Willow, January 18 2004
This was my best race day ever. I only went on Sunday in order to conserve tires, but I got there early Sunday morning and set to getting the bike ready. I put on a new set of buns, sticking with my now very well proven Dunlop 208 Slicks. I am using a 950 front and a medium (758) rear. The fronts are holding up well, but the rear are getting to be a problem as my times are going down. I can barely make it through three races without the rear getting all slippery around the last few laps. I got the tires on, and went through tech about the time the first practice was starting. Rather than rush things, I went back and put the bike on stands so I could put on the tire warmers. I am using a 4000/2000 watt inverter to power the warmers. This works fine as long as I leave the truck running and it's a lot easier to lug around than a generator. By the time the second practice session came, the tires were warm and I was ready to go. I went out and took it easy, basically trying to scuff the tires up and make sure everything was ready to go. When I came in I felt good about the bike, and my state of mind was positive.
The first race came and went, and all the sudden I was lining up for Formula Twins. I used to not like this race, but last month I got a second and I was sort of wondering if I could do it again. This month Claudio was there, and he was missing last month, so I knew the competition would be a little stiffer. Claudio races a 996RS, and he is really really fast. When the flag dropped, I got a great start and went into turn 1 in third. Eric on his Buell got a better start than I did (as usual) and I was on his tail for the first lap, while Claudio sailed off into the distance. As Eric and I came through turn 9 I powered by him, but Claudio was long gone. My bike was running really well, and I felt good so I just kept on going, hoping I could keep Eric behind me this time. (He beat me last month.) I shifted one time too many going into turn three somehow, and all the sudden I was in first gear going up the hill, which redlined the motor and pretty much killed my drive. I expected to get rear-ended by Eric about this time, but I regrouped and headed on down the hill. Sure enough, as I was entering turn 5 Eric showed me a wheel on the inside. I put my head down and tried to get as much speed through the turn as I could, and somehow kept Eric behind me. (I later found out that his handlebar grip had COME OFF right in the middle of that turn, causing him to crash. Luckily he was unhurt.) I finished the race in second, and so I started the season off with some decent points.
My second race was race 7, which barely gives you time to
get back to the pits, check the gas, and put the warmers back on. At this
point Gerry and Leo, fellow SBDUC members had come by, and they were helping
with logistics. I wasn't getting any lap times for some reason, so Gerry
offered to do it the old fashioned way using the stopwatch. Race 7 is
Formula 40. There is some really stiff competition in this class, including
the #1 plate holder. I got a pretty good start, but I am seriously outclassed
horsepower wise in this race, so I was pretty far back as we went into
turn 1. One thing I am getting better at is trusting my Dunlops early
in the race. Since I started using the warmers, I have been going hard
on the first lap without any problems. As we entered 2 I passed a couple
of racers, but then I was hung up behind a group of 4 guys going at a
pretty good pace. I tried passing in 7 but couldn't make it stick, and
they had enough HP to keep me in my place as we crossed the finish on
the first lap. As we entered turn 2 I had them in my sights, and the 4
of them all got in line behind the lead racer and established a pretty
tight line. This was great because I love this turn, and went by three
of them on the outside while they were playing follow-the-leader. I tucked
in behind the leader and was able to dispatch him in turn 8. I then set
my sights ahead but I was pretty far back from the next rider. On this
lap something great happened. As I went through 2 I relaxed, took long
deep breaths, let my clutch hand basically go limp, and just cruised through
the turn. I was also able to do this in 8. I didn't know if it was affecting
my lap times, but I felt so much better that I was really comfortable
when the white flag showed it was the last lap. Most of the times I am
starting to sweat a bit by this point in a race, and this time I felt
really good. I kept doing it on the last lap, and since nobody passed
me I guessed it 
was
OK. As it turned out, it was really good! During this race I ran consistently
at a 1:28 to 1:27 pace, starting with the second lap! My best lap was
1:27.13, which puts me within a second of my latest goal for this year,
which is to run consistently at 1:26 or better. At that pace I will try
to see if I can qualify for the Toyota 200 this October. (Gerry and my
lap timer both got times that race, so these are REAL times!)
My third race was once again the one I hoped to win, and once again I blew the start. I think I got into turn 1 in 8th or so. I am really having trouble getting consistent launches from my bike. I may play with the cam timing some more to see if I can find some more torque in there somewhere. Anyway, I was bummed because for this race there was some serious competition. Steve Atlas on the RRW project SV650 was there, and Jeff Tigert as well. Both fast guys, and then there was Eric, Michael, and the other usual fast guys as well. I was determined to not let this start phase me, and I went after them. I ran a good race, catching everyone except Jeff by the end, finishing 2nd. I don't think I could have caught him because once again my tires started sliding in turn 2 on the last lap, but if I had had good buns and one more lap, you never know!
So I may experiment with some 16.5" rear tires, but I don't know if I can get the rim. I am hearing that they run cooler, have a bigger contact patch, and hold up better. (They also cost less!)