0
June 2007.
June 2008.
Exactly one year has passed since I last saw the hallowed pavement of NHMS. One year since I've turned a wheel in anger, lined up on the racing grid.
Boy did I miss it.
Due to a Ducati event this week in CT and my co-worker JayRoot's selfless offer of letting me ride his bike for the Classic, I decided to skip out of Cali early and make it out for the Classic. Leaving on a red-eye flight out of San Jose at 9pm PST (JayRoot also on board) I landed in Boston and 5am EST and quickly hopped in the rental car. Speeding up to Loudon I could barely wait to get back on the track and see all my buddies. Friday was Penguin School and I was going to ride one of our 1098's around and help mold new racers for the day.
Problem was I hadn't slept a wink.
Anyway Red Bull and Dunkin Donuts helped with that and I managed to make it thru the day in fairly one piece. Wrestling a 1098 around Loudon is no picnic lemme tell ya, and I've spun a fair number of laps around various racetracks with a 1098 under me. Woof that's a whole lot of bike on a little track. Towards the end of the day JayRoot let me take out his CRF450, my racing steed for Saturday, and I got two sessions in on that to readjust myself with a motard again. Pretty fun.
Anyhow I ended up staying up WAAY too late Friday just so stoked to see everyone and ended up falling asleep around midnight, after being up for 36 hours straight.
Saturday was raceday and after uneventful practices I got the CRF ready for racing. Basically this mean turning the spent tyre around so the worn out left side could now reside on the right. Cool!
Race 1 - GTL
------------------------
I've never entered a GTL before and this would also be my first Expert race. I was going into this with one goal in mind: more practice. I know this grid is big (40 bikes) and fast, but it offered some good tracktime and a chance to get ready for my only sprint race of the day. Plus I wanted to race with my buddy Matt, whom I promptly cut off in Turn 1 off the start (whoops). 40 bikes in our wave and lemme tell ya, I've never seen that many bikes in front of me going into T1 before. Goodtimes.
Other than my near highside in T4 on the 1st lap (MX-save baby!) it was a fun, easy race. Oxx came by me about 3 laps in and we proceeded to freight train around for a number of laps with about 3 or 4 other guys. Did a little dicing with Little Alex G on his 125 (almost rear ending him in T3) and that was that as the race was redflagged about 10 laps in.
Finished around mid-pack (where I was guessing I would) and ran a 1:20.9, which is .1 off my Personal Best. Overall exactly what I was expecting and did it's job of getting me some additional tracktime.
Following Oxxycotton around
Race 2 - Lightweight Sportsman
----------------------------------
Here's where I wanted to do a little better, as it's a sprint race and the grid wasn't filled with SV's, Duc800's, 125's, etc. Just us Motards and bunch of EX's and 8 laps of GO.
Did I mention I'm basically the best at starts?
Yea, patented "Dead Last" start again from Your's Truely and I found myself about 10 bikes back 2 laps in. Not very stoked on this and comin' out of 12 I could see Mike M. and Mike D. way out front (cya) and a conga line of dudes halfway up the straight. Put my head down and reeled in the pack and just started picking guys off. BJ on his EX was one of them (few EX's up there) and I'd be god-damned if a fucking EX was going to beat me, I don't care how fast BJ rides that thing (pretty fast in case you're curious...). Passed him in T3, then Puppet (who was movin') somewhere or other, and finally Travis B going up T4. Puppet showed me the wheel at one point, but otherwise just kept head down and finished up 3rd. Donovan and Martire had checked out doing some silly 18's but I pretty much knew that was going to happen.
3rd. Bunch of 20's, and a new Personal Best of 20.5.
Overall was fun day and I was fairly happy with the result all things considered. I was atrocious from T1 - T2 all day, pretty solid into T3 on the brakes, and 'so-so' elsewhere around the track. Never felt like I was pushing wicked crazy hard and I guess that's good. Can't complain since I was on a borrowed bike, different brand of (worn) tyres, and hadn't been around Loudon in a year.
Pretty cool racing the motard thou, def dig it. Only the third time now I've ridden a motard around the racetrack and it's just SOOOO weird what you can do. Every lap learning what you should (and shouldn't) be doing on the things. I also def liked JayRoot's slipper clutch, as that allowed for some nice downshifts into the turns and sweet slides into T3. I want one.
Incredible seeing everyone and thanks for all the good words. Can't wait till I can make it back out again (August? Sept?) and good luck to everyone in the meantime.
Thanks to everyone who helped me with borrowed stuff. Only had the two suitcases and needed to borrow tools, wire, food, beer, etc. T1A Crew is the best along with all the other paddock rats!
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Pookie
