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LRRS Round 2 – AM #434 Race Report
5/14-15/2011
I am going to try a different format this time around to make it shorter and easier to read.
Best laptime prior: 1:22.153
Saturday Practice:
Nothing to report. First session I was stretching my legs and reacquainting myself with the bike. Second session I turned it up a bit although things weren’t flowing as well as I would have liked
LWSB:
Race 2. Gridded in last row on the inside (7A) but got a decent start and ended up 5th going into turn 1. I made a pass on the brakes into T3 on the first lap and moved into 4th. #142 Matt Calhoun checked out early, turning 1:19s which left Riley Rodgers (#324) and Sean Byrnes (#111) to mix it up for the remaining 2 podium finishes.
I passed Sean and managed to show Riley a wheel once or twice but he wasn’t having it. At one point I blew T3 badly and ended up jumping the curb. Sean took advantage and rocketed past me on the inside of T4 and I don’t think I presented a threat after that. I settled into 4th place which is where I finished the race. I was surprised to discover that I had set a new personal best during this race and met one of my goals which was to break into the 21’s.
Finish: 4th place
Best lap: 1:21.985
YouTube - LWSB-051411
LWGP:
Race 6. Gridded in last row on the 2nd spot in (8B). Again I got a decent start and ended up in 4th going into turn 1 where I spent the entire race. The top 3 riders all checked out, turning 1:20s for laps which left me in a lonely 4th place. I won’t even bother showing the video for this as its just me going around a track for 8 laps.
I felt smooth and strong, and I was pleasantly surprised to pass 3 of the expert riders during my race. I have always struggled with consistency and felt like I was finally making progress, my laptimes confirmed this as I didn’t have a lap that was slower than a 1:22.6 with the exception of a 1:25.748 outlap (my best to date). I also managed to score two laps in the 21s, proving that LWSB wasn’t a fluke as well as setting a new PB.
Finish: 4th place
Best lap: 1:21.490
Sunday Practice:
It was raining so I went out to get some wet laps in. I felt nice and smooth and was looking forward to the GTL.
GTL:
For the first time as an AM I was gridded in the front row (4B). The rain was steadily coming down but I managed to get a terrific launch and was first into T1. I felt very comfortable, in control and didn’t have any issues with traction until I came to turn 11 where I lowsided into the grass after a left hand tip in. For my own future reference: Avoid doing any kind of aggressive riding on any black pavement in the rain. I got back to the bike in less than a few seconds and had it up and pushing towards the pavement. The corner workers helped me to get it started again and I rejoined the race with a bent clip-on. Unfortunately my left peg also managed to pinch my shifter and I discovered after I got onto the straight that I couldn’t shift gears. I threw up my hand and made my way back to the pits in defeat.
Hey, if you are going to crash at least get it on video :-p
YouTube - LRRS2-051511-GTL
Finish: DNF
Best lap: unknown as I didn’t complete one.
Summary:
Despite the crash I had a fantastic weekend. I was ecstatic to break my PB at 3 different points during the weekend especially as 21s was a goal for me for some time. I managed to also turn some consistent laps which was also a weak spot for me. My starts continue to serve me well as my times continue to improve. I will be shooting for 20’s next weekend and if I am lucky, teens before the end of the year.
Things to work on:
Drop inner shoulder, relax more, more speed in t9, work on my line through 10, more speed going into 1.
Thank you to all of my sponsors, my teammates, friends, and my wife and family for their support. You all rock beyond words!
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Ken, I'm thinking about signing up for Personal Instruction in Sept. This has me thinking about getting a video-cam. Is a rear mounted view preferred?
Originally Posted by Ken C
