Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary: Day 24: Battle Mountain NV

Because "operational reasons" Josh the Traffic Control Supervisor was obliged to drive over to Elko yesterday and swap his Chevy pickup for a different truck. Now a heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado is no Kei car but this:

is something else altogether. He hates it.

But anyway. It was almost 10 Celsius at seven this morning and the wind appeared mostly benign. Neither Toronto bike had been reinspected following yesterday's upsets and subsequent repairs but everyone else was there, trying to get at least one decent run in while the weather held. Three bikes in the first heat, on the long course. Adam and Dark Star were away first and recorded the week's highest speed thus far, a wind-legal 73.41 mph. I was in the chase truck driven by a cautious Battle Mountain Mike so we didn't get close enough for photos during the run chiz.

Adam's debrief with Niklas

Next down the road was Justin S and WooHoo Two. He managed 44.84 mph with "something rubbing", plus the wind had snuck over the legal limit, but a couple of minutes later it has dropped for Alexis and Beluga One, who clocked 48.05.

Justin S & WooHoo Two about to be caught

Alexis & Beluga One on final approach

Only one machine in the second heat, since not even Titan can accommodate three riders. This morning saw Ethan E returning to the back seat; he and Calvin passed at 68.80 mph with the wind having once more reached "naughty" status. Titan has been fitted with old-skool steel discs cannibalised off Adam's old bike and in spite of reaching 370 Celsius these did not catch fire, disintegrate or exhibit suspicious political tendencies. Although the bike still fell over at catch chiz.

Titan not reaching catch backwards, umop-ap!sdn or on fire

No more takers for the long course so we at catch chilled out while Larry and co moved down to the 4 km start. Only one taker for the sole heat, this being Jaden in WooHoo Two. He only made it about 500 metres before going down. Cause as yet unknown.

Other things we learned this morning: the default notification sound on Adam's phone is a recording of Arnold Ligtvoet shouting:

BIKES ON THE ROAD!

This, Adam says, causes much consternation among shop staff when he's paying for things.

Back to the Civic Center for results and reuniting folks with lost property. Yes, we found a ring. No, Calvin, no-one has found a fat roll of $20 bills wrapped up in an elastic band and we strongly suspect your plea for its safe return to be rooted in a thick and squelchy bed of Lie.

Before the meeting I got a special invite to Holly's office, because Wols:

Cora teh Wol

Wol! Wol!

MOAR Wols in today's Flickr album.

After the meeting I went back to the ~~factory, Guv~~ Super 8, there to deal with the morning's photos and update the people of England^[1] now abed of the morning's progress before sitting outside with Volume 3 of Richard J. Evans' history of the Third Reich^[2] and catch some rays. The sun promptly vanished behind thick clouds, the wind picked up and it tried to rain. So I went back to bed.

The weather hadn't improved much by the time we got out to the course and many folks, having made the trek out there, left their vehicles on the truck and hung around. Heat one was on the short course; Justin T scored 51.10 mph despite the wind.

Justin T & Typhoon
Why is "Typhoon" so difficult to type?

Heat two attracted this many punters: 0. I repaired to the motor-car to Defile the Wilderness with Rock'n'Roll while the Cal Poly team started a game of keepy-uppy:

This would have been more successful had they used a ball instead of a potato^[3].

Joyce, John and I all went back to the start for the third heat only for it to contain exactly one bike, 'topher and Eta Prime having pulled the plug only seconds before they were due to launch. Leaving Ethan T in Typhoon as the only starter.

Ethan T and his Gleaming Steed about to Joust with the Forces of Darkness. Or something.

Nice smooth run into a screaming headwind; 55.62 mph.

Back to the Civic Center. We got fed again.

Last day tomorrow so we're pulling out all the stops to make sure everyone gets at least one complete run - Jaden from Cal Poly ~~and Frank from Toronto have~~ has yet to do so. Corrected on receipt of comment...