You gotta love the Elsinore Grand Prix.  Where else can a bunch of average joes on their average bikes get together and race through city streets and hills?  To celebrate this last bastion of racing freedom, two members of our group decided to give the big race a go this year. Madman Motozilla (Paul) took his GS and Carl entered his LC4. 

To show our support (and get in on some of the good riding around Lake Elsinore), the rest of us packed up our bikes and all headed over for the big race weekend.     

Every RV should come with a GS...	Dave's toy hauler packed to the gills	Setting up camp at the lake	Nice collection of bikes

Saturday started off with a two-hour practice session on the track.  Paul put the finishing touches on his GS (removing various components and putting a 21" up front) and we rode over to the starting line.  (Editor's note: I was really impressed with how the Elsinore police department handled the event. The rules were relaxed a bit, and bikers of all kinds were zooming around doing fun stuff downtown that would normally bring about a serious fine or two.  No-one was hurt off of the track, and the atmosphere was nothing but fun.)

Race prepping the GS	Installing the 21" front	Start of the practice race	Talking about standing out from the crowd	Carl getting into the groove
Pushing the GS	Back side of the track	Relaxing on an after - practice ride	A preview to the race?	The wheel is about 2' off the ground

That night, Jimmy Lewis and a few of his friends showed up at the campfire for a nice evening of the usual biker BS.  Because the main race event didn't start until 1:00 pm on Sunday, we decided to head out on a local ride the next morning to start the day off right. It was quite a treat to watch Jimmy take his GS around the hills of Elsinore.  That guy handles the big 1150 like it weighed 200 lbs.

Jimmy makes it look so easy...	Jim tackling the incline	And getting tackled	Love these shots...	Bringing it up the rest of the way
James cresting the hill	Jim on a steep face	Did I mention he makes it look easy?	Looking for traction	Big Dave on the DR
Paul zooming up	Nice riding valley	Overlooking Elsinore		Dave on his 640
	Top of the hill

After wrapping up the morning ride, it was time to head back over to the track and get ready for the big race.  Carl and Paul were pumped and ready to ride.  In addition to Paul's GS, Ricardo Kuhn was out there on his BMW and another guy had entered a new KTM 950 Adventure S.  It was great to see those big bikes out there; they were clearly the crowd favorites.  

Start of the race (the arrow is on Paul)	Taking off on the GS	Through the streets	Carl hitting the pavement	Paul pushing heavy iron
Getting the front up	On approach...	Lofting the GS	Getting big air on a 950	That 950 was flying

Then it happened... the most amazing get-off of the entire race.  Yup, you guessed it.  It was our man Motozilla.  When he went down, the crowd went absolutely nuts.  After Paul stood up and raised his arms in the air, the roar of approval from onlookers was deafening.  Luckily, he wasn't seriously injured, but the bike didn't fare as well.  The GS ended up with a bent telelever, bent subframe, seriously dented tank, broken nose assembly and bent engine guard, just to name a few.  But damn, was it worth it. (Incidentally, Ricardo went down almost immediately after Paul.) 

Good launch...	hard landing	The crowd goes nuts
The aftermath	Check out the guard	Another GS racing that weekend	Carl having a blast	Staying in the pack
Pushing the LC4	Nearing the end	Another 950 shot	The finish!	A job well done

Carl ended up being the only racer we knew personally who finished the race.  Considering it was his first race in about 20+ years (on a 300 pound bike, to boot), he had a fantastic run. 

What a weekend...