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Race Report 3-A Racer #486-Dan Martin June 16, 2003
Formula USA Nationals 80th Annual Loudon Classic
THANK-YOU AND ACCREDITATIONS:
(This is to be a regular section)
Thanks to Steve LaRochelle and Gerard Shifino for riding with me in the Team Challenge Endurance race.
It was my privilege racing with you.
Being in the winner's circle was a dream come true.
Thanks to Lisa LaRochelle for her organizational skills, and operating the fire bottle during re-fueling.
Thanks to Betty "blue nose" from LRRS for lending us a fire extinguisher to qualify with.
Special thanks to John Srnac and Heath Smith for being our pit crew, helping with the tools, and setting up.
Thanks to Scott Major, Double Apex Racing**, and all of their sponsors for allowing Gerard and I to race under their name.
Special thanks to NESR Racing* for lending us a rider to compete against them, again! I hope something nice happens to your team for your effort in the racing environment.
Thanks to Lockhart Phillips USA*** for their great contribution as sponsor to racer #486.
PAYBACK:
Yip, we got wood!!!
3rd place in GT lights category. Winner's circle, champagne, interviews, cheering! Woo Hoo!!
But it wasn't easy;
FRIDAY:
8:00am
Arriving at the track, the skies were gloomy.
Will it rain? Here we go with the tire game again.
I was supposed to run with Steve LaRochelle, and Jason Hillsgrove of Double Apex Racing. Sign-up deadline: noon.
10:00am
Steve and Lisa arrive at the track but aren't in a hurry. I found they were a little superstitious, it was Friday the thirteenth. Steve is frowning saying he's not sure about running today.
Jason isn't here yet; it's 10:30. I'm getting nervous.
Talking with my friends from NESR Racing over the winter, we all knew that making both the Loudon and Daytona events would get us on the "map", albeit briefly.
I took this day off at the last minute, wanting to run the Nationals and get a ranking. Barb and I plan on doing Daytona in October; this is also a Nationals event. Running them both, we may have a shot at some decent points.
Steve and Lisa:
We have grown to like and count on Steve and Lisa. Lisa helps me with my leathers and keeps an eye on me when my wife isn't at the track. Steve is always giving me racing pointers and eyeballing my bike.
Lisa doesn't like today's situation, too disorganized, Friday the thirteenth, could rain, much badness.
The sign-up deadline is noon. We can't practice because we aren't registered yet. We can't register because the other rider hasn't shown.
Steve is moving real slow, I'm setting up for tomorrow, type of slow.
Looks like a no-go. I wanted to run this event in the worst way.
I am quietly going nuts.
10:45am
My cell phone rings. It's Heath Smith on his way to the track with Scott Major.
I ask,
"Where's Hillsy (Jason Hillsgrove)?"
"We don't know. Is he there yet?"
"No! Where are you?!?!"
"On our way to the track. Relax, Scotty's right here with me."
"Frig Scotty! I don't need Scotty, he can't run with his hand broken.
I need a damn rider. Got your leathers?"
"No."
"NO? You're a licensed racer, on your way to the track and you don't bring your friggin' leathers?!?! Don't do that again!"
I hung up.
What now?
Oh well, there's always tomorrow, I started to concede.
We set up the cold pit slowly, I GENTLY work on Lisa and Steve, trying to persuade them into MAYBE running today if Hillsy shows up.
11:00am
Scott and Heath arrive. Scott asks NESR Racing for a rider to take Hillsy's place.
My friend, my man, Gerard Schifino comes through again and volunteers to run, but needs entry fees.
"No problemo amigo!!!,I've got G-man's and my entry fees!", I shout.
11:30am
Steve comes around:
"Ok, we'll put it on my credit card. Let's go get registered!"
Scott uses his influence at the track and comes up with a fire extinguisher from the LRRS crew, thanks Betty!
We all take off for the front windows; its 11:50, ten minutes to register. Confusion sets in, need to fill out forms; get everyone's signature. Hillsy arrives. My wife arrives. John Srnac arrives.
12:00pm
Registration closes.
Scott Major begs the window back open and passes in the forms, we're registered!
What bike do we use? Steve offers his brand new Ducati 800ss, an 800cc V-twin.
I burst out:
"Coolness! I've always wanted to ride a V-twin!"
Steve looks into my eyes for a sign of levity. Nope, I'm all honest and stuff.
Steve now looks rather concerned.
I offer;
"Hey, don't worry. I just want to run, get in some track time. I'll be easy on her."
Steve now looks into my eyes for sincerity and find gobs of it.
Steve LaRochelle begins to smile again.
PRACTICE:
We all missed morning practice, there is one more practice in the afternoon for endurance teams. We all decide that I should go out in practice to get friendly with a V-twin setup.
I did. It was a nice bike. They really ought to add a red number or some sort of red area on the tachometer for, say, Oh, I don't know, how about the RED LINE!?!?
It would be helpful to us racers. Thanks in advance Ducati.
V-twins tend to buck a little hitting the rev limiter. This captured my attention going down the front straight. That's when, to my dismay, I discovered Ducati had not put any red line indicator on their tachomoter. I had to do it again to find out where the limit was.
The red line is around 8500 rpm. I tried to shift at 82-8300.
She didn't seem to go anywhere when I turned the throttle, guess I like in-line 4's.
TEAM CAHALLENGE ENDURANCE RACE:
We start by loading up all the tools and gear in the Avalanche and heading over to our hot pit area.
NESR Racing has a real pitboard. It is nice, made of real aluminum, cost lots of money. They can spell out what lap it is, time of lap, and how close the rider behind is getting.
I want a pit board too!
We scrounged up enough cardboard and duct tape to spell out:
OK? -and- PIT IN
on either side. Then we all thought to look at NESR's pitboard for the lap count.
RUNNING ORDER ALMOST PROBLEM:
Steve and Gerard decided to run 1st and 2nd respectively and leave me last. I ran the two mile relay in high school. We learned to put the two fast guys first and last. First one to get a good start, the fastest guy runs last; we call him the anchor. The slowest on the team to be in between them, trying to maintain position.
When I'm given the running order I start to freak out;
"Are you friggin' nuts? I'm not anchoring! Don't put me as the anchorman, that's not right."
Everyone is looking at me in an odd way, guess they never ran the relay. I proceed to explain to them what we covered in high school.
Scott Major: "It's too late, we already passed in the running order."
Me: "I don't care! Go change it! You know those people, I'm not anchoring! Make it Gerard, then me, then Steve. If Steve gets tired, we'll slap G-man back in the saddle and he can take the checkered. Go!"
I start to read the eyes of our pit crew: "gee, what a PITA this guy is."
John Srnac and Scott wander off slowly to see if we can re-order our riders. They let us. I'm calm again.
Gerard starts the race without incident.
Cardboard pitboard is in full swing!
What a rag tag team!
Lisa is at the fire bottle, John runs the pit board and catches the bike, Heath catches the bike and re-fuels. Barb is behind the wall handing over tools and equipment.
We bring Gerard in after 24 laps. He's a little tired, but happy.
My turn. On the track I start to get a feel for the V-twin. She can carry a little more corner speed, and doesn't seem to be violent under braking. There is no audible assault on my eardrums either. All in all, this is a little more pleasant and easy going than my in-line 4 is.
We have little problem though, the bike is BRANDY new and has a stiff clutch. Out there towards my last few laps, I'm thinking that is why Gerard was a little fatigued.
I make a mistake, missed a downshift between 9 & 10 because my hand hurt a lot all of a sudden, cramps. I think of a good place to shake her out: down front straight. Cranking down the front on the throttle, I let my clutch arm hang down and shake out the cramp.
Pit board man sees this. Next lap my pit board read: OK?
I nod yes.
Next time by my pit board said: PIT.
I nod yes and come in.
It turned out that I was the only rider among us that did 25+ consecutive laps.
REFUELING MISHAP:
My job coming in is to ride into the pit, turn off the bike, and dismount. After re-fueling I'm to give the rider a little push as he takes off.
Everything goes smooth until we try to re-fire the bike. Nothing. We panic and scramble.
Being a new bike, we didn't know Ducati made a theft resistant ignition. If you shut it off, you need to remove the key and re-insert it.
I'd say that cost us 60 seconds.
Steve goes out. He doesn't seem to be diggin' it. He's not slacking, but not attacking either. Lisa comments about him being unsure of the tires.
We decide to bring Steve in a little early and send G-man back out.
Someone stops by our pit. Next thing I hear is everyone saying, "They want to interview us."
We didn't know if we were in third or fourth.
Gerard takes the checkered.
Next I hear Lisa say: "Come on Dan, we need to get you to the winners circle."
I reply, "Oh, where's that? Hey, is that where the checkered floor is?"
"Yeah, guess what? We came in third!"
"Third?"
"Yup! Third!"
It's starting to sink in, "Third? Hey! That's a podium! Where's the interview guy?"
"He'll be catching up to us after you get your trophies."
"Trophies? We get a trophy! WooHoo!!"
It was a chance in a lifetime and we took it.
Rag tag thrown together at the last minute, pitboard from a Lockhart Phillips front stand box, and borrowed riders. I am proud to be apart of that team. That memory will last my entire lifetime.
SATURDAY:
Practice:
I was registered for one race on Saturday. In practice I noticed the ear-piercing exhaust of my in-line 4. She develops a little more speed, and requires a little more braking than the Ducati V-twin. It takes a while to get used to. There's more "Truth or Consequence" going on through the course with an in-line 600.
Race:
To be perfectly honest, I only wanted to finish healthy. Having been to Victory Lane the day before, and having heard others say that was something to be proud of for a Nationals event, I backed off a notch.
Half way through the race I was thinking about the day before and grinning from ear to ear under my helmet.
I'll say it again; honestly, I backed off a notch.
Finishing mid pack, we were happy.
It was a great weekend.
SUMMARY:
Victory Lane: This is what it's all about. Memories for a lifetime.
I'm glad I pushed. Happy and privileged that Steve and Gerard let me race with them.
Daytona 200 planners:
We are going to do Daytona together, Gerard, Steve and I, riding in the Team Challenge Endurance race. Please have our plaques ready.
See you at NHIS.
-D&B
LRRS #486
AKA criminalspeed/legalspeed
LINKS:
* www.nestreetrides.com
** www.doubleapex.com
*** Sponsored by: www.lockhartphillipsusa.com ~ Your Sportbike Connection
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