Graduation Weekend

This past race weekend in Spokane (Labor Day weekend) I finally
graduated out of Novice. This means for the rest of the year I am a
Graduated Novice and next year I get to get my Expert license. I get
to run in my specific class which for the last weekend will be 600
Supersport and 600 Superbike. I`m considering running 750 Supersport
too (alot of 600`s run in that class too) but it all depends on how
much racing I think I can handle. :)

Now I was WAY past due graduating if you looked the requirements to
graduate. Mainly you have to run 6 heats and complete them safely.
Well I ended up doing 14 heats. So what was the hold up? Lap times.

There was no reason for me to graduate and be 20 seconds off the pace
of the leaders. That means they would lap be twice in a race. Lame.
So I staied in Novice until I was able to bring them down.

During the last race weekend in the first race my Wife (who is working
at Registration) went down to turn 2 with the Race Director and the
head registra (you can only get there via him cause there is no
specating place there at this track) to watch me run my first heat of
the weekend.

During that heat I was on. I mean everything was clicking, I wasn`t
making mistakes and I KNEW I could go faster. I was down 6 seconds
from my previously fastest times at the track and I was feeling good.
Well the race didn`t go so well for some fellow racers. Several
people crashed out but one notable one is a guy high sided in a part
of the track where we are going 80-110 mph (not really sure as I`m too
busy to look at the speedo :) ). When he was flying through the air
another racer slammed into him. Hard enough to crack his fairing at
one of the strongest points of the fairing.

To say the least that racer was unconciouse for several minutes, broke
numerous ribs and broke his hip (I don`t know if it was the femur or
the pevlis part). All I remember is coming around and seeing him
slumped in the impact zone not moving. That`s not good. The ended
up red flagging the race after 5 of 8 laps (yea we run short ass races
but we are all out of shape. :) ) I haven`t heard anything new about
him but I wish him the best.

Now it turned out on lap 4 I ran my fastest time of the race and guess
what? I finally got my freaking knee down...in turn 2...in front of
the wife!! w00t!

When I got back to the pits and found the wife she told me the Race
Director and other Registra was wondering why they didn`t have my form
to graduate. They thought I was doing well and was ready for the big
boys. That really boosted my confidence and with my lap times being
what they were, I decieded, what the hell. So I gave the Race
Director my paperwork for the second race (normally you would do it in
the beginning of the day but I`ve really been trying to volunteer and
help out the club alot so the staff has taken a liking towards
me...too bad I lost the running for Club Secretary but that`s another
story. :) ) so the RD had no problems looking at me for the second
heat.

So the second heat ended up on the same day as the first heat.
Normally heat 1 is on Saturday and heat 2 is on Sunday. But we had a
6 hour endurance race on Saturday so everything was compacted together
on Sunday.

I got my same normal shitty start and in the back straight I found
myself behind someone I knew. He is on a GSX-R750 and I`m a
CBR600F4i. Lets just say he has WAY more power than I do but I got
him on the straight. :) Draft to pass baby. Then I checked out until
I got stuck behind this RC-51. Oh man...he was impossible to pass.
So impossible I never got around him. Now we are running 4 seconds
slower than my morning pace. I know I could get around him but I had
to play it safe too as to graduate you have to finish. So I didn`t
try a couple of passes in the corners where I had much more corner
speed then him. But I was on his butt the entire race. I mean..right
there...so much so on the first hair pin turn of a series of 2 of them
where we end up going like 30mph I almost nailed his rear tire cause
he decieded to park it in the corner. And this was right in front of
the RD (and my Wife again). Lame.

So I almost got him on the front straight but I just didn`t have the
HP to get by the RC-51. I drafted him down the straight and I went to
pull out ot pass him into turn 1 but I couldn`t get the run I needed
to show him a wheel before turn 1. Sorry folks but at 150mph I`m not
gonna squeeze myself into a space I don`t belong. I don`t get paid
enough. :)

After the race I gave him the thumbs up and he recipicated. We both
knew it was a great race between the both of us. I ended up talking
to him after the race and it turns out I was REALLY pressuring him in
several key spots. In one of those spots he did go WAY wide but I`m
glad he kept it up. :)

So that`s it...that`s how I graduated out of novice into expert. Now
i`m gonna be a back marker but I`ll be running with people who are
several seconds faster than me so hopefully I`ll put up and get a tow.
:)


Oh so I wanted to also wanted to throw a little technical content in
here. I am not one to continually play with the setup of my bike. I
ride it until I`m like WTF? all the time and then figure out what
needs to change. So I had two days of track days before the last
round and one thing I started to really notice as I became more and
more comfortable with my bike and it should do is that in a couple of
turns at the very end of the turn Ihad to really countersteer the bike
to keep it on its line when I cracked the throttle. Its a strange
feeling but bascially your arms end up really tense. I always thought
I was just being a wussy and riding tense at the end of a fast corner.
Nope.

I got new tires before race weekend (at $360 for a set before
tax...ouch! but that`s race tires). While they were off I was talkin
to my sponser (and my tire guy...go Michelin) and based on what I said
he suggested raising the forks 5mm`s (basically drop the front end
5mm`s). So I raised the forks 3.8mm`s (it ended up at an even number
so I figured 3.8 is good). You will *not* believe how much that
little change helped when I am riding my bike at my and maybe the
bike`s limit (or near it). This is how I got my knee down. The bike
would change direction and be stable way the hell leaned over. I`m
glad I made this change.


So I hope you had a good time reading this post. If you by chance
know of anyone would like to sponser a club racer (money, discounts,
free stuff) please let me know. The more the better.

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