I'm just gonna copy my write-up from GDC, Bob is my buddy (Ian knows him).
Saturday
Morning practice - nothing special really, just trying to get used to the bike back on Tbolt again (rode here on the 1000 a couple weeks ago, but haven't been on the 600 since November). Looking at the times pretty much EVERYONE was going slower. There was a little chill in the air and there wasn't as much grip as the nice sunny practice day on Friday.
GTO - this was the race I had the most anxiety about because last year I REALLY tired towards the end, so I tried to do enough training over the winter to get my fitness up. Bob and I were gridded on the last row (5th) of the first wave, me outside and him inside. Bob gets much better starts than I do so he got off the line ahead of me. I don't recall where I made the pass on Bob, maybe he can chime in. After that I started picking off a few more people here and there. I was feeling really good, I could sense guys in front of me slowing down a bit and I was planning a few more moves in the later laps....until.....the red flag came out
Little did I know while I was sitting on hot pit waiting for the crash crew to finish up that it was Bob that went down in T1 which I found out later after I got back to the pits. Anyway, they said we would re-grid according to our new positions, so I moved up from row 5 to 3, and we only had a 3 lap run to the finish. Again I got a really lousy start and lost all the spots I had made. I snagged a few spots before the checkers but I finished in 12th or 13th I think. Before the red flag was thrown I was in 9th at the time......bummer, but that's racing.
Although on the last lap of the race while I was trying to get catch a few more people I managed to crack the 35's finally, nothing earth shattering but still my fastest lap at the time 1:35.8
MW GP - Another lousy start, had to play catch up. I didn't feel quite as strong in this race but I was keeping decent pace and trying to setup a pass on someone on the last lap. Couldn't quite get close enough as he was shutting me down knowing that I was back there pressuring, he came through T12 giving it all he had and ran it all the way out to the curbing, into the dirt and plowed through the cones kicking them up at me. One in particular came flying up and hit the right across the front fairing cracking a bit of fiberglass, windscreen, smashed the GoPro mount (minus a camera fortunately) and finally smacking me right square in the faceshield for good measure. As all the happened I inadvertently chopped the throttle and I think 2 or 3 people passed me before the checkers, again finished somewhere around mid-pack, perhaps a bit further back, lol.
http://i46.tinypic.com/102uk41.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/352hnns.jpg
Sunday
Rookie's Cup - This is a new class for CCS amatures who have had their license for less than a year at the beginning of this season. Its a 9 lap race with GT rules. They grid Unlimited at front, MW 5 rows back behind them and LW 2 rows behind them, and everyone goes at once, but your position is only against the people in your class. This was a pretty fun race. 1 Unlimited guy was pretty fast and took off, but by about 1/2 way Bob and I had caught up to the slower 3 Unlimited (2 R1s and a CBR1000). There were a few MW guys who went by us including Connor, he posted on here occassionally as RedSands. A cool dude who picked up a bit of speed over the winter as he finished 2nd in the race. Anyway me and Bob were dicing back and forth with each other and these liter bike guys until I think 2 laps before the end I got by Bob and tried to chase down the guy on the CBR. On the last lap he screwed up T5 but grabbed a big handful and kept me behind for T6, but I got him on the brakes went inside on T7 and held it to the end. Bob gave me props and said that it I legitimately got him that race. I finished 6th which was my highest placing.
MW SS - This was another pretty fun race I thought. Again I was on the last row of the first wave, Bob was on the first row of the 2nd wave unfortunately for him as I found out later. Since Bob wasn't closeby I was just dicing it up with some other guys having alot of fun. Most exciting part was actually right at the end. I was pretty much by myself for the last lap and change so I didn't have anyone to gauge my pace against until coming through T10 I see a wheel peeking in on the outside of me, so I'm like OH SHIT!!!, I got the bike upright as fast as I could and on the gas to cut back over to the right and take the line away and I just held it pegged, through T12 swooped to the right to shake off a draft and held it to the line, I love and exciting finish. It was a pretty huge field, I think I ended up somewhere midpack again, will have to wait for the results to remember for sure. Bob said he got stuck behind the ART 1 class that somehow managed to find it's way into a CCS race. I actaully lapped 2 people in the closing laps so I imagine those were a couple of the guys he was talking about. Between that and him being on the 2nd wave we agreed that that wasn't an even match-up lol
HW SBK - This one was without a doubt my biggest disaster of the weekend......other than someone trying to take my head off with an orange traffic cone. They combined EX and AM for this one. Bob and I were gridded right next to each other on the inside of the 3rd row of the 2nd wave. As soon as I launched and went to grab 2nd I hit a false neutral and went straight to the back of the pack. After that I started making stupid little mistakes every time I tried to pick up the pace. At that point I just tried to keep Bob in sight and try to latch on but it wasn't working. When they threw the checkers I looked back on the cool down lap hoping to see at least someone there......nope. So other than the 1 or 2 people that crashed, I finished last. First time for me (even though technically I didn't)
MW SBK - So like I said earlier, this was going to be the deciding race in mine and Bob's personal grudge match for the weekend
Again we were gridded on the last row of the first wave. Take some pointers from Chris I actually got a semi-decent launch off the line and I think I actually was ahead of Bob once everyone was sorted. I got into a decent rhythm and was cutting a couple decent laps trying to make my way past some guy on a 675. Bob was apparently in tow behind me and a lap latter he ducked inside me under braking for T1. At that point I thought, OK I'll hang back here and study a bit and try to find a good spot. Bob and saw our fair share of less than respectful passes so we try to afford each other a little breathing room.....I think
But then things didn't quite go according to plan. I made some sloppy mistakes in the back section and Bob and the 675 guy started to gap me a enough that they were out of striking distance. Coming off my lousy finish in HW SBK I started having unsettling thoughts. But I pulled myself together and put my head down. Even though Bob passed me on the brakes into T1, that was the one place I seemed to be carrying more speed afterwards and was making up time little by little. We came around and I glanced up and saw the white flag all the way from T12, so I knew it was time to get moving. I put my chin on the tank and kept the stick pegged as long as was resonably comfortable. Ducked inside got on the brakes and got a wheel in. I figured to be on the safe side I better put a wedge between me and Bob so I got on it hard and chased down the guy on the 675 that was in front of Bob. I got a good drive out of the chicane and took the inside away before tipping in for 4, put my head down and tried to run away as best I could in case Bob followed me past him. As it happened to be that last lap of the last race was my fastest of the weekend 1:35.5
I was racing for 13th, but it could have been 3rd for all I cared at that point
All in all it was alot of fun.... had a couple of nice battles, turned my best laptime, and made it home without incident (other than a smashed windscreen and some fairing cracks).
CCS - NJMP 5/5-6
-1000 (Mladin replica)
Linear Mode
