This overview shot from the 1985 24 Hours of Nelson Ledges endurance road race shows the somewhat crude or dilapidated state of the pits, near pit exit. You definitely didn’t want to drop a smaller screw or bolt while working on your bike over the crumbling pavement.
This overview shot from the 1985 24 Hours of Nelson Ledges endurance road race shows the somewhat crude or dilapidated state of the pits, near pit exit. (Larry Lawrence photo)
Rider Files 
We did the 24 hour either that year or the one before…track was a mess. Rain during the night brought out frogs and snakes on the track, to add to the traction issues. Still, it was fun!
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Certain this is an FZ750. Someone with The Speed Boys team (John Yurejefcic, Larry Burkholder, Mark Heiser,) will be along soon to confirm if this is/is not them. There were a few of them there in 1985. They won the Nelson 24hr overall this year, with the late Jimmy Tribou, & perhaps also Tom Parr, joining them here.
I think we (Team Wanker) might have won the M/S class here, on our 600 Ninja, but really can’t recall.
Looks very familiar, that’s for sure!
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The 24 hour races were the most work and most fun parts of my racing career. I wish they were still going on!
Nelson’s never really got any better, though the facilities did improve a bit.
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I remember grass growing out of the front straight pavement and the snakes and turtles lying on the pavement soaking up the heat in the early evening.
Bob Frank was part of Speed Boys too….
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And five years later it was another five years worse… ‘Cept by the mid-’90s it had the world’s largest sewage pit under a whole room full of one-holers. The wind would come in through the side vents and blow up out of them. NL made men of racers.
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You never wanted to be the fastest guy at that race! I remember holding my breath for what must have been a personal record while enjoying the wonderful restroom facilities. After a record speed #2 , as soon as I busted out of the door, I gasped for air and took the biggest fly on earth down my windpipe. I still have our 3rd place trophy that was broken when I fell to my knees to puke the fly out of my body.
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I did four. amazing stories all. Waking up at three am in cold wet leathers jumping on a gs450 and realizing after a lap i could have gone the wrong way on the track and not known it 1985. locked up in the rain at night after a double down shift on Harder’s 1100 in the kink, screaming at my self OPEN THE THROTTLE! Larry Swartzback was the star of the team. he rode that almost unrideable 1100 till he had to be lifted off of it.1988.
thanks Larry.
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Sadly, it doesn’t look all that different now than it did back then. Great layout though. It’s a shame more can’t be done with the track, run-off and facilities.
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