(3/19/06) I just walked in from a weekend of racing. I'm still pumped! This was the first race of the season for me (I decided not to race at Talledega GP Raceway back in February - not to be confused with Talladega International Speedway of "drive fast in formation and turn left" fame down the road a little further). During that race weekend it was too cold and I found out today that it actually snowed enought for the officials to cancel the last race of the weekend there. This last weekend we raced at Roebling Road Raceway just outside of Savanah, GA. For a season opener, I had a very good weekend. In fact, I had the best weekend of racing ever. I took a last place in the first race because instead of being a truent and cutting the Rider's Meeting like I should have done, I went and I was still getting my new tires mounted when the green flag waved and went out two laps late. And I crashed out of my last race of the day (F2). Some guy passed me on an FZR400 going into turn one and I shadowed him for a lap, finally reeling him in going into turn 4. But he made a mistake and closed too fast on a little GP125 bike in front of him. I had been watching him the previous lap and as I rounded T3 I saw he was about to get caught behind the little smoker and I had chosen a line slightly wider setting them both up for a pass coming out of that turn. Suddenly he grabs a handful of brake which picks his bike up taking my line away in an instant and leaving me two choices; stand it up, run off and crash (we're doing about 70 or so maybe), or plow into his rear wheel. Either way I figure I'm going to crash. Endangering others is not the way to go; I stood it up and crashed hard. So far I only have aches and pains. The bike was not so blessed. I intend to repair it to as near pre-crash condition as I can. Besides, I've got to race again next weekend at Jennings. BTW: Those of you who like the oft-repeated pholosophy of "If you aren't crashing you're not trying hard enough", well you can keep it. I tried it. Again. This time at about 70 or so and it sucks! I'll stick with a pholosophy that's my personal favorite: "You've got to finish to win." It's a whole lot less painful and expensive! And when teamed with my other favorite words of wisdom: "Old age and treachery will overcome youth and enthusiasm everytime" - it gets results! But it was far from all bad news this weekend. As I said above, all in all I had a very successful race weekend. I took a 2nd, a 4th and a 6th finish in three of the previous four races. As you can probably see, I'm fairly pumped up about it. Up to now I've never done better than third. And to win that 2nd place (LWT Superbike Novices) I had to beat a grid of 13 people. Yes, that's right, you read it right; 13 riders. "We don neeeeeeeed no stinkin' mercy plaques here no more gringo!" What'll really get your goat is: A) I was gridded on a row in the teens on that race and B) I actually lead the race for an unknown number of laps and about 1/2 of the last lap! I can still hold my head high though, the guy that beat me is Payton Sassaman. Payton who is something like 15 or 16 already holds an AMA Pro flattrack license if I got the story right. I caught him by out braking him going into T1. It was one of those life-changing moments. You know the ones I mean - where you've gotten yourself into a terrifying situation and you don't think you're going to make it out without great pain and trauma, and possibly soiling your bloomers. I saw that he went a little wide and I just threw the bike towards the apex at what seemed a rediculous speed. And miraculously, I managed to thrash the living crap outta the bike with my big carcass on it (Sassaman is about 5' 5" and weighs maybe 130 soaking wet to my 220) and take him up the inside. I kept the lead till I went too wide out of six and he squirted by me going into T7. He didn't leave me an opportunity to get back by him before the Start/Finish line two turns later and I had to take second. Little did I know how close behind me the whole time Chris Slay was too. I went down to the Sassaman paddock and congratulated both boys. And with both Cliff and Tripp Nobles in attendance, the pleasure was purely mine. The Sassaman boys are a couple of great kids and they're already fast and getting faster. And with folks like the Sassamans, Cliff and Tripp (what can you do on two wheels that Tripp hasn't already done better) in their corner how can they not be successful? I look forward to racing them this season, but I'm probably going to recognize them only from behind by October. I look forward to seeing them Sunday and someday I hope to see them on the podium at Road Atlanta AMA Superbike race in the not too distant future. What a great bunch of guys and gals I'm priviledged to race with. And thanks to WERA as well who run the best (and only) racing program I've ever had the pleasure to be a part of.
