Monsterdood
Thu 5/24/07, 10:32PM
For those wth ADD tendancies, I dropped about 2 seconds off of my previous best lap time, got 2nd place in three different sponsored races, and had a couple of awesome battles which I came out on top of so it was by far my best weekend of racing yet.
For those who like the inside story, read on.
Practice was cool, I ran with no transponder because I forgot to charge it and left home without it and had to turn around to grab it. So it was charging through practice and I have no idea how I was doing, but the wind was low, the air was cool, and the pavement was warm so the track felt fast to me. After the ridiculous wind blowing the bike in turn 8 ad 9 last month, the bike felt super solid and I felt like I could go WFO through 8 for the first time. I also think my racing on Streets of Willow really helped get more comfortable with getting to full lean sooner and for a longer duration throuh the corners. It has helped me pick up some corner speed throughout the big track and I think that is always a key to faster laps.
So on the racing:
In BOTT MW, I got a decent start and slotted into 3rd behind a couple of Ducati 748's. They gapped me a little, but I was able to catch onto the tail of the 2nd place bike. I was faster in the corners and would get an earlier drive almost every corner, but I could only hold the gap steady... for a while..... bit by bit I was able to close up from 20 bikes to 10 and then finally was able to show a wheel here or there.
Eventually, I was able to throw a pass through turn 2 but the guy was crazy deep on the brakes into turn 3 to make it back up and pull slightly ahead on the outside by a 1/2 bike length or so.... AND THEN he puts a BS pass on me chopping across my front tire. He didn't have the pass made at all, but he came to the curb at the apex and left no room where I already was. With the impending collision, I grab a handful of front brakes in the middle of the corner and get really pissed that someone would turn their bike into me in friggin' club racing. I think about just backing off because crashing is not worth it to me, but I have the speed and am able to make a pass again pretty cleanly.... and then he does another BS pass on me but this time I was more ready and didn't have to brake, but I let up in preparation for a bonehead move again.
On the 7th lap, I was able to pass him again, but this time in turn 8 as we split a backmarker. I was able to gap him enough through turns 1 and 2 that I could keep the lead through turn 3 and I took her home in 2nd from there. Funny thing was I had no idea I would or even could podium so I wasn't running the right sticker and didn't get the $60 2nd place was entitled to. But I felt happy enough about making #52 get $20 fewer bucks that I did't mind so much. Did I mention I ran a 1:30.5? I ran it once I go in front of the Ducati and was trying to gap him so that was pretty darn cool.
In the 2nd race, F-Twins LW, I got the holeshot over Jump for the first time ever and was riding as hard as I could and kept the lead through turn 3 when I saw a red flag.... I didn't expect to hold the lead, but it was fun while it lasted. On the restart, I got the holeshot again, but charging into turn 2, I slid the front and then immediately the rear went too going over some cracks in the pavement. It was a crazy slide that made me check up just a tad through turn 2 and when Jump passed me, I figured it wasn't worth a crash trying to step up to his level just yet but I still tried to put in some good laps. The wind picked up a bit and my bet lap ended up being a 1:32.4 or so but that was enough to have an 8 second lead over Cody. He had a bad start and got hung up with a little battle so the last race was stacking up to be a good one.
In the last race I get a good start and was side by side with Jump going into turn 1 and I decided to fall in behind him as well as I could because I figured my rel battle would be with Cody. I checked behind me for the first couple of laps and knew he was right there and I couldn't break away. Before I finish this report, I submit exhibit A at the bottom of the post, my lap times from the race....
http://www.socalsvriders.org/albums/albuy58/lap_time.jpg
I figured I was just going to drag Codzilla along with me if I stepped up the pace even just a little more and then he could pass me since he would have seen where I was strong and weak. So I started sand bagging in a few corners in places that were hard to be passed. I held an extra tight and a little slow line through turn 4, would go wide through 5 each time, and was taking a fast in, slow through the middle, and fast out line through turn 2. I thought I was being obnoxiously slow in a few places, but we were still doing 31's and 32's. Cody got in front a few times and we had some awesome side by side racing for quite a few laps, but I was happy to see his lines when he was in front and felt good that he wasn't able to break away from me. It was better than showing him where I was fast and then getting passed by him.
With about 2 laps to go, I was able to get back in front and put my head down a little bit but still not showing everything. We ended up catching a backmarker on the 7th lap I think and I was able to get by pretty well and he got hung up a little. Then on the last lap I used the best lines I could and gave it everything I had. That 8th lap was all out for me. I slid the rear pretty well coming out of 4b and then charging into 9 with the assumption that he was right on my tail, I slid the rear out on the corner entrance with me knee down as I was rolling on the throttle. This was easily the fastest I have ever slid the rear tire and I had horrible visions of things going all wrong, but the tire hooked back up gently and I was off to the finish line with another 2nd place and with a 2 second gap over Cody. I ended up running a 1:30.7 on that last lap on tires with 5 races and a few practice sessions (maybe 60+ laps) already on them so I was pretty darn pleased with the race strategy and the ability to pick up the pace that little bit extra at the end when it counted.
Since I just spilled the beans on my race strategy, I'll have to figure something else out for next time, but I'm sure I'll come up with something :D
So thanks to Dunlop for some slicks that were still laying down good times with a lot of laps on them, thanks to Andy at West Coast GP Cycles yet again for this awesome baseline suspension settin I'm still loving, thanks to Golden Cantina and West Coat GP Cycles for sponsoring the classes and Glendale Harley Davidson for sponsoring the BOTT MW class even though I didn't run the sticker.
For those who like the inside story, read on.
Practice was cool, I ran with no transponder because I forgot to charge it and left home without it and had to turn around to grab it. So it was charging through practice and I have no idea how I was doing, but the wind was low, the air was cool, and the pavement was warm so the track felt fast to me. After the ridiculous wind blowing the bike in turn 8 ad 9 last month, the bike felt super solid and I felt like I could go WFO through 8 for the first time. I also think my racing on Streets of Willow really helped get more comfortable with getting to full lean sooner and for a longer duration throuh the corners. It has helped me pick up some corner speed throughout the big track and I think that is always a key to faster laps.
So on the racing:
In BOTT MW, I got a decent start and slotted into 3rd behind a couple of Ducati 748's. They gapped me a little, but I was able to catch onto the tail of the 2nd place bike. I was faster in the corners and would get an earlier drive almost every corner, but I could only hold the gap steady... for a while..... bit by bit I was able to close up from 20 bikes to 10 and then finally was able to show a wheel here or there.
Eventually, I was able to throw a pass through turn 2 but the guy was crazy deep on the brakes into turn 3 to make it back up and pull slightly ahead on the outside by a 1/2 bike length or so.... AND THEN he puts a BS pass on me chopping across my front tire. He didn't have the pass made at all, but he came to the curb at the apex and left no room where I already was. With the impending collision, I grab a handful of front brakes in the middle of the corner and get really pissed that someone would turn their bike into me in friggin' club racing. I think about just backing off because crashing is not worth it to me, but I have the speed and am able to make a pass again pretty cleanly.... and then he does another BS pass on me but this time I was more ready and didn't have to brake, but I let up in preparation for a bonehead move again.
On the 7th lap, I was able to pass him again, but this time in turn 8 as we split a backmarker. I was able to gap him enough through turns 1 and 2 that I could keep the lead through turn 3 and I took her home in 2nd from there. Funny thing was I had no idea I would or even could podium so I wasn't running the right sticker and didn't get the $60 2nd place was entitled to. But I felt happy enough about making #52 get $20 fewer bucks that I did't mind so much. Did I mention I ran a 1:30.5? I ran it once I go in front of the Ducati and was trying to gap him so that was pretty darn cool.
In the 2nd race, F-Twins LW, I got the holeshot over Jump for the first time ever and was riding as hard as I could and kept the lead through turn 3 when I saw a red flag.... I didn't expect to hold the lead, but it was fun while it lasted. On the restart, I got the holeshot again, but charging into turn 2, I slid the front and then immediately the rear went too going over some cracks in the pavement. It was a crazy slide that made me check up just a tad through turn 2 and when Jump passed me, I figured it wasn't worth a crash trying to step up to his level just yet but I still tried to put in some good laps. The wind picked up a bit and my bet lap ended up being a 1:32.4 or so but that was enough to have an 8 second lead over Cody. He had a bad start and got hung up with a little battle so the last race was stacking up to be a good one.
In the last race I get a good start and was side by side with Jump going into turn 1 and I decided to fall in behind him as well as I could because I figured my rel battle would be with Cody. I checked behind me for the first couple of laps and knew he was right there and I couldn't break away. Before I finish this report, I submit exhibit A at the bottom of the post, my lap times from the race....
http://www.socalsvriders.org/albums/albuy58/lap_time.jpg
I figured I was just going to drag Codzilla along with me if I stepped up the pace even just a little more and then he could pass me since he would have seen where I was strong and weak. So I started sand bagging in a few corners in places that were hard to be passed. I held an extra tight and a little slow line through turn 4, would go wide through 5 each time, and was taking a fast in, slow through the middle, and fast out line through turn 2. I thought I was being obnoxiously slow in a few places, but we were still doing 31's and 32's. Cody got in front a few times and we had some awesome side by side racing for quite a few laps, but I was happy to see his lines when he was in front and felt good that he wasn't able to break away from me. It was better than showing him where I was fast and then getting passed by him.
With about 2 laps to go, I was able to get back in front and put my head down a little bit but still not showing everything. We ended up catching a backmarker on the 7th lap I think and I was able to get by pretty well and he got hung up a little. Then on the last lap I used the best lines I could and gave it everything I had. That 8th lap was all out for me. I slid the rear pretty well coming out of 4b and then charging into 9 with the assumption that he was right on my tail, I slid the rear out on the corner entrance with me knee down as I was rolling on the throttle. This was easily the fastest I have ever slid the rear tire and I had horrible visions of things going all wrong, but the tire hooked back up gently and I was off to the finish line with another 2nd place and with a 2 second gap over Cody. I ended up running a 1:30.7 on that last lap on tires with 5 races and a few practice sessions (maybe 60+ laps) already on them so I was pretty darn pleased with the race strategy and the ability to pick up the pace that little bit extra at the end when it counted.
Since I just spilled the beans on my race strategy, I'll have to figure something else out for next time, but I'm sure I'll come up with something :D
So thanks to Dunlop for some slicks that were still laying down good times with a lot of laps on them, thanks to Andy at West Coast GP Cycles yet again for this awesome baseline suspension settin I'm still loving, thanks to Golden Cantina and West Coat GP Cycles for sponsoring the classes and Glendale Harley Davidson for sponsoring the BOTT MW class even though I didn't run the sticker.