Richard Lesher
07-23-2001, 02:14 PM
Since this area of the BBS is a little thin I will take the liberty of posting my racing experiences even though I am not WERA ken folk.
Well, I didn’t improve as much as I wanted to this weekend. I only knocked off 13 seconds from my previous time at Thunderhill. I was hoping for 20 seconds or so. I wanted my time in the teens (2:19 or lower). I got a 2:24.2.
My first race was a blood bath. This was the third race of the day, and there were a good number of riders that were competing in their FIRST race ever. I was pitted in the paddock with four other guys that raced in my class. One of them was a rookie. At the start of the race I was girded in the same row as the rookie (because I suck too :-). The green flag drops and the rookie takes off for the moon. He gets a great start, and think to myself, "SHET this rookie is going to dust my ass". Well, “screw it” I think, “that loon can fight for 40th place, there are 58 of us in the race and you don’t score points until 36 or so. So anyway, no sooner does he go flying down turn one making a run on his buddies (the ones that are expert racers) does he fail to shave some heat off of in turn 3. This is an off camber slight right sweeper (you can’t go as fast as it looks). He plows into another rider and machines cartwheel right before my eyes. I have a ringside seat, and my eyes get big, really big. I and a number of other riders take to the left off the track. All the good evasive lines were taken on the inside. So it was either that, or join the aerobic exercises myself. By time I get back on the track I am a zillion miles behind everyone. No matter I think to myself. There is carnage all over the place, and that was only turn three after the green. They are certain to restart and I am correct. So we re-grid just as we get around the lap, and start over. In the second attempt at the race I beat 5 people (the most I have ever beaten). If you include the two causalities from the red flag I beat 7.
At the end of the race there is a solemn feeling my pit area. Of the five bikes there on stands 30 minutes ago one is now missing. Well, at least it is not mine :-) At most the guy sprained his hand really bad. The bike is toast however. He did a really thorough job. It was such a beautiful bike too. You know, a perfectly clean rookie newbie bike that was all shiny for baby’s first night out. I can’t imagine the thoughts going thoughts going through the guy's mine. His VERY first race and he didn’t even make it through turn three. Well, if he manages to make it next month I gather he won’t be so gun-ho at the start before the ranks thin out.
My second race was kind of lame. It was the VERY last for the day, and I was beaten down, I just wanted to go home really. In this race there are fewer people I can beat, and even less so the ones I even have a chance of hanging with. Well, I do beat three guys, and it looked like there were at least 3 guys to do down. There were three classes on the grid, and about one from each class personally examined the tarmac with their butt. Thinking I am dead last I see the results and there are three left behind me. I do not improve on my lap times, but am only a second off and my pace is consistent within 1 second. More importantly I almost didn’t get LAPPED. The leader got around me his VERY last lap, and with only 1/4 of a lap left. If I pushed my new pace I might have made it. Well, next time I certainly will.
I get home and unpacked by 9PM.
By the way: For the next two months Sears Point will be SCREWED!!!!!!!! They are COMPLETELY redoing the track, and AFM is caught in the middle of it. Meaning we will be on a band aid course that is 1.8 miles. The entire back half from turn 10 to S/F will be off limits. So we will race from T-1 to T-9 and back again. S/F will be just between T-6 and T-7. so it is likely that larger grids will be so far back they will be UNDER the bridge and up the carousel. Lap times will be a useless measure for all but these two races.
Richard
AFM/CCS #447
Well, I didn’t improve as much as I wanted to this weekend. I only knocked off 13 seconds from my previous time at Thunderhill. I was hoping for 20 seconds or so. I wanted my time in the teens (2:19 or lower). I got a 2:24.2.
My first race was a blood bath. This was the third race of the day, and there were a good number of riders that were competing in their FIRST race ever. I was pitted in the paddock with four other guys that raced in my class. One of them was a rookie. At the start of the race I was girded in the same row as the rookie (because I suck too :-). The green flag drops and the rookie takes off for the moon. He gets a great start, and think to myself, "SHET this rookie is going to dust my ass". Well, “screw it” I think, “that loon can fight for 40th place, there are 58 of us in the race and you don’t score points until 36 or so. So anyway, no sooner does he go flying down turn one making a run on his buddies (the ones that are expert racers) does he fail to shave some heat off of in turn 3. This is an off camber slight right sweeper (you can’t go as fast as it looks). He plows into another rider and machines cartwheel right before my eyes. I have a ringside seat, and my eyes get big, really big. I and a number of other riders take to the left off the track. All the good evasive lines were taken on the inside. So it was either that, or join the aerobic exercises myself. By time I get back on the track I am a zillion miles behind everyone. No matter I think to myself. There is carnage all over the place, and that was only turn three after the green. They are certain to restart and I am correct. So we re-grid just as we get around the lap, and start over. In the second attempt at the race I beat 5 people (the most I have ever beaten). If you include the two causalities from the red flag I beat 7.
At the end of the race there is a solemn feeling my pit area. Of the five bikes there on stands 30 minutes ago one is now missing. Well, at least it is not mine :-) At most the guy sprained his hand really bad. The bike is toast however. He did a really thorough job. It was such a beautiful bike too. You know, a perfectly clean rookie newbie bike that was all shiny for baby’s first night out. I can’t imagine the thoughts going thoughts going through the guy's mine. His VERY first race and he didn’t even make it through turn three. Well, if he manages to make it next month I gather he won’t be so gun-ho at the start before the ranks thin out.
My second race was kind of lame. It was the VERY last for the day, and I was beaten down, I just wanted to go home really. In this race there are fewer people I can beat, and even less so the ones I even have a chance of hanging with. Well, I do beat three guys, and it looked like there were at least 3 guys to do down. There were three classes on the grid, and about one from each class personally examined the tarmac with their butt. Thinking I am dead last I see the results and there are three left behind me. I do not improve on my lap times, but am only a second off and my pace is consistent within 1 second. More importantly I almost didn’t get LAPPED. The leader got around me his VERY last lap, and with only 1/4 of a lap left. If I pushed my new pace I might have made it. Well, next time I certainly will.
I get home and unpacked by 9PM.
By the way: For the next two months Sears Point will be SCREWED!!!!!!!! They are COMPLETELY redoing the track, and AFM is caught in the middle of it. Meaning we will be on a band aid course that is 1.8 miles. The entire back half from turn 10 to S/F will be off limits. So we will race from T-1 to T-9 and back again. S/F will be just between T-6 and T-7. so it is likely that larger grids will be so far back they will be UNDER the bridge and up the carousel. Lap times will be a useless measure for all but these two races.
Richard
AFM/CCS #447