Bob Higdon is a former IBR scribe and the most entertaining writer I have known. In the forward to Ron Ayres 1997 book, Against the Wind, Bob attempts to answer a difficult question: Why do we ride the Iron Butt Rally? The following is an excerpt from what Bob wrote to answer that question: “The answer could be, in this most sublimely solitary of sports, ironically a question of companionship….
In addition to the daily reports which focus on the riders and rally, we are publishing “appetizers” and “out-takes” and “soup to nuts” during the rally, as time allows. Hopefully, these additional items on the information buffet reveal some of the behind-the-scenes happenings that don’t make it into the daily reports. Whether stories of hilarity within the staff, background info, historical perspective, exceptional volunteer efforts, or perhaps unforeseen “opportunities”, we…
It’s that time in the rally. The days become longer, the finish farther away, the annoyances more pronounced, the suck more intense. Make no mistake, these are hard days for rallyists. And even harder nights. I think about this every time my phone rings at night and early morning hours. The voices all run together and have the same tone, the same ring to them. Fortunately most start with the…
Your scribe is posting a few words here in hopes of assisting folks who do not know much about what is really involved in riding 1000 miles a day for 11 days while routing on the fly and collecting bonuses in remote or high traffic locations. It is understandable that not many people on this planet would understand, because less than 650 people have ever completed the Iron Butt Rally. Our…
There have been comments online regarding the significant placement changes posted at the end of Leg 2. A significant factor in the placement changes was the Santa Monica Pier (CASM) bonus worth 16,431 points. Building a route around that bonus was apparently the key to moving up on Leg 2. Riders who found a way to collect that bonus, by riding a generally southwestern route, in a clockwise direction to…
During the lead up to the rally, riders have an opportunity to participate in a private IBR forum, located within the IBA Forum, and for registered riders and senior staff only. This is a place to discuss rally topics, ask questions of staff and veteran riders, speculate on the rally, share farkle ideas, discuss routing methods, and generally get to know those who will be sharing the upcoming 11 days…
Chris Comly is well known for successfully riding his FrankenSporster in the IBR, against all odds. He is back for 2023 and his prep for this rally was reportedly similar to his prior adventures. The bike was apart, scattered all over the garage, just before the start of the rally. Of course, Chris got it all back together and ready to ride on time. However, he sent the pictures you…
Herakles Boardman is the youngest rider in the rally. He has an aux fuel tank on his Yamaha 9 triple and somewhere along Leg 1, the too-thin aluminum plate it was mounted on cracked at all four mounting points. He applied JB Weld epoxy to hold it until the checkpoint. When he showed the condition of the mount to your scribe, Herakles said he was already lining up a welder…
Robert Long won a no-draw entry into the IBR by winning the Senior Butt Rally, paired with Lionel Ramos. Robert had a rough Leg 1. He was the rider we reported on earlier who went down on wet trolley tracks in Cincinnati. He told me the massive white Victory bounced back up after going down and spitting him off and it continued rolling down the street on its own. Note…
Dennis Bitner and John Ferber rode from Pittsburgh to the photo bonus at a mural in Coffeyville, KS. They were waiting on the riders to arrive and sign in by 15:00. However, riders who arrived later would not be allowed in the photo and would not collect the photo bonus. There were 68 flags in the photo bonus. It was not far from Checkpoint 1 in Tulsa, so it made…