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Loudon Road Race Series Round #2 - RSP Racing #508 Savvas Kosmidis Race Report
Some you win, some you...
Even the bad race weekends are still better than weekends anywhere else…
It was a very long and stressful week for me. Lots going on but most importantly I start my new job (finally). A job that I honestly fell in love with right away. The one thing i don’t enjoy about it though is the fact that it requires me getting up at 6am. For those of you know me, know that I am NOT a morning person at all, so this will take some getting used to for me.
Anyways, my boss is pretty cool and allowed me take friday off (during my first week) to get up to New Hampshire Motor Speedway so I can practice a bit before racing. I got out home Thursday night around 730pm and I began to pack and set up the ambulance for the track. By the time I was done I was fairly exhausted and I decided it is better for me to sleep at home and get up early in the morning to head to the track. That was the worst idea ever and I will not repeat that again.
Friday:
I woke up at 530am, took my time and left for the track. I arrived around 845, unpacked and my Kawasaki wasn’t there. It has been with my teammate Keith Draghi #76 since our adventures in NJMP. But I did have the loyal SV650 supersport with me which this year it serves as a B bike. I really wasn’t feeling it though so I decided to just wait for Keith to come up. Keith was here around noon. I helped him unpack and went out for the first session. I wasnt pushing, I just wanted to make sure the bike was ok and I am ok as well.
second session I wanted to go a bit faster but I kept getting forearm pump and my legs were getting extremely tired. Third session wasnt much different. Fourth session I decided I am a danger to myself and others and just pulled in, and called it a day.
What a great dinner with my buddy Chris Dove #123 and decided to do some necessary maintenance on the Ninja.
I also put fresh Pirelli Supercorsa V2s on and for the first time a 180/60 rear tire.
Went to bed very early to catch up on sleep and called it a night.
Saturday:
I woke up fresh and rested for the first time this week. It was cloudy and fairly cold but I had a good feeling about it. I had two important races today and I felt ready for both of them.
Skipped first practice as always and went out for second practice just to break the tires in and make sure everything after I worked on the bike is fine. I felt totally different comparing to practice on Friday and I was ready to race motorcycles!!!
As soon as we pulled in it started raining! The officials were monitoring the weather and it seemed like it was just passing through. They made a very wise decision to delay the start of the first race by 45 minutes, which allowed the track to dry and provided very safe racing! We also got the great news that the stupid lights will be replaced by real starting lights next race weekend and we were going back to flag start for this weekend.
WELL DONE LRRS OFFICIALS! Thank you for listening to us and doing amazing job.
Race #2 - GTL
I was gridded in 2nd row on the right. Great spot for a start and i was excited to not be dead last any more at the starts. all 3 bikes in front of me jumped/creeped at the start and that caused me to take my eyes of the flagger. as a result I got a very crappy start and i went in T1 20th or something. I was very uncomfortable and I kept causing the bike to slide and shake (bar input and terrible body position) for the first two laps. My times for the first 8 laps were in the 23s. As I got tired, I didn’t have the strength to hold the bars like an idiot and my times started to drop. I started passing people everywhere, mostly in T3 on the brakes. I eventually made it behind my teammate Ketih #76 and after 3 failed attempts in T3 I was able to finally make a safe pass that stuck and got behind Doug Fogg and his stupidly powerful Ducati. From there until the end of the race I kept passing Doug in T3 only for him to blow by me on the front straight..
I ended up finishing 8th with a best lap of 1:19.808 which is my new best on the Kawasaki and only 0.7 off the SV. Unfortunately it took me half the race to get fast so it was a bit pointless but an indication that I can go fast on the Kawi!
8th Place - Best Lap: 1:19.808
Race #8 LightWeight Grand Prix
I was gridded in the middle of 2nd row there as well. HUGE GRID! I believe it was 8 rows of racers in this one. I got off the line decent but I missed my shift for 2nd gear and then again into 3rd gear and as I result I fell back again. I was riding very bad, with unsteady lines and missing all my markers. I rode most of the race by myself after I made up some spots with nothing eventful. I only remember one very sketchy and unnecessary close pass on me by #584 Geraid Randall. I don’t know that dude but that could have turned out very ugly if I didn’t change my line. Next time be more careful if you read this, I understand we are racing but your line in a corner shouldn’t be to bounce of me and my bike to make your turn.
I finished 14th with a best lap of 1:20.310
So I didn’t get the results I was hoping for and although the Kawasaki showed its capable of fast times, I showed i wasnt ready, or at least i wasnt in the right mindset.
After racing was over we went to THE AWARDS CEREMONY THAT TAKES PLACE AT VICTORY LANE RIGHT BY PIT-LANE EVERY SATURDAY AFTER THE DASH FOR CASH in order to support all the racers who were getting something. Why is this in capital letters? Because I personally believe more people should be coming to this. This is what we are here for at the end of the day. Its pretty upsetting to notice people who were Amateurs last year and won stuff and didn’t miss a single awards ceremony to not show up this year to support the new guys. We all can make a greater effort to encourage everyone. Don’t forget LRRS has a novice class and those guys get awards too. It would also be great if the top guys would show up more often too. I know Eric Wood, Scott Greenwood and Rick Doucette show up here and there but all of “them” can be a bit more supportive of the newcomers. I was in their shoes not too long ago and it felt pretty good to get an award in front of a lot of people and get ON THE BOX. It doesn’t take that long and its not that much effort to clap a few times.
Saturday night was quiet with everybody doing their own thing for dinner and later gathering up by our garage. I went to bed early once again and hoped for much better results since the forecast for Sunday was 80s and sunny
Sunday:
Woke up bright and early. I felt fresh! I had 3 races and I had fairly decent results in them during round 1. I skipped practice, because God does not want me practicing on the second day of a race event (lol) and went for my traditional Chicken Sandwich and French Fries breakfast. Threw the warmers on during riders meeting and waiting patiently for first call for my race.
Race #1 - LightWeight SuperBike
I was gridded in 2nd row in the middle right. Got a decent start and stayed right between Scott Mullin #24 and Peter G #81. Going into Turn 1 Dayon #22, Ted Temple #52 and Seth Hawn with his insane wide line passed so I stayed in 7th place (pretty much were I started). I managed to stay with the pack until T6 where I almost ate crap and my good ol friend John Donald #441 passed me on the inside. John and I competed very close last year and in 2015 I was able to stay ahead of him in all the races we entered together during Round 1. He stayed in front of me on all the races we entered in Round 2! I stayed with John for 2 laps, but then Steve Heider #49 passed me in T3! I can’t remember last time someone passed me in T3 so I was very upset about it. I kept them in sight for another lap or two but the rest of my race was pretty lonely as they checked out on me. I was exhausted and i was not riding well at all. I could not really understand/feel what the bike was telling and the level of tiredness I got all indicate bad body position. It was certainly not the start I was hoping for my Sunday.
I finished 9th with a best lap of 1:20.3 (i think) - Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dM2HK_NbB_g
Race #7 - Thunderbike
I was gridded in 2nd row in the middle left. I had an ok start and went in the middle of the pack in T1 one. Coming out of T2 the rest passed me and that was it for my race. I raced in the last position by myself for the rest of the race. Making mistakes, being inconsistent and still not understanding what I am doing wrong.
I finished dead last with a best lap of 1:22.xxx
Race #10 - SuperTwins
I was gridded 2nd row all the way left.I got a terrible start and didn’t get 2nd gear in and almost missed 3rd as well. I went in T1 dead last where I stayed until the very end of the race. I did not complete the race because I did not enjoy the way I was riding and i was getting extremely tired. So i pulled in the pits with one lap to go.
Finished last with unknown best time.
Overall I am not happy with my performance nor results. I had much higher expectations for myself since I was able to be better and more consistent in round 1 when it was 40 degrees and after having a good showing at NJMP. I guess we all have our days. Gotta stay positive. In the end, the bike and I came home in one piece and I learned a thing or two. My teammates are great and we all had a lot of fun. Special SHOUTOUT to Bill Cool #47 for the amazing finishes and the new personal best!
As always thank you to CCS and LRRS for putting together another great race weekend! I like this year’s schedule a lot. I am also very excited for the new light system that we will be testing during the classic. Thank you to the corner workers and medical staff for keeping us safe all weekend. Once again we kept you pretty busy. You guys are doing a phenomenal job in cold and hot, wet or dry weather. Just know that I (and my entire team) appreciate all you guys do for us.
Massive thank you to all my sponsors for their great support and for having faith in me:
Alexander Academy, Butler Performance Machining Meze Greek Tapas & Grille, DNA High Performance Filters, Dyno Solutions, SportBike Track Gear, Bell Helmets, AXO Racing Gear, Souhegan Valley Motorsports & Scott Mullin, Woodcraft, TechnoMoto Racing LTD, Pirelli Tires, Tony’s Track Days, 434 Racer, Brunetto T-Shirts, Computrack Boston, Vortex Racing, GoPro Cameras.
Tons of love to my team and garage mates! #RSP RACING! and thank you to all my supporters and friends out there, you guys for reading my adventures and being part of this.
Stay safe, stay humble, stay positive and share all the good and the love that you can,
Sav #508
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I'm just glad I didn't have to put you into the wall!
Originally Posted by tsorfas
