Worker Release form. Also for those of you who are near 18 years old, you must show us a driver’s license or ID card proving your age at least once. The AFM keeps one copy of the release. You keep the other. Take your copy to Start/Finish and you will be assigned to a turn. This will be the procedure both Saturday and Sunday. We will try to have a special area for track workers at Registration to speed things up. Please be early on racedays. Oh yeah, just one more thing, a Gate Release form will be available at Start/Finish for campers to sign.

The weather can be iffy, so be prepared for almost anything. Layers are the hot setup. Since we all want to look alike, please wear as much white outer clothes as you can get. No red, yellow or orange colors - you don’t want to be mistaken for a flag. You may be grabbed by the leg and thrown thusly, by mistake. Long pants, sturdy shoes, no shorts. Some other good things to bring along are sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves, binox, extra clothes, a hat, energy snacks, fruits, juices and a good loud whistle. The AFM can provide you with a whistle if you don’t have one, but you don’t want to know whose lips were on it last. Please no alcohol during the races.

The gates open at 6:00 a.m. Please stay to the left as you enter the main gate. We quit signing in workers at 6:55. If you are late you may have to pay to get in. The morning meeting starts at 7:10  both days. The earlier the better for getting the turn you want and we also need to go to Registration and sign the release forms. Attendance at all eight AFM races is mandatory for this year’s DieHard hat. Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of fog will keep us away from the gate taking names of those brave workers. We try to give the weather every chance of clearing before canceling the race and those days count for the hats.

Both Saturdays and Sundays we provide morning coffee and donuts, a sack lunch and after-race beverages and snacks. Please be responsible with post-race activities. We also place water, bug spray, and earplugs out on the turns. Our payday is Sunday after the race. Our final race gets the checkered flag about 6:00 p.m. C ya there!

Buttonwillow Off-Ramp Highway 58
10 miles south of Lerdo Highway
 Willow Inn Suites                 Motel 6 - South
 20645 Tracy Road              3810  Tracy Boulevard
 Buttonwillow, CA 93206     Buttonwillow, CA 93206
  (661) 764-5121                 (661) 764-5207

 Super 8 - Buttonwillow         Motel 6 - North
 20681 Tracy Avenue            20638 Tracy Boulevard
 Buttonwillow, CA 93206      Buttonwillow, CA 93206
  (661) 764-5117                  (661) 764-5153

@ 1-5 Stockdale Highway
15 miles south of Lerdo Highway
 Econo Lodge                      Best Western Heritage Inn
 200 Trask Street                 253 Trask Street
 Bakersfield, CA 93312       Bakersfield, CA 93312
 (661) 764-5221                 (661) 764-6268
2nd Newsletter...
Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

Next race April 14-15, Easter Weekend, Sears Point, Hwys 37 & 121, Sonoma, CA

The first race of 2001 turned out to be a dandy. The weather cleared up just in time to allow us to have a clear racetrack all weekend. And what a weekend it was: a pep-talk from the 2001 AFM #1 Racer, Rob Mesa, at our morning meeting; a wonderful Saturday evening BBQ; fantastic racing and some really tight battles for the lead; and a plethora of new workers. I mean everyone really must have done lots of recruiting during the off season. Nineteen new workers were giving us a hand on the track. That’s has to be a record! Total, there are 51 workers in line for the 2001 DieHard Hat and Jacket. And that’s a record too for an “away” race. Keep up the good work everyone. The track was almost crowded with workers. Our workers even had enough time to take “blue room” breaks. Many of the workers really appreciate this. Not having to stand for hours, cross-legged, is a real plus for keeping workers happy. As does the pay raise the AFM Board approved for the workers. $100 for both days of a race weekend, no matter what track. And $40 for single days. Thank you, AFM!

Don’t forget that our next race, April 14 & 15, is on Easter Sunday. Apologize to your family Ð ask them to keep dinner warm, better yet, bring them along! Statistically speaking, our Easter Sunday race weekend is usually our best attended race of the year. Go figure. But thanks for being there for us.

As I said before we had 19 new workers for the first race at Buttonwillow. I’m pretty sure that is a record. Thanks for everyone who spread the word. Your efforts were truly seen. Here is the list: Bill and Janice Balfour in turn 2, Hans Lubinger in turn 3, Steve Brooks in turn 4, Tanda Newton in turn 5, Paul Pierce and Cory Mersino in turn 6, Michael Barrett, Tim Lenheim and Michael Weingard in turn 7, Joseph Ingoglia, Deborah Smith in turn 8, Calvin Dawson and Leo Montero in turn 9, Paul Braga in turn 10, racers Julia Green and Mark Poulsen (they couldn’t get their bikes together in time for the race) and last, but certainly not least, Yahei Tsunami, who helped out the crashtruck. Thanks for all your hard work. You were our guest at your first race Ð now you’re family!

Check the front of your newsletter to see if you are signed up to work the AMA and AHRMA Nationals. If the information (days working, camping pass and t-shirt size) is not correct please contact me by e-mail or phone (crew@afmracing.org 510-796-7005 ext. 2). If you have to cancel out please let me know ASAP to allow any worker that may get on the waiting list a chance. So far every one who has signed up is working, but this may change. A few openings are still available, please contact me ASAP. Jerry Huff of USARM is inviting our workers to join them at Laguna Seca for World Superbike July 5-8. Contact him at: blueflag@telocity.com or www.usarm.org/WSBapp.html.

Next up after Sears Point is Thunderhill, an hour or so north of Sacramento on I-5, in the town of Willows. The track is located about 6 miles west of town. See the end of this newsletter for reserve-at-your-own-risk motels. There is also free camping for workers at the track and other campgrounds near the track.

Because of a lawsuit no one under 18 years old is allowed on a hot track. Here is why: a worker had brought in their under-18 year old youth (lying about the youth being over 18) and was speeding on a motorcycle out to their turn before the raceday started. Both were injured when they hit another vehicle on track. There are exceptions to the policy, mostly dependent on the track, turn, and parents’ position on the track. The youth must work with their actual parent and both sign the Worker Application and Release forms. Other positions like Pit Steward are also available. The youth must be dressed in worker attire if allowed to work with parent on the track and then only as an observer in the Comm Box. Parent must contact the Race Director or Worker Coordinator well prior to the raceday for particulars.

First, go to the front gate and sign the Gate Release form. Everyone, including campers, must sign the gate release each day they work. Be ready to show us your AFM Track Worker Card. If don’t have one, get the application at Registration. Even if you have applied for an AFM Competition or Associate license you must fill out the Worker application. They are different. From there, proceed to Registration and sign the Track Worker Release form. Also for those of you who are near 18 years old, you must show us a driver’s license or ID card proving your age at least once. The AFM keeps one copy of the release. You keep the other. Take your copy to Start/Finish and you will be assigned to a turn. This will be the procedure both Saturday and Sunday. We will try to have a special area for track workers at Registration to speed things up. Please be early on racedays. Oh yeah, just one more thing, a Gate Release form will be available at Start/Finish for campers to sign.

The weather can be iffy, so be prepared for almost anything. Layers are the hot setup. Since we all want to look alike, please wear as much white outer clothes as you can get. No red, yellow or orange colors - you don’t want to be mistaken for a flag. You may be grabbed by the leg and thrown thusly, by mistake. Long pants, sturdy shoes, no shorts. Some other good things to bring along are sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves, binox, extra clothes, a hat, energy snacks, fruits, juices and a good loud whistle. The AFM can provide you with a whistle if you don’t have one, but you don’t want to know whose lips were on it last. Please no alcohol during the races.

The gates open at 6:00 a.m. On Saturday just go through the main gate. There is no charge for Saturdays. On Sunday please stay to the left as you enter the main gate. There will be staff to sign you in. We quit signing in workers at 6:55. If you are late you may have to pay to get in. The morning meeting starts at 7:10  both days. The earlier the better for getting the turn you want and we also need to go to Registration and sign the release forms. Attendance at all eight AFM races is mandatory for this year’s DieHard hat. Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of fog will keep us away from the gate taking names of those brave workers. We try to give the weather every chance of clearing before canceling the race and those days count for the hats.
Both Saturdays and Sundays we provide morning coffee and donuts, a sack lunch and after-race beverages and snacks. Please be responsible with post-race activities. We also place water, bug spray, and earplugs out on the turns. Our payday is Sunday after the race. Our final race gets the checkered flag about 6:00 p.m. C ya there!

Thunderhill Hotels
Golden Pheasant Inn        Crossroads West Inn
 (Best Western)
249 N Humboldt             452 N Humboldt
Willows, CA 95988        Willows, CA 95988
 (530) 934-4603            (530) 934-7026
Days Inn                         Super 8 Motel
475 N Humboldt            457 N Humboldt
Willows, CA 95988       Willows,CA 95988
 (530) 934-4444            (530) 934-2871
3rd Newsletter...
AFM Turnworker Newsletter
Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

Next race May 12-13, Mother’s Day Weekend, Thunderhill Raceway, About 100 miles north of Sacramento an I-5, Willows, CA

It didn’t rain on our Sears Point Easter Parade. And what a turnout! I thought we had a lot of workers at Buttonwillow, but I was wrong! We had 58 workers staffing turns! On Easter Sunday! We had so many people that even turn one was crowded.  A special thanks to everyone for making the AFM a part of your Easter Sunday plans. We went from 51 in line for Diehard hats at Buttonwillow to 31 after Sears Point. That’s 27 different workers between the two races. If we extrapolate that out to our last race of the year, back at Buttonwillow, we should have 50-60 workers per turn. But I’ve never been good at my goesinto’s. Oh, yeah, we had some great racing, too. Tight battles from mid-pack to running for the lead. A few red flags tossed in to keep everyone on their toes. But all in all, a great Easter Sunday weekend. Racers even organized an Easter Egg hunt for the kids! I just got some jellybeans. Hey! I’m a big kid, right? Everyone is doing such a great job. The racers are very happy with our work out on the track. Thank You!!

Don’t forget that our next race, May 12-13, at Thunderhill, is on Mothers’ Day Weekend. Apologize to your mother, mom, ma, or mum. Tell them you are doing a very important job - keeping the track safe. Better yet, bring her along! We are supposed to get a really cool AFM logo stopwatch. Way Cool! Thank you AFM!

Among the 58 trackworkers on Easter Sunday were 17 new workers. Zee Astier in turn 8, Ripley Howe, Nina Alter and K’la Rabold in turn 4, Robert Kallis, Danny Gatadula, Mark Gatdula and John Felipe in turn 11, Cory Mersino in turn 5, Karl Marsh in turn 1, Robert Golbus and Sterling Lenheim in turn 3, Greg Creech in turn 2, Ramond Monosmith in turn 6, Aaron Short, David W Tuel and Jennifer Mines in turn 7. And on Saturday Ray Anima. Thank you for finding us. As I say to all new worker. At your first race you are our guests. Next time you’re family!

Just a reminder that we only received #44 passes. No #66’s. You should have 2 #44 passes - one for you and one for your guest. If you have to cancel out please let me know ASAP to allow any worker that may get on the waiting list a chance. Please contact me by e-mail or phone (crew@afmracing.org 510-796-7005 ext. 2). Also remember to park in either Lot ÒBÓ or Worker Camping. The pit will be very crowded with all of the NASCAR construction and they will tow you away. Jerry Huff of USARM is inviting our workers to join them at Laguna Seca for World Superbike July 5-8. Contact him at: blueflag@telocity.com or www.usarm.org/WSBapp.html.

Check out some of the new Web pages on The Crew site. I’ve added some old newsletters from 1987 and 1989, new worker essays and some racer comments and thank-yous. Visit www.afmracing.org/crew.html and click on the links. The racer comments and thank-yous are great way of hearing how important our job is. Keep up the good work!

Because of a lawsuit no one under 18 years old is allowed on a hot track. Here is why: a worker had brought in their under-18 year old youth (lying about the youth being over 18) and was speeding on a motorcycle out to their turn before the raceday started. Both were injured when they hit another vehicle on track. There are exceptions to the policy, mostly dependent on the track, turn, and parents’ position on the track. The youth must work with their actual parent and both sign the Worker Application and Release forms. Other positions like Pit Steward are also available. The youth must be dressed in worker attire if allowed to work with parent on the track and then only as an observer in the Comm Box. Parent must contact the Race Director or Worker Coordinator well prior to the raceday for particulars.

First, go to the front gate and sign the Gate Release form. Everyone, including campers, must sign the gate release each day they work. Be ready to show us your AFM Track Worker Card. If don’t have one, get the application at Registration. Even if you have applied for an AFM Competition or Associate license you must fill out the Worker application. They are different. From there, proceed to Registration and sign the Track Worker Release form. Also for those of you who are near 18 years old, you must show us a driver’s license or ID card proving your age at least once. The AFM keeps one copy of the release. You keep the other. Take your copy to Start/Finish and you will be assigned to a turn. This will be the procedure both Saturday and Sunday. We will try to have a special area for track workers at Registration to speed things up. Please be early on racedays. Oh yeah, just one more thing, a Gate Release form will be available at Start/Finish for campers to sign.

The weather can be iffy, so be prepared for almost anything. Layers are the hot setup. Since we all want to look alike, please wear as much white outer clothes as you can get. No red, yellow or orange colors - you don’t want to be mistaken for a flag. You may be grabbed by the leg and thrown thusly, by mistake. Long pants, sturdy shoes, no shorts. Some other good things to bring along are sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves, binox, extra clothes, a hat, energy snacks, fruits, juices and a good loud whistle. The AFM can provide you with a whistle if you don’t have one, but you don’t want to know whose lips were on it last. Please no alcohol during the races.

The gates open at 6:30 a.m. Please stay to the left as you enter the main gate. There will be staff to sign you in. We quit signing in workers at 6:55. If you are late you may have to pay to get in. The morning meeting starts at 7:10 both days. The earlier the better for getting the turn you want and we also need to go to Registration and sign the release forms. Attendance at all eight AFM races is mandatory for this year’s DieHard hat. Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of fog will keep us away from the gate taking names of those brave workers. We try to give the weather every chance of clearing before canceling the race and those days count for the hats.

Both Saturdays and Sundays we provide morning coffee and donuts, a sack lunch and after-race beverages and snacks. Please be responsible with post-race activities. We also place water, bug spray, and earplugs out on the turns. Our payday is Sunday after the race. Our final race gets the checkered flag about 6:00 p.m. C ya there!

Thunderhill Hotels
Golden Pheasant Inn       Crossroads West Inn
(Best Western)
249 N Humboldt            452 N Humboldt
Willows, CA 95988       Willows, CA 95988
(530) 934-4603             (530) 934-7026

Days Inn                         Super 8 Motel
475 N Humboldt             457 N Humboldt
Willows, CA 95988        Willows,CA 95988
(530) 934-4444             (530) 934-2871
4th Newsletter...
Postcard

The gates open at 6:00 a.m. Please stay to the left as you enter the main gate. There will be staff to sign you in. We quit signing in workers at 6:55. If you are late you may have to pay to get in. The morning meeting starts at 7:10  both days. The earlier the better for getting the turn you want and we also need to go to Registration and sign the release forms. Attendance at all eight AFM races is mandatory for this year’s DieHard hat. Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of fog will keep us away from the gate taking names of those brave workers. We try to give the weather every chance of clearing before canceling the race and those days count for the hats.
Both Saturdays and Sundays we provide morning coffee and donuts, a sack lunch and after-race beverages and snacks. Please be responsible with post-race activities. We also place water, bug spray, and earplugs out on the turns. Our payday is Sunday after the race. Our final race gets the checkered flag about 6:00 p.m. C ya there!
 

Note: Dennis Pegelow of DP Safety Schools, is looking for a few AFM turnworkers to work at Thunderhill on June 11 and October 1 Contact Dennis at: (805)-772-8301 or, DP Safety School, P.O. Box 1551 Morro Bay, CA 93443-1551
 

5th Newsletter...
Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith
 
 
 

Next race July 21 & 22, Thunderhill Raceway, About 100 miles north of Sacramento an I-5, Willows, CA

Statistically speaking, our second Sears Point race of the year always has more crashes than any other. Not only did we break the record for the most number of crashes for a single race weekend, we kicked it up another notch. Our previous record was 72. And BAM! Add another 15 to it for a total of 87. Kinda like watching Mark McGuire smash through Roger Maris’s home run record. Another record was also set for the weekend: we had a total of 60 workers out on the track on Sunday. That beat this year’s Easter Sunday Sears Point race by two workers. Great job, everyone! All your recruiting and bringing friends has really paid off. It’s darn near crowded out there. Everyone should be getting more time for Blue Room breaks. Thank you for all your hard work. You are the best! Take it away, Sandy!

The numbers are in and boy was it a busy weekend.  According to Barbara Smith, our Race Director, the AFM crash record was broken. You guys and gals did a bang-up job of keeping things going. The total bikes down for the weekend was 87. The corner with the most downed bikes was Turn 2, staffed by Matt and Lois Roth, Cat Okita, Russ Hayes, and Nolan Williams, with 17 for the weekend. Turn 4’s crew of Dale Boender, Joe Ingoglia, K’la Raybold, Loe Montero, and Calvin Dawson was next, with 14. And just one crash behind was John Dede, Robert Kalis, new workers Felix Sims, Oscar Martinez and Christian Koszka in Turn 6 with 13.  The racers really kept you guys on your toes and me busy writing.  Let’s hope things quiet down for Thunderhill. See you all there.

Next up - Thunderhill. With its 14 turns and flying spiders. But wait! There’s more!
Yes, fellow Turnworkers, spiffy travel mugs with the AFM and Formula Pacific logos on them. What’s that? You want more? And more you shall have, with the after-Saturday practice BBQ. But wait! Saturday Worker BBQ at Thunderhill is turning into a Luau/Hawaiian Party with leis, beach balls, blow up swimming pools, a kayak and Luau music! Sonja, our chef, wants to encourage all the workers to dress in their wildest Hawaiian shirt, skirt...coconut bikini?! to add to the festivities. Please, no Hawaiian garb until after practices are over. The racers won’t know what kind of flag you’re waving. Operators are standing by…

Among the 60 trackworkers at Sears Point were 6 new workers. Besides the three already mentioned in Turn 6, there were Brandon Farrelly in Turn 7 and two Saturday workers: Dale Wilson and Michael. Thank you for your help. As I say to all new worker. At your first race you are our guests. Next time you’re family!

It looks like there will be some pretty big changes to Sears Point when we get back there August 18 & 19. With all of the renovations they’re doing there’s a good possibility that they’ll be starting in on the changes to turns 10-12, paving a bypass between Turns 9 and 1. The 4-Hour Endurance Race will probably by moved to Buttonwillow on Saturday or canceled, October 20th instead of the full practice day. Stay tuned here for more information as it happens.

First, go to the front gate and sign the Gate Release form. Everyone, including campers must sign the gate release each day they work. Be ready to show us your AFM Track Worker Card. If don’t have one, get the application at Registration. Even if you have applied for an AFM Competition or Associate License, you must fill out the Worker application. They are different. From there, proceed to Registration and sign the Track Worker Release form. Also, for those of you who are near 18 years old, you must show us a driver’s license or ID card proving your age at least once. The AFM keeps one copy of the release. You keep the other. Take your copy to Start/Finish and you will be assigned to a turn. This will be the procedure both Saturday and Sunday. We will try to have a special area for track workers at Registration to speed things up. Please be early on racedays. Oh yeah, just one more thing, a Gate Release form will be available at Start/Finish for campers to sign.

The weather can be iffy, so be prepared for almost anything. Layers are the hot setup. Since we all want to look alike, please wear as much white outer clothes as you can get. No red, yellow or orange colors - you don’t want to be mistaken for a flag. You may be grabbed by the leg and thrown thusly, by mistake. Long pants, sturdy shoes, no shorts. Some other good things to bring along are sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves, binox, extra clothes, a hat, energy snacks, fruits, juices and a good loud whistle. The AFM can provide you with a whistle if you don’t have one, but you don’t want to know whose lips were on it last. Please no alcohol during the races.

The gates open at 6:30 a.m. Please stay to the left as you enter the main gate. There will be staff to sign you in. We quit signing in workers at 6:55. If you are late you may have to pay to get in. The morning meeting starts at 7:10 both days. The earlier the better for getting the turn you want and we also need to go to Registration and sign the release forms. Attendance at all eight AFM races is mandatory for this year’s DieHard hat. Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of fog will keep us away from the gate taking names of those brave workers. We try to give the weather every chance of clearing before canceling the race and those days count for the hats.

Both Saturdays and Sundays we provide morning coffee and donuts, a sack lunch and after-race beverages and snacks. Please be responsible with post-race activities. We also place water, bug spray, and earplugs out on the turns. Our payday is Sunday after the race. Our final race gets the checkered flag about 6:00 p.m. C ya there!

Thunderhill Hotels
Golden Pheasant Inn      Crossroads West Inn
(Best Western)
249 N Humboldt           452 N Humboldt
Willows, CA 95988      Willows, CA 95988
(530) 934-4603            (530) 934-7026

Days Inn                        Super 8 Motel
475 N Humboldt           457 N Humboldt
Willows, CA 95988      Willows, CA 95988
(530) 934-4444            (530) 934-2871
 

6th Newsletter...

Editors: Phill Brown, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

Next race August 18 & 19 at Sears Point Raceway, Hwys 37 & 121, Sonoma, California.

We must have gone for the more intimate look at Thunderhill. We went from 60 workers at our last race at Sears Point to 36 at Thunderhill. But what a bunch they were.  Fortunately the number of crashes also decreased from the Crash Fest. With Thunderhill’s fourteen turns, we were spread a little thin, but everyone pitched in and worked extra hard to get through the raceday. Even with all the delays we got through the day pretty early. What else did you miss? How ‘bout the best luau of all time on Saturday after the race! The winner of the Hawaiian Shirt Contest was Peter Hecht, John Dede’s son. A coconut bra and a grass skirt. Need I say more? It’s kind of hard to top that. Everyone looked so relaxed and cool. Thank you Sonja for putting it all together! We’re going to miss you Big Time next year. Up next is Sears Point, version 1.8. With about 28% of the track at Sears Point being renovated, only 9 turns will be used for our August and September races. We need to be very flexible and patient. Saturday will be a day of discovery and wonder as we set off after our morning meeting. The finish line will probably be in the newly paved track connector between turns 9 and 1. The starting grid will probably be between turns 1 and 6, on the drag strip. This all may change. Like I said, please be flexible and patient and we’ll make it through the changes. We may even have a good time,  eh?

A wonderful weekend at Thunderhill, nice weather and great racing.  The big thrill of the weekend at start/finish was when #353 Dave Stanton stalled on the grid.It was really hairy there for a bit while the whole grid started and he just sat there.  The kicker was he got his bike restarted and finished 4th in the race.  Unfortunately I wasn’t the best at keeping notes this last race weekend. I lost my notes from sat, so I don’t have an individual crash total for the weekend.  Sorry guys Ñ I promise I will do better next time. Remember I am still new to this job.  I do have the overall for the weekend and total bikes down were 45, a far cry from the record weekend at Sears Point.

The unfortunate thing this last race weekend was a low worker turn out, but that didn’t keep those of you who were there from doing an outstanding job.  On Sunday the busy places were turns 5 and 6, with 6 bikes down each. Kudos to Bruce Barnum, Scott McKee and Kelle Bobbitt in turn 5, in turn 6 we had Judy Mosher and Ray Hellstrom who did a wonderful job of taking care of not only there corner but helping out in the exit of 5 also. Second in line was turn 3 with, 4 bikes down,  Ardyth Alexander, Stephanie Presnell and Steve Brooks. Great job!   Followed by turns 2 and 13, with 3 bikes down respectively. You all did a wonderful job with us being shorthanded.  I am always amazed at what we can do sometimes. I look forward to seeing you all at Sears Point for the fun we will have with the new track configuration, it will be interesting to see how things work out.  I know we can make it a safe track for the racers. See you at Sears.

Only two new workers made the trip up to Thunderhill. Tom Wood in turn 2 and Stephanie Presnell in turn 3. As I say to all new workers. At your first race you are our guests. Next time you’re family! Don’t forget yor way back.

First, go to the front gate and sign the Gate Release form. Everyone, including campers must sign the gate release each day they work. Be ready to show us your AFM Track Worker Card. If don’t have one, get the application at Registration. Even if you have applied for an AFM Competition or Associate License, you must fill out the Worker application. They are different. From there, proceed to Registration and sign the Track Worker Release form. Also, for those of you who are near 18 years old, you must show us a driver’s license or ID card proving your age at least once. The AFM keeps one copy of the release. You keep the other. Take your copy to Start/Finish and you will be assigned to a turn. This will be the procedure both Saturday and Sunday. We will try to have a special area for track workers at Registration to speed things up. Please be early on racedays. Oh yeah, just one more thing, a Gate Release form will be available at Start/Finish for campers to sign.

The weather can be iffy, so be prepared for almost anything. Layers are the hot setup. Since we all want to look alike, please wear as much white outer clothes as you can get. No red, yellow or orange colors - you don’t want to be mistaken for a flag. You may be grabbed by the leg and thrown thusly, by mistake. Long pants, sturdy shoes, no shorts. Some other good things to bring along are sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves, binox, extra clothes, a hat, energy snacks, fruits, juices and a good loud whistle. The AFM can provide you with a whistle if you don’t have one, but you don’t want to know whose lips were on it last. Please no alcohol during the races.

7th Newsletter...
The Crew
AFM Turnworker Newsletter
Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

Next race September 22 & 23 at Sears Point Raceway, Hwys 37 & 121, Sonoma, California.

Were you there?  If you weren’t, with all the changes to Sears Point, you missed a very interesting weekend. Contrary to what was printed in the last newsletter, Start / Finish was moved between Turn 6 and the bridge before Turn 7. Also the area around the old Start / Finish wasn’t as torn up as we thought. But wait until September. The pits north of Registration should be gone and we may be pitting in Turn 11’s infield, or maybe outside Turn 7. Try to get to the track a little early to get a jump on this month’s configuration. What did you think of the Turn 9-1 connector? It was an interesting view being much closer to Turn 6. On Saturday Race Control was set up right in the line in the middle of the entrance of the old Turn 1. The dirt that the AMA racers wheelie over, at the point of Turn 1, after the AMA’s chicane, was just to our right. Guy Berrysmith, who went to the DP School Friday before our race, said that the exit of the connector was much easier if you focused you attention farther up-track that usual. Many lightweight bikes took a really wide line going into Turn 9 and made it one big sweeper.  It looked to me that the bigger the bike and the farther back in the pack you were, the more apexes you took.  Thanks to everyone for doing a great job and being flexible and patient. Please remember there will be more changes in September. Can you say “flexible and patient”? Sure, I know you could!
 

It was an exciting time at Sears Point this last race weekend. Pre-grid was in an unusual place. In the first practice Barb and I found it very uneasy to have traffic to our backs so we moved around the table then we could see the bikes coming right at us when they went off and on in Turn 9. With the new layout of Sears it made for an interesting weekend for all. It was nice to see a great turnout for workers. It made the weekend that much easier on everyone. Thank you to Sears Point: they moved the K-wall from Turn 9 so we could use it as an exit. AFM #50 Kevin Crowther is really happy for that Ñ he lost his brakes going into 9 and went right onto the exit and had plenty of time to stop. Kevin did apologize to the workers for not signaling for his pitstop.

And the winner is... ok I shouldn’t say winner, the corner’s with the most action this last race weekend is a tie. Turn 7 and Turn 9 tie for the top spot with 13 bikes. Bruce Barnum, Ron Johnson, David Jensvold, David Trabert, and new worker, Jim Race in Turn 7 and Kerri Hallbeck, Guy Berrysmith, Chris Cunningham, John Dede, and new worker, Andy Sharp, did a great job of taking care of things and keeping the track clear. In third place was Turn 3 staffed by Jeremy Bell, Kelle Bobbitt, Zee Astier, John Roberts and Mary Roberts with 8 bikes down. I wish I could name every one on the track in every newsletter you all do a great job. Look forward to seeing you all at Sears.

Here are the rest if the new workers at our August race: Colleen  Charrette (AHRMA race conrol) in Turn 5 and Craig Stark in Turn 8. As I say to all new workers. At your first race you are our guests. Next time you’re family! Don’t forget your way back.

First, go to the front gate and sign the Gate Release form. Everyone, including campers must sign the gate release each day they work. Be ready to show us your AFM Track Worker Card. If don’t have one, get the application at Registration. Even if you have applied for an AFM Competition or Associate License, you must fill out the Worker application. They are different. From there, proceed to Registration and sign the Track Worker Release form. Also, for those of you who are near 18 years old, you must show us a driver’s license or ID card proving your age at least once. The AFM keeps one copy of the release. You keep the other. Take your copy to Start/Finish and you will be assigned to a turn. This will be the procedure both Saturday and Sunday. We will try to have a special area for track workers at Registration to speed things up. Please be early on racedays. Oh yeah, just one more thing, a Gate Release form will be available at Start/Finish for campers to sign.

The weather can be iffy, so be prepared for almost anything. Layers are the hot setup. Since we all want to look alike, please wear as much white outer clothes as you can get. No red, yellow or orange colors - you don’t want to be mistaken for a flag. You may be grabbed by the leg and thrown thusly, by mistake. Long pants, sturdy shoes, no shorts. Some other good things to bring along are sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves, binox, extra clothes, a hat, energy snacks, fruits, juices and a good loud whistle. The AFM can provide you with a whistle if you don’t have one, but you don’t want to know whose lips were on it last. Please no alcohol during the races.

The gates open at 6:30 a.m. Please stay to the left as you enter the main gate. There will be staff to sign you in. We quit signing in workers at 6:55. If you are late you may have to pay to get in. The morning meeting starts at 7:10 both days. The earlier the better for getting the turn you want and we also need to go to Registration and sign the release forms. Attendance at all eight AFM races is mandatory for this year’s DieHard hat. Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of fog will keep us away from the gate taking names of those brave workers. We try to give the weather every chance of clearing before canceling the race and those days count for the hats.

Both Saturdays and Sundays we provide morning coffee and donuts, a sack lunch and after-race beverages and snacks. Please be responsible with post-race activities. We also place water, bug spray, and earplugs out on the turns. Our payday is Sunday after the race. Our final race gets the checkered flag about 6:00 p.m. C ya there!
8th Newsletter...
AFM Turnworker Newsletter
Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

Last race of the season: October 20 & 21, Buttonwillow Raceway. About 25 miles west of Bakersfield in I-5, ½ mile west of I-5 on Lerdo Highway exit.

A few weeks ago we faced another Sears Point short-track challenge: a one-lane access road to the track. Ed Kelley acted as traffic cop feeding the bikes back out on the track after everyone had gone into the pits. Sears Point had dug some pretty big trenches in our old start / finish area for the new traffic and pedestrian tunnels. And all the pits north of the registration building were gone, replaced by the footings for the new grandstands. Racers used the Turn 11 area for a another pit area. Oh yeah, the racing… One of the tightest races was Formula I. For the first few laps you could have thrown a blanket over the first 6 bikes. However a crash involving the leaders on the 4th lap (I think) caused a Red Flag and put the race in the books without a restart. Next up – Buttonwillow - a hundred miles from no where. But it’s the last race of the year and the Worker Appreciation Race.

On Saturday October 20, after open practice, will be our annual Worker Appreciation Race raffle and BBQ. Last year tons of stuff was donated for our workers: gift certificates, booze, fanny packs, shirts, jackets, tool sets, candy leis, and over $3000 in cash. Because we were short handed, each worker took home an extra $100. Thank you, racers and friends! What’s it going to be like this time? I don’t know, but if you attend, you’ll know before reading it here. It’s a long drive for some but well worth it. We hope to see you there!
 

Race Notes - Sandy Jones, Race Control

A really strange weekend waited for us at Sears this last race. Between the fog on Saturday morning and the patched asphalt used for the track entrance/exit, a practice in patience was in order. We were far from a record number of crashes, but on Saturday the ones that happened were bizarre, from the three broken collarbones to the compound fracture in 7. Then there was the guy in 9 that got his foot stuck in his bike and we couldn’t get him out of the impact zone as fast as I would have liked. On Saturday there were 14 bikes down, not an unusually high number, but the severity of the incidents left us with a lot of down time. Sunday ran smoothly most of the day with 23 bikes down by the end of the day.

It looks like T-2 was the popular place for the weekend with 7 bikes down. There was a multiple-bike incident up there and the workers did an outstanding job of keeping things going. Great job Dennis Baird, Warren Eik, Lois Roth, Doug Smith and new worker Ron Chinnapongse!. Next on the list was a three-way tie, Turns 3,5, and 7, with 5 bikes each respectively. Wonderful job done all the way around. Let’s not forget the bouncers in 8 and 8a. Last time I looked being a bouncer wasn’t on our list of things to do but Henry Hathaway, Judy Mosier, Ray Hellstrum, Craig Stark, Michael Reichert, Jason Trabert, Divid Trabert, Christina Hansen, and Hans Lim did a good job of stopping a bad situation from getting worse. I look forward to seeing you all at Buttonwillow, last race of the season. It doesn’t seem like it is that time already - I’m having too much fun this season and don’t want to see it end. I want to thank all the workers for their patience, as it was my first year in this job and I hope to come back and do it again next year if you will have me. See you at Buttonwillow.

Here is the list of this year’s Diehards. If you are not on this list and should be, please contact me ASAP. The elite fot 2001 are: Don Alexander, Ardyth Alexander, Pete Barnum, Paul Braga, Steve Brooks, Christopher Cunningham, John Dede, Kerri Hallbeck, Russ Hayes, Peter Hecht, Raymond Hellstrom, Kitty Holmes, Joseph Ingoglia, Sandy Jones, Harold Kaye, Judy Mosher, Tanda Newton, Lois Roth and Matthew Roth. These folks have worked every single race with one left to go.

First, go to the front gate and sign the Gate Release form. Everyone, including campers must sign the gate release each day they work. Be ready to show us your AFM Track Worker Card. If don't have one, get the application at Registration. Even if you have applied for an AFM Competition or Associate License, you must fill out the Worker application. They are different. From there, proceed to Registration and sign the Track Worker Release form. Also, for those of you who are near 18 years old, you must show us a driver's license or ID card proving your age at least once. The AFM keeps one copy of the release. You keep the other. Take your copy to Start/Finish and you will be assigned to a turn. This will be the procedure both Saturday and Sunday. We will try to have a special area for track workers at Registration to speed things up. Please be early on racedays. Oh yeah, just one more thing, a Gate Release form will be available at Start/Finish for campers to sign.

The weather can be iffy, so be prepared for almost anything. Layers are the hot setup. Since we want to all look alike, please wear as much white outer clothes as you can get. No red, yellow or orange colors - you don’t want to look like a flag. You may be grabbed by the leg and thrown thusly, by mistake. Long pants, sturdy shoes, no shorts. Some other good things to bring along are sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves, binoculars, extra clothes, a hat, energy snacks, fruits, juices and a good loud whistle. The AFM can provide you with a whistle but you don’t know whose lips were on it last. Please no alcohol during the races.

Remember, our last race is pretty far away from civilization. Unless you consider Burger King as civilization. Better bring it all with you. If you have a RV, Buttonwillow charges $30.00 for the weekend for electrical and water hookups. There is no dump. There is no charge for tent camping. They also have cold water showers. Brrrrr! Like Thunderhill, personal vehicles are not allowed on to the track. You will be taken out to the turns by our Crash Truck. So be ready to pack it all in with you.
The worker gates open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 sharp! (We also need to go to Registration and sign the forms.) Please stay to the left as you enter the gate area. That’s where the worker gate is. Because of agreements with the Buttonwillow track, no refunds to workers who arrive after we close the worker gate. Please be on time to save money and help us get used to the new procedures. The morning meeting starts at 7:10 at Start/Finish. The earlier the better for getting the turn you want. Attendance at all eight AFM races is mandatory for this year’s DieHard hat. Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of fog will keep us away from the gate taking names of those brave workers. We try to give the weather every chance of clearing before canceling the race and those days count for the hats.
Both Saturdays and Sundays we provide morning coffee and donuts, a sack lunch and after-race beverages and snacks. Please be responsible with post-race activities. We also place water, bug spray, and ear plugs out on the turns. Our payday is Sunday after the race. Our final race gets the checkered flag about 6:00 p.m. C ya !

Buttonwillow Hotels
@ I-5 @ Highway 46 - 10 miles north of Lerdo Highway
Motel 6                                   Days Inn
14685 Warren Street               14684 Aloma Street
Lost Hills, CA 93249              Lost Hills, CA 93249
(661) 797-2346                      (661) 797-2371

Buttonwillow Off-Ramp Highway 58 -10 miles south of Lerdo Highway
Good Nite Inns                      Motel 6 - South
20645 Tracy Road                 3810  Tracy Boulevard
Buttonwillow, CA 93206        Buttonwillow, CA 93206
(661) 764-5121                      (661) 764-5207

Super 8 - Buttonwillow             Motel 6 - North
20681 Tracy Avenue                20638 Tracy Boulevard
Buttonwillow, CA 93206          Buttonwillow, CA 93206
(661) 764-5117                      (661) 764-5153

@ 1-5 Stockdale Highway - 15 miles south of Lerdo Highway
Econo Lodge                          Best Western Heritage
200 Trask Street                      253 Trask Street
Bakersfield, CA 93312            Bakersfield, CA 93312
Res: 1-800-424-4777             Res: 1-800-328-1234
(661) 764-5221                      (661) 764-626
 
9th Newsletter... 
AFM Turnworker Newsletter
Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

End of Season 2001 - Preseason Newsletter 2002

We ended the 2001 AFM racing season with a real bang. Almost twice as many workers made our last race in Buttonwillow as 2000. Many thanks to all of the workers and racers who got the word out that we needed workers. I do believe we set some kind of attendance record. We had a great a great Worker Appreciation BBQ and Give-A-Way on Saturday. So many people gave so much to our workers. And if I remember right, almost $2500 in cash - over $1000 form the 250 prod class alone. All the workers walked away with and extra $50 in their pay envelope. Thank you for all of your support and gifts - it made many workers day. The racing on Sunday was heated, with many class championships and numberplates up for grabs. The raceday ended in almost record time, and we got to start our journey home a little sooner. Thank you all for your help making the races safer in 2001. We couldn’t have done it without your support. The AFM members really appreciate that! I can't wait for 2002! Wait! 2002 is already here! "Bikes on course" is just a little over a month away. The next newsletter should be out two weeks before the race. Stay tuned…

Race Notes
Sandy Jones

Well, it was a great season.  I can say I had a blast. My first season working control was quite the eye opener.  I knew they were busy in control, but didn't know how busy.  But I couldn't have done it without the great talent there is on the corners, you guys made my job so much easier.  I was bummed when the last race finally came around. It meant that it would be a few months before we could do it all again.

Looking back, I wouldn't have missed it for anything in the world, working with the best group of course workers there is.  You guys ROCK.  It didn't matter if we had lots of people out there or a few, an outstanding job was always done.  The only drawback is I do miss being out there on the corners... I can't watch the racing like I could when I was out there.  I look forward to seeing everyone next season.  You are like family, and well it is time for a family reunion, once a month for eight months like clockwork.  See you at Buttonwillow

Here is the list of this year’s AFM Turnworking Elite - The 2001 Diehards: Don Alexander, Ardyth Alexander, Pete Barnum, Steve Brooks, John Dede, Kerri Hallbeck, Russ Hayes, Peter Hecht, Raymond Hellstrom, Kitty Holmes, Joseph Ingoglia, Sandy Jones, Harold Kaye, Judy Mosher, Tanda Newton, Lois Roth and Matthew Roth. These folks worked every race in 2001 and earned the coveted DieHard hat and at our first race of 2002 will receive the DieHard Jacket. Thanks to you and your families for your support and sacrifice.

What’s new in 2002? The new Sears Point! By the time we get there in April the new track should be completed. The tunnels should be in, many bridges gone, a new track surface and more run-off room in the back esses. You don't want to miss it. It looks like the schedule did a little swapping with locations and we will end the season at Thunderhill instead of Buttonwillow in 2002. It's closer for some and farther for others. And don't forget about the AHRMA and AMA events at Sears Point in April and May. We are a shoe-in for working these events. Who else would they have?

The paragraph below was sent in by Doug and Sonja DeRyke

LV - Corner Workers. In my note below I've requested the corner workers for Las Vegas.  Please note that the SCCA no longer supplies corner workers and the Speedway still refuses to get involved in this issue.  Therefore we have been forced to go to an outside supplier for this service. The going rate for workers in Las Vegas is $160 per day and they buy their own food.  We must supply the flags and radios.  I've only requested the 4 on-course workers.  If you want someone to work start Finnish please let me know and I'll hire additional workers.  However, at $160 each, you may want to consider staffing this yourself. The event is on the old Las Vegas road course on Friday April 26th Contact Ed Kornegay 707-794-4144


AFM Sehedule (tenative)
March 23* & 24 Buttonwillow
April 13* & 14 Sears Point
April 26-28 AHRMA National Sears Point
May 3-5 AMA National Sears Point
May 25 & 26 Sears Point
June 15 & 16 Thunderhill
July 20 & 21 Buttonwillow
August 17 & 18 Sears Point
September 21** & 22 Sears Point
October 19 & 20 Thunderhill
* Denotes AFM Race School Dates; other(s) to be announced. Limit of 64 students per AFM School.
** AFM 4-Hr Endurance Race Date (tentative, stay tuned)

Buttonwillow Hotels
@ I-5 @ Highway 46 - 10 miles north of Lerdo Highway
Motel 6                                   Days Inn
14685 Warren Street               14684 Aloma Street
Lost Hills, CA 93249              Lost Hills, CA 93249
(661) 797-2346                      (661) 797-2371

Buttonwillow Off-Ramp Highway 58 -10 miles south of Lerdo Highway
Good Nite Inns                      Motel 6 - South
20645 Tracy Road                 3810  Tracy Boulevard
Buttonwillow, CA 93206        Buttonwillow, CA 93206
(661) 764-5121                      (661) 764-5207

Super 8 - Buttonwillow             Motel 6 - North
20681 Tracy Avenue                20638 Tracy Boulevard
Buttonwillow, CA 93206          Buttonwillow, CA 93206
(661) 764-5117                      (661) 764-5153