2021 IBR – Day -1

Pressure Builds

 

It is time that we introduce you to our riders.  They have been waiting (sweating) for 18 months since hearing they were in the 2021 event.  I have listed them here by rider number for the rally.  The first two riders are Wendy Crockett and Jim Owen, the winners of the last two events.  

Rider #

Name

Pillion

Year

Make

Model

1

Wendy Crockett

 

2005

Yamaha

FJR1300

2

James Owen

 

2018

BMW

R1200RT

3

Al Greenwood

 

1989

Honda

GL1500

4

Michael Boge

 

2019

KTM

300 XCW-TPI

5

Art Garvin

 

2009

Honda

GL1800

6

Bob Lilley

 

2016

BMW

R1200GSA

7

Ken Meese

 

2009

BMW

K1300GT

8

Kirsten Talken Spaulding

 

2015

BMW

R1200RT

9

Dan Roth

 

2011

BMW

R1200GSA

10

Andy Mackey

 

2013

BMW

R1200GSA

11

Cliff Wall

 

2010

Honda

GL1800

12

Eric Bray

 

2015

BMW

R1200GSA

13

John Coons

 

2007

BMW

R1200RT

14

Mike Heitkamp

 

2015

BMW

R1200GSA

15

Matt Wise

 

2015

BMW

R1200GSA

17

Mike Riley

 

2012

Kawasaki

Concours 14

18

Chris Purney

 

2007

Yamaha

FJR1300

19

Marc Beaulac

 

2019

Honda

GL1800

20

Bob Bowman

 

2012

Honda

ST1300

21

Eric Edelman

 

2018

BMW

K1600GA

22

Kurt Worden

 

2017

Kawasaki

VersysX 300

23

Danny Dossman

 

1995

Honda

ST1100

24

Lyle Monroe

 

2014

Honda

GL1800

25

Chris Comly

 

2006

HD

Sportster

28

Bucky Dent

 

2015

Yamaha

FJR1300

29

Peter Green

Dannette Sifford

2012

Honda

GL1800

30

Ken Aman

 

2016

Yamaha

FJR1300

32

Andy Hall

 

2013

Honda

GL1800

34

Scott Madson

 

2018

BMW

R1200GSA

35

Justin Long

 

2018

Honda

GL1800

36

Jim Burriss

 

2013

Victory

Cross Cntry Tour

37

Eric Buskell

 

2009

HD

Fat Bob

38

Marty Cover

 

2016

BMW

R1200GSA

39

Jerald Anderson

 

2012

Suzuki

V-Strom

40

Paul Partin

 

2008

Honda

GL1800

41

Steve Gallant

 

2012

Honda

ST1300

42

Paul Meyer

 

2016

Kawasaki

Concours 14

43

Mike Best

 

2018

Honda

GL1800

44

Kenneth Andrews

 

2020

HD

Road Glide

45

Lew Ballard

 

2020

HD

Ultra Limited

46

Jon Kerr

 

2018

Honda

GL1800

48

Angelo Patacca

 

2015

BMW

R1200GSA

49

Steve Snell

 

2018

Honda

GL1800

50

James Epley

 

2016

Triumph

Trophy SE

51

Bruce Edwards

 

2017

BMW

R1200RT

52

Lisa Rufo

 

2016

BMW

R1200GSA

53

Bill Norris

 

1997

Kawasaki

Vulcan 500LTD

54

Tom Spearman

 

2020

BMW

R1250RT

55

Stephen Vook

Tamara Vook

2018

BMW

K1600GTL

56

Tom Southwood

 

2020

HD

Road King

57

Daniel Wallander

 

2007

Honda

ST1300

58

George Levar

 

2017

BMW

R1200GSA

59

Marc Bialt

 

2021

BMW

F850GS

61

Russell Neal

Cathy Neal

2006

Honda

GL1800

62

Ben Ernst

 

2020

BMW

R1250GSA

63

David Uhl

 

2021

HD

Road Glide Limited

64

Marcus Reynolds

 

2020

HD

Road King

65

Dan Simmonds

 

2014

Yamaha

Super Tenere

66

Todd Lipps

 

2018

HD

Road King Police

68

Andy Regnier

 

2015

Yamaha

Super Tenere

69

Doug Jacobs

Liz Jacobs

2011

BMW

R1200GS

70

Lionel Ramos

 

2019

HD

Road Glide CVO

71

Jim Saul

 

2012

Yamaha

Super Tenere

72

Mike Hall

 

2018

BMW

R1200RT

73

Jim Hampshire

 

2021

HD

Panamerica

74

Steve Giffin

 

2005

Yamaha

FJR1300

75

Gerry Arel

 

2013

Yamaha

FJR1300

76

Lance Corley

 

2018

HD

Road Glide

77

Ryan Rahjes

 

2016

Honda

GL1800

78

Gary Huff

 

2020

BMW

R1250RT

79

James Jackson

Bobbie Jackson

2013

Honda

GL1800

80

James Handley

Karen Handley

2014

BMW

K1600GTLE

81

Chris Hopper

 

2020

HD

Road Glide

82

Dan Duvall

 

2020

Yamaha

FJR1300

83

Mike Brooke

 

2008

Suzuki

Hayabusa

 

 

Of course the favorites are two-time champion Jim Owen and 2019 winner Wendy Crockett. They are sentimental favorites not only because they are winners, good looking, and have well sorted out processes but because they’re both so damn likeable. Aside from Jim and Wendy, there are a lot of people who could put in a strong showing. This includes very experienced riders like Bob Lilley, Eric Bray, Steve Gallant, Mike Heitkamp, Paul Meyer, Ken Meese, and KTS (sidebar: KTS is Kirsten Talken Spaulding, now you KNOW you’re a fan favorite when you have an official nickname). All the riders down to and including Lisa Rufo have at least completed a single IBR at minimum.  Any one of them might put in a great and exciting ride. If were going with the “nice guy/gal” theory it is hands down Jim Burriss, the most affable person anyone has ever met. 

 

We have a good field of rookies this year. I can say this because not a single one was late for the Rookie riders meeting; I think that might make them as a group exceptional right off the bat. Every two years there is always a rookie or two on their first IBR Rally that come out of nowhere and make a play for a top 10 finish and no one can tell you before the rally start who that may be. I do not want to mention any of the names that have been tossed around by the old timers (jinx!) but there are a bunch of rookies that seem to be really “with it”. That brings us finally to one of my favorite categories, the people with unfinished business. They have been in a rally before but did not finish for one reason or another, maybe it was mechanical failure, not enough points, or maybe a rally ending incident. In this category are Stephen and Tamara Vook, Marc Bialt, and Tom Spearman. It is a BIG DEAL to be a finisher of the Iron Butt Rally, it is a testament to be one who finishes in the top 10 and we look  for those underdogs who are reaching for just a little bit more or who are coming back to vanquish their demons. That’s the stuff that “Iron Butts” are made out of.

 

 

We reported yesterday that Michael Boge was getting some help from another rider in the field who lives locally, Jon Kerr. Here is a picture of the two working together to make this unique bike come together. Michael was all smiles today as he rushed around to complete his check-in prior to the rider meetings. Under the No Good Deed Goes Unpunished category Jon Kerr blew up his computer this morning and had to replace it. Upon completing that task he found his battery was dead on his motorcycle. Lisa is just hoping Jon does not have a pacemaker.

 

A….N….D  Here is Michael Boge missing the riders meeting…

 

 

You can see that Al Greenwood made the starting grid. Al had bike troubles before leaving the garage but in true Iron Butt fashion he got his motorcycle repaired. He finished check in and even asked to, and was allowed to attend the rookie meeting (things have changed since 1985 when Al last finished). Al plans on using old school maps for the rally and it will be interesting to see how he fares against some of the spaceship crowd.

 

There have been two rider meetings today and the banquet makes three. The rookie meeting is really to give some perspective and get them in the right frame of mind while the general rider meeting hits the mechanics of the rally.

 

We sent out a flash report yesterday telling you of the changes to the start of the rally. You can see that the street has indeed been blocked off with enough room to make a line of bikes on either side of the blocked off street.  Perfect for the traditional rally start.

 

 

The clock has started by the time you are reading this. Rider packs with flags and the first set of bonuses have been handed out and riders are just suffering through those last instructions before they charge back to their computers and start planning a route.