SubDiver
Sat 6/2/07, 6:51PM
Cliff notes version:
Needed my rear shock rebuilt on Sat, no love from the suspension guys... bummer.
Sunday:
Race 1 LWT SS. Took a nap at the starting grid, caught up to the pack and worked my way up to finish #2 in LWT SS Novice.
Race 2 LWT SB Decide naps at the starting grid are bad, had a rocstar before race. Had a good start battled with #32 Patrick McCord, the whole race and finished 1st.
Race 3, had a good start, was moving up through the field and on the second lap got tangled up with a slower rider, recovered and continued the race and the battle with #32, took second by about a half a bike length.
Regular version
The weekend started out with the usual, get out of work late and pull an all nighter. This weekend I had a bonus two hour nap on Saturday morning, which was nice. So I get to the track about 11 or so and in good spirits. My rear shock needs some serious TLC, so I park and immediately cruise the pits to check around with the suspension gurus to get estimates for a rear shock rebuild. One of them only works on Ohlins (I have a Penske), and the other doesn't do work on the track at this event (even though they rebuilt my forks a couple of months ago at Willow). Bummer.
Deciding to not make Saturday a wasted day I get new tires on the bike and get everything set up for the following morning and then head out for sushi and beers with Randy, Freddie and April.
Race Day.
Morning Practice goes well, I still remember the track from the April track day and continue to fine tune my lines, and after getting some tips form #25 Dave Stone I continue to drop a couple of seconds off my times.
Race 1, Lightweight Superstock. On the grid, ready to go the 2 board, the 1 board the 1 goes sideways and green flag.... everyone takes off while I am messing around w/ my throttle and clutch.... so now that everyone has a huge head start, and I have had my cup of tea and read the morning paper I guess it's time to wake up and race. Things aren't as bad as it seems, everyone is carefully navigating their way through turns 3 and 4, giving me a chance to make up ground, so by the time I get to turn 5 I have made 2 passes and another before 9. things aren't so bad after all. Pretty soon I find my self behind a yellow bike, I am faster than this guy, but not fast enough to make an easy pass on him... so I find myself following his lines, and braking markers until I slap myself and start riding my own way and easily get around him in 14/15 and gap him by at least half of the front strait, since I don't see him as I cross start/finish. After two clean laps, I was able to track down #2 and get around him before the end of the race for a 2nd place finish.
Race #2 Lightweight Superbike Novice. This time there will be no napping or reading the paper at the start... so having had a 16 oz rockstar I am feeling pretty good, a little jittery but its all good. So the 2 board is up, 1, the 1 goes sideways... and YES! I get a good start, and by the time I am getting to T3 I am gaining on the experts from the 1st wave. This is all good, but I remind myself to save the celebrating for after the checkered flag, so it time to get back to work. So here I am trying to race... and I have this pesky little green bike that keeps on motoring past me on the back strait, oh hell no. So I stay right on him and go for a little nascar draft passin on the banking, tucked in right behind him I squeeze my arms and legs in tighter (as if its making much of a difference) and I feel the pull as we cross start/finish so as we approach turn 1 I move to the right slide by him, pop a downshift and pass my braking marker by about a second then brake and throw it over to the left.. and i am past him. I know that I need to put some distance between him and I to keep the lead.... so I put my head down and manage to keep him behind me for the rest of the race. The checkered dropped and I take 1st place.
Race 3 Formula 2 I get a good start, and go by a couple of people into T3, and by the beginning of the second lap I am gaining on #676. I don't have enough speed to pass him on the way in to 3, so I set up wide, and go for it coming out of 4, he goes out of 4 to the edge of the track, just like everyone else does and having some closing speed I set up to pass him on the right, giving him a few feet, as I am passing him he checks up/ runs wide, I straigten up to give him more room, but his manuver is too drastic to avoid, we make contact, our footpegs smash my foot and other than that we keep it up and keep on riding. I give him a wave to let him know that the contact was unintentional and continue. I give a quick look down at my bike and foot.... no blood and all of the bike parts seem to be in their place.... and what do you know #32 is right behind to take advantage of the situation. Ok time to get back in the game. He does his patented motor by me on the back stait (Ok... my motor needs to go to Zoran so that it can be more than a streetbike w/#plates) and I grumble somthing in my helmet as I twist the throttle harder(it doesn't do anything when you are already pinned btw) so I brake later, and catch him in the section before the banking... and yes it is nascar time again, so I get by him lead a lap, and he does it again! Ok, calm down, I reel him in in 14/15, almost rear ended him going into 16, should have passed him there.. .damn, so I am still right behind him gaining again, but after the collision earlier I am a little gun shy so this will have to be settled on the straightaway, I go to the inside, and he stays low, there is just enough room for me between him and the grass, I get my front wheel even with his back wheel, his foot peg. And there is that checkered flag waving.... wait the starter is in the track.... right in our path and is not moving! I have nowhere to go and patrick is not backing off or veering to the right to leave room for the starter. Is he texting on his cell phone or is he checking out some chick in a bikini? Ok so we get the deer in the headlights look.... that is good at least the poor guy sees us coming... the synapses start firing and the message travels from the brain to his legs... awesome he is out of our way just in time as we come barreling through at about 130mph... and unfortunately I am still a wheel length behind. So 2nd place it is, Good race Patrick see you again at Vegas.
So other than a broken toe, things went pretty well this weekend. The contact in the third race was unfortunate and alot of people have told me that those types of things just happen in racing. I don't subscribe to that point of view but maybe that is a discussion for a different time and place. I have spoke with the rider, and he has his opinion and I have my own.
Needed my rear shock rebuilt on Sat, no love from the suspension guys... bummer.
Sunday:
Race 1 LWT SS. Took a nap at the starting grid, caught up to the pack and worked my way up to finish #2 in LWT SS Novice.
Race 2 LWT SB Decide naps at the starting grid are bad, had a rocstar before race. Had a good start battled with #32 Patrick McCord, the whole race and finished 1st.
Race 3, had a good start, was moving up through the field and on the second lap got tangled up with a slower rider, recovered and continued the race and the battle with #32, took second by about a half a bike length.
Regular version
The weekend started out with the usual, get out of work late and pull an all nighter. This weekend I had a bonus two hour nap on Saturday morning, which was nice. So I get to the track about 11 or so and in good spirits. My rear shock needs some serious TLC, so I park and immediately cruise the pits to check around with the suspension gurus to get estimates for a rear shock rebuild. One of them only works on Ohlins (I have a Penske), and the other doesn't do work on the track at this event (even though they rebuilt my forks a couple of months ago at Willow). Bummer.
Deciding to not make Saturday a wasted day I get new tires on the bike and get everything set up for the following morning and then head out for sushi and beers with Randy, Freddie and April.
Race Day.
Morning Practice goes well, I still remember the track from the April track day and continue to fine tune my lines, and after getting some tips form #25 Dave Stone I continue to drop a couple of seconds off my times.
Race 1, Lightweight Superstock. On the grid, ready to go the 2 board, the 1 board the 1 goes sideways and green flag.... everyone takes off while I am messing around w/ my throttle and clutch.... so now that everyone has a huge head start, and I have had my cup of tea and read the morning paper I guess it's time to wake up and race. Things aren't as bad as it seems, everyone is carefully navigating their way through turns 3 and 4, giving me a chance to make up ground, so by the time I get to turn 5 I have made 2 passes and another before 9. things aren't so bad after all. Pretty soon I find my self behind a yellow bike, I am faster than this guy, but not fast enough to make an easy pass on him... so I find myself following his lines, and braking markers until I slap myself and start riding my own way and easily get around him in 14/15 and gap him by at least half of the front strait, since I don't see him as I cross start/finish. After two clean laps, I was able to track down #2 and get around him before the end of the race for a 2nd place finish.
Race #2 Lightweight Superbike Novice. This time there will be no napping or reading the paper at the start... so having had a 16 oz rockstar I am feeling pretty good, a little jittery but its all good. So the 2 board is up, 1, the 1 goes sideways... and YES! I get a good start, and by the time I am getting to T3 I am gaining on the experts from the 1st wave. This is all good, but I remind myself to save the celebrating for after the checkered flag, so it time to get back to work. So here I am trying to race... and I have this pesky little green bike that keeps on motoring past me on the back strait, oh hell no. So I stay right on him and go for a little nascar draft passin on the banking, tucked in right behind him I squeeze my arms and legs in tighter (as if its making much of a difference) and I feel the pull as we cross start/finish so as we approach turn 1 I move to the right slide by him, pop a downshift and pass my braking marker by about a second then brake and throw it over to the left.. and i am past him. I know that I need to put some distance between him and I to keep the lead.... so I put my head down and manage to keep him behind me for the rest of the race. The checkered dropped and I take 1st place.
Race 3 Formula 2 I get a good start, and go by a couple of people into T3, and by the beginning of the second lap I am gaining on #676. I don't have enough speed to pass him on the way in to 3, so I set up wide, and go for it coming out of 4, he goes out of 4 to the edge of the track, just like everyone else does and having some closing speed I set up to pass him on the right, giving him a few feet, as I am passing him he checks up/ runs wide, I straigten up to give him more room, but his manuver is too drastic to avoid, we make contact, our footpegs smash my foot and other than that we keep it up and keep on riding. I give him a wave to let him know that the contact was unintentional and continue. I give a quick look down at my bike and foot.... no blood and all of the bike parts seem to be in their place.... and what do you know #32 is right behind to take advantage of the situation. Ok time to get back in the game. He does his patented motor by me on the back stait (Ok... my motor needs to go to Zoran so that it can be more than a streetbike w/#plates) and I grumble somthing in my helmet as I twist the throttle harder(it doesn't do anything when you are already pinned btw) so I brake later, and catch him in the section before the banking... and yes it is nascar time again, so I get by him lead a lap, and he does it again! Ok, calm down, I reel him in in 14/15, almost rear ended him going into 16, should have passed him there.. .damn, so I am still right behind him gaining again, but after the collision earlier I am a little gun shy so this will have to be settled on the straightaway, I go to the inside, and he stays low, there is just enough room for me between him and the grass, I get my front wheel even with his back wheel, his foot peg. And there is that checkered flag waving.... wait the starter is in the track.... right in our path and is not moving! I have nowhere to go and patrick is not backing off or veering to the right to leave room for the starter. Is he texting on his cell phone or is he checking out some chick in a bikini? Ok so we get the deer in the headlights look.... that is good at least the poor guy sees us coming... the synapses start firing and the message travels from the brain to his legs... awesome he is out of our way just in time as we come barreling through at about 130mph... and unfortunately I am still a wheel length behind. So 2nd place it is, Good race Patrick see you again at Vegas.
So other than a broken toe, things went pretty well this weekend. The contact in the third race was unfortunate and alot of people have told me that those types of things just happen in racing. I don't subscribe to that point of view but maybe that is a discussion for a different time and place. I have spoke with the rider, and he has his opinion and I have my own.