WMRRA Round 2

Going into this weekend I was really really anxious and pumped.  It would be the first weekend that I'd actually be racing so I just couldn't wait to get out on the track.



Saturday was a really tough day for everyone at the track.  There was one airlift and two evacs I believe.  I missed one practice session and the one I did do only last a couple laps to allow us to get back on schedule.  Going into my first novice race I had basically one lap of the track at speed so this was not so good.  Also in the first practice I had a horrificly terrifyinly terrible tank slapper through turn 1 at about 140mph.  That stock suspension just couldn't handle the bumps on the outside line of T1 (someone cut under me going into T1 so I couldn't take the inside line like normal) and then chaos insued.  The bars were going nuts in my hands and the back end started fish tailing.  At that point I recognized what was happening and basically went limp from the waist up praying that the bike would settle down.  As I blew by a couple people in the braking zone the bike finally settled and I realized I was waaaay past my normal braking marker.  I hammered the brakes and shot past another 3-4 riders on the brakes.  I went a bit wide into T2 but then settled into a somewhat acceptable line.  FWEW!  After coming back from that session I definitely needed a pooper scooper for my leathers.



The Race

Horn sounds, bike is off the stand, line up, whistle blows, line up again, warm up lap.  I had no problems gridding up.  I was in the 8th row I believe so I was in the second wave.  Once they were clear through T2 the red light went on for us.  The light goes out and I do a freakin gigantic wheelie...DOH!  I started terribly...and I mean terribly.  Once I got the front end back down I clicked through the gears as we entered T1.  There was a group of about 3 I think that was to the inside of T2 so I went around all of them in one fowl swoop.  I had to take it relatively easy since I don't have warmers and I think was doing around 1:48 the first lap.  Second lap I really started to come alive and did a 1:44.676 which beat my old best by 2 freakin seconds!  The first half of the third lap felt really good and I could tell I was probably in the low 40s or maybe even under that...if I had held it together.  Braking down into T3 I felt really good and my line was nice.  Toes were sliding around three and I got some great drive into T4.  This is where it all went sour.  As I went on the brakes to go into T4 I settled into my line.  Bike went in smoothly and I felt my knee go down...then my toes...and then the bodywork started scrapping on the ground.  I was at maybe 5% throttle at that point and just holding neutral throttle getting ready to hammer it out onto the back straight.  Before I could even start rolling on the rear end comes lose and from there I'm sliding on my ass into the gravel trap cussing my ass off.  I came to a stop, jumped up and hit the kill switch on my bike.  I ran over to the cornerworker and told him I was fine and continued into the cornerworker station.  I was basically kicking dirt and cussing the whole way.  Why the hell did I just go down.  I know I wasn't on the gas and I know I have taken that corner just as fast before.  I didn't chop the throttle and didn't touch the brakes, that should have worked...but obviously didn't.  The whole time I was in the corner worker station I was rewinding my memory trying to figure out what the hell I just did wrong.  Too much lean angle?  Hit the bit of dust/dirt that was to the inside of T4?  Street tires were not cutting it for the speed I was trying to go?  Wrong profile rear tire?  I honestly still don't know what caused the loss of the rear but I am for sure switching to race rubber before the next race weekend.  I just can't stand not knowing if that street rubber is going to hold out anymore.  I probably was the one at fault but on race rubber I know it'll at least take the tires out of the equation.



Anyways, it was a really disappointing start to the weekend since I was finally starting to go really fast on that little SV (at least really fast for me).  I got back to the pits shaking my head and was now looking for ways to fix my bike so I could race on sunday.

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