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Hey kids, remember me? Sitting here bored in LA so I thought I'd check in. Just finished another race weekend at Willow (report below). Racing here couldn't be more different than Loudon! But I'm finally getting up to speed so that's all that matters. Talk to you all later...
Paul
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It was another great weekend at the Fastest Road In The West! Sunny and 75 both days, no crashes, and fast lap times! Although it started out a little rough...
Saturday morning I failed tech for having remnants of antifreeze in my cooling system, so it was back to my pit for a quick flush. In my haste to get everything put back together in time for my first practice session I must not have put the radiator cap on tight (unbeknownst to me). So I go out for my first session and do an easy warm-up lap. As I'm coming down the main straight for the first time (at 13,000 RPM in 5th gear) my bike starts doing an Old Faithful impersonation! Steam and hot water are coming up out of the bike soaking the windscreen, gauges, and me! I put my hand up and cruise all the way around the entire course puking steam until I can pit in. Pull the bike fairings off and there's my radiator cap laying in my lower. DOH! Lesson #1 learned. So I go out in my next session and do two laps when I get simultaneous charlie horse's in my left hand and left hip. So now I gotta pit in AGAIN! I stretched for a solid 30 minutes to make sure it wouldn't happen again. Lesson #2 -- ride the streetbike in between race weekends to stay in shape, and stretch before getting on the bike! Did a few more sessions during the day, finally hitting my groove in the last session. I knew I was going fast so I called it a day -- I was ready to race on Sunday.
Sunday morning practice goes great -- I get my new Dunlop 208's scrubbed in and proceed to do some quick laps. I tried a new shift scheme (downshift twice into Turn 9 instead of once), and I was rewarded with a killer drive onto the main straight, carrying almost 1000 rpm more at the end before I have to shut off for Turn 1. I'm passing people left and right and only got passed by Jeremey Toye (WSMC #2 fast guy). Even then I was able to hang with him for a few turns so I'm feeling good!
First race and I'm gridded on the outside of the last row (16th place). Get an absolute flyer of a start and go into Turn 1 in around 9th, and pass another guy between 1 and 2! Haven't been that far up in the pack yet! Two guys get me going into Turn 3 though, but one of them blows Turn 5 by running way wide and I pass him back. We finish the lap and he goes flying by me into Turn 1, totally missing the apex. Yikes! I follow him around Turn 2 when at the exit he lowsides it and goes off into the desert like a piece of tumbleweed. Bummer dude! So I finish the race and end up in 9th out of 17.
Second race and I'm gridded in the same position. My start is a duplicate from Race 1 and again I'm in the front pack as we exit turn 1. Mid-race I pass one guy then end up running an uneventful race, finishing 8th out of 15. My last two laps were a bit sloppy as I was losing concentration and getting a bit tight on the bike. But Erik timed me at a 29-something on my last lap so I'm confident I snuck in a 1:28 during the race. YES! I'm finally getting into some decent lap times. And what's even better is that the bike -- which felt horrible at a 1:34 pace -- is starting to feel a lot better. Or maybe I'm just getting smoother, I dunno...
Anyway, things are going exactly to plan. I was really feeling comfortable at that pace, and I know where I can get faster so I should be able to take another second off at the next race weekend. Can't wait! :thumbup:
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good luck out there.....
You don't know slow....
Where is that guy?
de old lady road side 
lol
