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Tucker Lancaster race report: WERA West Las Vegas

Discussion in 'Race Reports' started by TuckerLancaster, Apr 25, 2013.

  1. This weekend, April 20-21 was round 3 and 4 of the WERA West series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and the first race of the 3 week in a row race tour we are on.

    Mike and I loaded up the van late on Thursday and we got to Las Vegas around 4:45 in the morning on Friday. We had a little bit of work to do on the bikes so I missed the first few sessions of practice. I got on track at 11:00. Right off the bat I wasn't feeling very comfortable on the bike. I was riding my "A" bike which we just put brand new K-Tech suspension on and it was way too stiff for me. Barry Wressell from KFG racing wasn't able to make it to the races so we talked to him over the phone and got the bike to work a little better for me. I was feeling very tired from driving all night so I figured that's why I was struggling to go faster. At the end of the day I did not feel prepared to race the next day.

    On Saturday morning I had 4 short practice sessions. I went out in the first session on my "B" bike and that bike was feeling a lot better. The "B" bike also has K-Tech suspension on it but we have had more time on it and tuned it more to where I like it. I was having trouble with the front brake feeling mooshey, so Mike adjusted something and it made the brake feel a lot better. I went out for the next session and going into turn 4 the front brake started to heat up and almost locked up. I pulled off the track and I was right in the impact zone, so if someone would have crashed they would have hit me. I couldn't move, so I decided to wait, let the brake cool off and ride it back in slowly. I figured if I didn't touch the brake then it wouldn't heat up anymore. That wasn't the case, I got back on the track and started going then all of the sudden I'm sliding down the track! The front brake locked up and I tucked the front. I got up and the crash truck came and picked me up. When I got back to the pits I got on the "A" bike and went out for the rest of the session. The bike was feeling a little better, it was still too stiff but it was able to hold its line through some of the turns which it wasn't doing on Friday. I decided that I would race the "A" bike.


    My first race was C (600cc) Superbike. I started on pole and got the holeshot. I led the entire race and won it by the length of the front straightaway. My next race was A (1000 cc)Superstock. I started on the inside of the second row and I got a decent start. I was up to third place by the second turn! I was stuck behind a 1000 that was pulling ahead on the straightaways and then I would catch right back up to him in the turns. It was a pretty frustrating race because I knew I was faster than him but I just couldn't get around him. I ended the race in third place. My last race of the day was C (600 cc) Superstock. I was starting on pole again and I didn't get a very good start. I was in second place going into the first turn. I got around Andre Ochs on the first lap and then started pulling away. It was a pretty boring race after that, and I ended up winning by quite a few seconds. It ended up being a good day with podiums in all of my races, but I still wasn't where I wanted to be with the bike setup and my speed.

    On Sunday I had four practice sessions in the morning and the same 3 races I had on Saturday. I took the "B" bike out in practice and I was feeling pretty good on it so I decided to race that one. I was feeling decent in practice and Mike and my dad said I was looking a lot more aggressive and comfortable which I wasn't doing on Saturday.

    My first race was C (600cc) Superbike which I started on pole again. I got the holeshot again and started to pull away. I had a pretty big gap, but I was still pushing to go faster and faster. On the fifth lap going into turn 4 I got in there a little too deep. I ended up going off the track and I tried using my rear brake to slow me down, but in the dirt it wasn't doing anything. I saw a road that met up with the track. I got on the road right as second and third place were coming out of the 4th turn. There were a bunch of rocks and stuff that was making me do wheelies as I came back on to the track and it was pretty sketchy. I got back on the track right behind second place. I knew I could get around into first pretty easily so I took my time getting my tires cleaned up and making sure everything was good before I pushed it again. I got back around into first place on the last lap on the back straight away. It ended up being a closer and more stressful race than it started out as; I was happy I won it!

    Next I had the A (1000 cc) Superstock race. I started on the inside of the first row this time and was in third going into the first turn. This time I figured out the spots where I was faster than him and I knew where I could get around him. The racer in front of me was slowing me down by about a second a lap but he was doing the same thing as the day before. He would pull away on the straights then I would catch back up in the turns. On the last lap going into the last turn I went up the inside of him. I tried to block him on the straight away but he got by me and when we crossed the finish line we were touching. He got me by 0.04 seconds and I finished in third place. If I had gotten around him earlier I probably would have been able to pull away from him.

    My last race of the weekend was C (600cc) Superstock. I started on pole again and got the holeshot. Jeremy Toye was in this race and he was right on me by the fifth turn. Going into the last turn he passed me up the inside. I knew that I could stay with him and I actually wanted to stay behind him to learn from him. I figured out where I could pass him and we went back and forth a few times. On the last lap I was in second place and I knew if I stayed right on his rear wheel through the last section then I would be able to pass him on the straight away. I did just that, I got a better drive than him and won it by 0.043 seconds. I had a lot of fun racing with Jeremy and I learned a lot from him!

    In the end it wasn't a bad weekend; I left with 4 wins and 2 third places! I still wish I was able to get faster. Mike and I are driving through Arkansas now on our way to Talladega, Alabama for the second WERA National of the season!!

    Thank you to everyone that has helped me out this year; my mom and dad, Pirelli tires, Chris and Corey at CT Racing, Jason Pridmore's Star School, Mike Pascarella, Motorex, Regina, EDR Performance, Cortech, Shoei, FMF, Full Spectrum batteries, KFG Racing, Zero Gravity, Arnette, Drippin' Wet, GB Racing, and Rider's Discount,ODI Grips, Classic Powder Coating.

    Thanks,

    Tucker Lancaster
    Facebook.com/tucker.lancaster.5
     

    Attached Files:

  2. bboynicku

    bboynicku Well-Known Member

    Awesome job!!!
     

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