Well sports fans... Sunday started off to be a lovely day. There was some major overcast but, it seemd like it would burn off towards mid afternoon. We have been dodging rain since Ohio,(forcasted 90% chance of rain) which did not happen. The sky's were filled with sun. At Summit, our first practice started... We started off running with the track cold and lap times where slow.. Towards the end of practice "IT" started... "it" being Drizzle.. No need for panic. It will stop (I hope). We are all sitting in the pit when the drizzle turned to rain... The annoucer declare it an official rain day. Everything got real quiet around the pits.. People were busy changing into their rain tires.. Yes, there are special tires for the rain.. You are suppose to be able to drag your knee in the rain.. I always wanted to try that.. I was looking forward to it... The sky decided to open up.. It felt like we were deep in the rain forest with Forest Gump.. Straight down rain.. Sideways rain.. Even rain that came from the ground up... I mean it was pouring cats, dogs, kitchen sinks, the works... They called a quick riders meeting to adjust the schedule and combine some races and inform you of the slippery points on the track. Summit Point use to have a bad reputation for being slippery even when it was dry and most people wouldn't think of riding it in the rain during that time. Now that they have the new surface things are %100 better. With that said, Summit still had places where it was slick. Turn 3 through 4 were the slickest places on the track.. It gets better.... With the down pour.. There was standing water in Turn 5(Lake Minnatoka) , Turn 8 (Lake Michigan) and some one foot wide 1 to 2 inch deep streams (Mississippi River) crossing the track; 2 in Turn 2 and 1 in Turn 7. They were not there for the pratice session which lasted 3 laps. Someone crashed and caused a Red Flag. Also, the lightening caused a Red Flag because they could not use the P.A. System.. That cause some major down time. We sat in the pits for what seemed like hours waiting for them to either run the races or cancle them. Everyone knew that they would not cancel the races because WERA is not known for refunding the money they spent to get the track for the weekend. It was approx. 1pm when they started the races. Many of the riders had left by then. Even the people that would normaly run the race on the race tires (DOT) didn't want to take a chance of wrecking their bikes. Also, in our practice a guy came pass me like I was sitting still.... I mean he was flying rain and all... When got back to the pits.. I had to ask what the hell.... He just said concentrate... < In my head > What? Use the force to keep the rubber side down? (Will) No, Really how can you go so fast? (Al) I'm just in it man.. You have to concentrate and be smooth. (Will) Whatever.. I was slidding just putting on a little gas.. Wes felt the same way... What started out as me being excited about running in the rain turned out to be a balls check.. My mentor(Roman) and his father showed up on their bikes looking like two big blue condoms..LOL.. Yep.. Die hard riders.. They rode up just to give us support in the rain. I asked him for some advice (Will) What do I do out there? (Roman) Be smooth..Be very smooth... Use one gear taller than you usually run and be smooth on the brakes... You'll be fine... (Will) Is that it? (Roman) Just ride... (Will) Okay... Third call for race three... I had my PCM rig me up something to put around my neck because out during pratice the rain lit my neck up (felt like someone was shooting me with a pellet mahcine gun). She tied a shirt around my neck... <In my Head> ... Lord please let me make it back safe... also give me the balls to try to drag my knee if ony once.. But not so low that I am acually crashing... Off on the warm-up lap... Down the front straight.. this isn't so bad... Here come turn 1... Think gentle... give it a little brake okay fu**it.. grab some brake see what it will do.. Hell you are straight up and down.. If it slides you can recover... GRABBING the brake... It doesn't slide... It's stopping good.. Oh shit... cool... We can do this... lean a little into turn one... on the gas.. What's this two streams in turn 2... No problem.. I have on RAIN TIRES!!!!!... I hit those streams with just a little gas... Let just say I slid both tires about a foot to the left crossing the first stream and another foot to the left crossing the next stream... < in my head > $#^@$@$^^%^$%^&$*%^&*()*)&*)&*& Oh Please... Oh Please... Oh Please... I have lost every bit of courage that I had built up in the warm-up lap.. but wait it get's better.. Now you are approaching turn 3.. No problem, no standing water, no steams to cope with just a nice smooth turn... Yeah right!!!... I got to the apex of three not on the gas and both tires slid a foot and a half.... ZZZZzzzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzRRRRRrrrrRRRRR... Opps hit the throttle a little because the sudden jerk cause me to jump up on the tank damn near.. I felt like this was the one... I am gone... Saved it... Now down into turn 4 like a punk.. I cut the corner coming out of turn five and BAMMMM!!! Lake Minnakota.. I mean it was a lake between turn 5 and 6.. You have to stay far to the right in order to avoid the Lake and instead cross a small stream to get to turn 6. After that ther was a stream in turn 7 and the rest was just wet.... Your at you grid position now... I practiced a couple of launches in the hot pit so I was really confident with launching in the rain.. I Rev'ed that baby up to 9 grand and pop the clutch.. The tire would spin a little and you would take off... I had to get a good launch. I was in row 4 and needed the points.. Okay I was gauranteed some points because there were only 15 (if that) in the race and maybe only 9 of them had rain tires. COOL... <in my head> Self ... Don't Crash... Don't Crash... Gree........ RRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrr off we go.. I am in sixth place off the start... Chris shoots down the inside.. He almost hits Mike in turn 1 but, backs off... < I cover my eyes... That's going to hurt> They both make it.. We are moving pretty good.. They take off.. My heart could not stand the pace they were holding.. I stayed with them for about 2 laps when at the exit of turn 10 I go a little wide and hit the gator stripes... Gator stripes are the curbing on the outside edge of the corner that are painted red and white.. That's right painted... Paint+Wet+Rubber=DANGER.... I hit the stripe... $%&#$&%^&%^*%^ My bike was doing the Happy Feet.... From left to right.. Left to right.... I backed off the throttle and it straightened up... I down shift once and hit the gas... Down the straight ... <I going to have to clean my shorts after that one>... I picked up the pace a little and I am closing in three guys in front of me... I am about 10 yrds back when they enter turn three... ZOOOOOMMMMMMM.... both tires slide out from under the guy two bikes in front of me... The second guy hits the brakes and puts his feet down (still in motion) trying to avoid hitting the riders bike... I hit the brakes ... ONE EYE CLOSE... Partial lean.. tapping the brakes... HEART IS RACING... Turn 3 had a Water Creature in it. The Creature slammed down numerous bikes that day. If you could make it past that creature.. You had to deal with his brother waiting for you in Turn 4 , which claimed the a racer named Al that was leading the C Production race by a half of lap. I ended with a fifth in C Production, Fifth in B Production, and sixth in C Superbike.. I write these stories after every weekend when time permits. I hope you all enjoy them. I have another site that I them and people that don't race can't wait to read them. Thanks again in advance
Sounds like Summit Point (slippery Point) now has better traction in the rain then it did when I raced there in the dry during 1990. It's the only place I could power slide my stock 250 Ninja in the dry. Nice report of your weekend, Bruce www.evilpumpkinracing.com
