Irnie Racing Closes Out Washington Series for 2010

Irnie Racing Closes Out Washington Series for 2010


WMRRA Round 7, Pacific Raceways Seattle WA, September 11-12, 2010

Kelowna BC’s Marcel Irnie travelled into Washington State for the final round of the 2010 Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association (WMRRA) series. This was to a be a busy weekend as the WMRRA had to fit in extra races to make up for the shortened opening round back in April . Irnie would be racing three times on Saturday and two on Sunday.

Saturday's Racing VIDEO

The first race for Irnie was the make-up race for the 600 Superbike class. Irnie started from the second row on his 2005 Seattle Tool / Falco zx6-rr using the same Dunlop slicks from the previous two rounds. Despite the fact that first gear on this bike did “cut-out” repeatedly, it was his best chance at attaining a decent start. Five riders from the third row passed Irnie in the opening straight, but he was able to get back four of those positions in corners two and three, leaving him in 8th by corner four. By lap two, Irnie had the lead riders in sight. By lap four, Marcel is battling with Brad Delong; a rider he had diced with before. Irnie seized upon a bobble by Delong in corner three and passed on the inside for 7th position. A downed rider brought out the red flag and a re-start was in order with just four laps to go. On the re-start, once again Irnie’s faulty transmission made for a dismal start. He battled with Nick Finkel and Jason McCarty, but ran out of time and settled for 8th position. His fastest lap was a conservative 1:28.572.



Next up was the regularly scheduled 750 Supersport race. One important equipment change was made as Irnie installed used Dunlop DOT tires (Nico's front/ Eli's rear). Having never used this style of tire from Dunlop, this was uncharted territory. Marcel’s knees were swollen and sore by this time, but he did his best to stay on task. He would be starting on the second row with his 600cc machine against the 750cc bikes. Irnie got off to a great start passing John Lippis exiting corner two and grabbing onto 4th spot. Now Marcel was up front with the fastest riders in the WMRRA. Irnie settled in behind Andrew Brackett and did his best to keep him within reach. Irnie drove hard into the corners to keep pace, but his efforts were futile as Brackett's faster 750cc machine would stretch the gap on every straight. Irnie would ride his own race, eventually finishing in 4th spot. This would equal his best-ever USA finish. His fastest lap was a new personal best at 1:27.931. Irnie’s previous 4th place finish was in Round One back in April. The track conditions for that event were cold and damp and his fastest lap was 1:31.763.

Only twenty minutes later was 600 Supersport, Marcel's final race for Saturday. Irnie started in row three in 11th position. Two riders passed on the opening straight, but he was able to gain four positions in corner two. Irnie hung with the main pack for a few laps, but the pain in his knees was becoming a serious distraction. He opted to settle into a conservative pace and simply finish. Irnie took the checkered flag in 8th position with a fastest lap of 1:28.702. After the race, Marcel commented that he was pleased with the performance of the Dunlop DOT tires. “They worked very well; almost as good as slicks, but unfortunately they are wearing very quickly and likely won’t survive another race.”

Sunday's Race VIDEO

The first race on Sunday was 600 Superbike. Early on, Marcel got into a match with Jason McCarty and Nick Finken that would go on for the remainder of the race. With an unusable first gear, Irnie had to use unorthodox methods in lower speed sections of the course. In the bus stop section, other riders would gear down to first and take tight a line through the turn. With Irnie having to take the section in second gear, he had to approach at a much higher speed in a sweeping line to get a decent drive into the next straight. "It was important to stay above 7000rpm to maintain a good exit" Said Marcel. If another rider was blocking his line, he had to move outside and literally jump the curb. Irnie finished in 7th place, just ahead of Finken. His Dunlop rear was now completely bald on the left side. "I first noticed a traction problem in corner two, as I battled with Finkel. I was slipping and sliding like it was raining out."



Next was the 750 Superbike class which was Irnie’s final race of the weekend and final WMRRA event for 2010. Back to the used Friesen family slicks Irnie went. Starting from the third row Irnie had a decent launch claiming 8th position going into corner two. Again Irnie has his challenges against the more powerful 750cc machines. He could catch them on the entrance into the corners, but lose them as they accelerated down the straights. He finished in 7th place. Fastest lap was 1:27.995.

After the busy weekend, Marcel reflected upon his season in the WMRRA series. “A very interesting season to say the least. The competition is extremely good with talented riders. While the racers are competitive, people are glad to help you and happy when you do well. A great racing atmosphere. I just hope I can afford better machinery next year, as I believe I have the preparation, desire and organizational structure to move up a notch or two.

The next event for Irnie Racing is the second last Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association (OMRRA) race of 2010 in Portland on September 25/26.

Irnieracing.com (Marcel Irnie) is sponsored by: AMSOIL Synthetics, Blue Streak Racing, British Columbia Trailer, EBC Brakes, FALCO, Fluid Suspension Science, GoPro, Kreater, Magna-Tech Services, Muller Motorsports, Munro Cylinder Heads, Oneononedesign, Pinnacle Physiotherapy, Seattle Tool, World Gym, and Valley Moto Sport.

 

Always a pleasure to read your write ups...:up:

 

Thanks man. Next write-up and video will be from Portland Oregon. Even better results, pictures and video... ding ding