Race Report LRRS Round 6, 2014
RSP Racing #29

Pre-Race
I arrived at the track late Thursday night and went about setting up my pit. I arrived with a fair amount of work to do but was also completely mentally and physically exhausted as there were some pretty stressful things going on in my life. I looked forward to the next few days of beating the crap out of myself so that my brain would shut off. I got to bed around 12:30 and surprisingly slept until almost 8am which NEVER happens.

Friday Practice
I spent the morning sessions getting my bike ready as well as lending a helping mechanical hand to a few other folks in the paddock to get their bikes ready. My goal for the day was simple: find out why I was getting so exhausted riding this bike and fix it. Far easier said than done, I assure you.
I went through a few practice sessions taking my usual detailed notes and really focusing on feeling out the bike. I would come in from the session, get over to Peter Kates of GMD Computrack-Boston and we would immediately go over the results and gradually a plan formed. We tried a few different settings but none of them really got me to where I needed to be so we continued to collect some data and make some changes.

Saturday Practice
My intentions were to get out in practice to feel out the changes. We had made a few very radical changes to try to get to my own “sweet numbers” but the track had other intentions. I had to sit on hot pit for about 15 minutes thanks once again to our friends the legends cars oiling the track again. Since the first session is only 8 minutes long and my tires had completely cooled off by then I decided not to push and simply try to slowly get up to pace.

Second practice I went out and hit it hard since this was my last chance to make changes before my first race of the day. The bike immediately felt marginally better but different so I tried to acclimate myself to the new feeling quickly. I nailed down a few high 15’s in practice which boded very well for the day but it was still exhausting to ride.

GTU
Once again I went out for the 25 minute endurance race. I was gridded in my favorite spot; 1D but got a poor start and slotted into 4th place in turn 1 behind someone I had been seeing the tail section of far too often lately, Kristofer Knopf (#31). He seemed to be struggling a bit so I was able to stick onto his rear tire for a bit, feeling him out for a pass attempt but I was struggling with the new front end settings and I blew turn 9 two laps in a row. Each time I would close the gap back up on the following lap and then struggle with 9 again.

Eventually this and the difficulty of riding this bike took its toll on my confidence and endurance and I wasn’t able to keep up with Kristofer’s pace so I rolled across the line in a lonely 4th place. I did manage to nail down a new PB for outlap which was encouraging.

Finish: 4th out of 6
Outlap: 1:18.628 (new PB)
Best Lap: 1:16.422

Middleweight Grand Prix

I was gridded in 3A. I really dislike starting on the inside but I made the best of it with a pretty good launch. I was 5th heading into turn 1 and then got railroaded because I was on the inside line and had to give up 3 places to fall back into 8th. I *really* miss my outside line going into T1.

AMA superchamp Shane Narbonne (#64) made it look like I was riding a skateboard judging by the speed with which he passed me going into T3 as he navigated his way to the front and I was pushed back one more place into 10th as once again I pushed wide in T9 and had to take a really poor line through 10 which Tim Barber (#46) took advantage of.

I don’t remember much of the middle of this race other than I was able to keep Tim in sight until he had a nasty crash into turn 1. It was on the last lap when I made the same crappy line through T10 and was slowing down a lot as I was still fighting this difficult to ride bike. My lap times had dropped back into the high 16’s (I had been running 15’s) and both Justin Torres (#23) and recent addition to the Middleweight brackets Seth Hahn (#91) blew past me in the T10-11 chute pushing me back to my final position of 11th.

Getting beaten by Seth was really annoying because it was nearly a carbon-copy of a race we did 3 years ago when Seth returned to LRRS Racing on his SV650. I was completely exhausted but I had a fun race. This bike simply wears me out far too quickly to be a serious threat in the latter half of the races. Something has to change.

Finish: 11th out of 16
Outlap: 1:19.670
Best Lap: 1:15.814

Saturday Night
Our own Adam Butler had been taken out earlier in the day and was spending some time visiting the nice folks at Concord Hospital. The Butlers are our usual hosts for the now-legendary Saturday night BBQ so in his honor we decided to toss all the fine folks together and have the BBQ anyway while anxiously awaiting word of his condition since as far as we knew all he needed was a few stitches. The night went well; great company, great food, and more than a few Moscow Mules were had by all =)

I spent a good chunk of the evening gleaning the sagely wisdom (along with a few new choice phrases) of Peter Kates where we went over my continuing frustrations with the bike and it was decided that we were basically going to throw the book out and make some very drastic changes the following morning before practice.

Sunday Practice

It was a little disconcerting to basically completely re-work the geometry and suspension on my bike just moments before going out for practice. Thankfully I get up very early and got to it in time. Springs were swapped, things were turned, clicked, and sweeping changes were made that, in all honesty, had me a little concerned. Pete smiled at me with that understanding smile and said “just ride it and tell me what you think”.

I tried to put my doubt to the side and trust in both Pete and the bike so I did my best “to hell with it” move and just went out and gave it everything I had.

I knew as I tipped into the first turn upon leaving the pits that things were VERY different. I learned by about 3 turns later that things were VERY different and MUCH better. I learned by the end of the session to never doubt Pete again as this thing was doing nearly everything right. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a massive improvement over where it was.

I came into the pits grinning and went over to discuss my new findings. A brief discussion, a few clicks of this and that, and I went out for 2nd practice where it was even better. I am pretty well-read on suspension tuning but nothing takes the place of experience. The man is a genius. Seriously.

Middleweight SuperSport

I went out for this race feeling very confident that we were on the right track with our recent changes and so my enthusiasm was high. I was gridded in 2A but got a pretty poor start and went into T1 in 8th place behind Seth Hahn (#91). After my disappointing showing yesterday Seth and I had chatted and I told him that I wasn’t going to make it easy for him like I did the day before, and I meant it. Three of us were battling: Justin Torres (#23), Seth Hahn, and myself. We were wheel to wheel for a while.

On lap 3 I had enough and shot past Seth going over the hill into T6 and on lap 4 I got around Justin on the brakes going into T1. I put my head down, determined to stay ahead of Seth.

A few times over the remaining laps I heard him right behind me as I would get caught in AM traffic and had to check up a couple of times. Somehow I managed to stay ahead as I pushed harder than I had ever done before. On the last lap I made a late pass in T9 and again a defensive, late pass of AM traffic in T11 to make sure that I had the drive going onto the front straight and so it was I rolled across the line in 6th place, just a few bike lengths ahead of Seth. This was some of the most fun racing that I have had in the middleweight brackets!

I was even more delighted when I returned to the pit to some people cheering when I realized that I had a new PB by over 8 tenths of a second.

Finish: 6th out of 13
Outlap: 1:19.975
Best Lap: 1:14.778 (New PB!)

Formula 40
This race is certainly a fun one for me! I was gridded in 1C and got a killer launch so I had the holeshot into T1 but I was seriously concerned about Dennis Levesque (#17) on his ridiculously powerful Ducati. My only hope was to get in front of him and stay far enough ahead during the technical sections of the track that he couldn’t pass me on the front straight. I had a plan and I threw everything I had into it. I went a little wide in T9 which cost me only a fraction of a second but I could hear his big v-twin behind me as I entered the straight. My rear tire was spinning but it was to no avail as he rocketed past me at about the finish line.

I did my best to stay with him but it simply wasn’t going to happen. I later learned that he turned a 1:13.0!! Very fast guy on a very fast bike = sad times for #29. Before too long he was gone and I was left to curse in second place.

I knew that I had John Van Lenten (#69) behind me but I had built up enough of a lead that I rolled it back just enough to maintain my place but not tire myself out too much as I had a back-to-back race to do. I led a pretty lonely 2nd place finish. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had landed a new PB outlap.

Finish: 2nd out of 7
Outlap: 1:17.878 (New PB!)
Best Lap: 1:15.680

Middleweight SuperBike
I rolled off of the track from F40 right onto hot pit where my wife, friends, and teammates were waiting with water, fuel (thanks Mo!), and an umbrella (thanks Virginia!). I chugged a bunch of water, poured a ton down my leathers to try to cool off and rolled back out for this race.

I was to start in 2B but had a horrific start, with no less than 5 wheelies as I went down the front straight. I don’t know where I ended up into T1 as I was having a difficult time focusing on the task at hand. I knew something was wrong as I continued down the track and blew T3 badly.

My riding was erratic and I chastised myself, trying to focus through whatever this was. I steeled myself and went around for lap 2. I went wide on T1 entrance, barely made T2 and when I went into T3 it was like I was watching a PowerPoint presentation. I could only register about one second out of every two and I nearly fell off the inside of the bike at the apex of 3. I moved to the far left as I knew I was holding someone up (my sincere apologies to whoever that was…I couldn’t even tell) and threw my hand up. I made it around to the end of the track and rode into the pits.

Savas (I think) was there to grab my bike and I sat down wheezing. I don’t know if it was lack of food or just the whole adrenaline rush, wait 4 minutes, then back out racing thing but I was a wreck. I felt nauseous and my hands were shaking so bad I was having a difficult time holding a bottle of water.
It passed after two bottles of water, some cooling down, and just sitting there staring off into space for about 10 minutes. So…I think no more back-to-back races for me. It is funny because I am fine doing a GT race which is about 18 laps but I can’t seem to do two groups of 8.

This isn’t how I wanted to end my weekend but at least I kept it on two wheels. Again, my sincere apologies to those behind me who were undoubtedly concerned about passing me with my erratic riding.

Finish: 13th out of 13
Outlap: 1:19.652
Best Lap: 1:19.652

In Closing
I had such an incredible weekend of racing despite my crappy ending. I must give thanks, as always, to my friends, teammates, sponsors, and family for all their support. I have to give an extra shout out to friend and teammate Keith Draghi for breaking into the teens for the first time!! GO KEITH GO!!!

Also I would like to send out my best wishes for a speedy recovery to those unfortunates who did not have such a good weekend. I hope that Adam and Steve can heal up quickly and get back out there!

I can't say enough how much I appreciate the help and support of Peter Kates and GMD Computrack - Boston. Pete spent a ridiculous amount of time with me this past weekend, not only helping me with setting up the bike but also with educating me as a rider. The more we work together and build a vocabulary that we can both share (it is harder than you may think to describe the things a motorcycle is doing at < 100 mph!) the more I will be able to fine tune that bike into the weapon I know it can be. Thank you Peter!

Also, I wanted to toss a mention out to Gregg Spears of Spears Racing who gave me a nifty little gadget to try this weekend, a lap timer with lean angle sensor from SpeedAngle.

Huge thanks for MTAG Pirelli for the outstanding rubber. Nothing but pure grip and confidence from them.
Finally, extra thanks to my wife for not complaining about me spending the kids inheritance

See you all in October!