For years now, the CCS has included the early February race near Savannah, Georgia, in the Mid-Atlantic point series. Because I finished last season with an operational race bike (for the first time since 1989), I decided to brave the miserable weather and grab an early points lead on Frankenbike, my heavily modified EX500. Following is the first Team Charm race report of 1996.
It snowed the night before we left to start the CCS Mid-Atlantic racing season, but this was not unusual as the month of February had begun the day before. Leslie and I counted 26 accidents on I-95 before we reached the North Carolina border. We stopped to refuel my truck but a quick pit stop was not to be had. The starter motor was apparently fried and would not spin. The snow-covered ground made it impossible for the two of us to push-start the 4,000 pound load, but a kind soul in a jeep gave us the shove we needed and we were on our way south again. We made future fuel stops with a downhill running start in mind. Eventually we arrived at the Ramada in Pooler, Georgia and got a good night's sleep. (Don't go to the Ramada, it's a dump.)
We strolled out of the hotel before dawn and discovered that not only were we down one starter but the battery was drained also. Even the efforts of four amateur racers could not get the truck started. I convinced a taxi driver to push us up to the 30mph required to get the alternator charging and we made it to the track on time. Well, to the track, anyway. The truck stalled while I was handing huge wads of cash to the CCS officials and we used a tie-down to tow the truck into the pits.
With our four wheeled problems on hold, we turned our attention to the racebike. Having watched the weather channel days before, I had rain tires already mounted. We filled the radiator with water, and eventually I went out for practice. But not before I dropped the bike while still in the pits. Of course it was difficult to bump-start after the carbs had flooded, and by the time I was banging gears down the straight I was pissed off and gasping for breath. This combined with the 35oF rain caused, quite predictably, a foggy face shield and poor vision. The practice session was just about worthless, other than to convince me that I would need more sweatshirts and heavier gloves.
Later I discovered that my tip-over had punched a pin-hole in the radiator, which I was able to repair with JB Weld and a hair dryer. The rain tapered off and the solo 'endurance' races (now limited to 30 minutes) ran on schedule, with my Lightweight Supertwins race scheduled as race #3. I had mounted slicks again, but on the warm-up lap a guy crashed in front of me, eroding my confidence in the track. I basically cruised around for eight laps and placed 6th of 9 expert racers (one crashed and Scooter had the throttle cable fall off). I think I turned 1:33 - 1:35's, about 10 seconds off a good time. Some of the 750 racers were getting into the 1:18s that afternoon, even though the temperature never got out of the 30s.
In race #6 a handful of amateurs crashed, taking both ambulances off the track. This meant that the race was red flagged, and we waited around for the ambulances to return. Time ran out and they called it a day at 5pm. This has happened every time I have raced with the CCS at Roebling.
We left our defunct truck at the track and bummed a ride with Jay and Cindy to a better hotel than the $60 dump we stayed in Friday night. Our new hotel, the HoJo's in south Savannah, was only $35 and we had fewer roach sightings. We joined Team Crow Bar (now sporting a new GSXR) for dinner and benchracing. Because I now had to race on Sunday, I ate one less piece of pizza and drank one less beer. Later on we sampled some of that fine redneck hospitality at the hotel bar. What a bunch of losers.
Sunday was literally freezing, snow had already covered the bikes when we returned to the track. I swapped back to rain tires and drank coffee while a couple of guys went out for practice. The temperature hovered around 29oF and it snowed all morning. We put a few jugs of water on the van's dashboard to keep it liquid for later use.
A fast green flag started the Sportsman race at 10am, and I launched into first place. George Reeves (who's EX is very similar to mine) zipped past me in turn #1, having the advantage offered by tire warmers. At the end of the first lap I tried to close the gap but the spray from George's bike froze all over my shield and I couldn't see. He got away again while I scraped the shield, and I settled in for second place. The traction was nowhere near as slick as the morning dew at Summit, but after the four lap race my feet, hands and face were numb.
Immediately after my race, Scooter stalled his hawk on the line (apparently he hit the kill switch with his thumb) and Michael and I were still trying to push-start him when the Lightweight Superbike field was completing its first lap. Finally the rear wheel caught and the bike fired; Scooter took off with the throttle pegged and 'crash' written across his forehead. He must have calmed down a bit when he almost took out the pit steward, since he ran a fine three laps for last place but at least a few points. He bested my times by several seconds.
That was it for me, so far it had been a lousy weekend though painful to neither bike nor body, and we started packing up. I braved the weather to get some points in the Sportsman series, and now I've got them. Once I had the truck loaded, I decided it was time to figure out what was wrong with it. Pushing it around the pits at 20mph yielded nothing but laughter. The battery was now charged, thanks to 26 hours on a 1-amp charger, but the truck had no juice. No lights, no gauges, nothing. I could find no faulty fuses and started looking for the fusible links. I inspected the seven that I could find and they looked OK. While Scooter and I were jacking with these wires, the door buzzer started dinging, indicating that my electrical expertise had once again pulled through. The truck started right up with an easy push, and I drove around the pits looking for bumps that might jar things loose again. All systems were go so we planned to drive home with Michael, Karen and Scooter following to bump start us each and every time we stalled. Did I mention that my truck won't idle unless you feather the gas?
We had one race to go, Michael's Lightweight GP entry, and we were waiting for a minor oil cleanup on the track. Michael was to ride the hawk, as his Seca 400 refused to start, apparently afraid that it would be asked to perform to a Ducati's level. We waited and waited. Finally they called a 'special riders meeting' to determine if racing would continue. A voice vote was held, the cold Floridian's out-shouted the dedicated Mid-Atlantic racers, and the remaining races were canceled. The CCS took the names of those who were cheated out of their race and promised a partial refund. The PA announced that "because no one was having any fun, the races were canceled." We didn't expect FUN. We knew it would rain. We expected to RACE because the CCS put that race on our schedule. Shortly after we squirmed out of our leathers and longjohns and angrily packed the van, the sun came out.
We made it home, eventually. It was ice and snow all the way down and back (it is winter, you know). Needless to say, we're all a bit pissed at the way racers are continuously screwed by the CCS. It used to be just money, but now they're taking our money and wasting our time. Michael drove 1300 miles, wasted three days sitting in the van, spent $40 to get himself and Karen into the track, $200 on gas and hotels, and didn't even get to use the track. The CCS will keep $5 of his race entry for a 'processing fee.'
Perhaps next time we could call a 'special riders meeting' and vote to reduce the cost of entry fees!
After work Thursday I drove down to Road Atlanta, arriving around 1:30AM and catching some sleep before registration. I was last practice of the morning and had plenty of time to get Frankenbike ready. I selected Michelins DOT tires for the weekend as they are $107 cheaper than Dunlop slicks, and they can retire to my street hawk after their racing chores are over. The rest of the bike was ready to go, with only gearing changes from the snowy weekend at Roebling seven weeks ago.
Practice went well, but was very crowded with everything from 125s to lightweight 400s to 883s out on the track together. The motor was jetted well but gearing perhaps a bit short. It had been years since I had a working bike at a dry Road Atlanta weekend (1990 actually) and I was quickly reminded of the fearful nature of the 'gravity cavity' and turn #11. The tires seemed very good, although race laps would have to push them a bit harder.
I was pitted with Scooter and his hawk and Michael Myers with his just-out-of-the crate '93 TZ250. I spent most of the day staring at the stark white beauty of this strictly business bike. Michael and team owner Jeff Strum were somewhat clueless about tuning the new bike, but Mike Vadney came over and offered hours of advice on where to start the tuning process. Michael had been out for a few laps that morning but the jetting was so rich that he couldn't rev the motor past 8 grand. It will be fun to watch the team adjust to this new racing venue.
Eventually my first race came around, lightweight twins, and I had decided to try a few tuning ideas of my own. With the motor running very strong and without problems, I wanted to see if we could remove the charging system to run a 'total loss' system. The warm-up lap proved that we could not, so I missed the start of the race while I reconnected the charger. This late start gave my three clear laps to hammer on the bike until I caught up to the slower riders.
Unfortunately the bike was nearly unridable after one lap. I could not hold a smooth line in the turns, the bike weaving and bouncing around like a I had a flat tire. Well, as we found out, I did! A faulty air gauge had my tires 4psi too low. I pulled in after I got into traffic. The good news is that the motor continued to pull like a bad dog on a lease.
My important race, Sportsman, was up 20 minutes later, and with the tire pressure corrected I looked forward to dicing with the other EX500s out there. The green flag caught me a half second behind, and I got a mediocre start. I lost a bit of ground in the first two laps, but quickly regained confidence in the tires and thoroughly enjoyed putting together a string of 1:43s during the middle of the race. I was happy to be up to speed and in fact still playing with new lines, brake marks and shift points for the whole race. About halfway through I missed a shift (poor execution) and Randy Texter passed me on his 883. I followed him around hoping to get a few pointers. It surprised me that the Harley had engine power equal to my well-tuned EX. I finished 5th, beat by two EX500s and two RZ350s.
All in all, a great weekend for me. I drove 1300 miles, spending 34 hours in the front seat of my truck for 7 laps of pleasure. Totally worth it.
Team Charm had both bikes running at the April 13-14 WERA races at Summit Point. Steve achieved his lap-time goals with a motor that ran perfectly after sitting on the shop floor for two years, and Rich took a fifth and a fourth on Sunday after a disappointing DNF on Saturday. Details follow for the stout fan.
Saturday brought the first nice weather seen in the mid-Atlantic area since last September, with sunny skies and mid-70s temperatures. Practice revealed that the track was in good shape considering that this was the first bike race of the year, and over the winter new pavement was added in the braking area for turn #1. Frankenbike ran well in the morning practice sessions, although a water leak had even the sharp Team Charm pits baffled. Poor mid-throttle carburation was not a problem so long as Rich stayed at full throttle. Top-end power was excellent, and the water leak was minor enough that the team thought a 40 mile race could be run without problem. This longer race was the only chance for any monetary payback.
Rich was gridded deep in a 43 bike field; eventually the green flag flew and off he went. Well, at least for 1.78 seconds. Then the bike died. Not completely, but with one of two cylinders not firing it was tough for our hero to race. Two laps of on-again-off-again electrical problems and Rich pitted for the crew to check the spark plug leads. Back on the track the problems persisted. The team repeated this cycle of looking for problems and returning to the racetrack a handful of times and never found the problem. After the morning's promising practice sessions this unexplained DNF was frustration.
During the solo 20 Steve ran the "big" motor for the first time in two years. The last time this motor ran was the epic highside of 7/30/94, and Steve was worried that the engine might leak fluids during its first outing. Steve, who was up till 3:30AM on Saturday morning and missed practice, spent most of the morning getting the bike into good enough shape to past tech inspection.
After getting through tech it was decided that Steve would do a few laps after the start of his race, the solo 20, then pit & have Rich check out the bike for leaks or other disconcerting behavior. After waiting for the flag to drop Steve ran the bike for two "hot" laps, shifting at 11.5k rpm & pulled in. Rich determined that despite sitting for almost two years the big motor was working fine & Steve set out to run some fast laps. Unfortunately a chassis alignment problem made the bike practically impossible to control. Every time the front end would come unloaded (such as at the exits of turns #3 & #9) the bike would develop a head shake that would take almost all of Steve's strength to control. Additionally a newly installed 1/8 turn throttle was very difficult to control. Metering the exact amount of throttle to lift the bike off the turn was almost impossible due to the sensitivity.
After the race the problem was traced to a misaligned rear wheel that was fixed before going home for the night to catch up on the three hours sleep the night before.
On Sunday morning the track had lost most of its traction; an evening shower had the track reflecting its nickname: Slippery Point. Rich arrived extra early to clean every wiring connection in hopes of a fix to Saturday's problem. The water leak had been found Saturday evening after a few refreshments allowed superior enlightenment. During practice the bike ran well, but tire slide was the game of the day.
Steve ran the 600 to discover that the simple change of aligning the rear wheel made a huge difference in the controllability of the bike. The throttle control problem went away with the wheel alignment fix, a testimony to the need for complete bike preparation.
Rich entered D-Superbike and rode a mediocre 5th place, alone for most of the race. Frankenbike never again exhibited electrical problems and what happened on Saturday is still unexplained. Steve ran the FZR600+ in the race immediately following. Several changes to the ride height suggested by ace rider Brian Summers turned out to be a mild improvement over the already great improvement of aligning the rear wheel. Steve got down to 1:31s in C-Superstock, the morning race, while the race leaders were doing 24s in the still cold track conditions.
Shortly afterwards Rich gridded (this time on the front row) for Clubman. A great start had him leading the pack into turn #1 but he was soon passed by a pair of Woods Rotax singles. Rich held third place for 6 laps, and eventually stopped checking the `Tiberio Factor' as Tiberio was on his rear wheel every time he looked back. Tiberio put the moves on Rich in the 7th lap, passing cleanly headed into turn #5 witnessed by Steve & Vera in the stands just outside of five. Rich was unable to counter and finished 4th, just out of the trophies.
While Rich was celebrating a successful weekend (unhurt, bike finished running well) and pondering the meaning of undefined but apparently fixed electrical problem, Steve suited up for C superbike where he once again got a wheel standing start. Being gridded at the back of the back of the pack Steve had to make quick work of those in front of him in the first few laps. Clearing the majority of the back markers by the end of the race Steve was able to string together to laps at this target goal of mid 29's, seven seconds off the pace of the race winners.
Thanks again to Leslie and Brian for helping out with moral support and suspension suggestions, respectively.
During the first local CCS event of the year, Team Charm assisted a successful MARRC roadracing school and fielded two racebikes to varying results. The highlight was Stephen's 10th place in Sunday's Unlimited GP (netting him a cool $40). The low point was Rich's crash while leading the Sportsman race on Saturday.
Just days before the weekend Team members were scattered about the country; Rich was chastising contractors in California and Stephen was in Ohio training for his latest insurance job. We met up Friday night at the track and set up the pits with honored guest Brian Summers. Preparations for the Roadracing school were running smoothly so we had time to relax with Gotham Racing, the latest team to eschew their professional image and adopt the "Team Charm Way."
Sunday dawned bright and beautiful and new slicks were mounted on Rich's now-stable EX500, Frankenbike. Persistent predictions of afternoon thunderstorm prompted the additional purchase of a set of rain tires, which were mounted on spare wheels 'just in case'.
Stephen and Brian were off teaching the school while Rich ran two practice sessions. All indicators were pointing to a pleasant day; the weather was gorgeous, the bike ran perfectly, and the Dunlop slicks were sticking much better than the street-legal Michelins that were tried last time out. Rich eagerly awaited the start of race #4, Lightweight Supertwins.
Winning twins races on an EX500 is difficult, but as the flag flew Rich go a good launch and was in the lead pack of 5 bikes coming out of the first turn. As the group approach turn #3 for the first time Rich found himself with no plan or line to follow while charging into the group. He was forced to run wide in the turn and slowed drastically. This allowed at least two other bikes past, and Rich spent the next 7 laps trying in vain to catch the fight for 2nd. (Ducati rider Donnie Unger was a distant first) Rich finished sixth place and out of the trophies, but was turning 1:31 laps, about one second off the target for the day.
Violent thunderstorms slowed the days racing, and by the time Rich was suiting up for Sportsman the track was well soaked. Full rain tires were mounted, and much of the potential competition opted to head home rather than tackle the extremely slick surface. After a rain, decades of oil floats to the surface of Summit Point.
Rich lead the first lap, sliding both wheels with apparent ease. Two of the 125cc GP bikes slipped past on the second lap but the diminutive bikes are in a different class and scored separately. Coming down the chute into turn #5 all three of the lead bikes crashed. "I had been telling myself to ignore the 125s" reported Rich. "Braking into turn #5 they both lost the front wheel; bing-bing. I told myself to take it easy, the win was all mine with just four more laps. Next thing I know I'm sliding down the track on my butt. Frankenbike came to rest in the middle of the track and they stopped the race. It's the first time I've ever caused a red flag."
Rich was unhurt but the bike suffered a cracked radiator and could not re-start the race with the rest of the field. Zero point gained for that race left Rich 3rd in the points chase.
Stephen on the other hand had a great day because he managed to make a little money to offset what he spent to race. Taking 10 in Unlimited GP netted him $40 or $10 less than it took him to enter the race. Stephen would write more about the race, but he is two busy right now….
The hot pits were abuzz on Sat. May 24th as the teams prepared for Round 3 of the WERA National Endurance Series. After weeks of preparation, Team Charm was ready to go. For this important event, team captain Rich and his co-captain Steve had convinced Brian Summers to come out of retirement. Because they had enough riders, the team members left it to fate to see if any pit crew or scorers showed up.
Rich and Brian arrived Thursday night so they would be fresh for Friday's practice. Unfortunately, Rich had forgotten the corner pieces that hold the canopy up and it looked as if they would either bake or drown at Summit Point that weekend. They were able to jury rig a canopy until Dennis showed up, when they wrested a canopy away from him. Friday was predictably cold, so no one got any decent practice in. Stephen had a marathon drive down from Cleveland to make the practice day, being up there for three weeks of new job training. What little practice available was marred by the Non-Ocular Get-attention Overheat Early-warning System) (NOGOES) that had been engineered into the bike several seasons ago. Apparently it was giving what the Team believed was false warning due to a mal-suspect radiator cap. This system spits boiling hot water over the operators hands in an attempt to alert the rider that the engine is currently running a little hot. The beauty of the system is that the operator will have to do something when the bike begins to overheats, and before he or she can damage the motor or crash in their own coolant spill. Stephen suspected a blown head gasket & promptly used the leak down tester to pressurize each combustion chamber in turn, for about 15 minutes each looking for a leak. Normally one looks for bubbles by the coolant fill, telltale indication of a weeping combustion chamber, but no leak was noted.
As combustion pressures are in the tons of PSI rather than the tester's 100 or so PSI no leak being noted did not mean that the gasket was not compromised. It meant that if it was it took more than 100 PSI for 15 minutes so show the leak. This motor had not been taken apart since the '93 24 hour race at nelson ledges, and it probably needed a re-torque of the head bolts & fresh gasket. Rather than switch to the "B" backup motor the Team decided to cross their fingers & hope the system would hold for the race…..
Saturday dawned gray and cold. The team had managed to bully a cornerworker into scoring and had convinced a new spectator that it would be FUN to score. Of course, the long-suffering wife of the captain was expected to help in the scoring tower. Because the team consists of mostly men, long-range planning is nonexistent, and no one had reserved a good spot in the scoring tower. Allow me to explain why this is important. First, each team must supply its own scorers. This is a very important yet tedious job that consists of looking for your bike, noting when it crosses the start/finish line, and writing down the official time. This sounds simple and it is. However, now that the tower is enclosed, which keeps the elements out-yay!-and the official clock is inside and set at a neck-breaking angle-boo!-, you need to find a spot where you can see everything at once. Second, there are a zillion people trying to fit into the tower because the job is boring and it's nice to have a friend there. Because no one on the team thought to mark a place, there weren't any good ones left. A WERA official pointed out a nice spot on the front row, but after scoring a few endurance's for Team Charm, I knew we also needed a view of the pits. I settled for a spot where you could see everything, including the clock if you whipped your head around like Linda Blair in the Exorcist.
Back in the pits it was determined that the GSXR750 sprocket was too worn to make the race, so a new one needed to be obtained. After combing the pits Stephen drove to a local dealer & bought one for $44. If the guys at the dealer only knew that they could have charged $144 for that sprocket & we would have paid it without blinking a eye… Also in practice the brand new Barnett clutch began to slip. Funny how in almost every larger than stock FZR motor the Barnett clutches with or without heavy-duty springs will slip like a dog on ice. Funny how the Team never used Barnett clutches after finding this out in '91. Guess what only type of clutch was available the week before the race when it needed to be replaced? Thinking quick Stephen remembered a old trick from days at the Honda dealer & drained the super slick Red-Line oil out of the motor & replaced it with petro-based Valvoline. Volla the clutch would hook up & take the power of the oversized pistons. We made the pre-grid by about five minutes…
Thus prepared, we settled in to await the start of the race. At 1:00pm the green flag flew and the clock started. At 1:05pm the red flag came out and the race stopped. Apparently, someone had left an oil slick down the front straight and into turn #1. Forty minutes later the race restarted. Brian, the team starter, finished his allotted time and pulled into the pits. All appeared well, and Rich took off for an abbreviated set. The team had decided to run one short session to reduce the math necessary to figure out who should ride when.
At the end of the first session Stephen went back out on the FZR & proceeded to put in a solid hour, but was cut short at 45 minutes when the bike began to spit coolant out the NOGOES. After a pit stop for gas & water, under the nervous "I wished they would take that piece -o-shit bike off the race track" eye of a WERA pit marshall Brain went back out for a few laps. Brian can back in after about 10 laps stating that the motor felt like it was loosing power or beginning to tighten up. Never ones to doubt Brian Summer's testimony that a motor is about to break and with only a hour left in the race the team decided that rather than pour water into the cooling system we would pour beer into the pee-ing system. 20 minutes later the red flag came out & the race was done for the day due to a large oil spill.
It was almost heaven in West Virginia for the June CCS races. Friday was an all-day practice event and by the time Rich went out for his first round of practice the temperature was already in the 80s. The first practice revealed that the 65hp motor of Frankenbike was not healthy. An ominous rod knock meant the motor would surely self-destruct if run much longer. Fortunately the team had a plethora of bikes as Rich had a spare EX500, Vera had her red EX500, and Steve had brought the FZR600 with a new motor installed since the ill-fated four-hour race in May.
While riders Rich, Steve, and Vera enjoyed a choice of bikes, a casual motor-ectomy was performed on Frankenbike. The stock suspension of the spare EX was no fun to ride at speed, so its 53hp motor was moved into Frankenbike. Even with the downtime of swapping motors, Rich was still able to get an hour of practice with the stock motor installed. It was a Gatorade day with temperatures going up to around 90oF and high humidity. The toasty track offered the best traction seen at Summit Point in many years.
Saturday brought the same hot weather and excellent track conditions. Rich and Steve ran morning practice without incident, other than a nagging oil leak in the spare EX500 motor that took several attempts to correct.
Rich competed in Lightweight Supertwins, Race #4. A mediocre start left him 8th into Turn #1, and after passing Mike Tiberio he was stuck behind a Hawk for two laps. Without the top end speed of the big motor, Rich tried to setup a Turn #5 pass but ran into the Hawk and lost significant time in the botched attempt. "I was about five feet behind, going into Turn #5 when the Hawk slowed suddenly" explained Rich. "I smacked his rear tire pretty hard and lost my front end. I slammed my leg down to save the bike, and ran over my foot!. Two bikes got by but fortunately I didn't crash and was able to continue. I've got to find that guy and apologize." Rich eventually passed the Hawk for 7th place in the eight lap race.
Rich got a much better start in Sportsman, Race #7. He rocketed to the lead but was passed by a Honda entering turn #1 and by Mike Tiberio in turn #3. Of the improved start Rich said "The board was sideways for a long time, maybe six seconds. I figured he had to throw the flag soon so I just nailed it." Not a very good plan but it sure worked that time. Mike and Rich swapped the lead 5 times in the first 4 laps, but by halfway Rich was running 1:31-1:32 lap times and maintained the lead to the checked flag. It was his first win of the year, and put him back in the points lead after losing that status with his May crash.
Glenn Wangdahl's pristine RD400 brought more spectators to the pits than even Steve's snausage collection or Rich's victory dance. Glenn road a personal best in his Lightweight Superbike race, cracking into the 1:40's on the small 20 year old bike.
Thanks go out to Leslie Sturges and Brian Summers for their continued help and support. Thanks also to Team Crow Bar for sharing their new sponsorship, Shiner Bock beer, in post race celebrations.
Five in the morning comes early when you stay up late. Frankenbike's 65hp motor was still sitting in the shop awaiting new bearings and Rich was stuck in Logan airport as late as 9:30pm Friday night. This meant little sleep and a stock (53 horsepower) motor for Saturday's racing. Practice showed that things were exactly as they had been five weeks ago; great weather, a descent amount of traction, and Rich turning 1:31 lap times.
Having skipped the CCS races at Road Atlanta, Rich was now third in the points chase for sportsman. As per usual CCS weekend schedule, he signed up the Lightweight Supertwins race early in the day for a little fun. The race was uneventful, with Rich finishing just inside the trophies at 5th place. The Sportsman race had only one of the exotic singles show up; Sean Dwyer on his Wood's Rotax (a 275lb, 70hp machine). Sean pretty much took off from the start, and Rich help a solid second place after the end of the first lap. Lapped traffic was heavy, and on the last lap Rich was being hounded by two others eager for second place honors. Although slowed twice by slower riders in the infield section, Rich made last minute passes to ensure that the closing competition was also hindered by the lapped riders. Hanging onto second place returned Rich to the points lead in Expert Sportsman, Mid-Atlantic Region.
The Team stayed overnight to enjoy a bit of camaraderie and also to run Sunday's practice sessions, during which several engine and suspension modifications were tested. Rich was quite comfortable turning 1:31 lap times, and looking forward to the return of Frankenbike's rightful motor.
By the time we got to the racetrack on Saturday morning our trusty truck had suffered a flat tire and lost its tail pipe. Ignoring these setbacks until later in the day, I registered for the 40-mile lightweight race and set about getting ready for practice. The weather had been rather wet for the previous week and the track was in poor condition.
The MARRC crew delayed the start of practice while they did their best to remove the mud and water from the track. The two rounds of practice were uneventful for Team Charm and slowly a racing line was created around the track. But it wasn't until after lunch that the track was entirely puddle-free. With my only race the last of the day, I set about the difficult task of waiting. We had three bikes under the canopy, Dean Middleton's RZ350, Steve's snausage laden FZR600, and Frankenbike sporting the recently repaired 'A' motor. During the first race of the day Dean's RZ melted a piston while he was chasing the lead. The next race had Steve holding a solid 10th place before the countershaft nut stripped off, leaving him a finely tuned motor but no drive train.
With the Team Charm Pits now zero for two, I headed out for the warm-up lap. This was the first time all day that I was able to test the traction. At the flag I got an OK start but I approached the first lap too cautiously as the traction had indeed returned since my morning practice. The lead group steamed ahead while I tried to tip-toe my way around an FZR400, afraid to try the pavement more than 8 inches off the proven line. This ruined all hope of a good finish as I spent nearly half the race frustrated in my botched passes. A string of 1:33-1:35 laps is just too darn slow, and my frustration turned to mania when I finally got by the FZR. Lapped traffic was heavy by then, and while I never got a clean lap I was able to make up considerable time on the guys up front. I was riding 'on the ragged edge' with tire slides out of turns #1, #6, #9 and #10 every lap. It was fun, but by the 17th lap my hands were cramped and braking and throttle control was difficult. By the 20th and last lap I was in 8th place, wishing for another lap or two as I was rapidly closing on positions 7, 6, and 5. I was happy to at least finish in the money (a $55 return on the $50 entry fee), and was shocked to hear that my times had dipped into the mid-1:28s. This was my best lap time ever on an EX500 and it has been six years since I was riding better than a 1:30 at Summit Point.
The Pocono Cycle Festival combined NASB (North American Superbike) series racing with regional CCS races, and offered double points to participants. Combined events have a history of treating regional racers as second class citizens but double points was too tempting to turn down. Leslie and Rich drove to the Poconos Thursday night, got a good night's sleep, and arrived at the newly configured track Friday morning.
We setup an extravagant pit with Gotham Racing and Scooter Racing and waited for our one practice set, scheduled for 30 minutes. Practice showed the track to be extremely bumpy and very tight. One of the faster turns was rough enough to cause blurred vision and the slowest turn required the unheard-of use of 1st gear. After six laps the checkered flag signaled the end of practice, a far cry from a half hour's worth.
Rich had signed up for Lightweight Supertwins in order to get more track time and after a descent start picked up where practice had left off; trying to learn the track and improve lap times. Times eventually dropped into the 2:05 range but Rich was far from comfortable with his lines, shift points, or brake markers. The bike was far from perfect; jetting was off and the suspension would require many changes to accommodate the combination of high-speed banked turns and bumpy, slow-speed corners. A few hours of track time ought to do it!
Without the option of more practice Rich lined up for the start of Sportsman, the last race of the day. A good start had him in 4th place at the end of the first lap. He was soon in 3rd and closing quickly on 2nd place as his lap times continued to improve. On the fourth lap Rich went around the outside of a lapped rider and ran wide, sliding the front wheel to the edge of the track. The decision to bail was made and he found himself running through the field outside of turn 9, which proved to be only slightly more uneven than the racetrack. Consumed with keeping Frankenbike upright he was inattentive to the tach and allowed the bike to stall. Rich had to push the bike 130 yards to the nearest pavement before he could bump-start the scooter and rejoin the race. Dead last among the experts he finished the remaining laps waving to the crowds.
Although the racing was disappointing, double points applied to my last place finish was enough to put me over the top: I earned the 1996 Sportsman Championship in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Other than the racing the weekend was great. John and Rae showed up to offer support and assistance and we had a great time exploring the cultural opportunities of Strousburg, PA. Leslie, John, and Rae took some time to go horseback riding and everyone thrill to the unbelievable stunts of Gary Rothwell. Sure, I've jumped off a bike at over 100mph but this guy jumps back on his!
The weather was ominous Friday as I headed out to Summit Point for the last CCS race of the season. The rain was over by early evening and the weekend was dry for the 6th race weekend in a row at Summit Point. As Steve was in North Carolina assessing the damage of hurricane Fran I needed to run registration for the MARRC Roadracing School. The night turned chilly we closed registration early; I was asleep by 11pm.
I was pitted with Bob Cook on his ZX-6R and Brian Summers, who was again riding the trick $10k Aprillia 250 owned by Bob and Dawn Cook. Brian and I also had our street bikes along so with bikes outnumbering riders 2:1 at least we looked good. Morning practice showed the track to be worthy of its nickname, Slippery Point, and also drove home the forgone conclusion that trying to get 7 weekends out of a set of slicks was not a good idea. It was tough to go fast but hey, I'd already wrapped up the regional championship in Sportsman so this weekend was just for fun.
As usual I entered lightweight supertwins for the thrill of a race and at the green flag I got a great launch from a second row grid position. In the mad dash to turn one the two Ducatis established a predictable lead and that was the last I saw of them. Scooter also beat me into the first turn and I chased him for a lap or two but his hawk was slowly slipping away. The remainder of the eight lap race was spend alone, save for passing the occasional lapped rider. I turned consistent 1:30 lap times and netted a 4th place trophy.
I was confidant that I would beat all other entrants in the Sportsman race, although I had no measure of Brian's speed and wasn't sure how fast the Aprillia was. At the start I easily beat his two stroke off the line but while diving into turn one a slower rider came barreling into the turn with the sole apparent goal of forcing me to slow to avoid a collision. Although I quickly repassed him at the exit of one it ruined my great start and allowed Brian and Guzzi rider Mike Tiberio to close the gap. Mike passed me going into three and I followed him into the infield section where I made my first of many mistakes that race. Poor execution in turns 7,8,9 had me a second behind and now forced to play catch-up. Brian was behind me for the first lap and put in a hair-raising braking-pass going into turn one, where I again got poor drive and had to catch up to Brian. I caught him in three but lost him again in the carrousel where I was having a difficult time demonstrating proper technique. Brian and Mike slipped away, and by half-way lapped traffic slowed progress significantly. My first four laps were 1:31, 1:29: 1:30, 1:29. Far from constant and too slow to beat experienced riders like Brian and Mike. I had beat Mike handsomely in the earlier race and Brian was turning 1:29s with a few 1:28s near the end. So the CCS season closed with a championship but a dismal last race. Brian ran a good race and was quite happy to win. This is now the second season is a row that concluded with Frankenbike in perfect running condition.
Throughout the day I was helping the roadracing school whenever I could and at the conclusion of the races I lead the newbies around the track. In the mock race that is the final test for the new racers a skeptical Steve Zarpas won on a borrowed F2. It was the first time he had ever tried riding sport bikes and he was clearly hooked. He did well in his races the next day, gaining experience in racing, passing, and crashing. I even captured his turn one tumble on film.
The final race weekend at Summit Point was also the last 1996 weekend for Team Charm. Rich finished just inside the money on Saturday and ran an uneventful 5th place in Clubman on Sunday. Steve's recently fixed re-motored FZR ran well smashingly on Saturday but Steve turned below par laps on Saturday and missed his race on Sunday due to being entirely too engrossed in a conversation with Dave Yaakov about the motorcycle industry.
Heavy frost and a long line at registration convinced Rich to skip early practice and wait for the second round later in the morning. Unable to get traction, even after three laps of practice, had Rich wondering if the Michelin tires donated by Scooter were any good. "After two laps to warm the tires and bed in a new set of brakes I still couldn't get power to the pavement." Reported Rich. "The rear tire was sliding out of most turns, and I couldn't understand how everyone else was able to get good corner speed. The more I twisted the throttle the further the back end would step out. The astute cornerworker started to wave me off the track and then I realized that my traction problems were real. A blown head gasket was forcing water out over the rear tire."
The crew had the bike completely disassembled by the time the support troops showed up after lunch. Mom and Pop Sturges drove down from New York, and Leslie hitched a late morning ride to the track with Dave and young fan Emily. Tents were pitched and fires started while Frankenbike was reassembled with a extra coating of gasket seal. With Rich's entry the last race of the day everything was ready to go with time to spare. Track delay shortened the normally 40 mile race to 30 miles, and Rich was to start near the back of a near 50 bike field. Relentless pursuit of each bike ahead had Rich in 9th place at the checkered flag, good enough to recoup the $50 entry fee.
Stephen's race on Saturday confirmed two things. First the Middleweight group goes real fast, and second the middleweight group goes real fast. It has take Stephen the better part of a year of no meaningful results to figure out that what he really wants to do is race in lightweight again.
The rest of the day was spent around the campfire; eating large chucks of steak, drinking beer and telling racing lies.. After several pieces of pie it is clear that if Mom Sturges continues to prepare food this good she will be abducted & place permanently on the Team Charm Dept. of cookie & pie making. Later we wandered over to the Team Crow Bar victory party, and later on the Turn Eleven pumpkin party & beer. What a great evening!
Sunday morning Rich decided to apply his winnings to enter Clubman but elected to skip the early morning practice as the track was still around 40oF. Starting from the second row Rich got a great launch at the flag but was stymied when a first-row starter swerved off the line, forcing Rich to back off the throttle to avoid a collision. This annoying and dangerous action left Rich about 5th into turn one, and although he was passed by several racers on the first lap Rich got by several others to finish the race in fifth. Not exactly inspired riding nor good lap times, but it was fun none the less. The bike finished the season running well but feeling a bit slower than it started the season. Time and available funds will determine the possibility of an engine rebuild over the winter.