5/10/94
Racer X had a very good season last year. Keeping his eyes on the Prize he rode for the regional championships on inferior equipment, putting in solid rides that keep him in the point chase rather than crashing. It was a classic retelling of the poor tortoise vs. the rich hare story.
Despite having new equipment in '93 Racer X was able to get quickly up to speed last year by sorting the details out. For example after a few short laps the bike would break up running down the straight. After thinking the problem was jetting Racer X finally discovered that the fuel petcock had become jammed with particles. The float bowls wouldn't go dry until he started to put in fast laps, just at the same moment that the temp gauge would start to get warm. Even though the pistons had a few seasons on them, and were notorious for being manufactured inconsistently, they ran the whole season without failure. In fact the bike worked as good as it possible could have given its current start of tune. Still Racer X was down on power, he wanted the quick fix for lap times that all racers covet.
Being under powered, Racer X rode carefully and consistently. When something was to be gained he would dig a little deeper, and take a few more chances. When nothing was to be gained he would quietly finish the race getting points if not he win. It all paid off and Racer X won two regional championships.
Racer X felt confident that with just a little more power he could hold off the competition in 1994. A review of equipment was made...want ads were scanned...engine magicians were called. Racer X finally found a new bike for '94. Tweaked a little harder, this one was for sale for practically less than the value of the parts that hung in its hulking motor. The perfect solution for the straight away blues Racer X thought, and at a price that was a steal. With the proceeds from selling his '93 bike it look on paper as if he would spend less money than if he modified his current bike to give him the power he lusted for.
At the first outing the motor spun a rod bearing when oil pressure was partially lost due to a leaking fitting. Fortunately Racer X didn't go down. The engine was torn down, more calls were made, and a builder was found. The freshly rebuilt engine was picked up in NJ five days before the first points race. In this second outing the engine slipped it cylinder liner, voiding its cooling passageways of coolant into the crankcase. Mercifully when it happened it was quickly discovered before dire damage was done. Fortunately another bike was borrowed and some points were gotten. Back to the builder the engine went. The errant liner was reseated, only to slip twice more during dyno runs. For a second time the rebuilt engine was picked up. This time it was only two days before the second round in the points chase. Upon start up low oil pressure was observed, and the exhaust pipe for the errant cylinder glowed angrily red in the hot Thursday evening. With a blinding rage all Racer X could do was drive to the track on Sunday and ask around for a ride with one syllable words. Again a borrowed bike was found for Sunday to obtain points, and again Racer X rode with a measure of control.
To date Racer X has used more money, effort and sponsors patience trying to defend his two titles than he did getting them last year. Could this have been avoided by better machining of the cylinder castings or liners? Was it a by-product of the engine developing more power than it was designed to? Or was the builder just a hack? As the level of competition is raised in the class one can't help but wonder how far off the pace Racer X would have been on last years bike. In the middle of the night the highway mile markers flash by Racer X as he drives to and fro the engine builder. He wonders this also.
What lessons can we learn from Racer X? Is it easier to start twisting your throttle sooner coming off a corner, or cause your engine to pull harder when you twist it later? Racer X was doing fine when he was concentrating on what he does best...twisting it sooner. When you spend money on your engine are you really solving your racing problems, or are you creating new ones that will hamper your success? Racer X knows the answer to this question better than any of us.
