3 Points, 0 DNFs for the Soil Sampler

There is a racebike parked in my garage and I don't have to fix it before the next race

The original plan for the weekend was for Erik (EMathy) to come down to Roebling, take the Ed Bargy school on my GS, and race alongside of me and my FZR. Of course I couldn't get the FZR put together and wasn't even going to go to the track!

But, somehow I managed to convince myself that it would be a good idea to commandeer the GS for Sunday and run some races with it. So I dragged one of my buddies along and drove down Saturday morning.

We watched some afternoon races on Saturday, including the red-flag infested MW Novice Solo 20, and Erik's brave mingle with the SV's during his solo. I watched with mixed feelings as he completed the race without incident. I was really proud of him and happy my bike was still in one piece, but it also meant I would have to race on Sunday.

The cookout had a smaller turn out than I thought, but hey, more food for the rest of us right? At night I decided to avoid the trailer and slept in the truck. Just a note to Ben and Erik who shared the trailer, the air mattress does not make your ass sore

Anyway, onto the real race report...

It was lovely to find out on Sunday morning that we would only have ONE(1) practice session. I wonder if I should go tell someone that I haven't been on the track with this GS before. Oh wait, I did, and nobody gave a sh!t

The practice session was fine though, I took my time getting warmed up and getting used to being out on the track again (last time I really rode was back in October). I have learned what the guys on little bikes feel like when I used to blast past them on the straight away. It's just like target practice, except now I'm the target

My first race was race 1B, D Superbike Novice. I was one of two GS's on the grid and was supposed to start on Row 12. Seeing as how I've only had about 10 laps of practice and never launched a GS before, I chose to move myself back to Row 15(i.e. DFL) in this SV infested grid.

There was an EX gridded on the inside of my row(later I was to learn this was Caesar's protege), and I thought maybe I could dice with him a little during the race. Boy was I wrong. He even jumped the start so I would have a fair chance. As I completed lap 2 he was just leaving the pits after serving his stop and go penalty...I repeat, I am flying down the straight and he is leaving pit out By the end of turn 2 he was around the outside and continued on his merry way

However, by halfway (which also happens to be around the time I got lapped) I noticed I was gaining on a bike in front of me. And each lap I drew just a little bit closer (and praying that I wouldn't get lapped again before the checkered). Each turn I had to remind myself to inch up just a little bit (last time I tried to make up about 10 bike lengths in one turn, and ended up losing 17 laps ). Finally, as we both drove out of 9 toward the white flag, I was able to pull along side. Since I knew I braked later than he did for turn 1, I had to remind myself that using my regular braking marker is good enough for the pass, and I didn't really like the tire wall on the outside of turn 1. After the pass I had to yell at myself to not get too excited and fall down, that would really be embarassing. (Later on I found out it was Fester74 from TN that I had passed, nice to meet you )

On to the clubman novice race, which is supposed to be a (long) 3 wave start. After the 125's there was a nice long gap before the experts started, and I was kind of expecting the same gap between the experts and us when...1...sideways...green! Wha? I managed to stay on the tail end of the group in front of me (no idea who's behind, they make us take off the review mirrors at tech ) for 2 laps when they decided to pick up their pace. Again I thought about how nice it would be to go home in 1 piece and decided not to follow them along for the ride. Again around halfway I was passed by a two smoker (who was actually racing clubman, no idea what kind of bike it is), but a lap later I saw his bike outside turn 4 with the number plate pointed at me, so I guess I'm finishing in front of at least one person About this time Stuart (Joss) came around me on the outside at 2 (man I must really suck at turn 2) and I had to decide whether I wanted to give chase. Self preservation again won over testosterone (rare indeed) and I let him go.

All it all it was a good day. I think I only got about 30 laps of total track time, but at least I got my first race weekend (and first two FINISHES) out of the way. Like Stick told me later that day, "Man, you are destroying your record!"

I would like to thank Stick for the Bridgestone tires(no, they weren't free either). JamesG and Charlie and Jay and whoever else helped put the GS together, and the Row for the usual good time at the track. I think I'm going to be a GS racer for the rest of the year, I've never felt so comfortable with a bike just hopping on and going racing. I think I dropped 12 secs off my lap time between the first(only) practice session and the end of the D-sbk race, but from what I'm not tellin' (thanks Pam for keeping my slow laptimes).

Anyway, sorry to ramble, but it's been a while since I've had to write one of these things

 

Hey, who cares if they were slow! They improved with every lap, and that's the important thing. It was fun seeing you out on the track again; you need to be there more often.

 

Yeah, as opposed to in the grass?

 

Once a member of the Posse, always a member.

 

Glad for you Guo, just wish you hadn't passed the crash bug on to me!

 

Guo, I'm glad to hear that you're going to keep on racing the GS, it will be fun to have someone to race with. I agree that the GS is a fun bike and I think that I will be able to learn a lot on this bike. I started in row five for D-super(pre-entry rules ) It wasn't too bad getting passed by half of the field before turn one, I was trying to do what stickboy said,"Just make your self as wide as possible" that way I could keep a respectable position, well at least until turn three. Clubman is cool, I got my first top ten finish(10th) that's way better than the thirty somethings I was getting in the 600 classes.

 

No, silly....you know what I meant.

 

Hey man, my ass wasn't sore!

 

Yeah, cause you were giving your sausage to everybody and nobody gave you theirs, right?

 

ROTFLMAO! Yep, that's right!!

 

Good job Guo!! I was really cheering from you in the scoring tower. I almost jumped down and helped push you down the front straight.

 

Heh, okay so there isn't so much power

I had a lot of time to contemplate the meaning of life between turn 9 and turn 1

 

Isn't that what GS500's and straights are for...?

Catch up on that reading you missed partying the night before... maybe do a little cleaning... polish that tach lens a little... wave to Chuck and everyone in the tower... how about that stubborn mustard spot in those leathers?