14-15 April 2001 VA Int'l Raceway, Danville, VA The Pit Queen(Jennilynne), Pit pup(Zeus), and I departed for VIR, and within 17 minutes of our 5-hour journey, a U-Haul truck blew it's motor, and splattered us thoroughly in it's oil. Trying to decide if this was a bad omen or not, we flipped a coin and fate dared us to continue. Arriving at the hotel, our Travelocity.com reservations were nowhere to be found, but luckily rooms were still available. It was going to be a great weekend. Leaving for my first practice session, I was duly reminded by the Pit Queen of the debacles already encountered, and strictly instructed me to return the bike with the same amount of paint that it has now. I also had a fresh, RAM Racewares, Carbon Fiber, Hayabusa-style tail section, that I was not ready to road test, either. But, ignoring the warnings, my AIM MyChron lap timer reflected 1:43's, which was already two seconds faster than last season. Also, I was using some Bridgestone DOT's(grooved tires) leftover from the GNF & ROC of 2000. Later, I swapped them for some just-as-tainted slicks(no grooves), and found my way to a 1:41. After 5 months of aerobic exercise, healthy eating, and reduced alcohol intake, I was ready to go. Too bad I’m not a better mechanic. Saturday: GT Lights - 30 Minute or 20 Lap race. In this race, there are several bikes with larger motors, and other fancy equipment, than the SuperSport(SS) SV650 that I campaign. Having insight to some of these bikes, and the riders that possess them, my goal was simply to be the first stock SV across the finish line. Taking into account that Keener, Nelson, and DiPinto all had SV700s, I was hoping for a 4th or 5th place as MB Motorsport's Robert Fisher was a threat his SS SV. Knowing that I could not keep Keener, and his SV700 behind me, my game plan was to simply follow him for as long as I could, and use his big motor, and butt, to pull me down the long straight, thus giving me a slight advantage over other SV’s that don’t get a draft. On the start, DePinto grabbed get the hole shot, Keener 2nd, and I slipped into 3rd. DiPinto checked out, as Keener was not able to hold the pace. Sticking with my plan, I became Keener's shadow for the next 5 laps. Keener was very strong on the straights, but I assessed that his skirt was blowing into his face coming down the "Roller Coaster", and he wasn't able to brush it away, until the exit of the "Hog Pen". (These two names are given to the last two, very fast and curvy sections of the track, prior to the front straight.) This was very fortunate for me, as I could draft him for the first one hundred yards or so, then he would open a large gap by the finish line, but I would close it up under braking for Turn 1. There I would resume my shadow status for the 15 turns. Shortly after the halfway flag, Nelson drafted past me on his Superbike as well. Fortunately, he had Keener to contend with, and I was now able to draft behind both of them for a lap or two. Coming into Turn 1, I was setting Nelson for a pass under braking maneuver. As I grabbed the brake lever, I attempted to downshift. Immediately, I felt the bike NOT slowing down. It was the feeling of careening down a mountain with a truck in Neutral. I attempted to downshift again, but realized that the motor was no longer engaged, thus not offering any assistance in decreasing my speed. It was up to only my fresh set of EBC HH racing pads to get the job done. I squeezed tight, but had to release as I shot of the end of the pavement and onto the red, VA clay. Exiting the pavement, I was probably still in the 70-90MPH range. The tire barrier was way off in the distance, but I knew my ability to brake was greatly reduced, as slicks on clay don’t equal very high on the friction scale. I eased on the rear brake lever, and the rear tire slid and bounced, first to the right, then to the left, and eventually I had to release the brake to keep the bike from tossing me like a rag doll from a rodeo bull. After about 3/4 of the way to the barrier, I had a flashback of Roebling Road Turn 7, where I broke my collarbone on the tire wall. I could feel the panic blanket my body, as I began feathering the front brake, in concert with the rear, to ease myself to a stop. With just feet to spare, I locked the rear brake, and slid the tail end parallel with the barrier, and leaned the bike against it. Upon stopping, a puff of smoke billowed from underneath me, so I hit the 'Off' switch, and fled. Anytime I go off the track, my first fear is that someone behind me will find it so amusing, that they will attempt to follow me. Not wanting to be in harms way, I always try to head for safety as quickly as possible. In this case I leaped onto the tire wall, and began the "Tire Wall Dance". For those of you not familiar with this dance, it usually has at least 3 steps. The first is the dazzling 'Hop'. Imagine a lumbering idiot, wearing a restrictive, leather tutu, possessing zero athletic ability resulting in a limited vertical leap. Of course, they attempt to scale the entire wall, with this one leap, which is usually 4 to 5 tires high. The second movement in this piece is the stack of tires compressing from the weight of the beer-bellied ballerina, and the third is the flailing of the legs, arms, elbows, and knees in a frantic attempt to prevent landing head first in either the next row of moldy, water-filled tires, or on the hard ground behind it. Today being so close to Easter, Our Lady of Immaculate Horsepower(OLIH) intervened, as she guided me down, safely, behind the wall, with both feet underneath me. I turned around to wave to the corner workers, who already had already tallied their scores. They must have been impressed as I received an stunning set of 9.9, 9.8, and 10.0 for my dirt routine and dismount.(I think it was the German judge who gigged me for a slight wobble on landing.) Assuming, that the loss of engine power, and final puff of smoke were the end of this motor, I began to ponder how to procure another stock SV motor, prior to next weekend’s Suzuki Contingency event at Summit Point. Aren't racers sick? We've just survived a harrowing experience, and we're already calculating how to do it again. After riding in on the crash truck, Rick Beggs, of Fast Lane Cycles, came over to check on my misfortune. I described the symptoms to him, and then Rick placed his finger on the front sprocket, and spun it like a pinwheel. "There's your problem!”, he proclaimed. And, as he returned to his pit, he shook his head, and wondered how he ever became involved with my racing efforts. Once again, a $0.20 piece of metal, this one designed to prevent the front sprocket nut from coming loose, was not installed properly, and it almost resulted in my demise. In the end, DiPinto's motor grenaded, with only a couple of laps remaining, (Later, Keener showed an impressive bruise on his bicep from the result of airborne engine parts.) Nelson also found his way to a soil sample, which left Keener in first, Fisher in 2nd, and I would probably have either been 3rd, or involved with Nelson's crash. Regardless, I spent the rest of the afternoon repairing some various odds and ends damaged during my skirmish. Sunday - LW SuperBike - 7 Laps The LW SuperBike race is a 7-lap version of GT Lights, as most of the same bikes are involved. My concern for this season is the SuperSport race, as it is the one that my bike is the most competitive. My plan for this race was similar to the last, except that I wanted to practice getting the hole shot, then to try to follow Robert Fisher, as he would be my competition for LW SS. So, I wanted to see if he had anything to show me, and I also had installed a fresh set of Pirelli Corsas, and wanted to make sure I had the suspension adjusted correctly. Whenever starting a race, I usually will rev the motor to about 6.5k, and feather out the clutch. This time, I got brave, and revved it to 9k. When the green flag flew, I launched the front wheel slightly in the air, but stayed on the gas, and even shifted into 2nd. I can imagine that I had quite a death grip on the right handlebar, as it rotated on the fork, pinning my thumb against the gas tank.(My Vortex Handlebars have 3 bolts, and they either came loose during practice, or I possess superhuman strength.) I immediately pulled off to the right, and threw up my left hand, signaling to everyone that I was out of the race. Although I did get to practice a killer start, my time behind Robert Fisher, and suspension testing would have to wait. -=-=-=- Sunday - , LW SuperSport - 7 Laps It was finally here, the race I'd been waiting for all day, was about to run. With the front sprocket nut tight, the handlebar readjusted and tightened, and every other bolt I could think of safety wired, siliconed, or duct-taped(Twin cylinder engines are known for their vibrations, but I was getting really tired of dropping out of races.), I was ready. Also, the ambient temperature had been dropping, and rain fell sporadically. Fearing the slick conditions, I also loosened the suspension, but not enough to cause problems, in case it stayed dry. Due to the cold, I took precautions by taking extra time to warm up the bike. Nothing could go wrong now! I pulled the bike up to the hot pit, and there was a delay, due to some wildlife that had ran onto the circuit. I don't know why I did, but I shut off the bike. I always tell myself to not shut off a running bike, because it will never start again. But I had this one beat. I'd been using a Battery Tender for the entire weekend, keeping the battery at peak charge. When the whistle blew, signaling for us to take our warm-up lap, the bike wouldn't start! The starter cranked, but not enough to turn over the motor. Screaming obscenities into my helmet, I feverishly pushed the bike forward, in hopes of bump starting it. I was not about to add a DNS to my pending hat-trick of DNF's! It refused to start, not once, but three times. Insane with anger, I mashed the starter button, and swore to either start it, or kill the battery. OLIH continued her blessings, and allowed the bike to fire, and I tore down the tarmac. --- Some of the same players were in this race as before, but they had run several other races that I had not. I was counting on some of them being sore, or physically and mentally tired. I wanted the hole shot, and I wanted nothing short of 2nd place. For the start, I revved to 10k, feathered the clutch, and fought for first place. Fisher and DiPinto must have practiced more, as they arrived to Turn 1, just before I did. Immediately, I could tell that DiPinto was not riding as well as he had before, but managed to hold me at bay, and prevent me from shadowing Fisher. At the end of the first lap, entering the front stretch, DiPinto bobbled, and I easily drafted past. Using that momentum, I was able to shoot up beside Fisher. I grinned from ear to ear, as did a classic, cartoon double-take, and his eyes popped out of his head. At 130MPH, don't try this at home. My hope was to startle him, not to cause him to crash, but instead unnerve him into using his concentration to focus on me, and not the track. Unfortunately, Fisher is a great rider, and didn’t succumb to my tactic, and he simply rode off into the sunset. So much for plan A, now what? Plan B: Finish 2nd. After the halfway flag, I began checking behind me to see if anyone was there. I was in the clear, as long as I stayed upright, and got through the lapped traffic. The suspension change became an issue, as the track was completely dry, and the fast speeds resulted in some front-end chatter in the faster turns. On the last lap, I came upon two amateur riders playing 'Follow-the-leader', which clogged the narrow passing area. To make matters worse, there was a WAVING(meaning no passing) yellow flag, that prevented me from dissecting the conjoined pair. I had seen the waving flag two laps prior, and wondered why it was there. Since I had some time to kill, I focused on the cause, and saw a bike leaned against the tire wall. Although I appreciate the concern, it is this author’s opinion that a STANDING yellow, allowing passing, would probably have sufficed. Although the thought crossed my mind to ignore the safety regulation, I was not about to loose my finish by ignoring the rulebook. Anyway, I felt the seconds tick by until I could get passed the two. I felt the target on my back glowing a brighter red and passed the two on the straight under the bridge. After the bridge, I charged up the hill, and saw another lapper. I rolled my eyes and thought that this is the only obstacle between the checkered flag and me. I arrived too late to safely pass him in the essess, so I would have to wait until the short breaking zone entering the Roller Coaster. Typically, under braking, where a rider has to turn in, they will underestimate the turn, and begin to turn in too soon. What this allows, is for an overtaking rider to pass the lapper on the outside of the turn, and get through safely. Attempting to pass slower riders on the inside of a turn, will usually result in the lapper, coming in too soon, removing the 12” of pavement you were aiming. When we entered the braking zone, I made my move for the outside, but so did he. I gave way putting my tires on the edge between clay and traction. He kept coming, and I questioned if he actually had any plans for making the turn, or if he was opting to run wide for some unknown reason. Contact was imminent, and I continued to brake hard. In a flash, my brake lever jammed on his handlebar, fortunately not snapping off, and it locked up my front brakes. I've never heard the skid of the front tire before, but as it did, my mind flashed to Steve Rapp at Road America. (View this movie to see what I'm talking about: http://www.sportbikes.net/movies/movies/rapp2.ram) But, OLIH decided that I had suffered enough, and she let us both stay upright. As I used every remaining inch of the pavement, I saw the red dust kick up around me. The bike slid, but I completed the turn, and the lapper, not doubt startled, and probably very upset with me, allowed me in front of him. Fearing slippery soot on my tires, I eased down the hill, rode very gingerly through "Hog Pen", which resulted in a very bad drive onto the straight. I again hoped that everyone else was having lapper troubles, and I gritted my teeth as I stared at the waving checker ahead. But that was the last I would see of it, as my vision was blocked by not one, but two bikes overtaking me, and passing me just prior to the stripe, filling the last two podium spots. -=-=-=-=-=- I need to thank the following people for getting me through this weekend: VIR, Cornerworkers, Crash Truck, and Medical Staff CCS Officials Fast Lane Cycles RAM Racewares EBC Brakes JB & Trackside Supply MW Services Sisson Landscapes SpeedWerks The Plastic Doctor Todd Funkhouser Jennilynne Guthridge Bill Siewert Brian & Laura (Granato) Roach Romeo Carelli Amr Alkateeb -=-=-=-=-=- Injury Fund Activities Griff, the track announcer, did a wonderful job of plugging the Injury Fund Raffle over the P.A., giving all of the supporters plenty of air time by mentioning them, and the products they have donated. We also passed out flyers at the rider's meeting, and sold a few tickets at the track. We hope that you will take a moment to visit our website, or to send us your donation. Please visit http://www.TightSqueezeRacing.org/Raffle.htm for more information. Only 2 Months left until the $5000 drawing!
