Day 14: Battle Mountain NV

Things were both more and less fraught this morning.  Fewer wrecks and mechanicals, though the luckless Shinsuke Kouzai managed to put Super Ketta Machine 162 off the road at almost the same spot for the second morning running. while the La Salle team had more transmission problems meaning they too have yet to complete a qualifying run.  And in a first at Battle Mountain, Barbara Buatois was obliged to scratch from the long course runs as the Varna seemed to have developed an unhealthy fondness for the ditch on the right of the road.  Seems that because the new bike is a good deal wider than the old Tempest, they'd glued some foam into the body to act as an armrest, and this was getting in the way.

Adam Ince being horribly cheerful for this ungodly hour

Everyday object, unusual angle: Barbara in a downed Varna

A few more start-line spills, including Taurus falling just as I was pointing a camera at it and Charles Easton-Berry doing likewise in the MQ1.  Both bikes were launched successfully at the second attempt, with Charles assisted by a fantastic Larry Lem dive full-length onto the road to get under the bike and bounce it upright an on its way.  I hear the Italians manged to capture it on video but it's yet to show up on that Interthing, possibly because someone has filled the wires with jam this evening.

Andrea powers Taurus past the Grassy Knoll at the second attempt

Charles' first attempt in MQ1: Larry not quite quick enough

Calvin in Eta Prime was once again quickest with a 75.96 mph run into a fairly stiff headwind; second overall and still fastest of the women was Yasmin with a fully-legal 66.66.  John Mumme improved his own 600/200 arm-powered mark to 28.87 mph, but we won't see any further improvements as he had to leave at lunchtime today.

Camera helpfully auto-focuses on Mike Sova's moustache instead of new world record holder John Mumme

Oh, the additional fraughtness was caused by someone whom I shall cloak in tactful anonymity leaving their car parked at the 2.5 mile start when we began using the 5 mile course.  This is a no-no.  Don't do it again, u muppet!

Tuesday is the day of the Show'n'Shine, when the teams set up their machines in the Civic Center for the Tinies to inspect and cover with little jammy fingerprints.  Not wishing to be covered in little jammy fingerprints myself I snapped a few pictures, ate a few lunches and scarpered back to the Super 8 to make use of the Intertube while everyone was out.  At the time of typing they are not out which is why this entry may well be late, short on pictures or swallowed whole by a giant fish before it even gets as far as Blogspot.

Barbara tries Taurus

Structure of MQ1 encloses much of the rider

Liverpool's Three Wise Monkeys hide from the jammy Smalls

By the time we set out for the evening runs the clouds were gathering over the mountains to the east.  For a while it looked as though it was only going to deliver unto us a few spots of rain, a wind of profound illegality and Nik Vatin welded permanently to the roof of his van, where he was sitting the better to watch the lightning like Giovanni Ribisi in that episode of "The X-Files".  But as the time for road closure approached, the Varna truck appeared at catch from the other end with tales of torrential rain, HPT's little weather station being blown over and four blokes on horseback making a bloody nuisance of themselves¹.  We called it off.  Sacrifice to the weather goddess not possible because of ongoing shortage of virgins.  Hence while at this time of night most people are still eating or fettling their machines after the evening's exertions they are Doing Stuffs with the Internets.

1. This last bit may, technically, be fake news.