Sean Case's Story: ================== This was not a good weekend. I backed out my heli coil on my drain plug and spent the morning practice going into town and fixing the bike, plus I had a bad cold and it was the day was 100+ degrees. Talk about being in a crappy mood. I practiced after lunch and I started to feel pretty good. I had new tires on and by the end of the day I ran a 2.13.5xx which is pretty good considering that I was by myself. I best before was a 2.12.997 and at that time I was chasing people down. I was feeling really good about my riding and having a lot of fun for the first time in a while. A lot of people were running pretty quick too, so I thought that my 5th place this weekend was slim to none, but as I said before, anything can happen. Figuring I would finish around 7th to 9th, I told myself that if I got a top 10 I would be pleased with my results. Since I was out of the points race, Buttonwillow or the next Sears Point race would be my last race with 250 Production. I had plans on moving up to the Formula II grid and sooner is now better than later. I was on the 3rd row at the start. I got a crappy start, as usual, but coming up to turn 1 I had made some spots back. I had #888 Steve Chan on the far right and I thought that he knew that I was there but I guess not because he came straight across my line. We were not even so he had the right of way, but I wasn't expecting that on the turn 1 of the first lap. To avoid a collision I stood on the brakes. With the front tire pogoing, trying to make the turn, I was on the ground praying not to get run over. Hoping not to get run over twice in one season is not a good feeling. Of course, getting run over in any season is worse. Luckily, not one hit me. Unfortunately 1 or 2 out 5 other people that went down were not so lucky. As I limped off the track I turned around and it looked like a bomb went off. There were people laid out on the track and bikes on top of bikes. It was a horrible scene. I was pretty broken up about the whole thing. After I got a hold of myself I got myself back to the crash truck and back to my pit. See more at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/afm250p/message/12554 Raghu Belur's: ================ Boy, was this a wild weekend! My recollections of the turn 1 carnage are kind of sketchy, but here goes - 1. I started on Row 5 and had a good start and I was staying close to the outside. 2. I saw out of the corner of my eye someone on the left side tuck the front end. 3. A bike and a body come sliding across the track towards me, not sure if it was the same rider(2) or a different rider. 4. I try and avoid the bike/body as Dale next to me in trying to do the same executes this monster stoppy. 5. I think I make contact at this point and loose my front end and fall. I am not sure where I was on the track at this point. I also see a couple of bikes tangle it up off to my left. 6. I remember thinking - oh! shit, this is not a good place to fall, as I curl up into a ball. 7. Sure enough, almost immediately, I get smacked on the left side of my head and shoulder and it knocked me out. The corner worker was there pretty quicky and a paramedic soon after. They were great! I could hear Dale moaning, off to my right. My shoulder, neck and back are quite sore this morning. Just dinged up all around but not too bad. Jerri Grindle's: ================ My worst nightmare came true: Turn 1 at the green flag, 40 bikes all trying to cram themselves into a space that is too small and all maneuvering for position. Then the unthinkable happens - one bike has to take action to avoid another that has swooped across his front wheel and down he goes causing a chain reaction that is total mahem. I saw the first bike go down and held my line, temporarily, waiting to see where the pieces would fall. There's an opening - great! - I'm home free. Wait - oop - there's another bike and rider in the air. From that point on I'm not quite sure the sequence of events. I know I got hit twice on the right. One of the hits almost knocked me over (actually ALL of the hits I took almost knocked me over, but one in particular was especially hard). Either before, or after, or between those two hits that I took on the right side, there was a helmet directly in my path (I found out later that the helmet contained Raghus head!) I took sudden and urgent action to the left to avoid a direct hit but I knew at the time that I had managed to at least graze the helmet. In taking the evasive action, I came in contact with another bike - then there was contact with yet a fourth bike on my left, I'm not sure who hit who, but it doesn't really matter, not one little bit. All I could think of was getting out of there, getting away, aaaaarrrrrrrrgggtggggghhhhhh --- I'm going to be killed, or I'm going to run over someone --- aaaararrrrrrrrrasgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!! HELP!! Then my bike stalled right in the middle of the track, in the middle of all the mess and flying riders and tumbling bikes and the carnage that was left behind and smoke and flames (not really, it was just dust, but it FELT like smoke and flames). Just as my bike stalled and came to a halt someone hit me from behind. Aaaarrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhh --- HELP!!!!!!!! As I'm trying to start the bike I'm looking furtively over my left shoulder, there are bikes out in the dirt and behind me are two bikes which looked like they were piled on top of each other, one rider was jumping up, or rushing over, or something, to pick up the top bike. I didn't know if there were other bikes bearing down on me so all I wanted to do was get away. Thankfully my bike started and I had an opening - - away I went. I think I was the last one to leave the carnage behind, or so I'm told. Adam Fernandes': ================= Caveat: These are the things as I perceived them. I got a terrible launch during the first start and Dale (who was gridded beside me) took off like a rocket and jumped in front of me. It looked like everyone was coming to the outside. Everyone also seemed far more aggressive then normal. Someone crashed out on the left side of my vision. Shortly thereafter someone (rick) chased in front of Dale. Dale jammed on the brakes and I thought he was going to stop when his bike suddenly did the most hilacious stoppie (for a 250). I'm already braking trying to avoid (rick) and dale, who is now partially airborne). Someone passes on the right in the dirt, I'm not sure who's behind him. Dales bike is still falling and I'm still looking for an exit. Everyone is passing on the left. I'm still braking and now steering to avoid Dale. Dale is in front of my slightly offset to the right. His bike is in front slightly offset to the left. Rick and his bike are further in front off to the right. All my exit's are taken up and I decide that hitting Dale's bike is better than hitting Dale, both of which are still moving objects. I pray that no one is going to rear-end me and I steer towards his bike while still braking. I finally bring the bike to a halt with only a few feet to spare form Dale's final resting position. I can see Dale grabbing at his thigh and he is screaming his head off. My instinct it to help him but I quickly realize the best thing I can do it get out of the way of the emergency crew. I scan the surroundings. I'm the only one standing in a sea of bikes and bodies. It looks like a grenade went off. I look to the left and pull forward a bit. I see someone trapped under a bike. I can't put my bike down where I'm standing as it might interfere with the crew's access to Dale. I pull forward and get ready to dismount and throw my bike down when I see the trapped rider is being aided my another rider. I decide that I better get out of the way.. I put the bike in gear and motor on.. on then do I become aware of the pain emanating from the more sensitive areas of my anatomy. I guess my stop was a little more abrupt then I realized... Richard Battles': ================= I was on the inside of row 5 with Raghu right next to me. The flag dropped and Raghu and I both got great starts jumping up into row 3!! As we started to set up for turn one, one of the front riders fell!! And all hell broke loose!! There were over 40 bikes bearing down on turn one. The rider that fell was directly in front of me so he slides away toward the outside. While trying to find a way out of trouble I looked to my right and saw Dale Olstinkse's bike do a tremendous stoppie and FLIP completely over, I could see this number on the front of his bike UPSIDE DOWN! It is so implanted in my mind! I saw bikes and bodies sliding all over the place, I looked forward again and saw it was totally CLEAR in front of me!! I was safe!! I glanced over again and Raghu was gone!! He had disappeared into the Abyss!! As we went into turn two I could see off to my right the whole war zone, It looked awful, There were bikes on top of riders a large plum of dirt and dust was ascending from the crash site and the lights on ALL THREE Ambulances were already rolling toward the scene with their red and blue lights flashing through the dust plum!