Faced with three rounds of racing left to go and no bike that would qualify to run in the SV classes, Jon generously let me borrow his recently purchased SV track bike for the remaining three rounds of the season. I picked her up earlier this week, looked her over, did a few minor changes, then took her to the track for the CMRA weekend at MSR. Jon rode her on Friday in the street group, so I saddled up on my R6 for race practice. This was only my second time ever on my R6, so her and I are still getting acquainted with one another. Since my brain is very much dialed in on the twin engine of the SV, my shifting and braking was still all over the place. Just as I was starting to have a bit of fun, I went into Buzzard's Neck, when I saw 2-3 bikes crashed out on the exit of the turn. Recognizing this as a major incident, I immediately rolled off and braked lightly, entering the turn at absolute minimum speed. What I did not know was the fact that some knucklehead did not have his oil drain plug wired (track day rules, so it was not required), and it vibrated out, pouring oil all over the place from the apex through the drive-out point, right on the race line. One second I was cruising at nothing-speed in observance of the crashed bikes ahead of me, the next second my front end tucks and I'm sliding into the grass. Once I came to a halt I had to dodge a couple more incoming bikes that all crashed in the same oil spill. Fortunately nobody was injured, but this was very upsetting, to say the least. The damages on the bike were marginal (I had just fixed and painted the fairings, which are now trashed again), but I still wanted to plant a small rattlesnake inside of the leathers of the knucklehead who did not properly secure his drain bolt. I continued to ride after the crash, and eventually rode one session on Jon's SV in the street group on street tires (Q2s).
The bike initially felt better than I had expected: The engine was strong, the handling was decent, but the front end was pretty scary. With valve emulators and springs that were way too soft, the bike dove massively under heavy braking, which reminded me of the days when I was running my SV with a stock suspension on the track. Nonetheless, I figured that I could at least survive on that orange
Saturday featured some 250 sprint races, followed by a 6-hour big bike endurance race. I was supposed to ride the endurance race with team Fox2, but my body was in pretty poor condition that day, so my buddy Gary was able to ride in my place. It was a scorcher of a day, and one of our riders actually came in after just a few laps with signs of heat exhaustion. Nonetheless, the team was able to run some hot laps, and everybody seemed to be having fun, despite the ridiculous conditions.
My body was still feeling pretty poorly on Sunday, and my ribs in particular were giving me a lot of grief. Apparently my lowside in the oil spill on Friday had me impact on the exact same spot on my ribs that was already very sore from my monstrous crash the previous weekend. It was very much reminiscent of some of my martial arts injuries that I used to get from practicing muay thai. The open practice session for lightweight bikes is always at 8am, and it reminded me why I normally skip the first session at track days. MSR is known to be particularly green in the morning, and this was no exception to that rule: it was very slick, and my rear was sliding all over the place (no pun), despite the tame warm-up pace. The bike also did not feel very confidence inspiring at all, with the suspension feeling like it wanted to run wide on certain turns. In fact, I nearly ran off in Little Bent, because everything just felt completely off. In the second practice session things improved a bit, but some of my competitors were still flying by me with seemingly little effort, which was pretty demoralizing.
Finally it was time for the first race. Formula 2 is always filled with lots of battles, because of the variety of bikes that qualify to run in that class. I did get a decent start off the line, and found myself in third place going into T1 (Big Bent). Ahead of me were championship contenders Britten Geary (#156) from Fayetteville, AR, and Nick McDonald (#614) from Arlington. I knew that Britten Geary was going to be too fast for me to catch, but I've lately been able to hang with and battle with Nick McDonald. I stuck to his tail for several laps, then passed him in either Big Bent or Little Bent (I can't really remember). Nick is a very skilled and strategic rider, and he likes to attack toward the end of the race, so I was trying to prepare myself for his passing attempts. On the final lap, he stuffed me in Buzzard's neck, but then I was briefly able to stuff him back in Boot Hill, before he got back in front of me coming out of the triple apex. We headed into the finish line for a near-photo finish, with him beating me by 4/100th of a second for a second place, with me finishing third.
Nick McDonald (#614) in front of me (#660) and Nick Doolan (#475) during the Formula 2 race.
I had just passed both Nick McDonald (#614) and Karl Hansen (#611) of Waxahachie on his F3 at this point.
It didn't take long for Nick McDonald (#614) to get back on my tail. He usually waits to attack on the final lap, and he usually succeeds.
Another inline bites the dust: I had just passed Gilbert Lee Epperson (#426) on an F3. You can still see Karl Hansen (#611) in the background.
The next race was Superbike D. That class is very competitive, but somehow I've been able to do quite well there. Both of my previous podium finishes were in that class, so I was hopeful about another good performance. I got off to a decent start, was in second place going through Big Bent, right behind Britten Geary (#156). Britten takes a very aggressive line going into Rattlesnake: he goes in there way hot, then runs wide and cuts back hard every time. My usual game plan there is to outbreak people on the inside, but I wasn't able to challenge him at his corner entry speed. Right before I entered Rattlesnake, Nick Doolan (#475) on his tiny RS125 came from the outside and damn-near chopped my nose off, stuffing me hard enough to force me to check up. Nick is fantastic in the corners, and experience has taught me that I need to get by him early, or it becomes like dealing with that lone mosquito inside a tent in the middle of the night. Knowing that his bike was unlikely to drift all the way to the edge of the track on corner exit, I set him up in Ricochet, and passed him on the outside on corner exit. Next up was Sean Brown, who had previously managed to hold me off when we raced at MSR back in July. Like last time, he was running a tight inside line through Wagon Wheel, but unlike last time, I did not let him get away with it this time. I set him up for a running start at Wagon Wheel, which translated into enough of a drive that I was able to outbreak him by the time we made our way into Little Bent. I passed Ben Jones in the triple apex somewhere, to finish second place behind Britten Geary.
Nick Doolan (#475) hard on my tail early on in the Superbike D race. He is going to be a force to recognize when he moves up to the 600 classes next season.
Puttin' in work.
Sean Brown (#184) did not pose a problem on his GSXR600 this time.
By that time, I was exhausted as hell. An 8-lap sprint race feels like you're actually running the entire distance. The level of intensity and focus required is ridiculous, and I wasn't even sure whether I had another race in me. My final race of the day was in Lightweight Twins. Again I made off with a good start, and found myself immediately in second place going through the first turn, right behind --who else-- Britten Geary. I noticed by Britten's body language that he seemed to be just as tired as I was, and so I decided that I would try and test him if I got the chance. Britten is a very fast guy, who is definitely going to be promoted to expert status next season, and I had never before found myself in a situation where I was close enough to even attempt to pass him. I lined him up for an outbraking maneuver in Little Bent, but when he saw my front wheel appearing on the inside next to him, he made it very obvious that he wasn't having any of it. He immediately and aggressively shut that door, forcing me to yield to avoid making direct contact. I thought that I might be able to give it another go, but I was exhausted, and he slowly built a gap on me with every little mistake that I made. Second place again.
I was racing with my energy level on empty in the Lightweight Twins race.
I was so exhausted and sore when I came in from that race, that I was barely able to get off the bike. The entire right side of my body felt like I had been hit by a truck, and there was absolutely no way that I would have been able to run a fourth race (which I had initially planned on doing). After destroying my primary race bike and crashing my secondary one within five days of each other, there weren't many things that could have easily lifted my spirits, but having three podium finishes at one race event absolutely did the trick. The feeling of passing that checkered flag with a competitive placement is indescribable. I never thought that I would be able to deliver that kind of performance on a strange bike that I had a single session on a track day on, plus about a dozen laps in free practice on the morning of the races. I really have to thank Jon for lending me his track SV to complete the racing season on--especially after he saw what I had just done to my own SV. The "nuclear fusion" performed like a champ, and allowed me to come out of this weekend with a big smile on my face. I ran mostly :25s in my races (with a fastest of 1:25.0), and that with a front end that was dialed in for somebody like Ann. This is within 2-3 seconds of what the fastest experts can do on an SV with a stock engine, so I'm ecstatic about the prospect of dropping a few more seconds when I learn to properly ride that R6.
Also, a HUGE congratulations to Rich for completing his provisional novice requirements! You've earned your full race license, brother! Road racing is a tough, expensive, and exhausting sport, and many riders never make it that far. Earning your full license is a milestone, and I hope that it is the beginning of a fantastic racing career for you! And thanks again for your continuous support, both morally and helping me sort out those mechanical gizmos.
I also want to thank Ann, Ashlie, Jared, Miles, Rick, James, and everyone else from the club who came out to support us! It is an incredible feeling to get back to the pits and have a bunch of your riding family there for support.
Next up are two rounds of racing at TWS in October!
Maybe change it to a warning label, Warning this vehicle stops abruptly.
