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I just started the fall semester recently, and the chaotic schedule of school, work, and gym left me with little sleep and a strange sleep schedule. This is not to conducive to having to get up at 6am for racing and not being tired in the middle of the afternoon races. This led to morning practice being a little ... sluggish. I came into the weekend looking to hit 1:57s and the way morning was starting out, I wasn't sure if I would have it in me. It was bad enough that I was a little dusty eyed, but I was also running on tires which I had to pull out of my scrap tire pile in my garage. They were about a year old and had no tread left. My budget wouldn't allow me to change my rear tires until right before the first race. I was definitely in an undercurrent of ebb at this point.
I needed to miss my 4th and final practice session in order to have enough time to get new tires on the bike before my first race, clubman middleweight, which is also the first race of the weekend. While my girlfriend, Georgia, and I are hanging out at the Michelin tent waiting for my tire change, Warren Williams #719 comes zipping by on his pit bike yelling at me that the strong wind had taken down my pit set-up. I quickly turn to Georgia to go take care of it because I needed to grab the wheels when they are ready so I can get everything ready in time. When I get back to my pit area I can see that my canopy had been flipped over, ripped to top, and bent the frame. Fortunately, it did not hit the bike and knock it off of its stands; with no wheels on the bike it would have created a lot of damage. A little ebb (wind destruction of pit area) and an even smaller amount of flow (canopy didn't take down canopy in its wake of carnage).
Clubman Middleweight
I take the grid for the middleweight race and a feeling of nerves come over be which I haven't felt since my first race. My gut twinged, my arms and fingers shook, my legs quivered holding back the bike from launching early. Is this a good nervousness because I am going to get the podium finish I am looking for? Or is this the feeling one gets before something tragic happens. Suddenly the green flag drops and everything I am here to do comes rushing back.
My start was ok, I fell form 5th on the grid to 7th by turn 2. I fell victim to the usual off the line talent of Genki Hagata #934 who now sits in front of me. I try to set up a line to pass him in the 3-4 complex, but Jason Smith #437 had the same idea with me and came around the outside of me at the apex of turn 3 forcing me to subside my efforts. The next few laps I keep poking my front tire into turns trying to find where I can get by Jason, who is holding me up. Finally, on the third lap I made my way by Jason and had Genki in the distance. I try to put my head down and leave Jason in the distance, running some of my fastest laps ever. Once I come up on Genki and get a good run out of 15 into the straightaway, I look over and see Georgia signaling me that someone is on my ass! Apparently, in my efforts to run away from Jason after passing him, I managed to inspire him and drag him along with me.
Our three-way battle continues until the last lap as the three of us come up on #771 Sergio Fernandez. When the white flag comes out, I see someone signing to Sergio that we are coming up fast. I quickly begin to calculate how I am going to use Sergio holding up Genki to get around the both of them while blocking Jason from doing the same to me. Then running up the hill out of turn 4 into 5 I see what Genki is planning, and know he is not going to make the pass in 5 he is hoping to make. I back off for a moment to leave a cushion, and sit to the inside to hold up Jason from passing. Genki ends up getting the door shut on him and has to sit it up, leading him into the sand off the side of the hill at turn 5. Coming down the hill, I prayed that his bike was not coming down the hill on our side and directly at the two of us - that would be messy. I used this chance to try and once again pull from Jason. By the time I reach turn 10, I have Sergio just in front of me in 4th place in striking distance. I want to make a move on him going into 11, but my plan is foiled by a yellow flag brought out for #756 George Myshlyayevnbeknownst to me at the time) Jason all the way to the right. We come across the line three abreast and I find myself int he middle of the three of us, losing the battle to the podium by .076 seconds to Sergio, and beating Jason by .049!!! I took 4th out of 22, with a best time of 1:58.583 - cutting my best on a 600 in a race at thunderhill by 2 seconds! I really wish I had bothered to hook up my camera for this one.
Clubman Heavyweight
On the cool down lap from the middleweight race my motor suddenly stops revving above 8000 rpm and is making no power! I pull back into my pit and begin pulling apart my bike to try and create a quick fix to make it out to my next race. I get the bike back together in time for the race and begin to hope it all works out, I really need this race after already having a DNS from the infineon round which I wrecked out early in the first race. I go out for my warm up lap, and after two turns, I raise my hand in dismay... I can't run this race. I am ecstatic about running a 1:58, but I am in the dumps about missing the HW race, I don't know yet know how to feel about finishing 4th/losing 3rd.
Saturday night after the races had finished, I spent some time taking apart the bike and fixing the problem. Unfortunately, the only fix I could do at the track was a fix which would not be ideal. I was able to get the bike to operate and give some power in the top-end of the rpm range, but it killed the bottom and mid-range. But it was either run and get some points, or go home and get nothing.
750 Superbike
First race Sunday was the 750 superbike race. I gridded on the outside in position 11, row 3 - not too bad. I didn't yet know how well the motor run run at speed, nor how the start would go - a dangerous proposition. I had some excitement at the start with David Ben-Jamin #706 giving a little wheelie and stubble on my front left, causing boy-wonder Cameron Gish #231 to make a move left directly in front of me in order to avoid him. Good thing Cameron is fast and wasn't going to hold me up, in fact he may part the seas for me. I found myself about 20th all said and done, just behind #144 Aleksandr Anatiychuk (last year's champion in middleweight, 2nd in heavyweight, and 3rd in lightweight). I poke my nose in on Aleksandr our first time in 14, but with #395 Mark Bregar on the outside ahead and Ben-Jamin on inside ahead of us, I didn't have a safe place to make a move. I tuck in behind Aleksandr down the straight and for the next lap we were caught behind Bregar until in turn 14 when Aleksandr makes a move on the inside of 14 and takes off, leaving me behind Bregar who simply run away from me in the straight section. Coming across the line I misread Georgia's signal and believe I have no one behind me, so I run a line to set up to pass Bregar into turn 2. But suddenly Genki Hagata #934 comes up the indie of me in turn 1.
The rest of the race consists of me working my way past Bregar in the following two laps. Then I work on catching Anatiychuk, and doing a good job. I cut down on him in every turn until on the last lap in turn 10 I decide I am going to make a move on the inside of 14. I get a good drive out of 13 and pull up beside him on the inside just before the bridge. Aleksandr hits his brakes and I quickly find myself in a chess game at triple digits. I can either brake deep and get ahead of him prior to the apex at 14, but he is likely to get a run in 15 and pass me in the straight because he can get on the gas as early as I get my him. Or, I can sit beside him and pace him into the turn, forcing him to sit on the outside giving me the inside and allowing me to stay on the fast line, forcing him to have to get off the throttle a little between 14 and 15, reducing his drive. I chose the later. It turned out to be a bad choice. Aleksandr came across my front from the outside and not only blocked me, but also got a good drive; I lose at the line by .164 seconds. I end up finishing 15th of 28 overall, and 3rd of the novices with a best time of 1:58.894. Upset at my bad decision, happy that my 1:58 wasn't a fluke. Video below, race starts at about 6:45.
http://contour.com/stories/afm-r7-thunderhill-sep1011-750-superbike--2
Formula 1
Gridded 14th on row 4. My start was good, but many around me had done better. On the first lap, I followed #935 Keith Stie and see in front of Keith guys I am quicker than pulling away from the two of us. Keith's bike has some power on me (what else is new) so I know I need to do it in a turn, and soon. Going into turn 8 I go to the inside, hang off the bike and hop that Keith sees me to the inside. Turn 8 is one of those turns which take more balls than sense. It is very fast and deceiving, with a bump at the apex. If something goes wrong it can be deadly, so I had to turn off the part of my mind which understands consequences and go for it.
After getting by Keith, the rest of the race consisted of me being caught behind #971 Tom Wilburt, who was caught behind #395 Mark Bregar. Once Wilburt got around Bregar, it left me poking and prodding at Bregar trying to find safe passage. But I end up watching Bregar light up his rear tire anytime we leave a turn, leaving me in the dust in the long runs of Thunderhill. The last lap I settled for finishing 18th overall out of 34 and pulled 2nd for the novices - plus another race in the 1:58s.
Formula 1 video, race begin at about 8:30: http://contour.com/stories/afm-r7-thunderhill-sep1011-formula-1--2
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| Nap Time |
600 Superbike
600 Superbike was the last race of the day and I was never able to get more than a 5 minute nap all day. I decided going into the 600 Superbike race to try a change to the suspension, and the tire wear and my feel said that the suspension was holding me back from cutting another second off my times. So, we made some adjustments, and without having a chance to test them first I knew the first few laps would be slow until I got a feel for it.
Rolling up to the grid, I spaced out and rolled right passed my starting position on the 4th row (19th spot) and had to back myself up. Not a good omen going into a race. When the green flag drops, Ryder Morrison #755 gets a great start on my right but begins to head left in my direction. I immediately thought, "Oh no, not again" but luckily we didn't come together. I fall in behind the main pack and going into 3 I see #918 Alexander Azar sneak in on my outside. Knowing he is going to try and get me at the apex of 4, I begin to run a tight line early in 3 so I can get on the gas early an out run him to that point. Just as I begin to do this, the rider in front of me, Rob Brown #402, tucks his front and slides to the outside of the course, right in the way of Azar. This led to a red flag and stoppage of the race shortly thereafter. I heard after the race that they in fact did make contact, but no one was seriously injured. You can see the first part of the race in the video below, Griding begins at about the 5 minute mark:
http://contour.com/stories/afm-r7-thunderhill-sep1011-600sb-red-flag--2
600 Superbike (restart)
In the one lap I got in before the red flag, I noticed my suspension change may have been a bad move. Of course, I didn't get up to full speed on the opening lap so hopefully I was wrong.
I got about the same start as the first go around, but everyone else took advantage of the restart and took off! The remainder of the lap I fell way off pace trying to feel out the new suspension set-up. I didn't want to find out about a lnew oss of traction somewhere on the track from a wreck. End of the second lap I make a pass on Eric Sterner #839 on the brakes entering to 14 and begin to try and get on the move. On the following lap, Aleksandr Anatiychuk #144 decides to do the same to me and he and I are back to battling again.
The remainder of the race consisted of me fighting two things, Anatiychuk and my new settings. We made an adjustment in the right manner, but we simply we a little to far. I begin planning my attack on Anatiychuk and sampling certain areas of the track. I come to the conclusion that I am going to go with has worked for me today and go for it in 14. So the final turn of the weekend I go in hard into 14. But rather than being so far inside, I go in more mid track and make my apex a little wide. This gives me a little bit more speed in between 14 and 15, plus it leaves Anatiychuk nowhere to make a move on me as he did earlier (lesson learned). We yet again have a battle down the front straight, I put my chin on the tank and shift as perfect as I can. It was down to the wire and I had no idea who won until later on when packing up Dave Moss told me that at the finish they announced it to be me by .012 of a second. Overall, 16th of 32 and 2nd for the novices. Below is the video of the restarted race in full:
http://contour.com/stories/afm-r7-thunderhill-sep1011-600sb-restart (begins at about the 7 minute mark)
So, I end this round feeling both pissed off about the ebb, and cheerful about the flow. I am not sure if I want to consider it a good or bad weekend. It is the strangest thing not knowing how to feel. This mixed bag of feelings makes me feel like I am manic-depressive, never knowing quite what to think.
Next month we are back at Thunderhill for the final race of the season; I need to get my motor back to full operating set-up. My goals are to cut one second off of my time, get better starts, opening laps (aka sack up and go!), and improve on passing instead of getting held up behind others.
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