ECR, 4/24 and 4/25

[Grinner]

Is anyone going to be heading up saturday to setup for sunday? If so, I'll have the EZ-up with me on sat and can pass it over when Im through workin.

[mattjmartin]

Looks like I may be missing out after all. I don't have the funds to get me out there. We'll see.

[Firewa11]

Racing gets expensive, doesn't it?

[sckego]

I wasn't planning on going out there Saturday night, was anyone else? If not, we need to figure out a way to get the EZ-up and banners there...

[dufremle]

I would like to drop the bike off on Saturday, but I won't be staying overnight. If no one is going to stay then I'll just go out on Sunday.

[Dr.PorkChop]

I plan on heading that way after work. workn 4 to midnight saturday. Thinkn I'll get there around 3 in the morning.

[Blizzard_1708]

I know MoS is planning on trailering the bike up Sun

[Grinner]

If no one is going to be coming out on sat, then I can make plans with one person to meetup and drop it of on sat evening on our way back to town. Just let me know.

[Blizzard_1708]

I'd say you can drop it off at my place, but I'm probably not the most convenient

[fireblade]

if you can get the stuff to my place, most people will have to pass close by my house to get to ecr. I'll be willing to get up early and watch you load it.

[dufremle]

If no one is going to be coming out on sat, then I can make plans with one person to meetup and drop it of on sat evening on our way back to town. Just let me know.

Depending on which way you go , I might be closest. I'm just off Business 287 in Saginaw.

[dufremle]

OK. The bike and gear is all loaded up, and it all fits into the garage! Thanks Beni, Grinner and Ann. I'm bringing a 12 pack of Bud Light also for after the event. See everyone in the morning.

[Blizzard_1708]

sweet, MoS and CO2 are prepping bikes right now

[DarcShadow]

Great day all. Did any one happen to pick up an air compressor box? It would of had a basketball tip, and a red plastic nozzle for filling rafts and such? Could of swore I left it in the truck but it wasn't there when I got home. Not a big deal, I hardly ever used those thing anyway.

[DLSGAP]

Hey it was good to see everyone and somewhat silently announce my return to tx for those that aren't on my facebok or just didnt pay attention to my posts. .lol

it was torture being out there without a bike.. but i knew it would be when i got in the car to head out...

[sckego]

Awesome day. Kind of started out on the wrong foot when the L2 round-robin got red-flagged (looked like a group had to check up on one of the straights and there was a rear-ending incident). Then, during the first session, we got passed mid-corner a couple of times (safe, controlled passes, but the instructors had made it blindingly clear that there was to be passing in the straights only), and forced off into the pits when the guy directly in front of us decided to pit with absolutley no warning. Just stood it up and rode right into pit-in, and since we were outside and almost alongside, had no choice but to go along. WTF...

Everything seemed to get straightened out after those first to sessions, though. There was a lot of passing going on, both us on other riders and the faster riders on us (I think, for some reason, there was a wider laptime gap between the faster guys and slower guys this day, leading to more passing), but everybody seemed to be doing it in a pretty controlled and levelheaded manner. Unlike most days, I don't think I saw a single manuever that made me think "what an idiot." (except for the ones in the first session that I already mentioned). In fact, I think I pulled the biggest idiot move of the day when I stuffed Benny into turn 7, at the end of the long backstraight. He was at the back of a pack of riders pretty far up ahead of us as we came onto the straight, and we made up more ground on them then I anticipated on the straight. By the time we reached my braking zone I realized that they were going waaay slower then I thought, and even though I was braking like mad, there was no way I was getting slowed down behind Benny. I was already inside of him, since I tend to brake for that corner towards mid-track, whereas he was way outside, so I ended up passing him just as he was tipping in towards the apex. I don't think there was anything to risky about it, it was just kind of a punk move since we're not supposed to pull passes like that in L2... sorry again!

After lunch Benny swiched bikes with us, so he got to do a session on the VFR, and Vic and I on the ZX-6RR. That was quite an experience... going from a solid, stable bike like the VFR to a twitchy, racey machine like the ZX takes a lot of getting used to, way more then you're going to get in just one session. I could tell that we weren't as fast on the ZX, and one guy actually called us out in class afterwards, saying that we were faster on the VFR. I think that had mainly to do with Vic not being comfortable on it... you can tell the ZX isn't set up for riding with a passenger, and she couldn't figure out how to hold on to the bike. When I would get on it on the straights I would literally feel her slipping backwards away from me, and on the brakes she would come piling into me. I think that one session was the most tiring one of the day for both of us. Still, it was a great experience to be able to try something new... thanks again, Benny!

All in all, a very fun, succesful day. It was a blast getting back out there and turning some fast laps again, it's been too long since last time. While there were quite a few go-downs, there were none in our group. The whole event seemed to go off very smoothly, no delays, no big incidents... just a good time all around. Thanks to all of the group who came by to say hi to us, and to those who hung out to keep us company during breaks. Till next time...

[Meat of Snail]

I had a gread day, the only problem I had was a bad noise from my engine just before lunch that made me decide to call it a day. Bike still runs, but I want to play it safe and get the shop to check it out before I run it again.

[Dragonfly]

Had a great day of running around at the track. Got passed, did some passing, no knee dragging, but did drag toes, a couple of times.

Had fun following Matt (Darcshadow) around, thanks for your help Matt. Traded bikes with Kegan for one of the sessions. I have a new found respect for Kegan and his riding abilities. That VFR of his feels a ton heavier than my bike, and its power is in a totally different part of the rev range. The seating position and controls are entirely different as well. Kegan on the VFR, can out ride me without a doubt. The only thing really hurts my pride is that he can out ride me with Vic riding as a passenger.

It was an awesome day spent with awesome friends! I can't wait for the next trackday!

[Rhino]

Vic doesn't really count as a passenger, she weighs about as much as my boots.

[DarcShadow]

Any one snap any good photos of us at the track that I could throw into the newsletter?

[sckego]

On my bike, I really don't think Vic slows me down much at all. I know I lose some time during accel and braking on the straights, but in the corners, I think I keep just about the same pace as solo, or maybe minimally slower. It doesn't feel like much of a difference at all. Who knows, Benny, maybe once your daughter is old enough to jump on the back with you, your pace will get quicker...

Matt, there was a guy from twtex there who got some pics, but they're blocked at work. link here.

I grabbed some pics from Blair's site, think I'm going to order some as well...

Wave hi to Blair!












Benny gettin down


Getting chased by matt, then passed by matt




Some of Jimbo




Trading bikes

[DarcShadow]

That first photo of you 2 is great, good shot of me further down. That last photo though, Benny just does not look right on the VFR. ha! Blair is very good at what he does.

[El Diabro]

those are some awesome pics!!!

[El Diabro]

Why does Vic have on different color tops in some pics?

[Blizzard_1708]

she is wearing a purple shirt so that the instructor can pick them out and evaluate them easier.