2009 Iron Butt Rally - Official Daily Reports

[CLAY]

That sucks.  Prayers for Davo's family and friends.








Congrats to the finishers- what a ride.  I'd like to do it someday- but I'm probably a ways off yet with the little kids at home.  I follow the rally closely and try to live vicariously...

[CLAY]

Is there a place to view all the SPOT trackers?  Or do they have them on the IBR site now (I didn't check yet)?

[Bounce]

Plan for them to remain locked down. Then you can be pleasantly surprised if they ever go public.

[greench440]

Slonisku said his page was unlocked in the "IronButt on a 33 year old Suzuki" thread.

[rajflyboy]

sad too since helmet use (even in states that don't require them) is a long-standing IBR rule of participation.

Fatigue makes you do things you wouldn't normally do!

[Nodaclu]

I probably shouldn't do this....I spent awhile debating whether I should post after typing it all up.

(Skip, if this is also inappropriate, tell me and I'll take it down. I've lost sleep over Davo's accident the past two nights, and going through all of this is actually helping me process it.)

---

I've tried to reconstruct the timeline based on the little bit of information we have - all of it coming from the FJR Forum and the IBR reports.

Davo had the deer strike just after crossing the US/Canada border on US 95 on his way to Sandpoint, ID. He was heading to a bonus (Zip's Drive-In) that had a time window of 5am - 7am.

He was about a half hour ahead of a large group of close to 50 riders (including the leaders), who were determined to pick up the bonus at Sandpoint, then high tail it to Spokane just ahead of the penalty window.

It's 77 miles between the two points (Sandpoint, ID and Spokane, WA). Davo's deer strike delayed the group by approximately 30 minutes. Most of them arrived at Spokane just before the 7am start of the penalty window with only minutes to spare.

Now let's work backwards. Both cities are on PDT.

At 80 miles an hour, riders would have needed to leave Zip's around 6am. Adding time to process the bonus - 15 minutes. So assume a 5:45am arrival at Zip's.

But...most made it to Spokane on time in spite of being held at the site of Davo's deer strike for 30 minutes - which means most of them were actually on pace to arrive at Zip's at 5:15am.

Davo was 30 minutes ahead of the group. That would have put his arrival at Zip's at 4:45am.

Davo's deer strike is said to have occurred "not far from the border inspection station". It's approximately 60 miles from the border to Sandpoint.

Had Davo made it to Sandpoint on schedule at 4:45am, that would mean he was likely at the border somewhere around 3:45 am.

All of this makes it reasonable to make an educated guess that Davo's deer strike came somewhere in the vicinity of 4:00am.

While it's definitely true that deer strikes can (and did) happen at any time during the event, the finish schedule (and "winning" route) put all of these riders in prime deer country just a few hours before sunrise, with 11 days and 11,000 miles of fatigue piled on top of them.

But ultimately that isn't the reason for the tragic result here, so we'll let that go. I'm more focused on why a rider who was vehemently ATGATT had his helmet strapped to the back of his bike when the deer strike occurred.

I've had a number of times at the end of a long ride where I've forgotten to strap my helmet, and once I realized it, I thought, "I'll be okay. It's just a few miles until I stop again, then I'll take care of it." I can't even begin to imagine the level of fatigue these guys were feeling a few hours from the end of the race. Enough to forget to put on your helmet? Quite possibly.

It isn't difficult to imagine a scenario where an exhausted Davo completely forgets to put on his helmet after going through the border inspection. If the inspection process took more than a couple of minutes (as it might for an Aussie going from Canada to the US), I can also see where he might have strapped his helmet to the bike while talking to the guards and going through the inspection.

Is this the IBA's fault? No, not at all. Deer strikes are plausible across probably 2/3 of this country. And the riders involved know, understand, and accept the risks of an event like this. Though the staff they may grieve more than anyone else except Davo's family and friends, I don't think you can put any blame at all at their feet.

Could the timing of the finish be altered so completely exhausted riders weren't scrambling for the finish during the peak of deer movement hours? Possibly.

Does any of this bring Davo back? Of course not.

For some reason, this accident, more than any other (including my own double tire washout in the foothills a few weeks ago) has me questioning my future as a rider. Every time it's run, the IBR sees a number of the best riders in the world taken out (to varying degrees) by deer strikes.

What used to be a rare, joyful occurrence as a child (Oh look, a deer!!) has now become a massive problem. I've been back in Sacramento 3 months, live 1 mile from the American River, and I've seen 5 of them in residential neighborhoods near the water in that short period of time!!

Swerving hard to avoid a deer strike in a car at age 19 near Clear Lake, CA nearly killed me. (Lost control, slid and spun 180 degrees across Hwy 20, and ran 1/4 of the car off a 15 foot embankment. If that drop off is deeper and the car slides another 4 feet, I'm toast.) So Davo's accident is affecting me deeply.

I have no answers, and I'm not sure there are any real solutions. All I know for certain is that we've lost a rider, a fellow brother, and nothing will bring him back.

[guitardad]

I don't think it's inappropriate, Mike.  Many of us struggle trying to make sense out of a tragedy like this.  I know I do.

My condolences to Davo's family and friends.  RIP.

[Warchild]

Still playing catch-up from the mind-numbing past 2 weeks....


2009 Iron Butt Rally - Final Rider Scorecards

[rajflyboy]

I probably shouldn't do this....I spent awhile debating whether I should post after typing it all up.

(Skip, if this is also inappropriate, tell me and I'll take it down. I've lost sleep over Davo's accident the past two nights, and going through all of this is actually helping me process it.)

---

I've tried to reconstruct the timeline based on the little bit of information we have - all of it coming from the FJR Forum and the IBR reports.

Davo had the deer strike just after crossing the US/Canada border on US 95 on his way to Sandpoint, ID. He was heading to a bonus (Zip's Drive-In) that had a time window of 5am - 7am.

He was about a half hour ahead of a large group of close to 50 riders (including the leaders), who were determined to pick up the bonus at Sandpoint, then high tail it to Spokane just ahead of the penalty window.

It's 77 miles between the two points (Sandpoint, ID and Spokane, WA). Davo's deer strike delayed the group by approximately 30 minutes. Most of them arrived at Spokane just before the 7am start of the penalty window with only minutes to spare.

Now let's work backwards. Both cities are on PDT.

At 80 miles an hour, riders would have needed to leave Zip's around 6am. Adding time to process the bonus - 15 minutes. So assume a 5:45am arrival at Zip's.

But...most made it to Spokane on time in spite of being held at the site of Davo's deer strike for 30 minutes - which means most of them were actually on pace to arrive at Zip's at 5:15am.

Davo was 30 minutes ahead of the group. That would have put his arrival at Zip's at 4:45am.

Davo's deer strike is said to have occurred "not far from the border inspection station". It's approximately 60 miles from the border to Sandpoint.

Had Davo made it to Sandpoint on schedule at 4:45am, that would mean he was likely at the border somewhere around 3:45 am.

All of this makes it reasonable to make an educated guess that Davo's deer strike came somewhere in the vicinity of 4:00am.

While it's definitely true that deer strikes can (and did) happen at any time during the event, the finish schedule (and "winning" route) put all of these riders in prime deer country just a few hours before sunrise, with 11 days and 11,000 miles of fatigue piled on top of them.

But ultimately that isn't the reason for the tragic result here, so we'll let that go. I'm more focused on why a rider who was vehemently ATGATT had his helmet strapped to the back of his bike when the deer strike occurred.

I've had a number of times at the end of a long ride where I've forgotten to strap my helmet, and once I realized it, I thought, "I'll be okay. It's just a few miles until I stop again, then I'll take care of it." I can't even begin to imagine the level of fatigue these guys were feeling a few hours from the end of the race. Enough to forget to put on your helmet? Quite possibly.

It isn't difficult to imagine a scenario where an exhausted Davo completely forgets to put on his helmet after going through the border inspection. If the inspection process took more than a couple of minutes (as it might for an Aussie going from Canada to the US), I can also see where he might have strapped his helmet to the bike while talking to the guards and going through the inspection.

Is this the IBA's fault? No, not at all. Deer strikes are plausible across probably 2/3 of this country. And the riders involved know, understand, and accept the risks of an event like this. Though the staff they may grieve more than anyone else except Davo's family and friends, I don't think you can put any blame at all at their feet.

Could the timing of the finish be altered so completely exhausted riders weren't scrambling for the finish during the peak of deer movement hours? Possibly.

Does any of this bring Davo back? Of course not.

For some reason, this accident, more than any other (including my own double tire washout in the foothills a few weeks ago) has me questioning my future as a rider. Every time it's run, the IBR sees a number of the best riders in the world taken out (to varying degrees) by deer strikes.

What used to be a rare, joyful occurrence as a child (Oh look, a deer!!) has now become a massive problem. I've been back in Sacramento 3 months, live 1 mile from the American River, and I've seen 5 of them in residential neighborhoods near the water in that short period of time!!

Swerving hard to avoid a deer strike in a car at age 19 near Clear Lake, CA nearly killed me. (Lost control, slid and spun 180 degrees across Hwy 20, and ran 1/4 of the car off a 15 foot embankment. If that drop off is deeper and the car slides another 4 feet, I'm toast.) So Davo's accident is affecting me deeply.

I have no answers, and I'm not sure there are any real solutions. All I know for certain is that we've lost a rider, a fellow brother, and nothing will bring him back.

Great Post and Exactly me feelings as well.  

Thanks for your thoughts.  

[sagerat]

Ride In Perpetuity, Davo.

[Virginian]

  I'm at a lose for words and my heart goes out to his family and friends.

Eric

[mike goodwin]

Rest in peace Davo.

[DredheadV2.0]

I imagine whoever decided to end a rally after 11000 miles in the middle of the night in animal country probably doesn't feel real good right now    

Raj - seriously.  Why in hell do you think you have so many ignores?  It really has nothing to do with whatever political stuff you posted years ago, but rather an ongoing, innate ability to say exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time.



My condolences  (you know...  I'm getting really sick of writing those two words, lately    )  to Davo's friends and family.  As much as my heart goes out to you all, at least he did leave this Earth doing something he loved.  

Peace,
D*

[rajflyboy]

Raj - seriously.  Why in hell do you think you have so many ignores?  It really has nothing to do with whatever political stuff you posted years ago, but rather an ongoing, innate ability to say exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time.

My condolences  (you know...  I'm getting really sick of writing those two words, lately    )  to Davo's friends and family.  As much as my heart goes out to you all, at least he did leave this Earth doing something he loved.  

Peace,
D*

Are you a complete freakin idiot?  Do You like to see people die?   My post here is totally relevant and certainly a concern for anyone in the IBR.   These fools weren't the brightest tools in the shed when they decided to end this thing in Spokane in the middle of the night after 11000 miles and 11 days.   I stand by my word 100%.  

[birdrunner]

Although I disagree with his timing,  and though it REALLY REALLY HURTS ME TO SAY THIS,  I too wondered the same thing.

I'm not saying he's right,  but I've been on that highway.  Are things like this considered when the Rally is planned?

That said, deer strike happen almost anywhere.  My last close call was on a busy freeway, in the city.  I'd more closely examine the timing of the end of the rally.     Just wondering.


RIP Davo.

[rajflyboy]

Although I disagree with his timing,  and though it REALLY REALLY HURTS ME TO SAY THIS,  I too wondered the same thing.

I'm not saying he's right,  but I've been on that highway.  Are things like this considered when the Rally is planned?

That said, deer strike happen almost anywhere.  My last close call was on a busy freeway, in the city.  I'd more closely examine the timing of the end of the rally.     Just wondering.


RIP Davo.

I agree with you here.   I have lived at my current residence for 8 years.  The other day I saw a Fawn walk out on the main road  in perfectly good daylight.  I had never seen a deer on the main road before.  

[DredheadV2.0]

Although I disagree with his timing,

And that's all I'm saying.

The next IBA rally isn't next week, or even next year.  You can all keep your flippin' yaps shut about second guessing rally organization and just let Davo be dead a little while before you start using his death to get your points across.

Anyone outside of the Fred Phelps family should be able to see that this is in bad taste.  Let it be for a while, and revisit it when the time is right.

[rajflyboy]

And that's all I'm saying.

The next IBA rally isn't next week, or even next year.  You can all keep your flippin' yaps shut about second guessing rally organization and just let Davo be dead a little while before you start using his death to get your points across.

Anyone outside of the Fred Phelps family should be able to see that this is in bad taste.  Let it be for a while, and revisit it when the time is right.

Braindead

Give It a break !!  Would you please??

[DredheadV2.0]

Braindead

Give It a break !!  Would you please??

Take it to PM, flyspray.

[tjhess74]

dave stayed at my place for a couple days between his 50cc completion and his departure for the rally in spartanburg.  all i can say is that he had the most gripping personality and passion for two wheels.  i was in the middle of my trip when i heard the news and have been devastated ever since.

dred, youre correct that raj's tone/timing may be off.  i would also have to say that raj may have some light in his point.  i in no way place blame in the iba organization, as i too am a member, but that part of the country is a little more dangerous than others...especially after a ride of that magnitude.

im torn over the details of the wreck.  dave was the most atgatt person ive ever come across.  my only conclusion, in 2500 miles of thinking about it, is that fatigue and finish-line excitement played huge roles in this event.  the rally was the biggest thing in his life at that moment (past few years!) and i just dont see him jeapordizing that for some fresh air when he had a modular helmet.  

i rode in with dave for the last few miles of his 50cc, and witnessed him standing on the bike as he rode for fresh air and a stretch.  i see no reason why he would have abandoned that technique.

not only did he have a border crossing shortly before the accident, but few know that, while still in canada, he dropped his bike while stopped.  a passer by helped him right it and he proceeded to the border.  maybe those two events somehow played a role...who knows.

what i do know is that monday morning quarterbacking is truly useless, as the end result is the same.  dave was a fascinating person and he will be sorely missed.  not too many people have touched so many other's lives like he did around the globe.  

htmli posted a couple pics of his visit here...  
http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,44015.0.

its getting hard to see the screen, so ill quit typing.  rest in peace davo.