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Monday, July 22, 2013

Creeper Races at Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix 2013! What???

Creeper races are apparently not a new thing, in that they have occurred in years past.  But last weekend's Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix is the first time we have heard of them here at Baurspotting.

So what is a creeper race?  You know what a creeper is, correct?
This is a creeper from Northern Tool.  Similar items are available from any auto parts supplier, Harbor Freight, Walmart, etc., starting at about 20 bucks.

OK, so far so good.

Now what is a creeper race, you might ask?   Well......

Yep.  You guessed it.  Here you can see two guys astride creepers racing down a hill.   This is the basic idea.  
Could be a photo finish!

However, since we are trying to have a civilization here, we need to bring in some order:
.... in the form of Bret, the flagman!

I believe this is the start of the race above.

Here we see Bret in action, dropping his flag, signalling the start of the creeper race between Brandon H. (L) and Hunter (R).  And they are off!


And for those competitors seeking a little more of a challenge.... there is the slalom variation:



Things don't always go as planned, as anyone who has ridden a free-wheeling creeper down a hill can attest.  Here, Hunter is demonstrating some of the things you may need to watch out for.  Caution:  Hunter is a Professional, and was able to make these hazards look very realistic.  Please feel free to take some notes , but....DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!  Thank you for the demos, Hunter!
You could hit a pylon.....
.... You could lose your balance....

Uh oh!   You could lose your seat on the creeper!  I hate when that happens!

There was even a lift service provided to bring competitors back to the top of the slalom, thanks to Ted Kalman!


I can see this catching on.  We have not heard any reports of serious injuries to the competitors--- yet----, but we have heard that there was some damage to the creepers. So I can see modified and strengthened creepers showing up in the future, and we have heard rumors of folks planning to install roller blade wheels and other go-fast features to provide a competitive advantage!   I look forward to seeing some more.... and I am sure I will!

And it is only a matter of time before someone shows up with one of these:
Here is a video of it:



And by the way..... If you wanted to take a break from the Creeper Races feature, I understand that there was also a pretty good car show nearby:  The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix!

;)



Stay tuned, we hope to have some pics of any Baurs that were there!

The pics above were by Greg C. from the Allegheny Chapter page on Facebook.  Thank you, Greg, great job!  Thanks for posting!








3 comments:

  1. Those were my photos. I'm gonna sue you for copyright! No, not really. https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/p480x480/1011496_557090501004481_1268119601_n.jpg

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  2. Shoot, tried to publish a photo of Ted with our chapter motto. Lets try this: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=557090501004481&set=a.557089144337950.1073741828.100001106096096&type=1&theater

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  3. Greg,
    Those were great photos, and I thought it would be fun to put them together with a little narrative. :) I did credit the photos to the Allegheny Chapter Facebook page in the post, but I wasn't sure who exactly took the pics.

    You really captured some great moments and the spirit of the participants in those pics! Kudos! I have corrected the post to give you credit for the pics above.

    I was tempted to include the 'Drinking Club/Car Problem" pic of Ted, along with his "Take Me to your Liter", and the "Ride of your Life" pic also..... but I had to draw the line somewhere! Very funny pics! Looks like a great, fun weekend!

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