Started the "weekend" off w/ a busy night at work wed. Didn't get home till 12:30 and couldn't sleep. (I usually suffer bad insomnia a few days before a race) Slept through my alarm. Arrived at the track around 10:30 as Tim was getting ready to go out for his first (full) practice. Some things weren't ready on the bike and he only made 3 laps in his first practice. The bike was geared way too short and Tim missed the next group while sprockets were being changed. When he came in, his boots had oil on them. There were a few tablespoons in the bellypan along w/ a small allen bolt that looked very much like a valve cover bolt. Not surprisingly, the leak was traced to the valve cover.(the head was gone through after putnam) Got everything together just in time for lunch so no am practice for me. Finally got out onto the track after lunch and was a totall mess. My first lap out, I almost ran off the inside of t4,5,6 and 7 before I woke up and started to ride the bike. Watched Wrenn pull away from me effortlessly as I floundered around trying to wake up and ride the bike properly. After 3 or 4 laps, I started to get things sorted out, but was having a hard time getting into t1. I've always been good on the brakes, but I was finding myself braking before the first marker. Best lap was a 1:40. Definitely off the pace, but not as bad as I felt I was going. Tim went out and put in some 36's in the next session. There was a red flag in the novice 750 group that took the last ambulance so the track was down again. I took a nap and woke up when they were giving 1st call for the novice 750's to go back out. Unfortunately, it was 3:45 and I had to be on the road by 4:00 to make it to Durham for a gig w/ Sleeping Booty. I left the track feeling rather upset w/ myself for having too many committments and had a long discussion w/ Wendy on the way to the gig about priorities. Anyone paly the trumpet? I need a sub! I wasn't feeling the greatest when I got to the show, but music is good medicine and by the end, I was kicking it Booty style! The crowd was smaller than we had expected, only 2-300 people, but the promoter was very happy and wants us to play another one later in the summer. On the way back to the track, I called Sharon to find out where the hotel was and found out that Mike had gone out in "my" session and highsided himself into the emergency room! What at first appeared to be a dislocated thumb and a few cracked ribs, turned out to be a punctured lung and though he was fine and resting, he was going to be in the hospital for 3 days for observation. Not the greatest of news, but Sharon told us that the bike wasn't bad and to go on and get some rest so we could make the best out of friday. Wendy and were dead-dog tired and did just that. Got to the track around 7:45 to find that Joey and Debbie had the bike ready to go and had even put orange tape over all of the scratches and fixed any sponsors logos that were damaged in the crash. Very dedicated crew. I got to go out first in the 600 expert group and took to the track w/ a vengance. I was finding my lines well and feeling much better than yesterday when I over cooked it going into t1( at least I was braking at the 6 now...) and ran off between 1+2. I always feel a little embarassed when I do something stupid like that, but also thankful that I kept it on 2 wheels. No one was timing me, but I felt that I was probably doing 38's or so. I got the first part of the endurance practice and ran off the track again, this time in t5. No big deal, I'm getting kind of used to riding that big pig in the dirt!! Though I was feeling a lot better, Tim and I both felt that the bike was a bit truckish and hard to get through the esses. We didn't want to make any changes w/out practice and decided to leave the suspension alone for the race. More bad news during lunch when we find out that trackside didn't have any more green fronts left. We were planning on changing both tires at the 2 hr mark, but decided to change the rear at 2 and the front at front at 3 w/ a blue(softer) if we felt we needed to. Tim and I both aggreed that running 90 min w/ the bike steering so heavy would be a chore and decided to run 60min stints instead. Playing the anthem was a little bit tough as I pretty much had to blow out my lip the night before, but I held a little back and managed to crack only a few notes. Tim got a good start and held 5th place for 4 or 5 laps before Ricky Ford(hah! this time Tim gets to play with him!) got by. I could tell Tim was holding something back as he was running consistent 37-38's. He was concerned w/ how fast the crew could change tires w/ out Mike there and was hoping to make them last. A red flag at the 50min mark, brought everyone in and I suited up. During the break, Tim confirmed that he was pacing himself and the equipment. Though we all hate red flags, this one was helping our effort as the minutes ticked by waiting for the re-start. We both agreed that, at this point, it made the most sense to try to go the full distance w/ no tire changes. As I went out to the bike, I took a look at the tires and they were in excellent shape. I got a great launch from the inside of row five and was up into 4th going into t1. Unfortunately, I was boxed in on the inside and had to brake really early and left t2 in around 10th! I settled down very quickly and (as usual) started passing back some of the faster starters when the red flag came out again. This time the delay was much longer as a bike had oiled the track and caught fire. Spirits were high in the pits as I sat around, staying cool and hydrated. Now we could definitely go full distance w/ out changing tires so we knew we were in w/ a shot of keeping our podium streak alive. On the second re-start, I had a terrible launch, too many rpms, but made sure to drift over to the left before going into t1 and managed to get out of t2 in around 7th. I saw Ricky Ford ahead and took off, trying to catch him. He was having a good battle w/ someone on a 600 that was letting me reel them in when I remembered to check the fuel light. Uh, oh. It was blinking and I wasn't sure for how long. I started running a gear higher everywhere and signaled to come in. Next lap bye, there was no "in" board so I signaled louder. (BIG hand on helmet gesture) 3rd time around, they gave me an "in" board and the light went solid. I made it in and was told that Tim wasn't ready. No problem, I'd only run about 10 laps and wasn't close to being tired, so I went right back out. Amazing thing how much 7 gallons of gas can change the way a bike feels. 42lbs, up high on the bike, takes a little extra effort to flick side to side. I re-adjusted my riding and went back to buisness. I stayed out for another 45min, running 37-39's, when they pulled me back in to let Tim finish out the race. I entertained thoughts of ignoring the board as I was still having too much fun, but Sahron was the one holding(it doesn't pay to piss off the boss!!) the board and she saw me see it so I brough it in. There was about 50 min left in the race when I came in. Tim Stayed out, running the same times I did, until a 3rd red flag, w/ aprox 20min left on the clock, ended the race. Results: 2nd in class, 6th overall. Because of all of the red flags, we were a record best, 1 lap down from the leaders. Again, we weren't the fastest, but we stayed out of the pits and kept the handlebars off of the ground(at least in the race). I didn't check the timing sheets, but I think my best was a high 36. I'd sort of hoped for lower as I put in 38's here last year on an sv650, but I'm not really dissapointed as many of the people that were faster than me ended up on the ground. Hopefully, my times will be more competitive when we go to rrr and tgpr, both tracks that I have raced thousands of laps in the past 8 years. I must say that I'm extremely happy w/ my and the teams progress so far. It's great to be on such an up-beat team w/ a great family atmosphere. It's great having a team-mate that runs similar times as well. Tim and I have different styles and make our time in different places on the track, but usually end up putting in identical times though hisare uaually more consistent.( he definitely gets around slower traffic better) I want to give a big shout out to the crew, Joey, Debbie, Jeff, Sharon and Mike ( get well soon!!) and of course our sponsors: Pirelli tires, Trackside Supply, MKC Enterprises, Silkolene, Vesrah, and Lockhart Phillips Racing. Also my Sponsors: Waraji Japanese Restaurant, NCSpeeder.com, Pit bull, MRA Racing and Traxxion Dynamics. CU in Georgia!! Mark
thanks guys for keeping us on our toes it was fun even though we didn't get to play I would like to thank once again Cycle therapy team for letting me ride. I'm starting to get the hang of the 1000 with the 8 gallon tank we will have fun at rrr. looking foward to it Ricky
Ricky, don't get too comfortable on that big gsxr, I can barely keep up as it is!! Definitely looking forward to the next 10hrs of racing! Toe?!?
Excellent job on the anthem Mark, even if you did crack a few notes. It was great hear it played the way it should be. Hell, I have a hard time singing that song, let alone playing it. Thanks for sharing that with all of us.
Thanx, I'll be playing it at all of the nationals and a few vintage races too. I'm working on a way to "jazz" it up w/ out offending anyone. Maybe you'll hear the new version at rrr.
Don't take offense to this but I for one am sick of everyone "jazzing" it up. I love to hear it the way it was intended. I'm tired of the wailing and crap that so many do when they get the chance to sing it. I think it is more respectful to play or sing it as it was written. And by the way You did just fine. I don't know if you are a pro musician but I would rather hear a few cracked notes then the way Steven Tyler did it at Indy a few years ago.
RRtard, thanks for the input. Please note, I said "w/out offending anyone", and I AM a pro.(thank god it's not my only source of income!!) I think it's disrespectful to butcher an anthem w/ wailings and ad libs, but a few tasteful turns and grace notes wouldn't be out of place. I'd be surprised if anyone noticed the difference between how I played the song at vir and how I'm planning to play it at rrr next week. I started playing the anthem 3 years ago at select events. This year, I've committed to playing at all of the races.(that I'm at) It's nice to hear a little constructive criticism, so please, keep the comments coming!!
