LRRS AM 860, 2016 Round 3
5
This is my first race report, though I've been racing LRRS for about 1 year.
This year’s Loudon Classic was an absolute blast. I kept it upright all weekend, had some very close races, and achieved a bunch of racing goals. And on top of that, at the Karen Hornbecker Fund BBQ I won this amazing director’s chair that says “RSP Racing”, and is apparently worth a minimum of $100. At least to the ECK guys, apparently...
Friday Race 2 – AM GTL
I followed #110 Dan Pletea for a lot of the race, learning some lessons where he was faster, and trying (and failing) to set up passes where I was faster. I beat him in GTL last round, after which he told me “never again”, so I was determined to make it around him. Unfortunately, I couldn’t quite pull it off. Even worse, on the last lap I was passed by #246 Todd Souliere, who managed to stay ahead of me through the finish. However, I set a new PB of 1:25.225 (prior PB of 1:26.428), a best finish, percentile-wise, of 10th out of 18, and beat both lightweight garagemates #365 Pete Montigny and #428 Chris Girard. So it was already a successful weekend. But I still had to get back Dan and Todd…
Sat Race 2 – AM Thunderbike
Immediately after Friday’s GTL, I realized that I wanted at least 2 races on Saturday, so I added Thunderbike. I tried my best to keep up with #277 Joe Ciesnik, but he’s too quick for me, and this became a bit of a practice session. Finished 5th of 8.
Sat Race 6 – AM LW Supersport
I locked onto #110 Dan Pletea, finally caught him on the drive out of 2, and finished ahead of him. “never again” my a$$, Dan
Sun Race 2 – AM LW Superbike
This race marked the first time this season that garagemate #365 Pete Montigny got ahead of me. He executed a beautiful pass on the inside of 1. I loosened up my line to accommodate, and accidentally let #246 Todd Souleire get by as well. I tried in vain to get them back, and finished 0.2 second behind Todd.
Sun Race 12 – AM UL Superbike
My one goal this race as to beat Todd. Luckily, he was a bit out of shape on track, and when he jumped the curb in 1A I took advantage and came under him out of 2. I managed to finish in front of him, and thus complete all of my goals for the weekend. Also worth noting is that Pete finally flipped the switch in his head from “track day” to “race” and flew by me on lap 1, subsequently running a bunch of 24’s and 23’s. I have some serious work to do if I want to catch him, but it was (begrudgingly) great to see him back in proper form out there.
Overall it was a great weekend. This is the most fun I’ve had on track so far, and the spectating and off-track events were great as well. Watching old garage mate #782 muscle his behemoth through the supermoto race was fantastic. Also, my father stopped by to watch on Saturday and Sunday. He’s an old cruiser guy, and as a Father’s Day gift (curse?) I told him I’d sign him up for one of Tony’ non-sportbike days. If everything goes according to my diabolical plans, then you Formula 40/50 guys had better watch out! Lastly, big thanks to everyone in the LRRS community who makes this sport possible. The sense of community is incredible, and it seems like every race weekend is better than the last!
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