92nd Loudon Classic #508 Sav Race Report - RSP Racing

Olympus Racing · Jun 23, 2015

my 3rd Loudon Classic, the way i really fell in love with racing…

the Loudon Classic is the oldest motorcycle road - race held in the United States. This year it was the 92nd Annual Loudon Classic and for me as a racer it was my 3rd one.. so 3 years ago during the 90th Annual Classic RSP-Racing and my new friends who became family invited me to join them to a 3hour endurance race. I was 25 years old, it was my first ever race weekend as an Amateur racer, I was on a 1988 Hawk and these guys (and most importantly Michael Weyant) trust me with a Spears Power Suzuki SV650 SuperBike, a bike that I set up my personal best the first time i ever rode to a race that made me love racing more than anything. So this event for me will always hold a special place in my heart.

I arrived at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway Wednesday afternoon, after DEFEATING the useless MA State trooper who had issued me one of the most ridiculous tickets ever and although the ticket was only $100 and it cost me more in time and court fees to appeal it, it was a principle thing. So I left the courthouse like a gladiator who just survived in one of the toughest arenas and headed to the place that really matters to me, the racetrack. Upon arriving I noticed the lack of traffic around this time of the year since the classic takes place the same time as the Laconia Bike Week. The track itself was pretty empty as well. I met up with my good friend and teammate Mike Kurtz and we took our sweet time unloading all our stuff (i think it took us something like 5 hours lol).
We hung out for a while and went to bed early after some more teammates arrived and we set up the garage.

Thursday:
Simple day for me, I was just planning on riding around in practice and getting a good feel of the bike and remember the track a bit. Pretty uneventful. Consistent times in the 20s and stayed incident free although there were several bad crashes. The rest of the teammates arrived. I enjoyed a great dinner with some amazing people and went to bed early after I threw some fresh Pirellis on the Kawasaki.

Friday:
I had two races… two LONG races for the day. I was in the first race in GTL and the last one the Endurance Race!

Race #2 - GTL
I was gridded in the 3rd row, i got an ok start with a small wheelie and I went into T1 in the 4th place. Right away David Dayon, Bill Cool and John Grush passed me. I was able to stuck with the front runners for the first 7 laps keeping them all in sight and holding a stead distance from them. after that I got very tired and all of a sudden my good friend Sam Greenwood #228 passed me going into the bowl. The rest of the race was long battle between Sam and I and probably 20 position exchanges. I am faster into T1, T3, and T9, and he is faster in T6 and T11-12. I always have great battles with Sam and close racing, yet I trust him 100% and we always keep our passes as safe as possible to each other. I noticed he got really tired on the last lap and I was ready to get him into T11 only for the red flag to end the race with one lap to go. Sam turned a 1:23 on that last lap while I did a 1:21 so that extra lap would have been in my favor but thats racing and I am glad it was Sam who was ahead of me at least and not someone else :P

I ended up in 7th place with a best lap of: 1:20.105

Race #8 - Endurance Race
RSP once again participated in the famous LRRS Endurance Race. Our team was Adam Butler #820 and his solid 2nd Gen Suzuki SV650, Kyle Reese #609 to fill our Amateur spot (and he did a pretty damn amazing job), Bill Cool #47 because he is sexy and fast, and me Savvas Kosmidis #508. Adam went out first and turn some very consistent laps, Kyle went out second and turned some amazing laps for over 45’, managed to impress all of us with his performance and stamina, Bill went out 3rd and it was my turn to ride the last leg. I got on the SV that I haven’t ridden since last year’s endurance race, take off and put my head down, coming in hot in T3 i attempt to brake and i realize how much farther the brake lever is on Adam’s bike comparing to mine, combination of rear brake and praying saved the shit show and I continued to ride. Coming out of T6 I feel the rear stepping out aggressively… hmmm maybe i got on the gas too hard, coming out of T12 same thing, coming out of T2 even worse… what the hell is going on? Am I riding that bad? I try to be as smooth as I can and I ride for 53 minutes non stop!

We got a well deserved 2nd place in the LightWeight Class and 5th overall for the race!
After the race I see a completely destroyed rear tire on the SV and Bill tells me that the tire had started to slide while he was still riding it!!! Oh well, we somehow made it.

Saturday:
I had only one race and thank God for that. I was completely drained and exhausted from riding over 1hour the day before.

Race #1 - Thunderbike - Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQooMfOb39g
I was gridded in 2nd row on the B spot. I got a bad start where I wasnt able to click 2nd gear after a crappy wheelie and wine in T1 in 11th place (bummer). I put my head down and started picking off riders as quick as possible. Got by Brady Ward #122 on the brakes in T3 right away and Harlan Hildebrand #52 (why does he have double digit numbers again?) in the same Turn on the next lap. and now i was stuck behind 947 Joseph Scalnon who I have no idea who he is but he was taking some very weird and inconsistent lines. I finally get by him on the brakes in T1 but he held me off enough for others to catch up to me and the leaders to completely take off. Now I am behind Sam Witham #215. Sam rides well and we switch places a couple of times. I pass him in T4, he passes me in T6. I pass him on the straight he passes me in T1. I pass him on T3 and blow it he goes under me in T4. Then going into the bowl Brad Erling #313 goes around me and gets between Sam and I. I pass both of them in the front straight and hold my spot for a while. Coming out of T10 and into T11 Scott G and Eric Wood lap and I wasnt expecting that and now #313 follows them and passes me as well. I get him right back in the straight but he pulls the same move in T6 (where I clearly need a lot of work) and he manages to hold that until the end of the race. Great battles all around and the most competitive race i had all weekend.

I ended up in 8th place with a best lap of 1:19.980 (best lap of the weekend)

The rest of the Saturday night is filled with the incredible Cookout that we threw to raise money for the Karen Hornbecker fund. It was a total success and besides the great amount that was raised, it made me very happy to see so many racers hang out and have a good time. I went to bed completely exhausted and anticipated the rain for the next day…

Olympus Racing · Jun 23, 2015

Sunday:
Woke up to the sound of rain on the ambulance, but i was expecting that. Sunday was my busy day with 3 races. I skip practice and try to figure out the proper tyre set up. I brought the loyal Suzuki SV650 SuperSport with me once again and it was already set up with Pirelli Rain Tires. Now it is 20 minutes before my race, the rain stops and the sun comes out. I can already see from the garage that T4 and T9 are completely dry. I decide to play it safe and go out on rains on the SV even if that means burning them completely.

Race #1 - LightWeight SuperBike
I was gridded in 2nd Row on the C spot. I was so excited to ride the SV again. It’s been since Daytona last October that I was on it. I got an awesome start (the only kind I get on the SV) and went in T1 in 3rd or 4th place, flip for T1A and the SV turns VERY DIFFERENT than the Kawasaki, crap, few people go by me. I get stuck behind Sam Witham #215 again, we battle for a while but with two laps two go on a completely DRY track my rain rear is complete toast. I almost high side to the moon coming out T12 and then again out of T2. Next lap my teammate Adam Butler passes since I slide out of T12 again and puts me in 6th place where I actually finished the race. Riding the SV again felt amazing. That bike is perfectly set up, how could it not though since the previous owner was Bill Tanz… Great feedback at all times, amazing turn in ability and holding its line PERFECT! it made me realize ALL the things the kawasaki is doing WRONG.. we have a lot of work to do to properly set that bike but I have the best people in my corner so I am not going to worry just yet…

I ended up in 6th place with a best lap of: 1:24.717

Race #3 - SuperTwins - Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgej4_1g4bQ
I was gridded in 2nd Row on the A spot.I got a good start but the more powerful bikes and a crappy line in T1 made me go in T1 in 6th place where I actually stay for the entire race. It was a very lonely race but I was back on the Kawasaki and i was trying to focus on my riding and what the bike is telling me. What I learned was that it has a lot of power and great brakes but geometry and set up is terrible. The bike is nearly impossible to turn in, it doesn’t hold its line, i don’t get any feedback and i don’t know how to fix it YET… again very uneventful and lonely race.

Ended up in 6th place with a best lap of 1:23.5

Race #5 -LightWeight Grand Prix
I was gridded in 3rd on the C spot. I got a mediocre start was able to follow Bill Cool and Sam Greenwood for a while until the “R5”s of John Grush #70 and Gerald Randall #584 passed me on the straight got between us. I pretty much followed them around for the rest of the race unable to make a pass stick.

I ended up in 13th place with a best lap of: 1:21.5

Overall the weekend was great. I had some very serious personal problem that were taking up a lot of space in my mind, but the track is the one place I can forget it all and be truly happy and relaxed. I got some great results and some results I am not very happy about. But the most important part was that I had a lot of fun doing it, spent a lot of time with people I love and care about, I worked for a great cause and I learned so much about my bikes, suspension set up and differences between bikes.

I want to thank all the corner worker and track staff who put in the extra work in this very long weekend with crazy weather conditions.

Massive thank you to all my sponsors for their great support and for having faith in me:
Alexander Academy, Butler Performance Machining, Meze Greek Tapas & Grille, DNA High Performance Filters, Dyno Solutions, SportBike Track Gear, Bell Helmets, AXO Racing Gear, Souhegan Valley Motorsports & Scott Mullin, Spears Racing, Woodcraft, TechnoMoto Racing LTD, Pirelli Tires, Tony’s Track Days, 434 Racer, Brunetto T-Shirts, Computrack Boston, Vortex Racing, GoPro Cameras.

Tons of love to my team and garage mates! #RSP RACING! and thank you to all my supporters and friends out there, you guys for reading my adventures and being part of this.

Last but not least all of you who make this the most amazing adventure of my life. It was great to see the stands full of spectators, tons of people around the garages asking to take pics of bikes and enjoying racing. The ones who follow my racing and support in any way, shape or form, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU <3

Sav #508

photos:

Always loyal

2nd Place in LightWeight Endurance Class

Fresh Pirelli Rubber

Not so fresh pirelli rubber

Twinning & Winning