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CliffNotes: 4th LWGP, 1st LWSS, 1st Thunderbike
89th Running of The Loudon Classic!
As per usual, if I don't write my race reports immediately after I race then I forget a lot
Friday
Both practices went well...was running 22s, so I was happy with that for practice. And they were fun!
AM LWGP
Gridded up in the 2nd row I think...I literally remember very little about this race. I know around lap 4 I got by RSP Racing teammate Keith Draghi in the chute for T3, after stalking him for a couple laps. Then we hit lap traffic, and I weaved through some Novices like I pro! I probably picked off 4 in a row; that was the most fun of the whole race! Finished in 4th place with a best lap of 1:22.818.
Saturday
Practices were once again fun. After Brian Kelly (now 102)'s much-rejoiced return to the RSP stable yesterday, we diced it up a bit in practice until a missed shift caused my bike to stall and I fell behind.
AM LWSS
It's been my goal for this season to do well in SS, but thusfar I haven't won one. I really need to start taking my ginko biloba...or maybe just have one fewer drink after the races...but everything I planned to write about this race has slipped my mind now. Somewhere by the halfway point I got into the lead after being 3rd (?) into T1, and I managed to stay there the rest of the race. Result: my first legitimate AM win, with a best lap of 1:21.528 (nearly tying my PB). I also beat #388 Justin Hancort, which was a big goal of mine since Round 1.
AM Thunderbike
I was most worried about this race, since there were two out of region racers gridded on either side of me in the front row, and RSP teammate Kevin Russell 559 looked like he'd finally be able to race in this one. I've "won" the first two rounds of TB...but Round 1 I had no competition, and Round 2 saw me running against #900 who was doing 28's. Now I'm gridded up against all big Ducatis...so my little SV will have to work. 559's Duc failed him on the warm up lap, so now I only have three competitors. Green flag flies, and I get into T1 in 3rd behind the two out of region guys. Luckily, being out of region means that certain parts of NHMS which are common to me can apparently be still unnerving...so I passed #402 heading into T3, and took the lead from #651X heading into T6. I was able to stay there for the duration, for my 2nd real AM win...again effectively tying my PB with a 1:21.538.
Sunday
I thought about doing ASRA Thunderbike, but a bunch of factors led me to take my already-successful weekend to the bank and just support my teammates and friends today.
A big THANK YOU to my RSP Racing teammates, Tony's Track Days for all the training and advice, MTAG-Pirelli for the super-sticky Diablo Supercorsas, Dyno Solutions for smoothing out my fuel mapping, Sport Bike Track Gear / Brunetto T-Shirts for providing the gear for all our supporters to rep us at the track, Mad Monkey Motortsports for the awesome Qstarz laptimer, MOTUL