My Home of Speed!

So we'll skip over the traveling bit, suffice to say things were much more organized this time and i even managed to grab some sleep on the bus.

Friday morning i arrived for practice feeling rested enough and ready to take on the day. Familiarity with the whole registration process etc made things much easier and i was soon settled into my own little nook of the pits. The first session went well, as usual taking it easy to get back into the groove and develop a feel for the track, i had made some improvements to the bike and was hoping for good results.

As i got back on the pace i really felt the lack of having someone to time me and let me know where i stood, most of everyone else had an idea of their times by then. Session 2 went the same but as the pace went up i began to feel the rear m45's complaining more than they used to, the slight push when getting on the power was starting to get more aggressive and worrying, i wondered if i shouldn’t have gambled on sticking with the same tire. Another thing that had me worried was a lack of top end down the straight, i had forgotten to bring the sigma digital speedo for the previous race and the reality of where i stood with respect to speed only hit me now as i gazed at the sigma struggling up to 101kph while i passed the pit wall end and settling at 108kph by the end of the straight. The cold hard reality of it all was beginning to sink in, on another lap a competitor eased past me on the straight, I had a chance to follow him for a few laps and noted from following in his slip stream that he was hitting between 115 and 117kph by the end of the straight. It struck me then, i was in trouble and this race was not going to be any easier than the last.

The realization of my lacking topend in session 2 had been a shocker at the time and i had contemplated throwing it in for the day, i was now glad i stuck it out for session 3, somehow the knowledge gained from session 2 that i would have to work extra hard in the corners encouraged me to put in that extra little bit of effort and going by feel of the 'knee' i was confident my corner speeds had improved in the last session. Back at the hotel i contemplated the best way to tackle the races, i knew my competitors would pull past me at the start and i would have all to do to regain positions, i realized qualifying as far forward on the grid as possible was extremely important.

Saturday morning i woke early with plenty of sleep from the last evening, after downing idlis and juice it was time to hit the road to track. The weather was looking nice and warm, the sun was out early an indication it would likely be a hot day, I made sure to grab enough water to keep hydrated. The ride to the track in the mornings and evenings is something i always enjoy, you go through lovely country side which serves to ease the emerging butterflies in the stomach. At the track the moped boys were gearing up for their qualifying sessions and the familiar sound of angry 2 strokes filled the air, ah that sound.

It was soon time to qualify and this time i waited till everyone else was half way through the lap before i set out on mine. The nervousness always goes away when you're on the track doing your stuff; i settled into a rythm and began to push after a couple of laps. As i exited onto the straight on the 3rd lap i knew the coming lap would be the one, i had gotten good drive out of the last corner and tucking in as much as i could i went for it. Riders have different ways of guaging how they are doing, theres a sense of speed you develop that hones itself over time to a point that you can tell if you've entered a corner even the slightest bit faster. I like to be sure with my lines and the feel from the knee helps me know where i'm at. C1 felt good and if you get that right C2 follows suit as well, the lap was looking good. First chicane came and went smooth, holding it back just a little bit on the dreaded 2nd chicane (also called bermuda triangle) so as not to apex too early on the exit out. All went well until the exit of the bowl that leads to the last left, coming on the gas the rear went away from me, i got it under control somehow and it came back with a high sider that took me off the track onto the rumble strip, enough to get me off the seat but thankfully not enough to throw me off, the same had happened to me at C2 during the last track day and i hadnt been so lucky then. Thanking my lucky stars i quickly resumed the lap to salvage what i could of it, a quick peek at the sigma as i exited onto the straight told me i was almost 10kph off the pace, i decided the upcoming lap wouldnt do it for me, time was running out and maybe if i could squeeze in one more lap after that, that would be the one. So taking it easy again for a lap i worked up to one final try on the 6th lap. C1 went well but coming on the gas out of C2 the rear went away again, being weary from the earlier lap i was quick to catch it but the end result was the same, rear came back in with a mild high side, just enough to ruin the lap. I knew i hadnt managed a single good lap but went and and finished it on the pace anyway. Back at the pits the results showed my fastest lap in the 1:29's on the 4th lap. That put me 3rd on the grid for novice (8th overall), it wasnt good but it would have to do.

Race 1

The whole tire episode was worrying to say the least, i went down 1.5 psi over what i usually run at the rear in the hope to salvage some traction and at the risk of loosing more speed. At the start doubt filled the mind while still contemplating on an action plan, at one moment the brain revelled at the sound of bikes taking off the line in unison milliseconds before the realization that i was still stationery. I dont know how but a fraction of a seconds distraction had cost me a good start, bungling that and slowly falling back through the group as other bikes passed i watched the last place rider go by and my heart sank. Quickly recovering and working through the gears i decided i had to make up some positions into C1, that move unfortunately would turn out to be my downfall. Approaching C1 i tried to bite of a bit more than i could chew attempting to enter from as far right as possible and take 3 guys at once. I went in hard on the brakes both front and back, locked the rear and slid hard, i had to abort by bringing up the bike and running wide onto the rumble strip. By now the adrenalin was on full flow, i was pissed, both at me and everyone else on the track, the lead riders were already half way to the first chicane as i wearily exited C2, it was time to fight back.

I spent the next few laps as expected catching up and picking my way through the pack, the rear tire was still pushing on the exits of some corners but it was better and though it meant i couldnt get on the gas as hard as i would have liked it was still possible to ride out. By the 4th lap i was finally on the tail of the 2nd and 3rd guy who were busy dicing for position. Unfortunately by the time i could even start to figure out a plan to pass it was already the last lap, it didnt happen and i had to settle for 4th finishing with a best time in the high 1:28's

That evening on the way back to the hotel i stopped by a MRF dealer and had the rear changed to a new 3:00 x 18 Zapper C. I had been advised against going for a new tire that i would have to race straight away; new tires need to be scrubbed in for a few laps, especially a hard compound like the Zappers. Discussing with friends on the phone gave me a plan to wear them in before the race, in my mind i reconciled to the fact that i was down on grunt and would just do the best i could in the next race without trying any silly dramatic moves.

Race 2

Sunday morning i checked out of the hotel early and used the route to the track to scrub in the tires as much as i could, that of course didn’t get to the edge of the tires so i had to tend to that separately. At the track i found just what i needed in the form of a super rough file which i borrowed and used on the tire edges to get it just right, tires were now set. I ignored most of the other races going on and used the time to dial in jetting, a short stretch of road outside the track served for that purpose. I had a few impressed locals come up and shake my hand for being an insane character who comes alone, tunes his own bike and races it. Explaining to them that i was getting my ass handed to me on the straight by most other bikes including a fiero didn’t quite change their impression, the idea of the lone ranger tuning and racing his own bike seemed to appeal to them.

The race started soon after, this time i nailed the start but as expected my strongest competitors were already a fair bit ahead. I stuck with my plan and within a lap the 3 of us were out front, as usual 1st place rider on his factory machine was running in the 1:25's way ahead with the experts, so it was just the 3 of us fighting for 2nd, 3rd and 4th. On the 3rd lap i made a move on the 3rd place rider only to be taken back again on the short straight leading to the 'bermuda triangle'. II found myself faster in the corners and had to back off the throttle significantly to avoid ramming the bikes in front, on the gas out of the corner though there wasn’t the grunt to do anything, the best i could do was stick to their tails looking for an opening but the 2 of them blocked well and short of making a very dicy move an opening never came. The exit onto the straight was particularly tricky, i had to get on the gas early and pull up along side the guys in front so that when they finally put the power down and lunged ahead i could use their slipstream to stay with them. Get the timing wrong and they would pull out a gap leaving me with no slip stream and a few bike lengths to bridge by the end of the straight. It was frustrating knowing i had at least a second on them if i could just get the lead for a few corners and pull away, but that’s racing and if you're looking for ideal conditions you want a track day not a race. The race ended with all 3 of us finishing in the 1:28's separated by milliseconds

I sat around trackside for the rest of the day, had nothing much else to do with my bus only leaving by 10:30pm. In the evening the sunset was beautiful on the horizon casting an orange hue across the sky, a cool breeze blew about the now abandoned pits littering the place with empty water bottles and what not. It was a time to relax and reflect on the weekend, there was work to be done, i left by 6:30pm knowing i had done my best and that i would be back, better and faster!