My first race week-end.

Jetbdude · 05-05-2008, 09:48 AM

I wanna go faster!

My first race week-end is over and now it’s review time. The plan for the week-end was: race school on Friday, practice and qualification on Sunday and practice and race on Sunday. I was registered in Novice 600 and Novice Open.

Friday: School. First thing I had to do was to get my race license to be able to race on Sunday, for that I had to take the school given at Shannonville or present a certificate from another school. I had to go with the Shannonville school. This school is for newbie, big time. In the morning we went over flags and starting procedure, bike prep and rules. No riding technique what so ever. In the afternoon we finally went on the track. The WET track I should say. I came in with Dunlop slicks one the bike so I had to slam some rain tires on my bike and went out with the group. I think we never went over 60mph. The 2 instructors where riding Honda CBR 125 (4 stroke, like phobe). I did not learn anything but I did get my license…. I don’t think they should give away license that easy but with more than 30 track day under my belt I was not about to feel guilty I had mine.

Saturday: Practice and Qualification. The track being dry the first thing I did was to put some 209’s on the rims, so I did miss first test session messing around with tire change. I need to get some damn spare rims. Another thing on list of things I want….. That damn list keeps getting longer ever thought I’m buying things every week. You want to save money, find another hobby.
Second practice session I’m finally able to experience the track at a good pace. It’s my first time out on the dry and by third corner I’m in the wet grass. I’m not going to drop that bike I just spent so many hours painting! I saved it and got back on the track. The session was 10 minutes, I was able to make the fifth best time of my group. Not so bad for a first time… Gave me some confidence for the rest of the week-end.

Qualification. Well, 20 minutes before the qualification began the damn rain started again. With no time to change the 209’s back to rain I decided to just stay in the pits and watch my qualification heat from the stand. Not a nice feeling but I was not there for the championship, only to have fun! That placed me way behind on the grid….. 27 out of 28….

Sunday: Race day!! It’s race day and I have only 10 real laps under my belt on that track. I’m starting from the 8th row in 27 place. WOW. I’m not going to skip practice session in the morning, I need that seat time. I get in my leather even though the track is wet and it’s COLD, real cold. 9:00 am, I get on the track and in my second lap I’m spinning the rear everywhere, even on the straight with the bike standing straight up. I’m getting back to the pits. I’m not risking injuries! I’m here to have fun and right then I was not having ANY. Cold, wet, no track time and LOTS of money spent = no fun! I’m thinking right then that track days are much more fun.

Sunday afternoon. Race time! Finally the track is dry. I have the 209’s on and happy I did not put the rain tire back on like I was thinking on doing all morning. I put the warmers on, my leather and it’s now 1 hour before the race and I can absolutely not put words on the feeling I have. I’m nervous as HELL!!! Never experience something like that. Everything goes on in my head. “What if” is the word of the moment. It goes on before every sentence in my head. You try to stay calm but then you think of you start, turn one, turn 2, passing, being passed, what if I stall?, what if I have a good start? I’m 27th on the grid, there will be some passing? I hope so! Veronique is nervous too! I really don’t like seeing her that way. I’m thinking “who I’m I to make her feel that way, that isn’t right”. All we can hear from the pit is “rider down, rider down”, race after race. The track id still cold and there’s a lot of crash, every races.

Finally it’s time to race, I get on the starting grid after the warm up lap and the felling is now completely different. There’s actually no more feeling. There’s just too much happening and I think the brain just shuts down and blocks all the feelings. Green light! Here we go! I’m pulling a wheelie and I’m passing people, a lot of people. I’m working on that damn wheelie but don’t want to let go of the gas, I’m passing people right, I’m not letting go of that throttle! Turn one, holly crap! 28 guys with the same goal, finishing first, on a 30 foot wide piece of pavement! I work my way on the outside, I’m thinking it’s the safest place to be, I’ll get them from the inside when there’s less people. Turn 2, I want to overtake as many as I can there as I know that the more I wait the farther first place is getting away. Brake when you see God I’m thinking, well I never saw God, but I think I saw Jesus waving at me in the grass. The rear is bouncing and barely touching the pavement. I overtake a few more right there! The rest of the race was fun!!! Fun fun fun! I worked my way around quite a few guys, mostly overtaking them on the brakes.

I finished the race in 8th place. So I overtook 19 guys in 8 laps, not so bad eh? My only problem is that as soon as I crossed the finish line my 2 herniated disks popped right out. The pain in my back was quite intense a micro second after my back wheel crossed the finish line. My brain must have set things pretty straight with my back “OK, where going to give the kid a break, but as soon as you see the line make him pay for all the emotions”.

I skipped the Open race schedule for 3:20Pm, the pain was too intense and I had 5:30 hours worth of driving to do.

So, I had a great week-end. I think that if the weather had been nicer I would have had even more fun. My back really bothers me though. I have to find a solution before I go racing again. I’ve been training for over a month now, and changed quite a few habits to help me but seem I have to go one step further. I don’t know what to do and want to avoid surgery at all cost. This will be my goal for the next few weeks. No racing for me until I feel my back is back to “normal”.

Thanks a LOT to V. She was amazing! Never complained about the weather, always smiling and telling me she was happy to be there. She was so nervous before the race, I even thought about not doing the race at one point just looking at her. You did great V! Thanks for everything!

Here’s some pictures from the race. Thanks V, for a girl that nervous you took some great shot!

Start of the race

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Corner 2, is that Jesus in the grass?

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Back on the straight

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I love the new bike!

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phobe · 05-05-2008, 10:42 AM

Awesome. That gave me butterflies for when I go out and do mine in a couple weeks.

Shenders1 · 05-05-2008, 10:45 AM

Wow - intense stuff. I'm jealous. Of everything except that back pain, that is.

Hope you're feeling better soon, you're clearly going to do just fine in competitiveness department.

Baketech · 05-05-2008, 10:55 AM

Awesome write up...

Pisser about the back...get the fixed asap, you cannot captain boats with a cranked disc...

gt702 · 05-05-2008, 11:17 AM

Very cool on the first race.

Too bad about the back pain. If training and maybe taping doesn't work, it might be good to get it fixed while you are young and heal easily. Seems everyone I've talked to who has held off come out saying "I should have done it sooner" when they do get it fixed.

abtech · 05-05-2008, 11:18 AM

Great glimpse into something that never really changes (the prerace demons, not the back). For me everything would go into slo-mo when the 1 minute board went sideways and you are exactly right, all the thoughts just stop for about 20 seconds or so.

Great write up

luvtolean · 05-05-2008, 11:21 AM

Great job!

Pretty nerve wracking in that final time before the race eh?

Funny enough, practice had seemed just like a trackday, so I wasn't so nervous before my first race. Kind of an "ignorance is bliss" thing. I was certainly real nervous before my second!

DEPO · 05-05-2008, 11:30 AM

Awesome write-up.....

TornadoB8 · 05-05-2008, 11:36 AM

Congrats on getting through your first weekend and moving up so many places during the race!!

ONEvcs · 05-05-2008, 12:02 PM

Awesome!!!

Now get that back fixed. Avoiding surgery, although preferable without a doubt, is not always the best choice.

FrenchieR6 · 05-05-2008, 12:37 PM

Félicitation mon ami et dis a Véronique qu’elle est une bonne femme

Oh... and for all the others... CONGRATS JetB. Great write-up

f1_hurricane · 05-05-2008, 12:43 PM

Congrats man, I might have to make a day trip out to Shannonville and check this stuff out.

ONEvcs · 05-05-2008, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrenchieR6

Félicitation mon ami et dis a Véronique qu’elle est une bonne femme

Oh... and for all the others... CONGRATS JetB. Great write-up

I hope the bonner created by the female is only for JBD.

nhfirefighter13 · 05-05-2008, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jetbdude

Brake when you see God I’m thinking, well I never saw God, but I think I saw Jesus waving at me in the grass.

bwhip · 05-05-2008, 12:58 PM

Great job, buddy! Way to be smart yet still an aggressive racer. I enjoyed reading about it, as I know those feelings all too well. Thanks to V for the photos, also. Great job, E!

ND4SPD · 05-05-2008, 12:59 PM

Not bad, not bad at all.

Now get that back taken care of.

Jetbdude · 05-05-2008, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrenchieR6

Félicitation mon ami et dis a Véronique qu’elle est une bonne femme

Je lui dit a tout les jours

RedRider · 05-05-2008, 01:05 PM

Great reading..and great results! Hopefully your back won't keep you from the podium.

Jetbdude · 05-05-2008, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ND4SPD

Now get that back taken care of.

I'm picking up a CD from the hospital tomorrow morning, it has the 10 X-Ray plus the scan I took on February 4th on it. I also have an appointment on Thursday night with my doc to look at everything a come up with a game plan......

Baketech · 05-05-2008, 01:14 PM

Oh also...enough wheelie pics, show us the shots of V holding the umbrella...

Hi V!

MotoVegas · 05-05-2008, 01:18 PM

Whoa, you made it pretty far up the grid, nice!!!

CBRVFR · 05-05-2008, 01:25 PM

Great write up, E! Sorry to hear about your back, but it sounds like you had a great time.

Jetbdude · 05-05-2008, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baketech

Oh also...enough wheelie pics, show us the shots of V holding the umbrella...

Hi V!

I keep telling her that a tight outfit and a umbrella would distract the guys on the grid and give me more chance! But now that I qualified on last row she'll tell me it's useless, no one to distract behind

SheepOfBlue · 05-05-2008, 01:47 PM

Good start! now get things sorted and that back in order. Remember back and abs work together so strengthen both (or consult a non-wooly person that knows

)

Baketech · 05-05-2008, 01:53 PM

I'm just sitting here thinking that both of you guys got injured on your first race day...

05-05-2008, 09:48 AM	#1
Jetbdude #20 Join Date: 12-13-2006 Age: 34 Bike(s): 07 600RR Posts: 2,558	My first race week-end. I wanna go faster! My first race week-end is over and now it’s review time. The plan for the week-end was: race school on Friday, practice and qualification on Sunday and practice and race on Sunday. I was registered in Novice 600 and Novice Open. Friday: School. First thing I had to do was to get my race license to be able to race on Sunday, for that I had to take the school given at Shannonville or present a certificate from another school. I had to go with the Shannonville school. This school is for newbie, big time. In the morning we went over flags and starting procedure, bike prep and rules. No riding technique what so ever. In the afternoon we finally went on the track. The WET track I should say. I came in with Dunlop slicks one the bike so I had to slam some rain tires on my bike and went out with the group. I think we never went over 60mph. The 2 instructors where riding Honda CBR 125 (4 stroke, like phobe). I did not learn anything but I did get my license…. I don’t think they should give away license that easy but with more than 30 track day under my belt I was not about to feel guilty I had mine. Saturday: Practice and Qualification. The track being dry the first thing I did was to put some 209’s on the rims, so I did miss first test session messing around with tire change. I need to get some damn spare rims. Another thing on list of things I want….. That damn list keeps getting longer ever thought I’m buying things every week. You want to save money, find another hobby. Second practice session I’m finally able to experience the track at a good pace. It’s my first time out on the dry and by third corner I’m in the wet grass. I’m not going to drop that bike I just spent so many hours painting! I saved it and got back on the track. The session was 10 minutes, I was able to make the fifth best time of my group. Not so bad for a first time… Gave me some confidence for the rest of the week-end. Qualification. Well, 20 minutes before the qualification began the damn rain started again. With no time to change the 209’s back to rain I decided to just stay in the pits and watch my qualification heat from the stand. Not a nice feeling but I was not there for the championship, only to have fun! That placed me way behind on the grid….. 27 out of 28…. Sunday: Race day!! It’s race day and I have only 10 real laps under my belt on that track. I’m starting from the 8th row in 27 place. WOW. I’m not going to skip practice session in the morning, I need that seat time. I get in my leather even though the track is wet and it’s COLD, real cold. 9:00 am, I get on the track and in my second lap I’m spinning the rear everywhere, even on the straight with the bike standing straight up. I’m getting back to the pits. I’m not risking injuries! I’m here to have fun and right then I was not having ANY. Cold, wet, no track time and LOTS of money spent = no fun! I’m thinking right then that track days are much more fun. Sunday afternoon. Race time! Finally the track is dry. I have the 209’s on and happy I did not put the rain tire back on like I was thinking on doing all morning. I put the warmers on, my leather and it’s now 1 hour before the race and I can absolutely not put words on the feeling I have. I’m nervous as HELL!!! Never experience something like that. Everything goes on in my head. “What if” is the word of the moment. It goes on before every sentence in my head. You try to stay calm but then you think of you start, turn one, turn 2, passing, being passed, what if I stall?, what if I have a good start? I’m 27th on the grid, there will be some passing? I hope so! Veronique is nervous too! I really don’t like seeing her that way. I’m thinking “who I’m I to make her feel that way, that isn’t right”. All we can hear from the pit is “rider down, rider down”, race after race. The track id still cold and there’s a lot of crash, every races. Finally it’s time to race, I get on the starting grid after the warm up lap and the felling is now completely different. There’s actually no more feeling. There’s just too much happening and I think the brain just shuts down and blocks all the feelings. Green light! Here we go! I’m pulling a wheelie and I’m passing people, a lot of people. I’m working on that damn wheelie but don’t want to let go of the gas, I’m passing people right, I’m not letting go of that throttle! Turn one, holly crap! 28 guys with the same goal, finishing first, on a 30 foot wide piece of pavement! I work my way on the outside, I’m thinking it’s the safest place to be, I’ll get them from the inside when there’s less people. Turn 2, I want to overtake as many as I can there as I know that the more I wait the farther first place is getting away. Brake when you see God I’m thinking, well I never saw God, but I think I saw Jesus waving at me in the grass. The rear is bouncing and barely touching the pavement. I overtake a few more right there! The rest of the race was fun!!! Fun fun fun! I worked my way around quite a few guys, mostly overtaking them on the brakes. I finished the race in 8th place. So I overtook 19 guys in 8 laps, not so bad eh? My only problem is that as soon as I crossed the finish line my 2 herniated disks popped right out. The pain in my back was quite intense a micro second after my back wheel crossed the finish line. My brain must have set things pretty straight with my back “OK, where going to give the kid a break, but as soon as you see the line make him pay for all the emotions”. I skipped the Open race schedule for 3:20Pm, the pain was too intense and I had 5:30 hours worth of driving to do. So, I had a great week-end. I think that if the weather had been nicer I would have had even more fun. My back really bothers me though. I have to find a solution before I go racing again. I’ve been training for over a month now, and changed quite a few habits to help me but seem I have to go one step further. I don’t know what to do and want to avoid surgery at all cost. This will be my goal for the next few weeks. No racing for me until I feel my back is back to “normal”. Thanks a LOT to V. She was amazing! Never complained about the weather, always smiling and telling me she was happy to be there. She was so nervous before the race, I even thought about not doing the race at one point just looking at her. You did great V! Thanks for everything! Here’s some pictures from the race. Thanks V, for a girl that nervous you took some great shot! Start of the race Corner 2, is that Jesus in the grass? Back on the straight I love the new bike! __________________ The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best everything that they have.

05-05-2008, 10:42 AM	#2
phobe circa 1970 Join Date: 12-17-2006 Age: 26 Bike(s): 600RR, 125R Posts: 4,649	Awesome. That gave me butterflies for when I go out and do mine in a couple weeks. __________________ Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc

05-05-2008, 10:55 AM	#4
Baketech "Able was I ere I saw Elba..." Join Date: 12-14-2006 Bike(s): VFR800 - CBR929 - VFR800 Posts: 1,758	Awesome write up... Pisser about the back...get the fixed asap, you cannot captain boats with a cranked disc... __________________ "Ten times more charming than that Arnold on Green Acres..."

05-05-2008, 11:17 AM	#5
gt702 Gear Driven Cams Join Date: 12-18-2006 Bike(s): Some Hondas and a Kwacker Posts: 1,167	Very cool on the first race. Too bad about the back pain. If training and maybe taping doesn't work, it might be good to get it fixed while you are young and heal easily. Seems everyone I've talked to who has held off come out saying "I should have done it sooner" when they do get it fixed. __________________ Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. Albert Einstein

05-05-2008, 11:18 AM	#6
abtech Believe Join Date: 12-14-2006 Age: 58 Bike(s): 66 Puch Scrambler Posts: 3,369	Great glimpse into something that never really changes (the prerace demons, not the back). For me everything would go into slo-mo when the 1 minute board went sideways and you are exactly right, all the thoughts just stop for about 20 seconds or so. Great write up __________________ Now in stereo AAA doesn't only refer to the Auto Club . . . and Seamus is awesome

05-05-2008, 10:45 AM	#3
Shenders1 2 Cylinders, 4 Valves, No Waiting Join Date: 01-14-2007 Location: South Lyon, MI Age: 43 Bike(s): Ducati HM Posts: 972	Wow - intense stuff. I'm jealous. Of everything except that back pain, that is. Hope you're feeling better soon, you're clearly going to do just fine in competitiveness department.

05-05-2008, 11:21 AM	#7
luvtolean Join Date: 12-13-2006 Location: SF Bay Area, CA Bike(s): 2008 BMW GS-A Posts: 6,424	Great job! Pretty nerve wracking in that final time before the race eh? Funny enough, practice had seemed just like a trackday, so I wasn't so nervous before my first race. Kind of an "ignorance is bliss" thing. I was certainly real nervous before my second! __________________ The facility and excess of law-making seem to be the diseases to which are governments are most liable.- James Madison Last edited by luvtolean; 05-05-2008 at 11:32 AM.

05-05-2008, 11:30 AM	#8
DEPO Godspeed, #20 Join Date: 12-18-2006 Age: 33 Bike(s): Track 954 and Uly Bagger Posts: 711	Awesome write-up..... __________________ Welcome to the Dance!

05-05-2008, 11:36 AM	#9
TornadoB8 Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: KC Age: 44 Bike(s): 2005 600RR Posts: 948	Congrats on getting through your first weekend and moving up so many places during the race!! __________________ CCS#27 Dunlop, Vortex, Vesrah, Silkolene

05-05-2008, 12:02 PM	#10
ONEvcs Bull Fighter Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Ft. Worth Age: 40 Bike(s): '05CBR1000RR. Posts: 2,522 Images: 99	Awesome!!! Now get that back fixed. Avoiding surgery, although preferable without a doubt, is not always the best choice.

05-05-2008, 12:37 PM	#11
FrenchieR6 Live life to the fullest and smile while doing it Join Date: 12-17-2006 Location: Ohio Age: 41 Bike(s): R6 Posts: 2,378	Félicitation mon ami et dis a Véronique qu’elle est une bonne femme Oh... and for all the others... CONGRATS JetB. Great write-up __________________ Fear and Distraction are the enemies of presence, and concentration is the cure. http://befit4riding.com/ http://www.apex2apex.net/ http://www.americanpowersport.com/

05-05-2008, 12:43 PM	#12
f1_hurricane Trust me, I'm a ninja Join Date: 01-06-2007 Age: 21 Bike(s): 1998 GSXR 750 Posts: 700	Congrats man, I might have to make a day trip out to Shannonville and check this stuff out.

05-05-2008, 12:58 PM	#15
bwhip Every ride a gift... Join Date: 12-13-2006 Location: Idaho, USA Bike(s): 1098S-SXV550-849-Ruckus Posts: 3,952	Great job, buddy! Way to be smart yet still an aggressive racer. I enjoyed reading about it, as I know those feelings all too well. Thanks to V for the photos, also. Great job, E! __________________ Seamus is awesome. Seriously. My Gallery

05-05-2008, 12:59 PM	#16
ND4SPD I'm BATMAN!!! Join Date: 12-12-2006 Bike(s): Trek Posts: 8,169 Images: 25	Not bad, not bad at all. Now get that back taken care of. __________________ "This is your life - are you who you want to be?" Learn all you need to know about Mac OS X

05-05-2008, 01:05 PM	#18
RedRider Join Date: 12-13-2006 Age: 49 Bike(s): 929 Posts: 2,456	Great reading..and great results! Hopefully your back won't keep you from the podium.

05-05-2008, 01:14 PM	#20
Baketech "Able was I ere I saw Elba..." Join Date: 12-14-2006 Bike(s): VFR800 - CBR929 - VFR800 Posts: 1,758	Oh also...enough wheelie pics, show us the shots of V holding the umbrella... Hi V! __________________ "Ten times more charming than that Arnold on Green Acres..."

05-05-2008, 01:18 PM	#21
MotoVegas Join Date: 01-03-2007 Location: Las Vegas Age: 38 Bike(s): ZX-10R & HD Ultra Classic Posts: 903	Whoa, you made it pretty far up the grid, nice!!! __________________ Enjoy my pics Enjoy my crash Enjoy riding with Whip and I at SMMR

05-05-2008, 01:25 PM	#22
CBRVFR Godspeed, #20 Join Date: 12-13-2006 Age: 55 Bike(s): VFR750 SV650 TZ250 Posts: 5,111	Great write up, E! Sorry to hear about your back, but it sounds like you had a great time. __________________ "...the TV also never took away the screwdriver and shoved it up the repairman's ass." Our own Mr.2nd Amendment, explaining the difference. Perfectly. Rich Herald, the Gentle Giant

05-05-2008, 01:47 PM	#24
SheepOfBlue SRA President Join Date: 12-18-2006 Location: Huntsville, AL Age: 46 Bike(s): CBR1000RR, RC51, VT500FT Posts: 6,515	Good start! now get things sorted and that back in order. Remember back and abs work together so strengthen both (or consult a non-wooly person that knows ) __________________ A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way

05-05-2008, 01:53 PM	#25
Baketech "Able was I ere I saw Elba..." Join Date: 12-14-2006 Bike(s): VFR800 - CBR929 - VFR800 Posts: 1,758	I'm just sitting here thinking that both of you guys got injured on your first race day... __________________ "Ten times more charming than that Arnold on Green Acres..