So, I decided that I'm going to start a thread to chronicle my 2008 race season. I figure this will be the best way to make a record for myself, and the best way to thank my sponsors and friends that make it all happen. Plus, I figure you all would like to read it too since none of us in this corner of the forum can seem to get enough racing action
The Intro:
My last race was in October 2003. It was the end of my 5yr run at serious competitve racing. During the last three I had made a home with Big Air Racing we ran the CMRA endurance series and had a couple of successful years in 2001 and 2002. But in 2003 three we lost the number 1 plate and with it a butt load of sponsors. I had become very accustomed to a fridge full of Red Bull among many other perks I was enjoying. But when we lost I could no longer afford to continue college and race. So, I walked away... but I promised myself that it wasn't forever. I vowed to return to the sport I love so much and the next time, it would be under my terms!
Fast-forward 2008:
I have now finished all the college I ever wanted, undergraduate and graduate level. And, am now one year into my flying carreer with the USAF.
I picked up my 1098S in August of '07, but had put my money down in November of '06. I was gone for most of that time so the wait wasn't so bad. I bought the bike for one purpose, racing.
And with the signature of my Commander I was now cleared to resume my passion.
I had no connections left with my previous racing life so the first step was to build new bridges; and, with a four year old resume' I wasn't sure who would be willing to help. Luckily, I struck a home run right off the bat. AF1 racing, the number one Aprilia dealer in the US, is located in the same town I have taken up residence in. They are avid racers and true supporters of the sport. The became my first sponsor even though I was on the "wrong italian twin".
They lent me resources, technical support, endless knowledge, and much financial forgiveness.
I wouldn't have been able to get the bike ready without their help.
Not long after making friends with AF1, I found a tire sponsor who turned out to be a whole lot more!
David Roy of North Texas Superbikes is the Dunlop race tire vendor of this area of the country. And a very experience Ducati man! He has raced with and worked with the best, literally. We quickly became friends and as such he has been a tremendous help with my racing this year... more on that later.
Also, this forum. There are some great members here and some great vendors too. Martian and Brian at Motowheels.com have been some great guys to know too.
Alright, so that's how my return to racing in 2008 came to be, now lets get to the racing!
CCS-South 15/16 March-
My first race was with the CCS South at Eagles Canyon, a brand new organization at a brand new 2.5 mile road course. Eagles Canyon has alot of turns and even more elevation changes. The track is very smooth in most places and has some great asphalt.
I left friday evening and drove to DFW. David was kind enough to let me crash at his place so that we could get to the track (40min away) first thing in the morning. Since it is a new track Saturday was just an open practice day. It was my first time to put the bike through its paces and my first time on a race track since '03!
We got started kinda late due to some blustery weather making it difficult to get the Air Fence up. It was pretty slick in the morning sessions, which was probably a good thing as it gave me time to learn the track and try and remember how to ride! Let me tell you, muscle memory is something we often take for granted. I started out the day at 2:21's and by the end of the day I had just cracked the 1:59's.
I struggled with setup most of the day more than anything else. The tires had incredible grip, and I could get the bike turned in just fine, I just couldn't get it out of the corner! David was his usual helpful self and helped me work through this. We raised the front and dropped the rear back to stock. The Dunlops are very triangular and are quite a bit taller than the other brands. The improvements were immediate!
Sunday-
I was able to start out pretty much at the speed I left off on sunday morning, this was a good thing as I was still a little insecure about being out there. When you are away for a while like I was, you can't help but wonder if "you still have it".
My first race of the day was the supertwins race. Unfortunately, there were no other twins there that weekend! So, they combined me with the unlimited superbike class. I got a decent start, but couldn't make any passes stick. I was hell on the breaks, but the 1000's had just enough straight line to cancel that advantage. I rode my race and reeled in a couple of guys over the course of the six laps. In the end, I finished fourth overall, just missing out on third as I crossed the finishline. But it was still a first in class... and last I suppose.
Next was the Unlimited Gran Prix class. The anything goes cash money race. I started something like 15th on the grid, but got a much better start this time. By the end of the first lap I was 7th. I put my head down and got by a couple of smoking fast 600's who pummeled me the rest of the race, but I held on for fifth and a whopping $95!!! I managed to shave another couple seconds in that race and got into the 1:57's. Lessons learned, brake later-gas sooner. Something I didn't forget academically, only in application.
CMRA 22/23 March-
Head still spinning from the last weekend, it was time once again for me to head to the track again. Only this time it was for the big show. I was headed for Motor Sport Ranch (MSR)-Cresson. I had some guys with AF1 traveling with me this time.
They were racing the Aprilia RS50 in a two hour mini-endurance Saturday morning. They took thrid in that one... would've been second, but crashes do tend to make you lose positions.
Saturday-
We got to our hotel late friday night and got a few hours shut eye, got up around 0500hrs and headed to the track. I met my team-mates and crew for the 2008 endurance series. Thanks to David Roy of North Texas Superbikes I was able to meet Wayne, the owner of Komodo Gear. Wayne was looking to field a competitve endurance team for 2008 and just so happened to have an open slot.
Endurance racing is an expensive venture, but more rewarding than sprint racing could ever be. It is truly my first love! I pay my share every weekend and have the privilige of wearing what I am now convinced is the finest racing gear in the world, and racing with the finest group of people in the series.
I had never seen or ridden the GSXR-1000 we are fielding this year until around 1100 in the morning. I got a whopping four laps of practice on it before practice was red flagged due to a crash. It took a while to clean up the wreckage so the rest of practice was scrapped... I don't even need to say how that made me feel do I?
The bike was an ergonomic nightmare for my 6'1" frame! We made some last minute adjustments so that I could fit on the bike and then it was time to go racing! The race was only a four hour so, I would ride only the second hour of the race. We were gridded in the front of the second wave thanks to some registration errors, but our point man Ottis "Otter" Lance is a demon in traffic. By the end of the first hour we were second in class and seventh overall. It was now my turn. I got on and spent the first 15min of the hour trying to get acquainted with the bike. Thankfully it was a very smooth running machine. I was having problems with the front end bottoming out on me in some of the corners and so I had to be careful not to plow through the exit of some of the decreasing radius turns. Thankfully our Dunlop 211's were sticking like a champ. The feedback on this new generation Dunlop tire is like nothing I've experienced before.
I put my head down and started working on my lap times. Unfortunately, I never could get below a 1:23 on that bike. But, my ride and our super fast pit stops were enough to put us in first in class with a 5 lap lead!
There was some confusion on the pitstop in the thrid hour which cost us some of that time but the Dunlops and our anchor man, Ricky Jordan hung on to keep 2.5 laps of our lead and bring home the win with ounces of fuel to spare!
We were pretty amped after pulling off that win.
Sunday-
So sunday morning I jumped on the 1098 and went to work on setup. David suggested that we raise the front even more so, we took it flush with the triples and let it ride. I was very suprised at the improvement. It was completely counter intuitive to what I was thinking, but I'll be damned if it didn't work.
My first race of the day was B Superbike. I was in the back of the grid on this one and had a horrendous start to boot! I couldn't get the front end down and had to short shift all the way to fourth! By the time I worked my way through traffic it was too late. I finished 12th in that run.
I was running the same tires I raced on at eagles canyon so my rear was completely shot! I was worried that it wouldn't make it through the Heavyweight Twins race. But my fears were unfounded, David came to my rescue with a new rear tire. I told him that I didn't have the money to pay him and he said, "then you better win." So, thats just what I did! I went out and this time started from the third row. I got a pretty good start, and was second into turn one. I followed the leader for four laps (half the distance) before making my pass. I needed to see if he had anything that I needed to worry about before I made the pass. I didn't want him to feel emboldened enough to try and pass me right back so, I made my move on the front straight. I out drove him and then out braked him into turn one and put my head down. I didn't look back and he never got a wheel in. I worked my way down to a 1:21.8 before encountering lapped traffic on lap 7. I kept it in the 1:22's through traffic and tried to put as many lappers in between me and 2nd place.
But, I had to be careful not to rattle the lappers. Afterall, our very own James McCain was out there being a real trooper after highsiding in saturday practice!
I finished strong and got the decisive win that my confidence needed which is a good thing since I missed the opening round of the year and was coming in with a 40 point deficit! Thankfully it was a double points weekend so, I was able to knock the gap down to 30pts.
Next race is at Texas World Speedway, a 2.9 mile super track that uses the front straight of the old nascar track. I really expect to do well there as midcorner stability and torque are advantages at this track and the 1098 has those in abundance!
The thanks for this round goes to Dunlop for keeping the stick side down, North Texas Superbikes and David Roy for the awsome setup and support, AF1 racing for all their technical and logistical support, Komodo for keeping me safe and studly, PowerStands for making some awesome tire bakers, Motowheels.com for having the parts when no one else does, and KCI Ducati for all their brand specific help. Top notch companies, every one!
