2021 Iron Butt Rally

Start day minus 3 report is up. Start is in Provo Utah
 
Day -2. Another good read with a real insight into the extensive check in process.
It looks like no international riders could get to the start. That's a shame.
 
The results are in and all the reports and rally books are published.
There were bonus books for each of the three legs and another book with rally wide bonuses including accumalative combination bonuses.
Looks like the old favourites were beaten by this.
Well done Mike Brooke beating past winners in the process.

And he was on a Suzuki Hayabusa.

Looks like we are moving towards speed being more important.
 
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A great result for Mike Brooke and many other Iron Butt Rally rookies. A real changing of the guard moment perhaps?
The winner, like Jim Owens, is a pilot and so is used to running to complex plans and being calm under pressure. He has
a 11.5 gallon US tank capacity on that Hayabusa and I doubt his average speed was more than past winners. Spot tracker tells the truth! Doubt he was cruising at 150 for 11 days!
I see another BMW died with final drive shaft failure to keep that record intact.
The impression I got from reading the daily reports was that it was necessary to ride for longer every day and hoover up the
bonuses to get a good finish.
 
FazerPhil said:
Looks like we are moving towards speed being more important.
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Because 1% of the entrants rode a Hayabusa? Seems premature to draw that kind of conclusion.

1% of the entrants rode a Kawasaki Versys 300. Should we conclude that we're moving toward small displacement being more important?

1% of the entrants rode a KTM 2-stroke. Should we conclude that we're moving towards 2-stroke dirt bikes being more important?

1% of the entrants rode a Victory Cross Country Tour. Should we conclude that we're moving toward nonexistent motorcycle manufacturers being more important?

From where I'm sitting, you're being very dismissive of someone who just accomplished something really impressive. The rally personnel did their job, and the man won fair and square. Why be dismissive?
 
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Coming first in the IBR is not something I would dismiss. It's a magnificent achievement.

However

The 1% that rode a Versys 300 did not come first.
The 1% that rode a KTM 2 stroke did not come first
The 1% that rode a Victory Cross Country Tour did not come first

Whether or not they achieved their own personal goals is another matter.
 
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Seems premature to draw that kind of conclusion.
Phil had an opinion, is he not allowed state that opinion?

1% of the entrants rode a Kawasaki Versys 300. Should we conclude that we're moving toward small-displacement being more important?
The Versys did not win.

1% of the entrants rode a KTM 2-stroke. Should we conclude that we're moving towards 2-stroke dirt bikes being more important?
The KTM did not win.

1% of the entrants rode a Victory Cross Country Tour. Should we conclude that we're moving toward nonexistent motorcycle manufacturers being more important? The Victory did not win.

From where I'm sitting, you're being very dismissive of someone who just accomplished something really impressive.
From where I am sitting you are being very dismissive of someone who has an opinion that you disagree with, you also ignore the fact that in his comments Phil wrote this.

Well done Mike Brooke beating past winners in the process.

Phil has ridden the IBR four times, consequently, he knows what it takes to win it. The Hayabusa is a bike with a reputation for being very fast, it also is a very unusual bike for anyone to ride, hence his comment. I think that you are looking for offence where none was intended.
 
They watch speed on the Spot Trackers now. Unofficial word is 20 over is acceptable margin. Unless a LEO happens to be there! No one is doing full on hair on fire like the old days. Mike Brooke has publicly said he didn't use the full capabilities of the 'busa in that manner. He took a bike he loved and knew well and did an amazing job of turning it into a full blown, purpose driven rally bike. And rode it to a win. Damn impressive for his first IBR. I don't look at the 'busa and see rally bike, but that's MY opinion. I'd bet cash money that Mike could win again on a stock FJR with a fuel cell and aux lights.
 
I talked with him Friday before the banquet, since I used to ride sport bikes too for many years. I did a lot of multi day 600 mile twisty road rides. He said a lot of his route took advantage of the interstates because of higher speeds and once you get above 70 you catch enough wind in your chest to take the weight off your wrists and can relax your core muscles.

Fewer secondary highways also leads to higher average moving speed and more miles. That bike was a showcase in how to prep a bike. All the work beautifully done.
 
I talked with him Friday before the banquet, since I used to ride sport bikes too for many years. I did a lot of multi day 600 mile twisty road rides. He said a lot of his route took advantage of the interstates because of higher speeds and once you get above 70 you catch enough wind in your chest to take the weight off your wrists and can relax your core muscles.

Fewer secondary highways also leads to higher average moving speed and more miles. That bike was a showcase in how to prep a bike. All the work beautifully done.
Click to expand...
How did you enjoy the weeks tour and the Banquet Brian ?
 
Auburn said:
I talked with him Friday before the banquet, since I used to ride sport bikes too for many years. I did a lot of multi day 600 mile twisty road rides. He said a lot of his route took advantage of the interstates because of higher speeds and once you get above 70 you catch enough wind in your chest to take the weight off your wrists and can relax your core muscles.

Fewer secondary highways also leads to higher average moving speed and more miles. That bike was a showcase in how to prep a bike. All the work beautifully done.
Click to expand...

People are already crunching the numbers on rally stats over on FB, but now I'm curious about point value vs "distance from interstate" (or "high-speed artery" or whatever).. :thinking:

There's a theoretical upper limit to the number of miles one can ride in the IBR - 11 days (~264 hours) less checkpoints, any claimed rests, some amount of time at each bonus.. moving at BBG pace for 11 days is clearly _doable_, but is it "good" for the game?

Will 2023 see bonuses located further from high-speed routes? In denser, urban areas? Higher point values for CA/MX locations? Bigger/more frequent rest bonuses? More intricate combos that require sequencing or problem-solving beyond getting from A to B quickly? A stratification of classes, including one for those with full support teams, sponsorships, etc?
 
Quill4 said:
From where I am sitting you are being very dismissive of someone who has an opinion that you disagree with
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I quoted his statement and asked 3 different questions using the same style of wording. That's called a "reframe", not "being dismissive".

I stated that the officials did their job and that the man won fair and square. That's called "giving praise", not "being dismissive".

I asked if his statement was because the winning rider (1% of the entrants) rode a Hayabusa. That's "seeking clarification", not "being dismissive".

Perhaps we're operating on different definitions of "being dismissive", possibly an artifact of us being "two people separated by a common language".
 
Yes, I really do. I'm learning about the history of the rally, and I'm curious why you posited what you did.
 
kerrizor said:
People are already crunching the numbers on rally stats over on FB, but now I'm curious about point value vs "distance from interstate" (or "high-speed artery" or whatever).. :thinking:

There's a theoretical upper limit to the number of miles one can ride in the IBR - 11 days (~264 hours) less checkpoints, any claimed rests, some amount of time at each bonus.. moving at BBG pace for 11 days is clearly _doable_, but is it "good" for the game?

Will 2023 see bonuses located further from high-speed routes? In denser, urban areas? Higher point values for CA/MX locations? Bigger/more frequent rest bonuses? More intricate combos that require sequencing or problem-solving beyond getting from A to B quickly? A stratification of classes, including one for those with full support teams, sponsorships, etc?
Click to expand...

Here are Mike's comments directly on facebook. He did a few 30 minute naps, looks like he didn't do the full 8 hour rest bonus and kept the bike moving more than anyone else.
 
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JON12A said:
How did you enjoy the weeks tour and the Banquet Brian ?
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Jon, thank you for the tickets. The short answer, the whole experience was beyond amazing. The passion people have for the event is unreal. It is so well run. The people from all walks of life. The challenges that the Rallymaster Jeff Earls gave was something for everyone at all levels and goals for the rally.

The longer answer, we talked with a lot of the riders. They all were very disappointed that only one Canadian rider was able to make the event. The rally veterans said is was really different not having the overseas riders here this year. They bring a lot of "color" to the event.

For us personally it was great to connect with some old friends and meet a lot of new friends too. Marissa was very surprised how many women participate in the IBR, (present and former). We rode 6 days total out of 7 averaging 900 miles per day. We saw some amazing country and visited places we never knew about.

You helped us spark that interest again by buying my FJR for the rally and then tickets to the banquet. It is now a small fire that is about to erupt fully as we met Gary Huff who runs the North by Northwest Rally in September. The bike worked great, saw many things that others did to consider to improve the bike even more.

I really hope they IBR does the normal 100ish rally entrants in 2023 and adds all of the those who had to withdraw from overseas due to COVID and run a slightly larger rally.

Thank you again Jon. Looking forward to meeting in person later this year.
 
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