5
Ah, here we go, the awful truth comes out. It hurt and I like it.
Thank you beyond words to my wife Amy and my boys for allowing me out to play! Big thanks to Tony’s Track Days (my first) and his crew for all their help and support over the past year, I could never have believed I can do this without that foundation. Kudos to Penguin for the Track Experience classes and the Basic license course. I know I’ll forget many who helped so much, some of whom I don’t know your names! Cornerworkers, hoping to meet you under better circumstances to thank you for your selfless service and dedication to the sport. Thanks as well to the marshalls and various race management people that make all this possible. Mike Weyant for the stylin’ levers and vinyl so I could have white plates! Gino and Chuck helping me reassemble the bike after physics lessons. My main man Gary (Imbeek) for being an enabler and pushing my bike so many times. Dylan, James, John, and Steve for giving me expert guidance( and tools). Miles for teaching me you gotta go slow to get go-fast parts. Todd for getting my suit back together while telling me how unsuitable it is for my intended usage. MTAG and Tony (again)for tire mounting despite the fact they may or may not have been Pirellis. John Linn (Trouble) for the delicate forging of my rearset whilst talking me out of my crash funk. The nice lady at the infield care center for cleaning up my road rash. Fast Freddy and Jane for the takeoffs. Suzuki for selling such an affordable and well engineered Ducati. Kurtz for the bellypan heat stuff. Johnny B. for the reminder on how to re-enter the track and where tech was. Tech for understanding I had not read the sign about shutting off one’s bike. Lori and Mary for enduring my repeated rookie questions. Smoke Shack for pastrami on rye, gotta bring my own sauerkraut next time. Brookside for emergency nourishment at 9:50PM. My fellow novices for the shared suffering. Ian V. #604 soofle616 for not hitting me in my last race. Brian B. #612 krazy again for staying up when I hit him. Brian F. #345 GingahNinjah for listening to me blather on because he was closest to me in the garage.
Penguin on Friday pitted in the north parking lot, made it though the Basic course, hours of waiting to pay for the license, then comic misadventures aplenty as I try to figure out which races to enter. Guessing was not the right move here, as I will explain. Mooched a corner in the ECK garage to try and get my bike tech ready. Thanks guys!
Few hours of sleep, an expert informs me I can’t park where I’m at, I slink over to an unused spot. Someone indicates center 18 is available for wretches such as myself, I squat there. Saturday first practice, fortified with a winter of inactivity and not a single change to the bike since my last TTD in October. Only about 20 street miles on another bike this spring to hone my skills. I make it to the 4th lap and had to lay ‘er down in T10 and visit the corner workers, Hi folks! Careful analysis indicates I should not have been turning over the first transition, which I expressed as “Gaaaahhhdamnit!!” while sliding on my ass and watching my new 434racer brake lever, bar, throttle tube, throttle housing, peg, folding (ha!) brake lever and new paint being ground off the bike. Pipe slider worked though, thanks lrrs699! Pushed my pile of parts by S&C to get the order process going, returned to center 18 to make repairs. Missed second practice while going through tech again. It occurs to me that maybe the Michelin guy (Bibendum!) can help me with pressures, since I’ve forgotten my tank and gauge at home. 18F and 13R should have helped me heat those cold tires, eh?
RACE 1 Rookie Race -Into the rookie race with no laps after a crash inspired a good deal of anxiety in me. I was okay until the grid, then my throat was dry and I could hear my heart pounding over the bikes waiting to launch. I don’t recall where I was gridded, but I did see an SV to my right headed for the sky on the start. I moved left and passed a few into T1, I think I was 3rd then before seeing the red flag in T2. Put up my hand, went through the split, and waited to regrid while chewing on all that adrenaline. Felt like my eyeballs were bouncing off the shield with each heartbeat. I think this is where I mixed up my grid spot with #508 Sav, but after a week my memory of races is all jumbled together. The guy holding us back shook his head at my feeble attempts to get my grid spot back, so I focused on getting a few breaths before the restart. I gave it a little more clutch this time, resulting in a small wheelie that left me straggling behind. After pushing for a few turns I remembered all the cautions to JUST FINISH and DON’T CRASH! I backed off and putted around at 1:32’s to get 9th out of 13 in the HW division on my SV. I’m still not sure why I was ranked there but started with the LW wave? Gained back some confidence keeping it upright, but amazed at the way my calm and focus were shattered by it being a RACE.
9th of 13 1:35.78 out lap, 1:32.61 best lap
RACE 6 Novice Formula 1- Yes, I know NOW that I was in the wrong spot. Gridded somewhere in the back and eaten alive on the start. Managed to pass a few and likewise was passed. I felt more confident here and decided to put on a bit more speed. The only bike I recognized was #612 on the R6, we had a little back and forth. I was behind him when the white came out and decided to try a last lap pass. I was very close behind coming out of T2 and thought I had the drive when I suddenly found his rear tire where my front had been. I went down like a sack of potatoes and am told I bounced off the airfence. The bike took it very well, a peg and shifter end only, and thankfully on the right side this time to even it out! I hit my helmet and had a headache for a while, tore open the left sleeve on the inside stretch fabric and rashed my forearm, and landed hard enough on my shoulder to rash it inside the suit. Also have a rib that hurts like hell still. Did the walk of shame back to the garage, my good man Imbeek pushed the bike. Somehow was given a finish position despite not completing the last lap. I am very glad Brian didn’t go down due to my mistake, however I’m still pissed I screwed up while in 12th place against MW bikes and didn’t finish my first “real” race.
15th of 23 1:40.08 out lap, 1:29.57 best lap.
After two crashes in one day I was a bit discouraged and wondering what I had gotten myself into, and what the hell I was doing different to cause this! #117 John Linn helped me straighten my rearset and we talked about the fickle nature of racing bikes for a while. Todd repaired the leathers. I left a message at home that I had crashed once again, but was in fact not dead yet. Started Sunday with a better outlook, put on different tires, and missed the first practice while getting re-teched. Switched my Eject to a backup helmet, made second practice but felt like I was driving on snow, spooked by every corner. I had been signed up for Race 2 NOV Rookie 1, but now that I was wise I asked if I could drop that.
Sunday RACE 4, NOV Rookie 3- I have no idea what happened here, I just decided since I was there all weekend I should make a go at it, they listed me as finishing second. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.
2nd of 6, 1:34.23 out lap, 1:28.44 best lap
RACE 9, NOV Starter 3- I remember getting very tired around lap 5 in this one, it had been a long three days and I had no exercise this winter. Just about the time I thought I should back off before I crashed again ( this may have been about when I blanked and ran over the apex curbing in T1, dabbing my foot for a little flat track style ) someone got by me. I think it was #880. I had no idea where I stood in the race, but the old silly pride came back and I held the throttle on about a ½ board more than usual into T1. I was trying like hell to make the corner while trail braking, but the bike that had passed me was kinda in the middle of T1 where I wanted to be. I fixated on the grass briefly, then decided I’d rather run straight into NASCAR 1 than be knee down on the grass. Pounded a cone with my left foot but was able to toddle around and rejoin in T2. Johnny B. reminded me afterward that I had done this incorrectly, I’ll have to look at those cones a little closer while not actually racing next time. With a couple laps to go I somehow got by the fella again and was rather amazed to find the checkers pointed at me and then waved! I honestly didn’t believe I’d won until I saw it taped on the window later.
1st of 4, 1:33.88 out lap, 1:29.46 best lap
It’s a very nice thing the fast guys donate those trophies, the little bike means a great deal to me after the time, money, and hurt I spent to get a win. Most everybody had left by the time I figured out I’d won something, but it still made my whole week! I am astounded at how many people helped me to get through the first weekend, what an incredible experience. If I forgot to thank anybody, give me trouble so I don’t forget again! See you all next round…