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RSP Racing #721 Race Report - Rd 1 2017

  1. #1
    Senior Member BMMCBR's Avatar
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    RSP Racing #721 Race Report - Rd 1 2017

    tl;dr: New year, new team, new bike, new numbers. New everything!

    Offseason

    You know, the usual. Have a ton of stuff to do, wait until the last few weeks to get them done. I was in the market for a ligthweight bike and SV650s have been astronomically priced so I hadn't pulled the trigger on anything until out of the blue Mo mentioned to me that he was looking to sell the Ninja. I picked that up from him (Thanks Faizal for trailering it home for me due to my lack of trailer at the time). I immediately stuffed it in the garage and forgot about it. Having sold my old trailer I was in the market for a new one. Bill C had told me about the awesome vendor he bought his from, so I went to check a trailer out he had on the lot and ended up buying a brand new 2017 6x12.

    So now I had everything I needed, right? Wrong. I waited until about 3 weeks prior to Rd 1 to start buying the parts I needed to get my bike ready. Huge thanks to Mike Kurtz and Mo for all the Ninja 650 advice, and to Keith for all the paint advice! Given the shipping times and such I basically received everything by the week of Rd1. Fairings, fairing stay, paint, windscreen, oil, etc. I was able to knock it all out that week and was ready to go by Thursday night.

    Friday

    I took the day off like usual, yet I was ready to go the night before, so I really just had to pack a few things, help out around the house and go. Things were pretty hectic because Missy was leaving for a week long yoga training course the same day. I was taking the dog with me to drop off with Missy's sister for the weekend. That went fairly well, a bit of Boston traffic, but nothing too crazy. And a quick stop into Brookside before arriving.

    I arrived by 6PM. Got unpacked, ate, and got to work putting the finishing touches on the bike. I had all the vinyl still to put on the fairings (gotta look good right?). After that and some chitchat, I headed off to bed.


    Saturday

    Woke up bright and early to get teched and ready for practice. I felt like butt in first practice, and rightfully so. With the exception of two sessions at Thompson the week before, I hadn't been on track in 7 months, and (again with the exception of Thompson the week before) had never even ridden this particular motorcycle. I did manage to click off some 1.31's, which for a LW I suppose isnt terrible.

    Second practice was much better, and I ended up with a fastest time of 1.30 and change. Not terrible.

    The weather turned out amazing. I think the high was at like 75 deg or something. So amazing for the April round.


    Race 6 - NOV Formula 3

    Gridded 14B. Row Canada this time, haha. I got a fairly decent start, passing half the grid at least. I don't remember much of the first few laps except that I was passing bitches like it was my job. I guess all that seat time in NOV MW did me some good. on lap 3 or 4 I found Mike Randi while coming into T1. I ended up getting by him on the outside of T2, but he got me back with a better drive out of T2 and almost had me in the chute to T3, but I braked way later and closed the door on him there. I continued on, coming back around to the front straight again when I saw a red flag go out right around the time I got to T2. Apparently Mike had gone down in T10 and knocked himself out.

    We regridded and for some reason they used the original grids, not the current race order, which I didn't think anything of at the time, but apparently I was in 3rd place when the red flag went out. Oh well. Bill, Kyle and Brian were kind enough to come out and supply me with some water and some tips on what to do when I got back out there. Particularly how to warm my tires back up on the sighting lap. I took their advice and it paid off. I got an even better start this time, slotting into 4th place in T1. The 2nd place guy immediately washed the front in T1a. Guess his tires weren't as warm as mine . I continued on until I was able to pass the 3rd place rider on the brakes into T1 (I'm forgetting things because its been so long but I think that's what happened). By then the 1st place rider was long gone so I settled in for a 2nd place finish. Not bad for my first race on this bike.

    I found out later that I clicked off a 1.27. Which is 1 second off the bump threshold for LW. My only goal for the weekend was to (have fun obviously!) get a 1.29 or lower. So that was excellent news for sure.

    2nd of 13
    Outlap: 01:35.683
    Best lap: 01:27.389


    Race 10 - NOV Formula 2

    Gridded 1C. I was a bit nervous about this race. Having points from the previous season on my 600 put me right in the front row, on a motorcycle with 30-40 less HP. I know LW bikes can be just as competitive in this class, but I still felt a bit weird. My start was excellent as usual, had I been on a MW bike I probably would have had the holeshot, but I was 4th into T1. Not bad. After a full lap I only lost a few more places. I think I was in 7th going into T1 on my next lap. Then when exiting the bowl on my 2nd lap some knucklehead who clearly blew the turn slammed into me sending both our bikes towards the apron of T6. He was pushing me further and further to the outside of the turn until finally he pulled away and sped off into T7. I attempted to do the same, but could no longer put any weight on my left leg, so I reluctantly pitted in and DNFed the race.

    I honestly have no idea how we both stayed up. The second he hit me I was fully expecting to go down or get tangled or something. Unreal accident, but I was so pissed because this guy took my momentum away. I was doing so well all day and I wanted to get those 1.26's so bad. I had a pretty bad rage moment when I got into the pits, mostly out of pain, but also because I was pissed that someone else ended my day for me. So I apologize to any bystanders that heard my incessant swearing. Most of you know that I'm the most calm and collected person there is and I rarely get angry. So I was in rare form.

    DNF
    Outlap: 01:32.397
    Best lap: 01:32.397

    After calming down I realized it wasn't really a big deal (well except for the fact that I couldn't really walk). I was (relatively) OK, the bike didn't have a scratch, and I rode away from a what could have been a really nasty crash. And I was up at the track with my friends. That alone was enough for me to say eff it, move on, and had some fun.

    Luckily my leg wasn't broken, sprained, or anything crazy like that. It was just a really bad bruise. I walked with a limp for the rest of the evening, but I was OK.

    I was really looking forward to the awards ceremony. It was my first time getting a podium on a Saturday, so I was able to "get on the box" and accept my medal for 2nd place. Such an awesome feeling!

    The rest of the night was the usual. Brookside, drinks (Jameson and ginger this time yum), and great friends!


    Sunday

    Wind and cold. Lots of wind, and lots of cold, haha. This is what the April round is usually like.


    Race 6 - NOV Rookie 3

    Gridded 7C. Holeshot! From the back row nonetheless. This race was a blast, even with the cold temps. For the first 3 laps I traded places with our very own #642 Phil Wilkinson. He would get me out of T12, and I would get him on the brakes into T1 and hold him off for the whole lap, then we'd do it all over again. I apparently need to work on the T12 area. I eventually was not able to get around him in T1 on the 3rd lap and he began to gap me from there, picking up his pace while I did not. After that it was a pretty lonely race, but I ended up with another 2nd place, so that was awesome!

    2nd of 6
    Outlap: 01:34.799
    Best lap: 01:29.344

    Couldn't have asked for a better first round. Even with all the mishaps, the crazy weather. It was awesome. I hope all the riders who went down heal up. Its never fun crashing, but hey, it can come with the territory sometimes.

    I want to thank everyone who helped me out this weekend; My awesome teammates RSP Racing; My amazing sponsors, MTAG Pirelli, Mad Scientist Moto, SportbikeTrackGear.com, GMD Computrack Boston, Tony's Track Days, Woodcraft, Knox, Armor Bodies, and Brunetto Tshirts; All the amazing staff at the track, registration, the officials, flaggers, corner workers, and EMTs. You all make this place run like a top and keep us safe! My future sister in law Melinda, thank you so much for taking Jamie for the weekend! And last but never least, my fiancee Missy. Thanks for putting up with me for the weeks leading up to this getting my bike ready and stuff. You rock!

    Also, thanks to ChainWheelMoto for the awesome pictures!



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    Last edited by BMMCBR; 05-04-17 at 08:53 PM.
    LRRS AM#721 / RSP Racing / MTAG Pirelli / Woodcraft / Sportbike Track Gear
    2003 Honda CBR600RR / 2009 Kawasaki ER6N / 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300

  2. #2
    Posting Freak Philkinson's Avatar
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    Re: RSP Racing #721 Race Report - Rd 1 2017

    Thanks for the fun battle!
    More to come this weekend I hope!
    I'll be doing Formula 3 on Saturday... (opting out of Formula 2, you crazy fook...)
    Rookie 3 and Starter 3 on Sunday.

    Come by my tent sometime by the start/finish line in the outfield. Two canopys, two SV's and a Honda Element. Would like to share a beer, or soda, with you sometime.

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    2015/2016 NESR Fantasy Road Race CHAMPION
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  3. #3
    Senior Member BMMCBR's Avatar
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    Re: RSP Racing #721 Race Report - Rd 1 2017

    Hell yeah! See you soon!

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    LRRS AM#721 / RSP Racing / MTAG Pirelli / Woodcraft / Sportbike Track Gear
    2003 Honda CBR600RR / 2009 Kawasaki ER6N / 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300

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