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By Ryan Bugaj
Journal Inquirer
MANCHESTER--Carl McAllister isn't your normal business man.
Besides working as a professional photographer and running his
own advertising studio,
Mcallister does something most people wouldn't dare do at his
age.
He races motorcycles.
The Manchester resident competes in a special division called
Formula 40, which lets anyone race--as long as they're over 40.
Mcallister has been competing in the division for two years, though
he said some of his competition have been racing since the age
of 18.
"It's antique riders on new bikes," McAllister said.
Mcallister competes in the Sport Bike class, which are stock motorcycles
with minor modifications. "You can do anything with the suspension,
but you can only do minor things with the engine," McAllister
said. He noted that the reason for the restrictions was to keep
costs to a minimum.
McAllister races at New Hampshire
International Speedway in Loudon, N.H., where he posted
13 top-three finishes last year.
Last month, McAllister scored his biggest win so far--at the famed
Daytona International
Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
"Daytona was the scariest thing I've done," McAllister
said. "The banking (31 degrees) is very rough, and speeds
are very high. The bumps in the corners make it very hard to see
when you're going 170 miles an hour."
McAllister ran as an amateur at Daytona, as he has in most of
his races so far. The next step up is the junior level, with expert
the highest classification.
"At the race, the experts started in the first three rows,
with the amateurs starting at row 11," McAllister said.
McAllister started on the pole for the amateur division, and led
every lap. He won the amateur competition, finishing behind only
three expert-class racers.
"I felt very lucky," McAllister said, "It felt
excellent.
"The first few laps at the track scared the heck out of me.
I thought to myself, "If Eric Wood can do this in the pouring
rain, then I can do this in the dry without getting out of the
gas on the banking."
You just have to keep the throttle open and go 165-170 miles an
hour."
McAllister noted that the motorcycles don't just use the 21/2
mile oval track, but a one mile infield section is also added.
"I was more comfortable in the infleld section," McAllister
said. "That's because of all my experience at Loudon. I felt
I had an advantage in that area."
McAllister said he did not have any work to do on the bike at
the track except the jetting, which deals with the air-to-fuel
ratio in the carburetor.
"Jetting adjustments are usually done with barometric pressure
or altitude changes," McAllister said.
McAllister has an outside firm, New England Performance
of New Hampshire, do the engine work. His other sponsors--Cycle
Gear of Manchester, CT., Midtown Kawasaki of Middletown,
Penguin Road Racing
School of Loudon, N.H., CFM Motorsports of Mansfield,
MA, and much help from Eric Wood with his advanced classes
at Penguin Road Racing School.
"My father sold motorcycles, and I've been riding them since
I was 8 years old," McAllister said. "My friends and
I would race them on the streets. Then we decided it would be
a lot safer if we went to the track. Four of us went up and took
the Penguin school and have been enjoying it ever since
"On the track you don't have to worry about somebody backing
into the street with a shit wagon or something. The track is a
much safer place to play and no where the risk of the road."
Expert
With a heavy mist creating abhorrent conditions, Carl McAlister led the field around turn two as Buzz Povall was the first of several riders to crash out on the slick surface. The first lap had McAllister leading Carl Spooner, Steve Scott, Dave Knox, Jerry Wood, John Rutherford and John Gebhardt.The order stayed put for three more laps as riders struggled to keep off the ground, and on lap four Scott went up the inside on on Spooner into turn three and set off after McAllister who had about three seconds at hand. Spooner stayed close but couldn't challenge Scott for the remainder of the event. Also, by mid race, Jerry Wood had had enough of the slipping and sliding and elected to pull off. Within a lap, McAllister was being hounded by Scott, who stayed on him until the last lap where he pulled off a nice pass on the outside of turn ten to grab the lead. It was short lived however, as McAllister repassed into twelve and won the drag race to the finish line to take his first win as an Expert. The rest of the order was Spooner in third, Rick Moreau, who put in another good ride to come from far back at the start, John Gebhardt, John rugherford and Dave Knox, who ran off and re-entered.
1. Carl McAllister and Steve Scott 15
3. Buzz Povall 13
4. Karl Spooner and Dave Knox 11
6. Jerry Wood and Rich Moreau 9
8. John Gebhardt 8
9. John Rugherford
10. Ron Hodgsen 5
11. Dan Little 4
JUNIOR NATIONAL CLASSES
Middleweight Endurance: 1. David Sandel, Shirley, NY, Honda; 2. Peter Feller, Carmel, NY, Suzuki; 3. Dale Seaton, Utica, NY.
Unlimited Endurance: 1. Carl McAllister, Manchester, CT, Kawasaki; 2. Steven Hecker, Colchester, CT, Kawasaki; 3. David Arvidson, Vernon, CT, Honda.
Lightweight Endurance: 1. Tyler Henshaw, East Hampton, CT, Yamaha; 2. Charles Meyers, Bridgewater, MA, Honda.
Unlimited SuperSport: 1. Jason Medina, Weymouth, MA, Suzuki; 2. Steven Hecker, Colchester, CT, Kawasaki; 3. Ken Drouin, Round Lake, NY, Suzuki.
Middleweight Superbike: 1. Peter Feller, Carmel, NY; 2. David Sandel, Shirley, NY, Honda; 3. Dale Seaton, Utica, NY, Yamaha.
Lightweight Grand Prix: 1. Tyler Henshaw, East Hampton, CT, Yamaha; 2. Jocelin Veilleux, Waterville, ME, Yamaha; 3. Charles Meyers, Bridgewater, MA, Honda.
Unlimited Supertwins: 1. Thomas Eckfeldt, Waterbury Center, VT, Ducati; 2. Michael Delage, Homer, NY, Ducati; 3. Michael Lange, Perkasie, PA, Ducati.
Lightweight Supertwins: Thomas Eckfeldt, Waterbury Center, VT, Ducati; 2. Jim LaFrance, Ansonia, CT, Honda; 3. Andy Hull, Chelmsford, MA, Ducati.
Senior SuperSport: 1. Carl McAllister, Manchester, CT, Kawasaki; 2. Ronald Hodgson, Monticello, NY, Honda; 3. Alan Quinn, Corning, NY, Kawasaki.
Singles: 1. Larry Hussey, Durham, NH, Big Wheel 200; 2. Trevor Downey, Rindge, NH, Honda; 3. Richard Demetrius, Warren, MA, Honda.
Lightweight Superbike: 1. Tyler Henshaw, East Hampton, CT, Yamaha; 2. Bruce Ullerup, Guilford, CT, Yamaha; 3. Ted Temple, Rochester, NY, Yamaha.
Middleweight Grand Prix: 1. Peter Feller, Carmel, NY, Suzuki; 2. Dale Seaton, Utica, NY, Yamaha; 3. Joseph Dirusso, Everett, NY, Kawasaki.
Production Twins: 1. Brian Meyette, Cornish, NH, Kawasaki; 2. Todd Babcock, Mount Sinai, NY, Kawasaki; 3. Alan Quinn, Corning, NY, Kawasaki.
Unlimited Superbike: 1. Eric Dineen, Everett, MA, Kawasaki; 2. David Ruocco, Milford, CT, Kawasaki; 3. Dale Seaton, Utica, NY, Yamaha.
Heavyweight Thunderbike: 1. Jim LaFrance, Ansonia, CT, Honda.
Lightweight SuperSport: 1. Ted Temple, Rochester, NY, Yamaha; 2. Bruce Ullerup, Guilford, CT, Yamaha; 3. Ethan Guth, Tunbridge, VT, Yamaha.
Lightweight Thunderbike: 1. Joshua West, Concord, NH, Kawasaki; 2. Todd Babcock, Mount Sinai, NY, Kawasaki; 3. Frank Gerhard, Jay, ME, Kawasaki.
Unlimited Grand Prix: 1. Peter Feller, Carmel, NY; 2. Dale Seaton, Utica, NY, Yamaha; 3. David Sandel, Shirley, NY, Honda.