Cool brokenpedals,
I have a friend tallking 'bout coming with me as well. He's hustling to finish his 30mph build, but if he doesn't get together, might just run his 24mph bike.
Used my bike for transportation when motoredbike (MB) racing came on the scene. Then I thought 22mph seemed brisk, no way I was going 40mph on a bike. So I put together a 30mph 'ToyRacer' with good brakes and handling. Now 30+ seems tame, sorta. The experimenting and racing bug has bit!
Getting on the track, with others running slower or faster, some much faster, on an easygoing bike is fun. And the hesitation/intimidation of not having a balls out racer soon fades away.
This event also pushes R & D for the sport. What makes more sense than to take the most efficient trasportation on the planet, pedal bikes, and find ways to add effiecient power assist motors on 'em. No reason our sport shouldn't be vying with kart racing in 5 years. If everyone in the sport matures together and it doesn't fragment.
These events, are the backbone of our young and fragile MB sport, and benefit from having everyone there; the "Easy Rider" crowd such as you and my friend, along with our young aggressive passionate racers.
At the Tucson Death Race, lots of 20mph bikes made up half the MBs out on the track. A few bikes pulled power wheelies and 50+ mph on the straights, though none of those made it to the finish line. I'm sure there were growing pains over there in the early years. Last April the piston bike guys kept watch over my e-bike while I returned to the hotel room to build my 2nd lipo pack. I bought a T-shirt and other stuff from 'em. They didn't have a required fire extinguisher so our pits shared mine.
In spite of haughty posturing and ego talk, everyone blended in exceptionally well at Tucson. 6(7) days to go, I can't wait to see those guys and everyone else again!