From my notes on the day...
12 June 2006
Summit Point ‘Main’ / 2 miles 10 turns
Team Pro-Motion
Weather: AM rain (57°), PM sun (73°)
Tires: Pirelli SC’s 180/55(am) & 190/55(pm) 29.5psi (F&R)
FI calibration: +5, + 10, +5 @ 11:00
Gearing: 17/41
During the drive to the track I was wondering if there’d be any sun at all. It was pissing down rain something fierce as I drove to the track. As I got closer to the track the rain subsided but it was still darkly overcast.
1st run: The track was wet with standing water in a few areas but nothing too bad. I worked on lines and body position since running at speed was out of the question. There were only about 6-7 riders out on the track for the first session and I managed to still pass most of them. Hey, I am on a Suzuki GP bike after all… Shite in the dry, front runner in the rain. :lol
2nd run: Dry lines through 90% of the track. I was able to bring more speed into the mix. Ran 1st in group and only passed by a control rider (CR) who wanted to talk after the session. I was able to put some smooth passes on about 7-8 other riders. The CR was also a DC local and wanted to say high. He had some very positive things to say about my riding and that I made it a challenge for him to catch-up and get by. It was a great confidence booster to say the least. One of the things I noticed my legs started to fade with about 3 laps left, this was a start to an issue I’d be dealing with for the rest of the day.
3rd run: The track was 99% dry with only a little standing water off line. I ran with a friend on a GSXR750 (Jeff/Motopix) for a few laps before he disappeared into the sunset and wasn’t seen again (I blame it on traffic, yeah that’s what it was). I was taking T1 a lot faster than before and dragging a puck wasn’t uncommon, though it through me off the first time as I’ve never dragged through T1 before. Fighting fatigue was more of an issue and I came in a few laps early.
Lunch: During lunch I swapped the rear over to a 190/55 Pirelli SC ‘medium’ rear. One of the things I have been having issues with is the gearing putting me at redline too early before T3 and T10. It may only be two turns but they are significant turns and entering them correctly can make or break your drive. The larger profile of the 190/55 changed the gearing enough that I could now pull the gear all the way to the turn and through it.
4th run: I set in behind a control rider who was running a good pace but holding me up in a few spots where I was running stronger. After a few laps he let me by on the straight (no chance of passing unless let through). I ran as best I could until the fatigue set in again. I only ended up missing 1 or 2 laps though.
5th run: Fast Fast Fast!!! The 190/55 is helping so much with the gearing issue I’ve been having. Confidence is high going into T1. During this session I passed a rider somewhere between 2 and 4 and I guess they didn’t like that much as they were hell bent on passing me back. Going into T1 (deep in the breaking zone) I saw him come up on the inside. I was able to adjust accordingly so it didn’t bother me much. He was in way over his head though as he continued straight, not even attempting to make the turn! I could tell by his helmet that he was screwed as he was looking directly where was going, not where he needed to go. Fortunately the CR I meet up with before was behind us and witness the whole thing and told me about my pass on him and what happened thereafter. After the session the CR said that I was running very strong and pulling away from people from T3 through T9 and that I was just being out powered by other bikes/riders, not out ridden.
6th run: My energy didn’t last more than a few laps as I only ran 6-7 this time. I was running at a good pace but quickly loosing the ability to stay on track… End day.
In the prior track days on the TLR I found I was dealing with a 2-out-of-3 issue. Speed, Lines and Body position. I was having issues bringing all three together. This day I was able to bring them together and I felt I was running faster than I had before but now I have a 4th issue to deal with… Rider fatigue.
Summit Point Main 12/06
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