Yep. Ink - paper contract is legally binding, and why risk an opportunity with team that probably pays the bills for a questionable future over a handshake deal. Also, Dallas was riding a Kawasaki in MA and Estenson is the Yamaha arm in AFT. No doubt that came up. JD has the same sponsor in both and had it worked out.
The camera cut away from that 3 wide battle into 11 was disappointing in Race 2. That series of passes was absolutely nuts.
Thank you sir! Proud of just how hard the kid works on and off the track. There is so much stacked against him, it's unreal. He just keeps gutting it out.
I have to say that Sonoma just doesn't seem to be a pro level track. From a spectators' point of view, a track with that amount of bad surface and course defined by cones just doesn't make it, especially compared to all of the other tracks MA races. They left Mid-Ohio off the schedule and I think it is time to do the same with Sonoma. On tv, it looks bush league and makes the MA weekend look like club racing.
Sac Mile was going on Saturday night as well. I know some guys that went to the mile but didn't have the energy to make it to Sonoma the next morning
Sonoma needs a repave baddddddd. But the scuttlebutt is that the track owners don't give a shit about non-car users and are busy just trying to squeeze every $ they can out of everyone even if they operate in the green from Nascar showing up once a year. It's my favorite track at my current skill level, but the carousel crack scares the shit out of me, and the curbing and general track surface condition is appalling. It also could use a real run off out of Turn 1 and complete curbing there to properly define the outside of turn 1 when used for motos. The transition from the curbing back to the track is essentially a pothole every lap.
The slow motion shots really emphasized the numbers and scale of the bumps....I have to believe the riders have some serious concerns....
The surface was overall worse that last year and it showed in lap times. Everyone was a good second slower. Granted, there was much less track time to dial the bike and practice. There is a nasty nasty bump on the apex of turn 7 entry. That's why Lewis and Eilas both crashed there. I usually try to ignore bumps but that one was too rough to ignore. If you look at the race videos, you'll see all bikes grenade their suspension through it. They did however patch up some other issues on track, like filling in the seam on the exit of the carousel. But yes, overall the track is well overdue for a repave. Maybe some more run off as well. The place just feels claustrophobic with all the walls. It's never been my favorite but there are people who grew up on that track so they will break plans to go ride it. After you survive a weekend there, sure feels like an accomplishment.
There will never be more runoff in T1, it used to be way less and we ran the fast T1. The lack of runoff and a couple bad crashes, I used to go through it in 6th gear on my 400, is why there's a chicane in place. Made T2 a lot harder than it is now, I'd have to do 4 downshift's for T2 between the curb/hay bale on the left and the apex. You won't hit the bridge now with the chicane and there used to be less pavement there as well. The first weekend it was in place I ran through the dirt full throttle every lap of both races. Good thing I practiced going up the hill in the dirt. It's good to be in the lead, spraying the people behind you with dirt and rocks often gives you a cushion.
Imagine how well he would do if his frame/wheels or whatever the hell that British announcer keeps babbling on about were straight?
Agreed! And is it "Beechum" or |B0-shawmp"??? I was all kinds of confused with Beechum - never heard it referred to like that before.