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brady am #122 round 5 race report

  1. #1
    thrilled brady's Avatar
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    brady am #122 round 5 race report

    F**k! I crashed.
    I...don't...crash.
    I'm pissed.

    Saturday racing only again this round, race 3 GTL and race 4 F50 Lights.

    I love my Conti tires and contingency. But after 2 weeks of emails and phone calls they only "found" my credits from round 1 so far. OK, it's a start. I ordered the new set of DOT's I needed after sliding the rear all last round and they were promised here by Friday. Friday night, no tires. It's pouring out so I mount my rains and load up.

    Saturday morming I wake up to puffy clouds and a little sun. I unload at the track, switch to my DOT wheels and get out for second practice. I felt fast, was slow as usual, but Arcy had the remote camera set up in T9 and hopefully got a few good shots of me.

    Back in from practice I go to wrap the tires up and notice the left side of my rear is really toast, so I roll it to Miles to flip it. He says it's too far gone and says try a Bridgestone slick. They have great contingency and Gino was there to preach his B'Stone sermon so I wilted under the pressure but decided to keep my older DOT front on there as it's been behaving fine and not looking too bad.

    I arrange for my support team Sal & Jill to revive me on pregrid between races and then grid up second for the GTL next to Shane Lewis on pole. Green flag drops, I wheelie big, bring it down, hit the limiter, miss a shift, and am now 4th into T1 after #212 Lou Peck and #130 Ben Travisano go blasting by me (they would have taken me soon anyway). I settle into a lonely 4th place and start to feel out my new rear slick/old DOT front combo. The bike is tipping in slower and feels a little awkward during flops but nothing I can't deal with, and the new rear is sticking like glue of course. I am keeping the top 3 in sight, trying to stay loose and settle into a faster groove with three laps in the 23's. #201 Jake Vader drafts by into T1 on his 125 two stroke on lap 5 so I try to keep him in sight for the rest of the lap.

    Then at the apex of T11 as I'm releasing the brake and lining up12a the front tire suddenly squeals, flops, hops twice, catches again, I scrape hard parts and then my beloved SV miraculously rights itself and continues on . I take it down a notch while I marvel at WTF just happened, if-TF it will happen again, and remind myself that I'm supposed to survive this AND podium in the next race.

    It is a great plan for 3 laps or so until #109 John Dorans, Jr. passes me into T1 while I'm still smelling the roses. Not again you bastard! I shadow him for a lap, see he is weaker into T1 and T3 and take him in the T3 chute on the next lap. I go a little wide but keep him behind me while I reel off 5 more laps in the 23's getting faster towards the end of the race as usual.

    And then trail braking hard into T11 with the white flag in sight, in blissful denial of my earlier miracle, I hear that awful screeching again from the front tire and watch my bike spin away towards the outer curb just like in the everyone else's vids. I flopped onto my belly and crawled into the grass as a corner worker ran over [BTW I found a lap timer in the grass, gave it to the CW if anyone lost one there recently]. What is that awful noise? Oh, the horn button is pressed into the pavement. I don't remember the protocol, do I just stay here in my helmet and leathers while he ventures into the crash zone and fetches my bike? I stand up to help, but am tired enough that I almost sit back down in the grass again. He fetches my bike, says it looks OK and I should hop on and finish. How about YOU hop on and finish? I catch my breath for a bit and realize he's right. The shifter is pretzeled but still moves, the clip-on bar is bent and controls rotated but nothing's broke, so I ease onto the straight and finish 9th of 11 instead of what should have been 4th. I wave off my water crew waiting at pre-grid for
    race 4 and roll back to my pit. At least I set a new PB, right? I sure was flying out there.............ah, nope.

    I hate this. I don't crash, that's my thing. Slow steady progress, ride smart, stay relaxed, feel what the tires are doing, let the fast come gradually and naturally. My pristine original tank has its first ever scratches and dent. I'll get over it, it's a race bike, I knew it would happen eventually. But I'm pissed. And it wasn't the tires fault. I just stopped paying attention to what they were saying, even after the previous wake-up call in the exact same spot. If I was relaxed enough on the bars I might have saved it again.

    I still had a blast. It didn't rain for my race, $14 is the laughable cost to get my bike back on track, my gear is scuffed but not damaged and I have no soreness and not a mark on me. I'll take it.

    Big thanks to my pitmates in the infield, all cornerworkers (especially the T12 crew) and LRRS staff.

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    Last edited by brady; 08-13-12 at 08:51 PM. Reason: word wrap fail
    '02 SV650 street|woods|race LRRS #128

  2. #2
    ...inside the van. loudog's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Quote Originally Posted by brady View Post
    How about YOU hop on and finish?


    I had a harder time keeping my mind and body in check during the GTL...I'm blaming the heat/humidity.

    Glad the repairs weren't too costly. Hopefully next round will bring better things!

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    #331 CBR929RE's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    he was right about hoping on and finishing. all you had to do was go down half the straight.

    next time change the front tire too. My recent crash while ultimately was rider error I still blame the front tire for being very old and worn. it looked fine before but compared to a newer one it was well past its time to go. Those B'stones should be better than the Conti's and they pay pretty well too. I doubt you'll have the problem of getting your money from them either.

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  4. #4
    Member doug1611's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    One man,s pain is another man,s gain (I only say this after talking to you and knowing your OK) You lost your podium BUT gave me my first Am podium. F50 LW 3rd place
    Thanks Brady!!

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  5. #5
    Fast is contagious JettaJayGLS's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Tough brake Brady, but as you said crashing is part of the game, you're alright and it wasn't a costly crash. And who knows, that last lap may have been your PB! Good to hear that you finished the race.

    I think you were in our garage a few times (I pit with Lou, Adam, and Dave), I'll be sure to introduce myself next time as I don't think we've officially met.

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    A man of many names...Jay, Gennaro, Gerry, etc.

  6. #6
    Senior Member catahoulabuldog's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Nice job! and tough break... Bikes ok and youll be back....

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    thrilled brady's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Quote Originally Posted by CBR929RE View Post
    he was right about hoping on and finishing. all you had to do was go down half the straight.
    it woulda been one lap plus the straight if I had hopped on right away, wouldn't have felt safe at speed with the pretzelled controls


    Quote Originally Posted by CBR929RE View Post
    next time change the front tire too.
    I know that was the rational choice, but that would have meant paying for almost two extra sets of tires ($650) when I have an almost free set owed me already. That's a pretty big delta in my cheap-ass race program when I'm still getting over using more than one set a season.


    Quote Originally Posted by doug1611 View Post
    One man,s pain is another man,s gain (I only say this after talking to you and knowing your OK) You lost your podium BUT gave me my first Am podium. F50 LW 3rd place
    Thanks Brady!!
    Congrats and you're welcome (and thanks for lunch!). Betty gave me Ty's medal from last round in case you guys were wondering how it got there.


    Quote Originally Posted by JettaJayGLS View Post
    Tough brake Brady, but as you said crashing is part of the game, you're alright and it wasn't a costly crash. And who knows, that last lap may have been your PB! Good to hear that you finished the race.
    I think you were in our garage a few times (I pit with Lou, Adam, and Dave), I'll be sure to introduce myself next time as I don't think we've officially met.
    Thanks. Yeah that was me, should have introduced myself but was in a rush getting the tire situation squared away. Next time . And I hope you're not too sore this week from your off.

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    Last edited by brady; 08-14-12 at 07:04 AM.
    '02 SV650 street|woods|race LRRS #128

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    Lifer wiggeywackyo's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    I can't remember how many times I heard the line: "Tires are cheaper than new body work and repairs", this weekend. $14 to get back in the game? Laughable indeed. Better make sure the horn works properly though..............

    Glad you're OK.

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  9. #9
    something witty here tsanterre's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Quote Originally Posted by brady View Post


    Congrats and you're welcome (and thanks for lunch!). Betty gave me Ty's medal from last round in case you guys were wondering how it got there.

    Thanks Brady!! I was wondering who dropped that off!

    Dont worry too much about the crash! Although i know how you feel, crashing twice in one weekend myself...

    See you in a few weeks!

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    You dont know slow... PainfullySlow's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Glad to hear you are ok after your off. I am sad to tell you that ALL racers crash, no exceptions. It is our job to ride that knifes edge and sometimes you get cut.

    That said, it seems like you really had a groove going. Learn from what has happened and come back stronger next weekend.

    Also I would seriously recommend getting accustomed to an ever-increasing tire budget. One set a year is obviously not going to cut it for you now, wait until you start dropping into the teens where you can go through one set a weekend =). Reconcile yourself to that fact if you plan on continuing to race at that point.

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  11. #11
    Bikeless in Blackstone The Snowman's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Sorry about the off. Welcome to my world. You feel you're doing great then one second later, there goes the bike.

    Glad you're ok and was able to finish. Congrats on the new PB.

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    Lifer nt650hawk's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Great officially meeting you.

    Sounds like the front you have is toast. That rear was shot. There was none/barely any sipes remaining. How many races/td did you have on it?



    Psst get a matching front. Your times will come down more!!

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    Gino
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  13. #13
    thrilled brady's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Quote Originally Posted by PainfullySlow View Post
    Also I would seriously recommend getting accustomed to an ever-increasing tire budget. One set a year is obviously not going to cut it for you now, wait until you start dropping into the teens where you can go through one set a weekend =). Reconcile yourself to that fact if you plan on continuing to race at that point.
    Will do. If/when I get into the teens I'll gladly ante up .

    Quote Originally Posted by nt650hawk View Post
    Sounds like the front you have is toast. That rear was shot. There was none/barely any sipes remaining. How many races/td did you have on it? Psst get a matching front. Your times will come down more!!
    Good chatting with you too. There were plenty of sipes down the middle! Both tires were new at round 1, so 10? races (including 4/5 GTL's), 12 practices, no TD's. New front will be on for next round.

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    Last edited by brady; 08-15-12 at 03:53 PM.
    '02 SV650 street|woods|race LRRS #128

  14. #14
    Bikeless in Blackstone The Snowman's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Quote Originally Posted by PainfullySlow View Post
    Also I would seriously recommend getting accustomed to an ever-increasing tire budget. One set a year is obviously not going to cut it for you now, wait until you start dropping into the teens where you can go through one set a weekend =). Reconcile yourself to that fact if you plan on continuing to race at that point.
    Well, close to a set per weekend. I'm doing a rear every weekend and a front every other.

    Pete's doing the same, at 2-3 seconds per lap faster. Seems to be working. I use the old rear for the next round's practice and they just start letting go at practice pace.

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  15. #15
    ...inside the van. loudog's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Quote Originally Posted by brady View Post
    There were plenty of sipes down the middle! Both tires were new at round 1, so 10? races (including 4/5 GTL's), 12 practices, no TD's. New front will be on for next round.
    Good god man...that's some serious tire life.

    My monkey math tells me that's about 155 race pace laps (5 GTLs = 75, 4 Reg = 32, 12 Practice is about 40-50; total = 147-157). I find myself changing every two rounds, so around 110 race pace laps...and that seems to be a little too long now.

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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    It's not If you Crash, It's When you Crash.

    Yes, racing motorcycles is very unpredictable. I returned back to racing this past weekend for the first time, since I crashed my TZ250 in T1A last October during Saturday morning practice. Instead of using brand new tires, I elected to keep using an old set of Dunlops that were on their way out. I found out the hard way that not using a motorcycle for 10 months, that there are issues that kept popping up after that last crash. Brakes were working okay with replacement parts & old replacement bodywork still fit okay. Unfortunately, I kept chasing gremlins with old worn-out batteries. Saturday laptimes were only down to 1:27 and Sunday races gradually dropped to 1:24.7, then 1:23.0. Finally got the cornerspeed to increase enough for the gearing to pull me through Turn6. Decided to refresh motor & use brand new Bridgestone slicks for LRRS# 6 over Labor Day weekend. As mentioned earlier, a new rear tire each weekend and new front tire every other weekend is about as frugal as you should go when trying to compete on Lightweight bikes that make decent power and you are improving your lap times. Glad you only had minimal damage from your crash. Brady is going to give me some good inspiration with back-to-back races of GTL & F50L next Saturday for Round 6.

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  17. #17
    thrilled brady's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Quote Originally Posted by wheelieman14 View Post
    It's not If you Crash, It's When you Crash.

    Yes, racing motorcycles is very unpredictable. I returned back to racing this past weekend for the first time, since I crashed my TZ250 in T1A last October during Saturday morning practice. Instead of using brand new tires, I elected to keep using an old set of Dunlops that were on their way out. I found out the hard way that not using a motorcycle for 10 months, that there are issues that kept popping up after that last crash. Brakes were working okay with replacement parts & old replacement bodywork still fit okay. Unfortunately, I kept chasing gremlins with old worn-out batteries. Saturday laptimes were only down to 1:27 and Sunday races gradually dropped to 1:24.7, then 1:23.0. Finally got the cornerspeed to increase enough for the gearing to pull me through Turn6. Decided to refresh motor & use brand new Bridgestone slicks for LRRS# 6 over Labor Day weekend. As mentioned earlier, a new rear tire each weekend and new front tire every other weekend is about as frugal as you should go when trying to compete on Lightweight bikes that make decent power and you are improving your lap times. Glad you only had minimal damage from your crash. Brady is going to give me some good inspiration with back-to-back races of GTL & F50L next Saturday for Round 6.
    Thanks for chiming in Bob (and everyone else, BTW), and for the tire pressure/wear tips since I started racing. I'm glad you made it back on track last round in spite of the gremlins. When contingency comes through I'll have 4 more new tires to choose from (including the set that arrived this past Monday ). Time to admit tires are consumables, like lunch and gas .

    I'll be looking for you in the waves ahead of me for both races in September .

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    '02 SV650 street|woods|race LRRS #128

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    I've been here before. Mustang's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Quote Originally Posted by PainfullySlow View Post
    Glad to hear you are ok after your off. I am sad to tell you that ALL racers crash, no exceptions. It is our job to ride that knifes edge and sometimes you get cut.

    That said, it seems like you really had a groove going. Learn from what has happened and come back stronger next weekend.

    Also I would seriously recommend getting accustomed to an ever-increasing tire budget. One set a year is obviously not going to cut it for you now, wait until you start dropping into the teens where you can go through one set a weekend =). Reconcile yourself to that fact if you plan on continuing to race at that point.
    +10000 Sucks about the crash Brady; I don't think I realized you went down. Glad you're OK and the bike as well. And I too am reaching the painful realization that we can no longer run street tires and/or takeoffs for nine sprints #racerboiproblems <----did I really just write that?

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  19. #19
    #331 CBR929RE's Avatar
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    Re: brady am #122 round 5 race report

    Quote Originally Posted by Mustang View Post
    +10000 Sucks about the crash Brady; I don't think I realized you went down. Glad you're OK and the bike as well. And I too am reaching the painful realization that we can no longer run street tires and/or takeoffs for nine sprints #racerboiproblems <----did I really just write that?
    why not? you must get crappy take offs. I can run take offs for a lot more than 9 sprints. while my current rear is the first one I bought new it has 3 track days and 7 sprints (with 2 being MWGP at 12 laps) and 2 GTs. should last the next 2 track days also. I love weighing nothing and being a really smooth rider.

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