3
Not that being back is too frightening to anyone but Keith, but still very exciting to me
Friday
Grabbed the trailer after work and headed to pick up Sara. This will be the first race weekend I actually bring a girlfriend to the track - so who knows how it will go for multiple reasons! The on-and-off rain the whole ride didn't bode well for the weekend - I don't want another cold-and-rainy race weekend.
Saturday AM
Wake up ~3am to torrential downpours. ::sigh:: Go back to sleep...wake up at 730 to Johnny B postponing the day's start due to weather. ::sigh:: Get up a bit later to see a peek of blue sky and hear the jet drier out on track...sweet! Practices feel AWESOME; no idea what my times were.
Saturday LWGP Race 8
Gridded in 2D, I get a decent start, heading out of the front chicane in 7th or 8th place IIRC. On the 2nd lap, RSP Racing teammate #90 Brian Kelly passes me on the outside entering T6, as he has been known to do before because he's an ANIMAL with T6 late braking. I curse softly at myself, and plan to tag on to his cheaterbike Ducati Monster and get him back somewhere on the track. As he flips for T8 in front of me, but before he can get pointed towards T9, his bike slams itself over on the right side. With both he and the bike traveling together towards the inside of 9, I repeated "dontlookathimdontlookathimdontlookathim" as I got myself aimed at the right edge of T9. Following my own directions was very difficult, since by this point both objects were cartwheeling through the air, I was getting pelted with pea gravel, and I was concerned for my buddy's wellbeing. After a long post-red flag wait on cold pit, we get sent back out. We have learned nothing about Brian during the cleanup, so that's in the back of my head for the rest of the race. 2nd start is almost as good as the first, but in the middle of T1 #215 Sam Witham comes underneath, with a line that takes his tires, rearset, and right foot directly into me. This is the first time I've ever gotten rubbed while racing, and I am not pleased - especially because he's now caused me to lose a couple spots. I spend the rest of the race chasing him down, finally passing him on the last lap I believe (shit if I remember where though). I also passed teammate #76 Keith Draghi on the brakes entering T3, which is exactly where he'd been saying since Friday evening that he didn't want me to pass him Finish: 12th of 20, fastest lap 1:22.222. I didn't even see the laptime until Sunday morning; I would've been happy with just being in the 22's considering I haven't had a dry race since last May!
Saturday evening I got to "enjoy" the awards ceremony for the first time since May as well (since in October and April I was the MC)...so it was nice to yell "GET ON THE BOX" to some newbs. I partook of a few Dave-o-ritas, enjoyed the cancelled-then-uncancelled Center Garage BBQ, and laughed too much at Cards Against Humanity.
Sunday AM
Midway through the night, my air mattress decided to partially deflate. I figured if I got up to fix it, the air pump would wake Sara up (if she wasn't already by falling to the ground when I got up), so I toughed it through. Meaning, I really only got like 4 hrs sleep. Little did I know, she was awake with the same thoughts. Lesson learned. Anyway, I somehow get myself up and dressed for first practice. Despite being half asleep, practices once again feel awesome.
Sunday LWSS Race 3
I'm gridded in 4D for this one. Not awesome, but I'll take it. Average start, but I get psyched that I pass new-for-ECK #49 Steve Heidercopter, considering how fast he got on his SV so quickly. I'm chasing down someone, who's following a train of #31 BJ Worsham / #76 / RSP teammate #820 Adam Butler...when all of the sudden the trail slows down, and #49 and fellow ECK brat #39 Chuck "The Snowman" Boucher come up the inside entering T3...dammit! They pass us all. Eventually I pick through whomever was in front of me, then Draghi (who'd been passed by Butler) - on the brakes in T3 again! - and am stalking Butler and Worsham...but the checkered flag flies. If it was a nine-lap race, Adam and I would've likely passed BJ...but such is life. Had a TON of fun in this race, and felt good once again. Finished: 12th of 17, with a best lap of 1:20.916. This is only three tenths off my PB, so I am PSYCHED when I learn this in the garage considering my broken ankle put me out of commission for most of last year.
Sunday LWSB Race 10
Dammit...Race 10 on a Sunday? Seriously? AND I'm gridded in 5A?? Fugg... Oh, not to mention I realize when Race 9 has three-to-go that my rear warmer wasn't plugged in. Get my same average start, basically in 16th (of 17 riders) in T1 I think. Picked off a few folks along the way, then set my sights on #76 again. Almost had him in several spots on the track, but that Chester Cheetah bike just pulls from me on the straights. The titanium sparks thrown in T3 and T10 are good distractions too. Anyway, I got passed Keith finally in - you guessed it - the chute for T3! I see bikes somewhere ahead so I put my head down and try catching up. Eventually I figure out that in front of me is my new best friend #215 Witham. My goal, of course, is to pass this dude again. On his butt for most of the track, but finally make my move on the outside of T4 - man does that feel good! - and cut over to block him from an outside line in T6. Well, that was a HUGE rookie mistake on my part, as ol' Sam went underneath me in T6 instead and took his spot back. I finished about two bike lengths behind him at the checkered, in 12th of 17 again, but with a NEW PB of 1:20.429!!
While I didn't place very high numerically this weekend, I felt REALLY good, actually got to dice it up with some people and lay down some good passes, and am amazed that I achieved a new PB. I figured even getting into the 20s wouldn't happen until The Classic. TONS of fun this weekend, both on and off track.
Thanks to my awesome teammates, all my track friends, my sponsors - Tony's Track Days (awesome instruction!) / MTAG-Pirelli (sticky icky icky rubbahs!) / LionHeart Moto (well, thanks for continuing to design my suit) / Woodcraft (for the killer shirt I'm wearing right now) / Dyno Solutions (tunes!) / Sport Bike Track Gear (for the killer Bell lid that makes me easily identifiable everywhere) / Knox / Brunetto T-Shirts / 434 Racer Parts / Mad Monkey Motorsports / MOTUL / GMD CompuTrack. Can't wait for The Classic!!
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Originally Posted by Rambunctous
