wrenn
05-31-2001, 09:59 AM
Track: A very tight 8 turn 1.3 mile road course with no long straight, with one year old pavement in excellent condition.
Okay, I’m writing some of this before actually going, and I tend to do some self analysis in these things, so bear with me here:
In my last report I had crashed, been totally inept as a pit monkey and thoroughly dejected by the weekends events and I neglected to expand on the positives of the team and the efforts. I also made some negative comments in the report that reflected poorly on the team. I apologize for making them at all. I have to chalk some of it up to the soreness of the crash, self reflection and say there were no personal attacks intended. Since I made the comments, I better explain them. Timing and communication can sometimes be everything to an endurance team. Being the new rider, I blame myself for most of the timing problems the team experienced leading up to the endurance race. Since I could not be at the track for Friday practice, I was not able to get into the team groove that Brian and Kurt had developed over the 2000 season. Brian, Kurt and I live several hundred miles apart, so our communication time suffered. Again since I wasn’t there Friday, Brian and I were not able to plan Saturday’s timetable and I had the initial impression of disorganization. My impressions were really more just a lack of communication and time investment on my part. I see this because once the race was underway the two of them performed together perfectly, the actual race was going very well and the team was working together well, both in the pits and on the track.
The Honda CBR600F4I provided by Pensacola Motorsports was a great bike and performed very well against the other 600’s on the track. Brian is very lucky to have managed the opportunity to have this for a team bike and have the support of his local dealer. Brian and Kurt both put in fantastic rides and worked very well together. I can definitely see the makings of a competitive team there and I hope the best for Brian, Kurt and the Pensacola Team.
Thanks for bearing with me now let’s turn our focus to this weekend:
Several new things are happening in the wrennsports team pits. I have been working very hard on a new Suzuki GSXR 600 to run the sprint races for the rest of this year. I spent the last three weeks breaking in the motor and wiring the bike, getting the bodywork mounted, setting up an enclosed trailer and designing some new parts. I’m also going to try something new this weekend, a light-weight twin…
Friday: Raining in the morning so spent some time finishing up the new GSXR6, safety wire and stuff. I noticed some smudge in the freshly changed oil. So I changed it again. Once I get the bike through tech I started working on the SV650 that I’m trying out. The SV doesn’t start and the fairing bracket needs some repair. The weather cleared for the afternoon so I got to practice some on the new GSXR6 and figure out how to repair the SV. After dinner I go by Lowes and get a piece of alum flat bar and some clamps to repair the faring bracket.
Saturday: The weather is perfect. I’ve conned my Step-dad into taking care of the crash truck duties so I can concentrate on the bikes. I get up real early and pass Jamie Lane on the way into the track. I get the fairing on and think I have the SV ready for tech, but the clutch is stuck. I spent a good deal of time messing with the SV. At least I was able to practice on the 600 that morning before the endurance race. I spent the afternoon (during the endurance race) making an exhaust bracket with some more of the alum flat bar and installing a Venom slip on from fellow racer Patrick Ward. I also adjusted the GSXR’s sag as much as possible, but the forks are sprung way too soft and I did more work on the SV.
Some friends timed me for a couple of laps in practice but I was pretty slow…. No real confidence in the bike or the old tires yet. Still breaking things in and learning to ride the new scooter. The endurance race is over and I’m tired, Melissa and I pickup friends Scott Carpenter and Audrey Ghia for a ride to town and dinner company. (Hint: if you want steak and don’t want to wait an hour, skip the outback and head to Zack’s Mesquite Grill walked in and dinner for 6 was seated immediately.)
Sunday: With the suspension adjustments and the new Vesrah brake pads the GSXR feels better. And I get a chance to ride the SV. I added Heavy Weight Twins to the registration to get a little more seat time on the SV. The first time I hit the brakes on the SV the clubman bars turned in my hands….hmmm mental note check the rest of the bolts…after checking the SV and getting another round of practice, I see the Twins race is going to be very tough. I’m hanging everything I can off the bike and still dragging the pegs and bodywork in every turn. The next thing to drag will be the stock pipe and that’ll be nasty. The Sv doesn’t feel bad but the STOCK rear shock leaves a lot to be desired, like a ride height adjustment and it faded after about 5 laps. I’m slower than the field and can’t seem to find the speed. Some of it is there, I’m just not pushing enough, still getting used to things, the rest will come with better set-up and seat time. So let’s look at the individual races…
600 Superstock: Iwas gridded on the second row of the 2nd wave. I got a reasonable start, right on the heels of the first wave. Josh Hayes, Brian Gibbs and Jep Palmour had passed me by the entrance of turn 3. I turned my fastest laps early in the race when I could still see the group (still very slow even by my standard). My focus just isn’t there, it reminds me of when I started racing, just not on the go. Another déjà vu to the 600 grinder days, Ceaser passes me and Joe Davidson on the inside of turn 1 and then bounces off the curbing in the inside entrance of turn two then low-sides trying to get turned. I started relaxing and going ok until the leaders started lapping me…There went Opie then Josh (again),(these guys must have had somewhere to go) then Brian Stokes clipped my bar and clutch lever which freaked me out a little. (I know it wasn’t intentional but it was a wake up call) I got spooked and backed out. I think I finished last but I finished! My first race on my new GSXR600 with stock everything (suspension, brake lines, exhaust header, electronics and gearing).
HW2: I’m the only one on the grid with anything less than a 1000 except for Bill StJohn on his BCM Ducati 750ss. And I don’t finish last! I spent some time dicing with a TL-R and went around a TL-S in the bowl only to get major motored down the straight. This SV is kind of fun but I’m still dragging in every turn.
LW2: I thought if I can get a reasonable start maybe I can draft some of the piped SV’s. No chance I got held up by a slower cornerspeed bike and the leaders got away. I spent the rest of the race battling with another SV. He could power me on the straights and I couldn’t carry enough cornerspeed to make a pass stick because of dragging the bike. We need to get some ground clearance on the little twin to go faster.
Well that basically sums up the weekend, I feel like a rookie and a pinball all over again. Thanks to all who helped, Melissa, Dennis & Mom, ‘Stickboy’, Joe Davidson & his Mom , the guys at Trackside(Moose, Greg & Jeff) and WERA and the Cornerworkers. A special thank you to Barry Covert for letting me try the SV. Tune in next time for the WERA national at Putnam.
Okay, I’m writing some of this before actually going, and I tend to do some self analysis in these things, so bear with me here:
In my last report I had crashed, been totally inept as a pit monkey and thoroughly dejected by the weekends events and I neglected to expand on the positives of the team and the efforts. I also made some negative comments in the report that reflected poorly on the team. I apologize for making them at all. I have to chalk some of it up to the soreness of the crash, self reflection and say there were no personal attacks intended. Since I made the comments, I better explain them. Timing and communication can sometimes be everything to an endurance team. Being the new rider, I blame myself for most of the timing problems the team experienced leading up to the endurance race. Since I could not be at the track for Friday practice, I was not able to get into the team groove that Brian and Kurt had developed over the 2000 season. Brian, Kurt and I live several hundred miles apart, so our communication time suffered. Again since I wasn’t there Friday, Brian and I were not able to plan Saturday’s timetable and I had the initial impression of disorganization. My impressions were really more just a lack of communication and time investment on my part. I see this because once the race was underway the two of them performed together perfectly, the actual race was going very well and the team was working together well, both in the pits and on the track.
The Honda CBR600F4I provided by Pensacola Motorsports was a great bike and performed very well against the other 600’s on the track. Brian is very lucky to have managed the opportunity to have this for a team bike and have the support of his local dealer. Brian and Kurt both put in fantastic rides and worked very well together. I can definitely see the makings of a competitive team there and I hope the best for Brian, Kurt and the Pensacola Team.
Thanks for bearing with me now let’s turn our focus to this weekend:
Several new things are happening in the wrennsports team pits. I have been working very hard on a new Suzuki GSXR 600 to run the sprint races for the rest of this year. I spent the last three weeks breaking in the motor and wiring the bike, getting the bodywork mounted, setting up an enclosed trailer and designing some new parts. I’m also going to try something new this weekend, a light-weight twin…
Friday: Raining in the morning so spent some time finishing up the new GSXR6, safety wire and stuff. I noticed some smudge in the freshly changed oil. So I changed it again. Once I get the bike through tech I started working on the SV650 that I’m trying out. The SV doesn’t start and the fairing bracket needs some repair. The weather cleared for the afternoon so I got to practice some on the new GSXR6 and figure out how to repair the SV. After dinner I go by Lowes and get a piece of alum flat bar and some clamps to repair the faring bracket.
Saturday: The weather is perfect. I’ve conned my Step-dad into taking care of the crash truck duties so I can concentrate on the bikes. I get up real early and pass Jamie Lane on the way into the track. I get the fairing on and think I have the SV ready for tech, but the clutch is stuck. I spent a good deal of time messing with the SV. At least I was able to practice on the 600 that morning before the endurance race. I spent the afternoon (during the endurance race) making an exhaust bracket with some more of the alum flat bar and installing a Venom slip on from fellow racer Patrick Ward. I also adjusted the GSXR’s sag as much as possible, but the forks are sprung way too soft and I did more work on the SV.
Some friends timed me for a couple of laps in practice but I was pretty slow…. No real confidence in the bike or the old tires yet. Still breaking things in and learning to ride the new scooter. The endurance race is over and I’m tired, Melissa and I pickup friends Scott Carpenter and Audrey Ghia for a ride to town and dinner company. (Hint: if you want steak and don’t want to wait an hour, skip the outback and head to Zack’s Mesquite Grill walked in and dinner for 6 was seated immediately.)
Sunday: With the suspension adjustments and the new Vesrah brake pads the GSXR feels better. And I get a chance to ride the SV. I added Heavy Weight Twins to the registration to get a little more seat time on the SV. The first time I hit the brakes on the SV the clubman bars turned in my hands….hmmm mental note check the rest of the bolts…after checking the SV and getting another round of practice, I see the Twins race is going to be very tough. I’m hanging everything I can off the bike and still dragging the pegs and bodywork in every turn. The next thing to drag will be the stock pipe and that’ll be nasty. The Sv doesn’t feel bad but the STOCK rear shock leaves a lot to be desired, like a ride height adjustment and it faded after about 5 laps. I’m slower than the field and can’t seem to find the speed. Some of it is there, I’m just not pushing enough, still getting used to things, the rest will come with better set-up and seat time. So let’s look at the individual races…
600 Superstock: Iwas gridded on the second row of the 2nd wave. I got a reasonable start, right on the heels of the first wave. Josh Hayes, Brian Gibbs and Jep Palmour had passed me by the entrance of turn 3. I turned my fastest laps early in the race when I could still see the group (still very slow even by my standard). My focus just isn’t there, it reminds me of when I started racing, just not on the go. Another déjà vu to the 600 grinder days, Ceaser passes me and Joe Davidson on the inside of turn 1 and then bounces off the curbing in the inside entrance of turn two then low-sides trying to get turned. I started relaxing and going ok until the leaders started lapping me…There went Opie then Josh (again),(these guys must have had somewhere to go) then Brian Stokes clipped my bar and clutch lever which freaked me out a little. (I know it wasn’t intentional but it was a wake up call) I got spooked and backed out. I think I finished last but I finished! My first race on my new GSXR600 with stock everything (suspension, brake lines, exhaust header, electronics and gearing).
HW2: I’m the only one on the grid with anything less than a 1000 except for Bill StJohn on his BCM Ducati 750ss. And I don’t finish last! I spent some time dicing with a TL-R and went around a TL-S in the bowl only to get major motored down the straight. This SV is kind of fun but I’m still dragging in every turn.
LW2: I thought if I can get a reasonable start maybe I can draft some of the piped SV’s. No chance I got held up by a slower cornerspeed bike and the leaders got away. I spent the rest of the race battling with another SV. He could power me on the straights and I couldn’t carry enough cornerspeed to make a pass stick because of dragging the bike. We need to get some ground clearance on the little twin to go faster.
Well that basically sums up the weekend, I feel like a rookie and a pinball all over again. Thanks to all who helped, Melissa, Dennis & Mom, ‘Stickboy’, Joe Davidson & his Mom , the guys at Trackside(Moose, Greg & Jeff) and WERA and the Cornerworkers. A special thank you to Barry Covert for letting me try the SV. Tune in next time for the WERA national at Putnam.