wera917
05-14-2001, 10:28 PM
Putnam Park, IN May 13
Bike #247 Red Ducati 916
Races: HW Twins
Sunday morning. The plan WAS to sleep in, since registration and tech were all done, there was no need to arrive at the track early and set up. That plan went out the door when my eyes popped open at 5:45am ... I guess sleeping in wasn't going to happen. Why sleep when you could be at a race track!? Nothing too exciting Sunday morning, mostly just waiting around. Michelle came up to watch me race HW Twins, since she had to work Sat. Well, she ended up working Sunday too, since they needed an announcer she got drafted into that! http://www.wera.com/ubb/biggrin.gif She enjoyed it though, and got a great seat for all the racing action later in the day.
Practice went OK, the first session was a wash, I just couldn't get my head into the proper frame of mind. I had planned on only running one practice to save tires, but since the first session didn't work that way I wanted, I did go out again. I got the times down where I wanted, but the tires were already beginning to give me warning signs on a few of my hotter laps.
Again, our race was one of the last of the day. Race 12. Up to that point I got to watch (and commentate - which actually turned out to be pretty fun) a bunch of great racing, everyone Sunday did a fantastic job of clean but very exciting racing. Congrats! Even in the novice B Superstock and C Superstock, which were HUGE grids (50+), and 4 wave starts. It seemed the entire 4th wave was all orange shirts from the previous day's riders school too. http://www.wera.com/ubb/smile.gif So I expected some problems in those races due to the # of riders, but they went extremely well. The expert A Superstock, Superbike, and Formula races were very exciting, some great dicing going on in those as well.
Finally it's race time! Again, I take the warm up lap and roll around to my grid position, which in this case was row 10 left (of a 2 rider row). Since this is a 2 wave start (experts first, novices second), row 10 is really row 2 of the novice grid. I fully expect to get a decent start from here. The one board goes sideways, the green flag drops, and we wait http://www.wera.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Yep, the experts peel off and we wait for our turn ... the one board goes back up, goes sideways, green flag drops, and NOW we're off. Well, everyone else is off but me, who is back re-clutching from bogging and almost stalling the motor. As I begin trying yet again to achieve forward velocity the rest of the grid is left without me. $#@&@*$#@* I'm yelling at myself. I just shot my race! I storm into turn one and manage to get quite a few there. I decide it's time to apply the lessons learned from watching others work traffic and get some major passing done as early as possible. I knew that the first lap was vital to retaining any hope of a good finish. It seems as if I was passing someone in every turn for awhile, ducking under 1 or 2 into turn 2, a couple more out of turn 4, going into then on the drive out of turn 7. The first 2 laps were frantic and a bit scary, but on the second lap I got some clear track. I had no idea who was still in front though, I was convinced that I was still way back in the pack. I charged very hard for 2 more laps, and finally caught up to the next rider, realizing as I closed in it was a friend of mine, Steve. I could see Brett Johnson several bikes lengths ahead of Steve, and figured out that more than likely Brett was the leading novice, I knew he could cut great laps around Putnam. Steve, being an expert, was not interested in passing Brett, since Brett wasn't in the same race, so Steve was just keeping pace. I knew that at the rate I had caught the two of them, if I could get around Steve, I could more than likely at least catch if not pass Brett as well, so I kept my head down and tried to make it happen. Well, let me tell you, Steve's a hard man to pass http://www.wera.com/ubb/biggrin.gif I got a great drive out of 8, pulled along side into 9, but Steve was having none of that and put the 'lean' on me. I'm saying in my helmet, "Don't crash out Steve, don't crash out Steve!" and I stay on the brake and allow myself to be squeezed into the apex as we go side by side through 9. I stay right in his tracks out of turn 10 and get a great drive to pull along side of him right at the finish line - where I miss my upshift. &(*$#* again! I lose the drive and there's no way I'm pulling off a pass into turn one on him now. I stay close and try to drive out of turn 2 hard, and the back end begins a wonderful step out, giving me some indication that I'm close to the edge, the tires are starting to go off. I stay close through that lap, and try and get a drive out of 10, and once again, the back end *really* steps out. Not a cool thing to have happen in turn 10. I've met that wall once before, and I'm not anxious to meet it again! At this point, with 2 laps to go, I figure 2nd place is better than a trip back in the crash truck, so I back off and just follow Steve around till the checkered flag. Congrats to Brett Johnson for a well won race, and to Steve for keeping that door shut on me! http://www.wera.com/ubb/smile.gif He didn't know it was me until after the race, but he said no way he was going to just 'let' someone around him either way http://www.wera.com/ubb/smile.gif I should have, could have earned the pass, but it just wasn't in the cards today. All in all a good day, me and the bike returned home in one piece, I got some wood (and a plaque http://www.wera.com/ubb/biggrin.gif ), and cut me best ever time around Putnam trying to catch those guys, so I'll take it!
Thanks again to Trackside Racers Supply, Commonwealth Motorcycles, Pirelli tires, WERA and all the safety crew for being there so we can have some fun!
Bike #247 Red Ducati 916
Races: HW Twins
Sunday morning. The plan WAS to sleep in, since registration and tech were all done, there was no need to arrive at the track early and set up. That plan went out the door when my eyes popped open at 5:45am ... I guess sleeping in wasn't going to happen. Why sleep when you could be at a race track!? Nothing too exciting Sunday morning, mostly just waiting around. Michelle came up to watch me race HW Twins, since she had to work Sat. Well, she ended up working Sunday too, since they needed an announcer she got drafted into that! http://www.wera.com/ubb/biggrin.gif She enjoyed it though, and got a great seat for all the racing action later in the day.
Practice went OK, the first session was a wash, I just couldn't get my head into the proper frame of mind. I had planned on only running one practice to save tires, but since the first session didn't work that way I wanted, I did go out again. I got the times down where I wanted, but the tires were already beginning to give me warning signs on a few of my hotter laps.
Again, our race was one of the last of the day. Race 12. Up to that point I got to watch (and commentate - which actually turned out to be pretty fun) a bunch of great racing, everyone Sunday did a fantastic job of clean but very exciting racing. Congrats! Even in the novice B Superstock and C Superstock, which were HUGE grids (50+), and 4 wave starts. It seemed the entire 4th wave was all orange shirts from the previous day's riders school too. http://www.wera.com/ubb/smile.gif So I expected some problems in those races due to the # of riders, but they went extremely well. The expert A Superstock, Superbike, and Formula races were very exciting, some great dicing going on in those as well.
Finally it's race time! Again, I take the warm up lap and roll around to my grid position, which in this case was row 10 left (of a 2 rider row). Since this is a 2 wave start (experts first, novices second), row 10 is really row 2 of the novice grid. I fully expect to get a decent start from here. The one board goes sideways, the green flag drops, and we wait http://www.wera.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Yep, the experts peel off and we wait for our turn ... the one board goes back up, goes sideways, green flag drops, and NOW we're off. Well, everyone else is off but me, who is back re-clutching from bogging and almost stalling the motor. As I begin trying yet again to achieve forward velocity the rest of the grid is left without me. $#@&@*$#@* I'm yelling at myself. I just shot my race! I storm into turn one and manage to get quite a few there. I decide it's time to apply the lessons learned from watching others work traffic and get some major passing done as early as possible. I knew that the first lap was vital to retaining any hope of a good finish. It seems as if I was passing someone in every turn for awhile, ducking under 1 or 2 into turn 2, a couple more out of turn 4, going into then on the drive out of turn 7. The first 2 laps were frantic and a bit scary, but on the second lap I got some clear track. I had no idea who was still in front though, I was convinced that I was still way back in the pack. I charged very hard for 2 more laps, and finally caught up to the next rider, realizing as I closed in it was a friend of mine, Steve. I could see Brett Johnson several bikes lengths ahead of Steve, and figured out that more than likely Brett was the leading novice, I knew he could cut great laps around Putnam. Steve, being an expert, was not interested in passing Brett, since Brett wasn't in the same race, so Steve was just keeping pace. I knew that at the rate I had caught the two of them, if I could get around Steve, I could more than likely at least catch if not pass Brett as well, so I kept my head down and tried to make it happen. Well, let me tell you, Steve's a hard man to pass http://www.wera.com/ubb/biggrin.gif I got a great drive out of 8, pulled along side into 9, but Steve was having none of that and put the 'lean' on me. I'm saying in my helmet, "Don't crash out Steve, don't crash out Steve!" and I stay on the brake and allow myself to be squeezed into the apex as we go side by side through 9. I stay right in his tracks out of turn 10 and get a great drive to pull along side of him right at the finish line - where I miss my upshift. &(*$#* again! I lose the drive and there's no way I'm pulling off a pass into turn one on him now. I stay close and try to drive out of turn 2 hard, and the back end begins a wonderful step out, giving me some indication that I'm close to the edge, the tires are starting to go off. I stay close through that lap, and try and get a drive out of 10, and once again, the back end *really* steps out. Not a cool thing to have happen in turn 10. I've met that wall once before, and I'm not anxious to meet it again! At this point, with 2 laps to go, I figure 2nd place is better than a trip back in the crash truck, so I back off and just follow Steve around till the checkered flag. Congrats to Brett Johnson for a well won race, and to Steve for keeping that door shut on me! http://www.wera.com/ubb/smile.gif He didn't know it was me until after the race, but he said no way he was going to just 'let' someone around him either way http://www.wera.com/ubb/smile.gif I should have, could have earned the pass, but it just wasn't in the cards today. All in all a good day, me and the bike returned home in one piece, I got some wood (and a plaque http://www.wera.com/ubb/biggrin.gif ), and cut me best ever time around Putnam trying to catch those guys, so I'll take it!
Thanks again to Trackside Racers Supply, Commonwealth Motorcycles, Pirelli tires, WERA and all the safety crew for being there so we can have some fun!