0
Well, the bad news is, "The Streak" has ended... I'm not sure what the official race count is, but I think this weekend marks my first crash related DNF since 2007 (I'll have to double check that though). Regardless of the details, I've had incredibly good luck over the years when it comes to keeping my bike on two wheels (or at least one) during my races and taking the checkered.
The GOOD news is, I was virtually unhurt, the bike came out of it in very good shape and I was able to return to form for my other races. All the bike needed was a new clutch lever & left side foot controls. The Woodcraft frame sliders, rearsets, spools & clipons did a phenominal job of keeping the vital bits off the pavement & sliding flat on the ground.
MORE good news, is it didn't hurt me in the LWSB points chase
Anyway, more details about that soon. On to the races.
The "Spoilers":
LWSB - DNF
LWGP - 2nd
GTL - 3rd
LWSS - 2nd
The Details:
Saturday
Race 2, LWSB - I got a good start, but so did Scott and we had a great drag race to T1. I barely edged him out but a minor mis-shift exiting turn 2 opened the door into 3 and he took advantage. I tried getting up underneath him as we went up turn 4 but he held me off. On lap three a false neutral into the bowl allowed Ricky to get around the outside of me as I struggled to find the right gear. On lap 5 I got a great drive out of 12 and was closing the gap on Scott Mullin was by then in 2nd place and as we peeled off the wall for T1 I took position on his right and "took a peek". I wasn't going to force a pass, but if it happened it happened. My goal was primarily to show him a wheel and "feel out" whether or not I could make a move there later in the race. As we came off the NASCAR oval onto the banking I pulled about 1/2 a bike length ahead, but pointed a little more to the right than I wanted to be as we passed the orange box. Knowing the pavement transition was approaching, I wanted to get my bike pointed a little more towards 1A than I was so I could get the bike a little more upright before the bump. I think what happened then is I EVER so slightly added a steering input and the front immedately started pushing and washed out before I could recover. My bike missed the grass (thankfully), skipped ALL the way to the cornerworker stand (scattering the cornerworkers) and stopped just a few feet before the wall. I bounced up, ran to the bike as I did an "injury awareness check" but knew my race was over when I saw my clutchlever on the ground, a broken shift rod and only an inch of footpeg remaining. It's possible I could have rejoined the race w/o either, but it would have proved to be very difficult to get going again so we didn't make an attempt.
When the race ended, I coasted onto the infield, put it in 2nd gear by hand, pushed the bike, keyed the starter, rode back to the pits and immediately got to work. Huge thanks to all that helped in the garage to get me back out there with so little time - my teammates, Chuck Boucher, Tony of Tony's Track Days, Mark (TLR Man) and a few other helpful handsWith a new clutch lever, shift lever, rearset & footpeg, she was ready to go in a jiffy.
Race 6, LWGP - The 1 board tilted and the flagger was slow pulling the trigger, which pulled Scott Mullin off the line early. He wasn't penalized however, because he stopped his momentum once the green came out and everyone blew past him. I got the holeshot, took the lead into T1 and turned a 1:19.4 out lap - the fastest of my career, I believe? Rick one-upped me, however, by passing me early & turning a ridiculous 1:18.3 in the process. That's the way it would stay, from start to finish, with minimal drama in between.
To be perfectly honest, the first time or two heading into T1 I had the butterflies goin, especially when I saw those tire marks from my crash in my peripheral, but I stayed relaxed, let my training & technique take over & things worked out just fine. In fact, I turned my best lap of the weekend on lap 2 with a 1:16.686, just over a tenth off my personal best (1:16.578) which felt awesome.
Sunday:
Race 2, GTL - I got a great jump off the line and had a GREAT drag race to T1 with Scott Mullin, who edged out. Rick showed me a tire a couple of times until he finally got by a few laps in when he got underneath me exiting the bowl and I could only watch as he and Scott slowly drifted off into the distance. There were a few times where lap traffic held them up, but I knew I wouldn't have had a chance to get either one of them, so I played "goodie two shoes" and was nice to the lappers while turning 18's and 20's for the rest of the race to conserve my tires and my energy for LWSS.
Race 8, LWSS.
After a VERY LENGTHY storm delay, complete with torrential downpours and an amazing cloud and lightning show, LWSS got under way under wet track conditions. I got an AMAZING jump off the line and had a good 4 bike length lead into T1. I led for the first lap until Scott Mullin snuck along side me and pulled a classic block pass into T3. The Wet Weather Magician then worked his magic, turning a best 1:25.9, which out-paced my low 27's. Each time I came down the front straight I could see Gino & the guys giving me signals that Rick Doucette was RIGHT on my rear tire. I didn't dare look back. I just kept my head down, rode some defensive lines, hung off that bike as much as possible to keep it upright and let the tires talk to me. I got some GREAT luck with traffic during the shortened 6 lap race and Rick got held up on lap 5 which gave me a nice gap... a gap that I needed when I spun up the rear somethin fierce exiting the bowl. I hung on and finished 2nd, ahead of Rick Doucette for the first time in my carrer. Great way to end the weekend.
Huge thanks to Tony's Track Days, MTAG Pirelli & RSP Racing for all their help & support, to Woodcraft for keeping my bike off the ground, Street & Comp for having all my replacement parts on hand, Pine Motorparts/PBE Specialists & Jette Painting for not yelling at me when I scuff up the bike, AestheticRAIN for our website & OnTrackMedia for the awesome pics! (which I'll post up later)
And of course to all of the cornerworks whom I rarely get to see out on the track and to all of our fellow racers, friends & family that show up to support the local racing organization & cheer us on.
Oh and I'll try & get some video up later
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by 07BladeRider
Actually, it would be really neat if I could record it and add it to my on-board videos.
