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Friday I headed up for the Penguin Racing School for what was gonna be a cold cold cold rainy weekend. Friday was just really cold, I think lower 40s. First thing I hear from Jim is Freddy crashed in Thursday practice on the line in 1A and slid head first into the tire wall. I talked to him later and has a compression fracture of his C1 vertebrae along with bruising and soreness all over. Not a good way to start my weekend. Anyway I had switched to Dunlops and didn't have the bike set up for them so I had no rear traction all day. End of the day is the rookie race, I get a horrid start cause I'm really scared of launching the bike at the line. So I had to play catch up with 5 or 6 people and I was picking them off on the first lap when on the second lap I flick it right into 1a and bang hit the painted line and spin the rear out from under me and slide towards the tires. I stopped right at the tires and wasn't hurt, only bruised my pinky. Bike isn't as pretty anymore but just really isn't bad at all. the tire marks on the left are worse than the pavement scrapes on the right which are just on the upper corner and a small one on the edge of the top of the side panel. Pissed me off cause I wasn't even pushing hard at all. Not supposed to get your license if you crash in that race but I talked to them and they let me get it anyway. All along the plan was to have Peter Kates measure and set the bike up friday night for the Dunlops. after measuring it he tells me my swingarm angle is so flat that that's why I have no traction. he adjusted the shock all the way up to its limit, almost an inch. then had to raise the front a touch. I know you all know it but I'll say it again, he's the man... for a price
Saturday comes and its cold as shit, I don't think it got above 40 all day. I go out for practice and oh my god I have rear traction now. still felt like I rode like crap. I have race #5. grid up flag flies, awful start which I expected. picked off a few people and finished 6th with a best time of 1:33.326. 10 seconds off my normal pace but its cold as hell and I'm still getting used to Dunlops which are way different than Pirellis.
Saturday night the rain finally comes and goes till probably 10am, so I skipped morning practice as I don't have rain tires and didn't wanna buy them especially for just practice. track dried out for the last hour of practice and lunch and the sun was fighting to come out. I'm up for Race #5 again, Novice GTO and GTU combined. I'm running GTO and on pole. there was just a total of 6 people that started the race (should have been 7). I get an alright start but nothing I'd call a launch and go into T1 in third. pick off Radu I think into T3 and go chasing the lead guy. spent almost the entire 20 minutes behind him. I tried to take him in T1 a couple times cause he was braking really early but I was wide and didn't wanna turn too hard in 1A for fear of the white line so I let him by. Second to last lap I finally blow by him just past the start/finish line and gap him by about 20ft that lap for the win with a best of 1:27.927, ok getting better. Turns out I didn't have to pass him to win, I won GTO, he won GTU but still nice to beat everyone on track.
Second race for me is #12 MW Superbike. I was gridded in 3C and get such a bad start its not even funny. Enter t1 probably in 7th or so. first lap or 2 I picked off everyone but BrianC in first. I kept catching him but his R6 kept pulling on me down the straight so I'd have to make up the gap braking into T1. Last lap I'm probably less than a bike length from him and we come up on a lapper heading for T3. He takes the lapper on the right and I fall in behind like a dummy. Shoulda stayed right on Brian's tail. now he's got a little gap on me of probably 5-6 bike lengths as we go up the hill. I couldn't end it that way so I really put my head down and get right on his ass into T11. As we exit T12 onto the front straight I pull up his inside and just hammer it hoping I had the drive and power to get him. wasn't exactly a photo finish cause I knew I was by him, he was probably still next to me but out of my peripheral, but still cool to take him at the line for my second win denying him his second win (he took the race on Saturday). That was a fun race for sure. Best time of 1:26.128. afterwards Peter Kates comes over and basically tells me to stop being a bitch and open the throttle on corner exit. I was actually thinking the same thing.
So 3 races and 2 wins. not the times I wanted but I'll take it. It was fun once it got decent out and you could feel your fingers.
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Originally Posted by Doc
