Madhatter
Well-Known Member
its that multitasking thing women do.... it has an advantage ….. you go girl .
S10s in the Iron Butt Rally!
- Thread starter GearheadGrrrl
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RonH
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She is amazing, and still riding the 2005 FJR1300 all these years. Don't need to replace something not broken that proves. I'm glad to see her do the winning ride, and really won by quite a bit over the rest of the riders.
EricV
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Only three riders were time barred at the end of the penalty window, others having already called to say they were not going to be able to make it.
As reported, Wendy Crockett on an '05 Yamaha FJR1300 won the rally. Wendy previously came in 3rd in the past. As a personal acquaintance to Wendy, having known her and her family for years, I can say she has worked toward this goal for a long time and is a very happy woman right now. I'm sure her husband Mike is bouncing off the walls at their home, sadly unable to attend with their awesome 4 year old daughter.
BMW breakdowns were numerous, Final Drive, fuel and other issues. (Another K1600 lost the FD on the day after the rally, heading home.) Tidbit of the day, more FJRs finished the rally than started, with two riders changing from other brands to loaner FJRs to finish the rally.
We lost Chris Purney's S10 to a two vehicle accident, but he made it in with the loaned FJR before the DNF cut off. That's his story to tell.
The two up couple from Britain on the S10 that had the wheel and tire issues not only finished, but finished well! They put in a monster leg and they were pretty tired when they got in, but they persevered and made an excellent showing.
By any standard, the IBR is not an easy ride. By the standard of past IBRs, this was a tough IBR. Bonus locations did not have exact waypoints, you got a Lat/Lon that was within 100 miles and written directions to follow from there to the actual bonus location. This both defeated the computer program methods of routing to the exact bonus locations, and forced riders to read, read and re-read the bonus descriptions to figure out where they had to go, how to get there, what was involved, (dirt roads, long hikes, etc), and gave a wider margin for making errors that would cost riders time and often points at the scoring table.
Even the seasoned riders that have won various rallies were making mistakes that cost them positions on the finisher roster. Wendy made mistakes, but fewer of them, while riding harder, and after coming up with a winning plan to ride. I've been involved with the IBR since '05 and never have I seen riders coming in at the end like this time. This IBR challenged every rider at every level and nearly all of them spent a large portion of their riding on slow, scenic, twisty roads, often miles into a bonus and with only one way back out before getting to larger roads. As in the pre-2011 IBRs, dirt roads were available more and riders were shown beautiful places that they may never have gone to on their own to see. All of these riders will remember this as a stand out year, wether it was their first IBR or their 7th IBR.
Many are already long gone from the parking lot as I type this. Riders stayed up as late as 1am or more, but by 4 am they were leaving the parking lot heading for home. Many will be back at work on Monday, having used the last two weeks as vacation time. I can only imagine the smile on their faces when some un-knowing co-worker asks "So, where did you go on your vacation?" Everywhere. Coast to coast, border to border and beyond. The same riders saw Alaska and the Gaspe peninsula as well as far Southern US locations. Smoke from wild fires in BC & California, flooding that closed bridges across the Mississippi river, the headwaters of the Columbia and Mississippi rivers and all the way to the ocean along those rivers.
Jeff Earls and his wife spent the last two years creating this rally and have every reason to be proud of the results. It will be remembered as one of the more Epic IBRs in the history of the IBR as well as the first year a woman rider won. Before too long, Wendy's name will be carved in the winner's rock out along the border of the Black Rock Desert outside Gerlack, NV at the IBA Circle of Honor.
More info will be posted on the IBA site in the coming days, along with the full rally pack, as I understand.
As reported, Wendy Crockett on an '05 Yamaha FJR1300 won the rally. Wendy previously came in 3rd in the past. As a personal acquaintance to Wendy, having known her and her family for years, I can say she has worked toward this goal for a long time and is a very happy woman right now. I'm sure her husband Mike is bouncing off the walls at their home, sadly unable to attend with their awesome 4 year old daughter.
BMW breakdowns were numerous, Final Drive, fuel and other issues. (Another K1600 lost the FD on the day after the rally, heading home.) Tidbit of the day, more FJRs finished the rally than started, with two riders changing from other brands to loaner FJRs to finish the rally.
We lost Chris Purney's S10 to a two vehicle accident, but he made it in with the loaned FJR before the DNF cut off. That's his story to tell.
The two up couple from Britain on the S10 that had the wheel and tire issues not only finished, but finished well! They put in a monster leg and they were pretty tired when they got in, but they persevered and made an excellent showing.
By any standard, the IBR is not an easy ride. By the standard of past IBRs, this was a tough IBR. Bonus locations did not have exact waypoints, you got a Lat/Lon that was within 100 miles and written directions to follow from there to the actual bonus location. This both defeated the computer program methods of routing to the exact bonus locations, and forced riders to read, read and re-read the bonus descriptions to figure out where they had to go, how to get there, what was involved, (dirt roads, long hikes, etc), and gave a wider margin for making errors that would cost riders time and often points at the scoring table.
Even the seasoned riders that have won various rallies were making mistakes that cost them positions on the finisher roster. Wendy made mistakes, but fewer of them, while riding harder, and after coming up with a winning plan to ride. I've been involved with the IBR since '05 and never have I seen riders coming in at the end like this time. This IBR challenged every rider at every level and nearly all of them spent a large portion of their riding on slow, scenic, twisty roads, often miles into a bonus and with only one way back out before getting to larger roads. As in the pre-2011 IBRs, dirt roads were available more and riders were shown beautiful places that they may never have gone to on their own to see. All of these riders will remember this as a stand out year, wether it was their first IBR or their 7th IBR.
Many are already long gone from the parking lot as I type this. Riders stayed up as late as 1am or more, but by 4 am they were leaving the parking lot heading for home. Many will be back at work on Monday, having used the last two weeks as vacation time. I can only imagine the smile on their faces when some un-knowing co-worker asks "So, where did you go on your vacation?" Everywhere. Coast to coast, border to border and beyond. The same riders saw Alaska and the Gaspe peninsula as well as far Southern US locations. Smoke from wild fires in BC & California, flooding that closed bridges across the Mississippi river, the headwaters of the Columbia and Mississippi rivers and all the way to the ocean along those rivers.
Jeff Earls and his wife spent the last two years creating this rally and have every reason to be proud of the results. It will be remembered as one of the more Epic IBRs in the history of the IBR as well as the first year a woman rider won. Before too long, Wendy's name will be carved in the winner's rock out along the border of the Black Rock Desert outside Gerlack, NV at the IBA Circle of Honor.
More info will be posted on the IBA site in the coming days, along with the full rally pack, as I understand.
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Actually, this was the second time in IBR history that more FJRs finished than started (it happened two years ago as well).
EricV
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Absolutely true. You would think those BMW riders would start to get a clue.
R
RonH
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I wonder how many miles Wendy has on the FJR? Eric, do you get to look at the odometers? Has to have 200,000 or more I would think.
EricV
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I did not do odo checks this year. Several bikes were approaching 200k or over. The Victory Vision of Connie Gabrick has over 150k and 2 or 3 IBRs on it. Wendy's '05 FJR has 3 IBRs under it's belt, if I recall correctly and I know it's over 100k, but don't know how much over. Worth mentioning is that Wendy is a premier skill level moto mechanic and previously ran her own shop. If she can't fix it, you're really screwed. There are stories about Wendy changing a tire during an IBR at a strange shop after being let in by the local PD. By the time the shop owner got there, She was done. I believe the story goes something along the lines of the shop owner offering her a job on the spot, before looking at the Sheriff with that WTF look that he let someone into his shop in the middle of the night.
Edit - FWIW, Andy Mackey's GS had over 300k at the start. He replaced the FD due to it leaking half way to the start, while on the road. He had to hit a BMW dealer and order it overnighted, then he was going to swap it in the parking lot and the dealer stepped up and gave him a great price to do the job for him, so he let them do it. Zero mechanical issues for him during the IBR.
Edit - FWIW, Andy Mackey's GS had over 300k at the start. He replaced the FD due to it leaking half way to the start, while on the road. He had to hit a BMW dealer and order it overnighted, then he was going to swap it in the parking lot and the dealer stepped up and gave him a great price to do the job for him, so he let them do it. Zero mechanical issues for him during the IBR.
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ballisticexchris
Guest
Just reading about the 10,000+ mile IBR leads me to believe it's not fun at all. It's all about pushing your bike, body and mental state to near full fatigue. There are a few off road events/races that are like this too. It's a stark reminder of why I just kick back and enjoy riding at my pace and not worry about "being first" across the finish line.
My hats off to all those men and women who can push themselves to such limits. This even goes to the ones who didn't finished but gave it their best. Thanks Eric for the blow by blow on how this thing works. About the only thing I could hope for is getting a bike setup for one of these rally's and finding a rider nuts enough to enter it.
As far as the FJR, I'm not surprised at all that those bikes hold up as well as they do in this kind of event. My boss got his Iron Butt on one of those with zero drama.
My hats off to all those men and women who can push themselves to such limits. This even goes to the ones who didn't finished but gave it their best. Thanks Eric for the blow by blow on how this thing works. About the only thing I could hope for is getting a bike setup for one of these rally's and finding a rider nuts enough to enter it.
As far as the FJR, I'm not surprised at all that those bikes hold up as well as they do in this kind of event. My boss got his Iron Butt on one of those with zero drama.
scott123007
Well-Known Member
There was an AMA interview with her back in, I think 2017, where she said her 2005 FJR had 225,000 on it.
And, just an FYI if anyone wants to google her. Her last name is spelled with two "t" 's.
And, just an FYI if anyone wants to google her. Her last name is spelled with two "t" 's.
I don’t know ODO miles, but Mike(Mr Wendy Crockett) said they have replaced the engine.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
EricV
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In regards to challenging yourself, there are many ways to have fun on a motorcycle. The IBR isn't for everyone. The IBA offers a very large variety of certificate rides beyond the basic Saddlesore 1000 ride. LNK At the bottom of the linked page is a link to the Big List of rides HERE that covers all over the world and North America. It may surprise some to see some pretty silly rides there. These can be a lot of fun if the mood strikes you.
RideMaster has a lot of info on current and up-coming endurance rallies as well as Grand Tour style rallies like the well known Big Money Rally that are not done on the clock. Check that out HERE Some of these can be done from any location. Endurance rallies as short as 8 hours are listed.
If you're wondering what this endurance rally stuff is all about, go check out Ride Master and see what's going on close to you and give it a try. It doesn't have to be a 11 day test of your abilities! The idea is to have fun doing this. 90% of the IBR riders will tell you they did indeed have fun doing the IBR. Did it push them hard? You bet. But part of the process of getting to this level is learning how to manage your fatigue and be safe. Riders stopped and got sleep when they need to do so to be safe. Riders stopped and called the rally master to say they were not going to make it before being time barred because they were simply too tired to continue safely and there was not enough time left. That sucks, but it's part of the planning process, to take into consideration what you can physically do. Some days we bite off more than we can chew and being self aware enough to realize that is an important part of the learning process in endurance riding.
You may not want to do an endurance rally. But you may find that the scavenger hunt on motorcycle thing is a lot of fun. And gets you interested in going out for a ride more often. Maybe even takes you to some new places to explore. Check out the links and see if something looks interesting to YOU.
Go for a ride and have some fun in what ever way works for you!
RideMaster has a lot of info on current and up-coming endurance rallies as well as Grand Tour style rallies like the well known Big Money Rally that are not done on the clock. Check that out HERE Some of these can be done from any location. Endurance rallies as short as 8 hours are listed.
If you're wondering what this endurance rally stuff is all about, go check out Ride Master and see what's going on close to you and give it a try. It doesn't have to be a 11 day test of your abilities! The idea is to have fun doing this. 90% of the IBR riders will tell you they did indeed have fun doing the IBR. Did it push them hard? You bet. But part of the process of getting to this level is learning how to manage your fatigue and be safe. Riders stopped and got sleep when they need to do so to be safe. Riders stopped and called the rally master to say they were not going to make it before being time barred because they were simply too tired to continue safely and there was not enough time left. That sucks, but it's part of the planning process, to take into consideration what you can physically do. Some days we bite off more than we can chew and being self aware enough to realize that is an important part of the learning process in endurance riding.
You may not want to do an endurance rally. But you may find that the scavenger hunt on motorcycle thing is a lot of fun. And gets you interested in going out for a ride more often. Maybe even takes you to some new places to explore. Check out the links and see if something looks interesting to YOU.
Go for a ride and have some fun in what ever way works for you!
B
ballisticexchris
Guest
Oh believe me Eric when I tell you I know 100% what endurance riding is all about. There is no wondering at all. Mine has been in the off road world. I hung it up (desert racing) in 2007 because the bones are getting harder to heal. Well, that and the fact I'm not all that good of a rider (novice at best). Some people (like Wendy) have a natural talent for riding. I've been riding since I was a kid and came to realize real quick I will not ever have the skill of the few real talents out there.
I had dreams of doing an Iron Butt rally just before getting my 1000 mile Saddle Sore plaque. I figured it would be less stress on my body than attempting 200 mile dual sport events over the rocks. How wrong I was. Just my little taste of a wimpy 1000 mile in under 24 hrs showed me this is not my cup of tea. Sad thing is I'm in the minority with this thinking. Thousands of riders enter and complete these type of events with no problem at all. Over 100,000 riders from 50cc scooters to Gold Wings do Iron Butts year round. They may not be documented but it's getting done. I'm just not one of them.
I have no desire to pound out miles against a clock. I gave my best effort in 2015 attempting an 200 mile event that's designed for you not to finish (Big Bear Run). That year was an easy year because they rerouted it shorter due to fires. I trained for months leading up to it. Day of the event I tanked out at only 60 miles in.
I had dreams of doing an Iron Butt rally just before getting my 1000 mile Saddle Sore plaque. I figured it would be less stress on my body than attempting 200 mile dual sport events over the rocks. How wrong I was. Just my little taste of a wimpy 1000 mile in under 24 hrs showed me this is not my cup of tea. Sad thing is I'm in the minority with this thinking. Thousands of riders enter and complete these type of events with no problem at all. Over 100,000 riders from 50cc scooters to Gold Wings do Iron Butts year round. They may not be documented but it's getting done. I'm just not one of them.
I have no desire to pound out miles against a clock. I gave my best effort in 2015 attempting an 200 mile event that's designed for you not to finish (Big Bear Run). That year was an easy year because they rerouted it shorter due to fires. I trained for months leading up to it. Day of the event I tanked out at only 60 miles in.
Rambler
Well-Known Member
It would great reading if The Earls or someone wrote the story of how the IBR2019 bonus points were created. Great back story. And would serve as an insight into the cogs and wheels that keep churning behind the scenes at IBA.
How things change. I can remember when telling someone "you ride like a girl" was an insult. Now it's a compliment!!!!
tabledrain
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I just finished the Iron Butt Rally for the fourth time. on my 2000 bmw r1100rt.
Its no easy thing to do.
Its not every ones idea of fun.
I was working with Dan on his engine diagnosis, it was pretty obvious early on that it needed a dealers input, we had done all the carpark diagnosis we could by 11am.
If it hadnt been for Dan finding me a complete final drive and then meeting me in Maine as I was heading south from Gaspe(?) peninsula, i duuno if i would have finished.
Now I am heading back to OZ to build m S10 into a mile muncher down under.
Its no easy thing to do.
Its not every ones idea of fun.
I was working with Dan on his engine diagnosis, it was pretty obvious early on that it needed a dealers input, we had done all the carpark diagnosis we could by 11am.
If it hadnt been for Dan finding me a complete final drive and then meeting me in Maine as I was heading south from Gaspe(?) peninsula, i duuno if i would have finished.
Now I am heading back to OZ to build m S10 into a mile muncher down under.
tabledrain
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- Joined
- Feb 24, 2019
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- 11
yep, over 200000 miles. its on its second engine.
Eric, what was the outcome with the HD rider stuck in Ft. Nelson with a broke belt?
EricV
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As far as I know they were able to get it repaired, but no follow up was made to the community about it.
Lux
Member
Did John Harrison publish the epilog for the 2019 IBR yet? I haven't been able to find it....
EricV
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