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 Schedule (tentative)
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

1st 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

First race of 2002: March 23 & 24, Buttonwillow Raceway Park. About 1/2 mile west of  I-5 on Lerdo Hwy - about 25 miles west of Bakersfield.

10.    We'd rather not put a Flag out.
So, if we do, it's important. And if we wave it, it's really important.  And if we wave it dramatically, it's really really important.

9.    The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.
If you break down on the track, we'll try to get you back to the pits. But we can't hold up 50 riders in the next group while the crash truck makes a lap.

8.    We don't know squat about racing lines.
If a worker tries to tell you the best line thorough a corner, smile, nod politely and ignore them. If a worker asks you to move out of an impact zone, do it!

7.    We're fans, too.
We have the second-best seats in the house, and enjoy good, close, but most of all safe racing.

6.     We look after ourselves first.
It seems counter-intuitive, but if incidents happen, our priorities are: 1. Ourselves - if we get hurt we can't help, and it makes it worse for everyone else; 2. Riders still on track - everyone would like to keep a 1-bike incident from escalating, Downed Rider.

5.     We didn't see it.
We try to scan the whole turn all the time. We almost never see the start of an incident, only when that scraping sound happens. So don't be surprised if a worker can't support your crash appeal.

4.     To a Handler. there's only two real classes of bikes:
Light bikes and Heavy bikes.

3.     Turnworking is 50% boredom, 45% excitement and 5% sheer terror.

2.     We talk about you.
There's 40 bored pair of eyes watching the track, and a constant stream of information on the land line about riders and bikes. We notice erratic riding, great riding, loose components, bikes in wrong class, even unzipped leathers.

1.     We won't recognize you without your clothes.
That is, without your leathers, helmet, and most of all, AFM number.

It seem like such a long time since we last met in October. Well, it has! And it's about time the weather started to warm up (even if only a little). Get the lawn mowed, change the battery in your smoke detector, oil your drive chain (I know some of you have shaft drives- so don't send me an e-mail. I sure there are things you must do, too. How Ôbout belt dressing on your Harley), dust off your whistles - we're gonin' racin'! Our first race of 2002 is a long way away in Buttonwillow - 25 miles from Nowhere! But it's a great facility. One of this year's changes is that we would like to cover more of the Trackworking basics at the morning meeting so please be on time. On Saturday we will have Open Practice in the morning and AFM Race School track time in the afternoon. After the Race School there is a BBQ, free to the workers. Sunday will start with practice sessions, four races before lunch, lunch, and the rest of the schedule.  We will have free sweatshirts and schedule key chains for all track workers. Thank you, AFM! As well as the presentation of the 2001 DieHard Jackets. (DieHards are workers who attend every AFM race, rain or shine, during the season.) We have signed up many new worker in the off-season. We're looking forward to meeting and working with you all.

Steve Dalton
from Brad Stewart

On Saturday, March 9, Steve was riding in the East Bay on Mine's road with friends and got off the high side. He was air lifted to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose where he is under treatment for multiple spinal fractures, several cracked ribs and a broken collar bone. Despite his disposition, he had a good attitude and was even wisecracking between the morphine-induced delirium. There are no bone fragments in, or severance of, his spinal cord, but cord trauma at Thoracic 4 and 5 vertebrae are currently prohibiting the use and feeling of his legs. There is no prognosis at this time, it is a waiting game. Steve is healthy, has a VERY strong will and has the potential to heal.
There are no bone fragments in, or severance of, his spinal cord, but cord trauma at Thoracic 4 and 5 vertebrae are currently prohibiting the use and feeling of his legs.  There is no prognosis at this time, it is a waiting game.  Steve is healthy, has a VERY strong will and has the potential to heal.

Tuesday morning he will undergo surgery to fuse T4 and 5 with hardware as well as a bone transplant fro the hip in order to expedite the recovery and therapy process.  The surgery is strictly for structure and has no effect on the spinal cord trauma.  If your blood type is 0+ donations in his name are appreciated should the need for a transfusion arise.

Right now all support is appreciated.  Steve is at:

Steve Dalton
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
Trauma Rehab Center #2
Room 2K120
751 South Bascom Avenue
San Jose, CA 95128

Please note that flowers are NOT permitted in his room.  (Balloons and other non-pollinated things are fine).

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 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.

 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 !

AFM Schedule (tentative)
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

2nd 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

Nest Race: April 13 & 14.Sears Point, Hwys 37 and 121, Sonoma.

Our first race weekend came and went without a hitch. NOT! A few rain delays on Saturday and a one-hour delay on Sunday didn't dampen our spirits (Sorry). It just gave us more time to get to know all the new workers that make the trip to Buttonwillow. It also gave us time to finish the conversations we started last October when we last met. Not to mention, a longer than usual morning meeting - a great chance to fill our rookies in on our procedures. Even with the rain we got in a short open practice in the morning and also a shortened Race School. The AFM and Willow Ranch provided another fantastic BBQ Saturday evening. Sunday started like a lion and went out like a lot-less rainy lion. We were treated to some great racing and some pretty spectacularly flipping motorcycles that dared to venture off-track and get caught in the mud. The sky cleared and racing heated up in the afternoon. Some tight battles for leaders and mid-packers made the day go by fast. But it all ended too quickly and we were sent on our merry ways in many different directions, home.

Next Up - Sears Point Version 2.0. In less than two weeks, we will be among the first the see the remodeling done to Sears Point. A couple less bridges, a few new tunnels, a new start / finish and dragstrip, resculpted hillsides and turns, new paddock and garages, hillside seating. What's not to like? Spend the weekend with us and you can tell everyone. "I was there!" Oh Boy!

Race Notes
Sandy Jones

A wonderful and wet weekend awaited us at Buttonwillow Racepark.  Quite a few new faces mixed with the old ones. Was nice to see everyone again. Seems like forever between races.  Saturday was a good day, only a couple of rain delays but we got the Race School finished, so that was a plus.  We had only 3 bikes down on Saturday. I can't remember ever having a number that low for a practice or race day.  Sunday morning welcomed us with more of the wet stuff first thing in the morning.  We held out and finally got bikes on course at about 9.  Wasn't anywhere close to a record day for crashes but when bikes went down they seemed to go down in bunches.  Total bikes down for the weekend was 32, with 3 on Saturday and 29 on Sunday.  The busy spot for the weekend was Turn 2 with 8 bikes total; 5 of them were in one incident.  Great job Lois Roth, Doug Smith, Peter Hecht and new workers Hitomi Yasuda and Allan Engbrecht.  In second was Turn 6 with 6 bikes down.  Bob Beach and racer Kevin Smith with new workers Lucy Carrera and Len Tavares had their hands full a couple of times, and came through like the true cornerworkers they are.  Then there was Turn 7 staffed by Mike Oscars, Michael Reinhert, and new workers Kellie Kirby and Charlynn Donahue, with 4 bikes total. One went over the top of the turn - we couldn't see anything from start/finish, they did an outstanding job of letting us know everything was OK.  I look forward to seeing everyone at Sears, from the pictures of the track I have seen it looks like fun.  Having the track back to normal again will be great.  The new Turn 1 looks interesting.  Take care, all. See you at Sears.

We had 18 new workers for the first race at Buttonwillow, one fewer than last year's record. Thanks to everyone who spread the word. Your efforts were truly seen. Here is the list: of those not already mentioned: Monique Shaw and Don Shields in Turn 3, Kyle Edmiston, Ann Goldberg and Scott Cavert in Turn 5, Ryan Butler in Turn 4, Lee Hilsabeck, Ed and Kathy Bochenski in Turn 9, Ben Bracamonte and Andrew Evans in Turn 10, and last, but not least, Nate Smith in Turn 11. Thanks for all your hard work. You were our guest at your first race - 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 (crew@afmracing.org) or phone (510-796-7005 ext. 2). If you have to cancel, please let me know ASAP to allow any worker that may get on the waiting list a chance. So far everyone who has signed up is working, but this may change. A few openings are still available, please contact me ASAP.

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 this policy, mostly dependent on the track, turn, and parents' position on the track. The youth must work with their actual parent and both must sign the Worker Application and Release forms. Other positions like Pit Steward are also available. The youth must be dressed in worker attire and 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. 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. 

3rd 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, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith
    Guest Editors: Jeremy Bell and Monique Shaw

Next Race: May 25 & 26, Sears Point, Hwy's 37 and 121, Sonoma.

Our last race at Sears Point on April 13 and 14 brought us Sears Point version 2.0. So what did you think about all the changes? How about that Grandstand? And they're still not done! We musta set some kind of record: almost 80 workers out on track. Some turns were actually crowded.

It was a great thing to see that many people out there all working toward the same goal: Track Safety. Before we let it get to our heads, we must remember one main thing: what we do here is very dangerous. There is the real possibility of us getting hurt. Please come to the track prepared for battle. We get to enjoy the races from the best seat in the house. But being that close has many risks. Be aware of them. Take your position in your turn seriously while the track is Hot. You have a huge responsibility to your fellow workers and the racers on the track. One last thing; take pride in a job well done. The AFM workers have a reputation of being the best in the business and you are all part of that. Both the AMA and AHRMA tell me how happy they are to be here with our workers when the make their yearly trips to Sears Point. They both feel very comfortable in our hands. Enjoy the accolades; you have all earned them.

Our next race is May 25 & 26 at Sears Point. Are we going to break another record for the amount of workers we have on track? I guess you'll just have to Be There and find out for your self. After Sears Point we'll go on the road for two. Thunderhill on June 15 & 16. And Back to Buttonwillow on July 20-21.

Here's the list of new workers that joined us at the last AFM Sears Point race: Bob Pushwa in turn 1, Anthony Wolmack in turn 9 and Desarae Meagher, Evelyn Petty, Mark Petty and Adam Quandt in turn 10. Thank you for being part of The Crew. Please don't forget your way back.

With all the other tragedies in 2001, we probably didn't notice that 3 Turnworkers were killed at racetracks last year. Different events, and different countries.   None of us were there, and I'm not attempting to critique them or their organizations, but I think this might reinforce some important lessons. If these workers were anything like us, I think they'd want that.
 
¥ Melbourne - Australian F1 GP: March
Two F1 cars collided under braking in a corner, the wheels touched and one went airborne. It landed on the K-wall / catch fence and came apart. A wheel went through a 16-inch doghole in the catch fence and killed the worker standing there. Flying debris also injured 7 spectators.
 
¥ Lausitzring circuit near Dresden, Germany - private test session for Le Mans cars: May
A worker went onto the track, covered by a yellow caution flag, to retrieve debris from one car and was hit by another racecar.
 
¥ Ireland - Ulster GP: August
This was the only motorcycle-related incident. The two lead bikes crashed in the chicane on the last lap of the 600cc race. One bike somersaulted over an Airfence and hit the flagger.
 
In all three of these incidents, the racers were essentially unharmed.
 
What can we learn from these incidents?
- Bikes and parts can go anywhere in a crash. Try to find a secure spot to watch the race, preferably behind something solid. If you frequently need to look down-track, make sure your back is covered by a barrier or another worker watching up-track.
- Be very aware when going onto a "hot' track. The old windjammer sailors used to say Òone hand for yourself; one for the ship." Maybe we should think "one eye for yourself; one for the crash?"
- The first and last laps tend to have the most incidents, as do certain classes.
 
What we do is risky, but I'm convinced that the biggest risk we all run is driving to the track in the morning. However, Let's be careful out there.

Both weekends where a blast! In the words of the Big Kahuna, “it was a great luau with lots of friends.”  The weather was great, just a bit cool and windy in the mornings, and lunches were on time - A good thing for our famished workers. Although we had a bad crash in turn one for AHRMA's first race on Sunday, the rest of the day went off with out a hitch, so to speak. (Ed. Note: Norbert is back home in Kansas and is recuperating. He is 64 years old)

AMA weekend was another party of 70 plus friends. The turns were full and we were ready to rock.  The screeching cat that was present on the headsets for our last AFM race was nowhere to be heard for AMA. What did Sandy do to that poor kitty? Sandy! Everyone had a great time and saw some really good racing.

Robert Brown died on May 12, 2002, from injuries in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash returning home from a trip with friends to Death Valley.
When Robert took over the reins at Sears Point he was instrumental in getting many of the track's features changed in favor of motorcycles. During his time at Sears Point, he donated many, many items to the worker BBQ at the end of the year and supported the AFM workers for doing The AMA and AHRMA Nationals. After leaving Sears Point, he bought G&B Motorsports in Petaluma. He told me not long ago he would like to do something a little different for the workers, so in 2002, G&B Motorsports became the official Sponsor of the AFM Trackworkers.
Robert's smiling face and witty personality will be deeply missed. Godspeed, Robert.

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. 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. At Sears Point Saturdays are free but 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!

AFM Schedule

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)

4th 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

Next Race: June 15-16, Thunderhill Raceway, About 100 miles north of Sacramento on I-5, Willows, CA

There is just nothing like Sears Point in the Spring! A great weekend with many workers - even for a holiday weekend. It's great to see all of the changes at Sears Point. It's still a work in progress though. Everyone did a fantastic job. Heck, I even spent some time in Turn 12 on Saturday and got to pick up a few bikes. I felt great to get back to my roots. With last month's newsletter on our own worker safety it couldn't have come at a better time - read Race Notes.

Our next two races are away races, with trips to Thunderhill and Buttonwillow on July 20-21. These races could be real scorchers. Be sure to dress appropriately, drink lots of water and have plenty of #80 sunscreen. If you find yourself not feeling well in the heat, let someone know ASAP. We don't need any worker casualties. With Thunderhill's many turns we will need a ton of workers for both Saturday and Sunday. So why not make a weekend of it? We will have a free BBQ for all workers on Saturday night.

Race Notes - Sandy Jones

A nice weekend awaited us at Sears Point Raceway. Had a good worker turnout for the full day of practice. Lots of action around the track on sat, 12 seemed like a magnet for riders stopping in to see the workers. Don't know what it was on sat but it was busier than sun for crashes. We had 33 bikes down on Saturday, with turn 12 being the busy spot with 11 bikes for the day. Sunday the crash total was 27, but some of those were really nasty get-offs.

We had a couple of times when workers had to move out of the way of things flying at them. Pete had to jump over the wall at start/finish to avoid a bike that was bouncing off the walls on the front straight. The workers in Turn 1 had James Randolph come in hard very close to them, and Bruce Barnum and Melanie Durandette had a rider come in and hit the wall in front of them and become airborne over them. Its been a while since we have had so many close calls with workers just a reminder that we all have to keep on our toes out there, bikes and other things can land anywhere.

And now for the corners with the most action for the weekend. Turn 12 was the busiest with 13 bikes total for the weekend, they did a great job of keeping everything going and putting the chicane back together many times. There is a tie for second with turns 2 & 6, they each had 9 bikes for the weekend. The handlers were very busy running up and down the hill that weekend. Turn 4 had 8 bikes total. Everyone did a great job with taking care of things and keeping things moving along. Looking forward to seeing everyone at Thunderhill, let's pray that the heat isn't to bad and we have some great racing weather.

I know we mentioned in the last newsletter about staying safe, but I felt it was important to mention the many close calls for the workers this last race weekend. It's funny how this stuff happened right after that newsletter. See you there...

We had a bunch of new worker in May: Ivan Kokin, Jeff Frost, Peter Light, Matthew Buck, Chris Sheldon, Cindy Blankendehler, Jeremy Kanakis, Connie Figaniak and Claudine Denoix. Thank you for sharing you day and helping us. Please don't forget to find your way back.

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.

5th Newsletter...  

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 yearÕs 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!

6th 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, August 17-18, Sears Point, Hwys 37 & 121, Sonoma, CA

Hot, Hot, Hot! Some would say that instead of heading down south, we went straight to down to the very hot place. 114 air temp. 145 track temp. Four workers had to get off the track on Saturday because of the heat. Isn't the Central Valley fun in the summer? A very special thank you to the brave few who made the trek to Buttonwillow and survived to tell about it! Thank goodness that it cooled down a little on Sunday. Another special salute goes to Chris Tavares for doing solo duty in the lonely Turn 10 with just a few flags and a walkie-talkie to keep him company in the heat. Saaaaa - lute! The hot temperatures brought smaller grids and made the raceday go much fast. So fast, in fact, that we set a new record for the checked flag on the last race: 3:50! Thanks to Barbara Smith, our race director, for moving the raceday along and sending us on our long trip back home a little early. We also had a super BBQ on Saturday by the folks at Willow Ranch. Thank you AFM and Willow Ranch.

Our next race is back home at Sears Point. (No mail, e- or otherwise, please). Our grids should be full and we can use all the workers we can get. Bring a friend or relative and share the fun. With any luck at all it may even be foggy, but don't hold me to it! We are on the backside of our season, with three races left. Two at Sears Point, and our last race, Worker Appreciation BBQ and Raffle at Thunderhill in October. Keep your calendars open on those dates.

Race Notes - Sandy Jones

A real scorcher waited for us at Buttonwillow. Thanks to those that did make it. You know it is going to be bad when you leave for the track at 5:30am and your driving down the freeway with your window down and it feels nice. We were running a little thin on people in white, but being the crew that we are, we made it work. It was a practice in proper hydration for the weekend. We had a few workers on Saturday succumb to the heat. Also something to think about is over hydration, that too can happen if you're not careful. The pits looked a little thin, also. It seems some of the racers weren't up to the drive or the heat in Buttonwillow.

Overall it wasn't a busy weekend crash wise, and that is a good thing. Some of the crashes were big. Only 7 bikes went down on Saturday. Sunday was a little cooler, but not by much. We had 23 bikes down on Sunday. Turns 1 & 11 were the busy places this weekend, they tie for first with 7 bikes each. Turn 1 had a spectacular crash in the 250 prod race, 5 bikes down on the start. Excellent job to Michael Reichert, Char Donahue, and Kellie Kirby in Turn 1, Russ Hayes, Joe Ingoglia, Robert Kallis and Darlene Coake in Turn 11. Second place was a tie also with turns 2 & 4, with 6 bikes down each. A great job in the heat Lois Roth, Steve Brooks and new worker Michael Leister in Turn 2 and Mike Oscars and Kim Scheffel in Turn 4. Turns 6,8,9,10 all tied for third with 1 bike down for each. It seems somehow, everyone tied with someone for all the bikes that went down this weekend. A great job was done by all. It was a very difficult weekend to work with the shortage of manpower and the heat. My hat is off to everyone who made it to Buttonwillow. It was nice to have racers come down to the morning meeting on Sunday to give a big thank you to the workers. Hopefully we will see more of that in the future. I look forward to seeing all of you at Sears Point. Yes, I will still call it Sears Point no matter what they say the name is. Lets hope for some real nice weather. See you there!

Going back to our race at Thunderhill, Kyle Harrison in Turn 9 and Earl Reynolds in Turn 14 were the only new workers. And from Buttonwillow, Michael Leister was the sole new worker. Thank you for spending the weekend with us - making the raceday just that much safer.

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.
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. 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. At Sears Point Saturdays are free but 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!

7th 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 21 & 22, Sears Point, Hwys 37 & 121, Sonoma

What a difference a month makes - we go from 114 degrees to the 80's and from 35 workers to 64. Whew! We also tried something new, we used the AMA turn 11 instead of the regular Turn 11 and the Turn 12 chicane. It short-cuts the old Turn 11 by connecting back up to the Start/Finish straight, turning just beyond the Drag Tower. This change added a lot more runoff room for the turn. It started out looking like a bad idea because of the many crashes before lunch. At lunch we moved a few cones around, added some braking markers and the number of crashes decreased significantly. See Sandy's Race Notes for more details.

We are down to the last two races of the season: Sears Point and the season finale, Worker Appreciation Race at Thunderhill. But before we close the season down in Thunderhill we have to endure an endurance race on Saturday and a full Sunday schedule at the Point. (Editors note: Starting in 2003 I will try to stop referring to Sears Point as Sears Point. Maybe I'll try "The racetrack formerly known as Sears Point." An unidentified racetrack official did an unscientific survey in Sonoma. They asked the locals what they thought of the name change. One resident said, "It will always be Sears Point to me. Infineon is how long it takes to get there on NASCAR weekend!")

Race Notes - Sandy Jones

A new and inviting Sears awaited us this last round. With the new Turn 11 and much better weather than we had at Buttowillow. It was an exciting time at Sears, with the new track configuration made for an interesting weekend. We all know some people had problems or forgot that the track changed. It was good to know we had a good turn out for this round at Sears. Turn 11 was very busy. More so than usual. I went to the board meeting and it looks like we will be keeping this track configuration for the endurance race and the sprints on Sunday for our next round at Sears.

And now, for the numbers. I'm sure everyone knows that Turn 11 came in first for the most crashes for the weekend with 23 for the weekend. I don't know if that is a record or not. Great thanks to Harold Kaye, Scott McKee, Bob Beach, Monique Shaw, Peter Licht and new worker Fred Elizondo for their wonderful work on keeping things going. Second was Turn 6 with 9 bikes down. Great work Henry Hathaway, David Jensvold, Judy Moshier, Ray Hellstrom, Bob Pushwa and new worker Jason Hall. In third was Turn 2 with 7 bikes with Doug Smith, Lois Roth, Phillip Groves, Hitomi Yasuda and Tejon Stanley. A great job was done by all. We had quite the excitement down by start/finish when Ed Millhousen's bike hit the wall then became a ghost bike. Ed is fine I'm glad to report. Turn 1 had some excitement also when a bike and rider imprinted themselves on the Styrofoam, there is an impressive picture on the unofficial list. Jeff Frost is mending also, I am glad to say. I look forward to seeing you all at our next round at Sears. We have the Four-Hour Endurance race to look forward to. Take care, and see you all there. Sandy

On Saturday, September 21, the Four-Hour returns to Sear Point. We didn't have one last year and the years before that it was held at Thunderhill. We will need a full crew of workers on Saturday. We do not stop for four hours, so the more workers we get the easier it is to take a break. In the past has been open practice before lunch and the Enduro right after. If you haven't been to one you must give it a go. I really missed last year's.

We had four new workers at our return to Sears Point. Roy Cole in Turn 5, Jason Hall in Turn 6, Troy Carter in Turn 8A and Fred Elizondo. Thanks for being part of our family and don't forget your way back. We need you!

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. 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. At Sears Point Saturdays are free but 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!
ut 6:00 p.m. C ya there!

8th 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 2002: October 19 & 20, 2002, Thunderhill Raceway Park, 100 miles north of Sacramento, I-5, Willows, CA

Our last race of 2002 is less than a week away. Are you ready? It will be sometime in March before we get together again. DonÕt miss it! Some class championships are up for grabs. Be the first on your block to know who will hold the AFM #1 plate in 2003. We will also have the worker wppreciation BBQ and raffle. See below for more details. We all remained awake for the four-hour endurance race. You did, right?

Race Notes: Sandy Jones

A nice weekend awaited us at Sears Point raceway. It was great weather for some great racing. IÕM sure there are some real close races in the points coming into our last race. There was a surprise in the FP this last race weekend. The #1 Bike DNFÕed, I donÕt know what that will do for the points standings, but looks like it will be quite the race to watch come Thunderhill. The next race is our last race of the season, I know it seems like just yesterday that we were donning our whites for the beginning of the season. It all goes by so fast. One thing to look forward to the last race of the season is the worker appreciation race, all the racers donate stuff to show they really appreciate how much time and effort we put into making their race day happen.

Now for the moment you all have been waiting for (drum roll please) ok, we donÕt need a drum roll. Turn 11 still seems to be the hot place to be at Sears Point, a weekend total of 19 bikes down. Great job done by Harold Kaye, Bob Beach, Monique Shaw and Bob Pushwa. First runner up was turn 6. They did seem to have an exciting weekend with 12 bikes down. Joe Ingoglia, John Dede, Duane Deboer and Evelyn Petty did a wonderful job of keeping things cleaned up and going. Second runner up goes to turn 2, that is always a happening kind of place with Lois Roth, Dennis Baird, Doug Smith, and the husband and wife team of Mark and Carol Freman, doing their best as always at keeping things going. The four-hour snore - oops, I meant endurance race actually went quite well this time, no major oil spills for a refreshing change. In the past that has been a problem with a mark it and clean it when you can kind of thing. I do look forward to seeing you all at Thunderhill for the last race of the season. Again, it seems like only yesterday that the season was beginning. Well, we have a wonderful BBQ by Sonja to look forward to and also the worker appreciation raffle, much fun to be had by all. See you at Thunderhill

Below is the list of the AFM DieHards for 2002. All these folks attended every race in 2002 - rain, shine and much heat - very much heat. If your name is not on this list and should be, please contact me ASAP! Ardyth Alexander, Shauna    Butler, Charlynn Donahue, Michael Edmiston, Henry Hathaway, Russ Hayes, Joe Ingoglia, Robert Kalis, Harold Kaye, Tanda Newton, Mike Reichert, Lois Roth, Monique Shaw, Chris Tavares and Len Tavares

After an almost two year absence Sonja once again will put together another wonderful Worker Appreciation BBQ! This yearÕs theme: Caribbean / Jamaican Holiday. Put on your best tie-dyed shirts. Prizes, games and of course the Worker Raffle. We give it all away, whatever the racers bring us we send it away: gift certificates, adult beverages, vacations, helmets, gloves, movie passes, and thousands of wire ties or heat-shrink tubing. But wait. You say you want more? You really want more? Well then, more you shall have. All of the cash that gets donated gets split up between all the workers. WeÕve split up over 3000!

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. 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. At Sears Point Saturdays are free but 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!
ut 6:00 p.m. C ya there!

October 19 & 20 Thunderhill

9th Newsletter...