Well, after nearly a year of sitting on the sidelines, I finally got back on a racetrack. With my marriage to Ms Leslie less than two months away, I'm saving pennies for our honeymoon and not allowed to buy a new race bike (like I'd have the money anyway...) So I went into my shed and selected the best parts from each motor, suspension, and electronics pile. Two weeks later, on thurs night, I hit the start button on my EX500+ and it fired immediately.
After fixing a few problems, I had the thing ready to go. Up to Summit Point I travelled, and spent all day Sat teaching the MARRC roadracing school. Near the end of the day came our track time, and I got in 8 slow-speed laps. Inspection of the bike revealed a slight oil leak, which I fixed Saturday night.
(incidentally, Glenn's new track record is 1:18.33 He is truely a maniac)
Sunday morning I had 6-8 practice laps, in conditions ranging from raining and super-slick track (the rear would spin at 7grand on the straight, in all gears) to sunny but still damp and slippery track. I had entered Heavywt supertwins for the additional track time, and I headed into turn one just about last, concerned primarily with getting some practice. I got passed by a number of novice riders but didn't really care. I passed a few of them back, and maybe even a couple of experts, but finished near last. I even got lapped by the two fastest riders (Mike and Donny). While conditions had these guys 10 secs off their normal times, I was 20+ seconds off mine.
My primary impressions of that race were:
I hung around all day, with my fans and family, eating Gotham Racing's food, and real happy that the bike is running. Sportsman should be my competetive race, and it comes mid-afternoon. The track is way better, with the fast guys only 2-3 seconds off normal. I get a good start but I am too cautious in the first lap, letting just about everyone get away. For 8 laps I was alone, deal- ing only with my rapidly disapearing fears. Near the end I had just started to get my knee down, and that really improves my confidence. I lapped a few riders, and on the last lap I had big trouble getting the bike to shift while coming out of turn 7. Transmision problems have plagued my high-output motors, but it seems to me like its not the tranny but the linkage; I just can't reach it enough to get a positive shift. No one timed me (and 6 people in my pit!) but I would guess I was 2-3 seconds off the lead group, per lap of course :(
Into the pits after the cool-down, and Brian's eyes are buggin'. He points to the oil dripping off the left side of the motor, including the tire. One more left turn and ida been down. Brian runs off to have the track checked before the next racers goes out.
It was indeed the same bolt (top end oil line) that this time was completely stripped out. Must have just happened cause 1) I didn't crash, and 2) the oil level was still full, dispite what looked like a quart of oil on the bike.
My primary impressions of that race were:
Summit Point hosted a WERA national this past weekend. The weather was glorious, and for the most part we had a blast. The bad news is very bad, Philip Mays (sp?) was killed in Saturday's practice. Rumor is that his helmet was at least partially removed in the crash, and he died instantly.
Steve (Harris) and I, the mainstay of Team Charm, ran the registration for MARRC's Friday practice, so I didn't get out on the track until the afternoon. While it was a little cloudy, the track offerded great traction and I was able to get 20 minutes on the team's FZR600. It wasthe first time since the July 4th 24 hour race that I had run the 6. I also took out my now nearly-stock ex500 (a long story :( in novice practice and found 1) it works well and 2) those guys are really slow.
Anyway, Sat morning we shod the 600 with a Dunlop slick, and a sportmax radial in back. Brian Summers, our third rider, had been making some suspension improvements to the 6, which also sports a fzr1000 front end. Stephen is completely oblivious to suspension settings on any bike, and I am still going too slow to make a good judgement, but I did notice improvement after Brian's tinkering.
Steve started the race, and decided to take his share of the 4 hours in one sitting. 'Conan' ran solid 1:27-1:28's for his 80 minutes, in heavy traffic. Coming around the last turn, about to get his 'IN' board, (ie, last lap) he ran out of gas. He coasted into the wrong end of the pits, and we ran a mere 50 yards with our gas and fire exstinquisher. I hopped on, and had it not been for the lack of a neutral switch lockout, our pit stop wouldn't have been that bad.
I ran my 40 minutes turning a best of 1:29 something. I was bobbling turn one almost every lap, until it was nearly comical, and still afraid to get on the gas in 9, a major drawback. I handed off to Brian with with our typically 'relaxed' pit stop. (read spastic)
I took a shower and have no idea what times Brian was turning. I got back on and ran about 20 minutes, this time correcting my turn one mistakes but still a pussy in nine. The rear tire was starting to slide a bit too much, and the rear suspension was still bouncing in several corners. This, and reduced brake feel, had me turning in the 1:30-1:32 range.
Until 'the problem'. The bike suddenly had no power out of the turns, and was thus too dangerous to race. I pulled in. We tried a couple of things, and Brian took it out twice for a lap, to no avail. We pulled the air box and I saw the problem, an emulsion tube had slipped and was pointed backwards. We lost about a half hour total. I went out for another 10 or 15 minutes, and handed off to Brian. Before he left I was sure to note 'the rear end is horrid and there are NO brakes. Havefun!"
We finished 8th in MW SB, 37th overall. Mike Saia and Ted Burnham, who had pitted with us, were sure to gloat on their better finish. We tapped the keg and barbqued some 'honee wennies' (no lie)
Sunday morning I ran one practice on my EX500, and raced D superbike. Although I took 8th out of 8, (stupid novice traffic) I had the most fun I've had in a long time. I turned a best of 1:30.1? on a bike that is far inferior to the fzr600, so you see I was riding much better.
Glad to have met some of you netters for the first time. I only wish that we weren't all so busy and could have had more time to chat.
Sunday started out nicely for me; during both practice and my 'warm- up race' I was turning low 1:31's at Summit Point, less than 2 seconds off my target times. However, by mid-afternoon the weather had turned sour and we sat patiently under that tarp while race after race was red flagged. It started to rain during race #7, a big-bore novice race, and one of my students embarrassed himself coming out of ten. After a short wait to see if maybe the rain would blow over, the race was restarted, then red-flagged again, and restarted. It was quickly decided that the remaining 10 races would be reduced from eight laps to four. An hour later two more races had finally been logged as complete, and at least a dozen riders had fallen. If you've never ridden Summit in the wet then you can barely imagine the impossibility of 'racing' on this oil-soaked tarmac. Rain forces old oil to float towards the surface, and in some of the turns your tires will be squirming around while the bike is leaned ever-so-slightly, and your speeds dip down towards 10 or 15mph. If you weren't so concerned about your bike's paint job, you'd be laughing under your helmet. I was, especially as I tried in vain to apply the throttle down the straight. Competition on wet grass, or bathroom tile, might be a good approximation of the 'racing' scene.
To get back to my own success in remaining upright, I easily won Sportsman. Mostly because I was the ONLY racer who ventured out for race #11. Oh, and by now each race had been reduced to 3 laps. I pulled off the track after the checkered as it was faster to return via the muddy service road. Beaming with my recent victory, I even stuck around for race #15, heavyweight supertwins. Donny Unger gridded with full rain tires and was able to complete his two race laps in under 5 minutes total. I took fifth, laughing out load as I passed a Harley in turn three; he was going 20mph but I was able to maintain nearly 22mph.
By the end of the day, a long day, the paddock was nearly empty, any intelligent spectators had long since headed home, and dozens of riders had crashed. The last race, normally a 12 lap $1000 shoot-out, was reduced to two laps and was neatly won by Glenn Szarek. I was rather disappointed with the race body, the CCS (no, there're no longer the AMA/CCS, but you are still required to be an AMA member in order to race) and their reluctance to abort the weekend. My guess is that they are just too tight fisted to let go of a single entry fee, no matter how atrocious the racing conditions. If you are brave (or stupid?) enough to stick around for your super-slo-mo race, they have no problem in cutting your track time by 80%. But refunding us 80% of our entry fee? Are you joking? Call it a day and stop the insanity? Nah.
Another source of frustration for me was the CCS's increasing desire to just get the races over as witnessed by their continued reducing in the length of these now mini-sprints. The also help back on the red flag in situations that would have normally called for one. In Sportsman, the Harley class started 10 seconds ahead and left a downed bike smack in the middle of turn one. But the expected red flag never showed as riders poked around the blockage.
In many cases, racing in the rain is just as much fun and challenge as the dry. But it is well know that you just can't race at a wet Summit Point. I don't know what the best alternative is, but cutting races to 2 laps and hoping that the racers will just go home isn't very satisfactory to me.
It seems that lately I'm writing quite a bit about bike destruction. Saturday I went up to Summit for some quick practice, and pitted with Team Charm member Steve Harris and Hawk rider Brian Summers. Steve decided to enter heavyweight 50 mile mini-endurance, so I stuck around to watch. Half way thru the race, with Steve finally around a batch of novice riders (yes, they combined heavyweight!!) and turning his best laps ever (1:25) on the now-ancient FZR600, the red flag flew. I knew Steve to be involved as he didn't come around, so I headed back to the pits.
Turns out he high-sided in turn three, a 80+ uphill left hander. The bike tumbled horrorifically, and Steve bounced a few himself. He was basically OK, and x-rays revealed no breaks (bruised kidneys being the worst of it). Steve wear's both the sewn in Fieldsheer back pad and a Dianese back protector as well. Good thing.
The bike is well-toasted. Destroyed parts include both wheels, sub-frame, swingarm, all plastic, and most of the carbs. The frame and forks will need to be checked for damage. Motor looks ok.
We returned Sunday and Steve even entered a friends EX500 in one race. I ran two races, running 2 seconds off my normal times and having an OK time but not feeling particularly fast. I had sold the EX that morning so I guess I blame it on not wanting to ruin the deal by crashing.
Brian Summers dominated the twins race, turning a personal best of 1:26 or 1:25, depending who you ask. Way to go, hawkmister. (that 700cc hawk sounds soooo cool going down the straight)
Congrats to Steve for his first crash in 4? years. Also to MArk Andy for racing when he was so obviously ill. (more than normal) Good luck to Ed with my old EX; now, who's next?