phobe

Two steps forward, one step back?

This weekend was fun at times, but frustrating at others, and ended on a shitty note. (No I didn't crash.)

As in round 3, I registered for "The Triple", which meant I would race in three amateur events: Heavyweight Sportbike, Middleweight Sportbike, and Middleweight Superbike.

Practice took place on Saturday, and I was rusty, having little time on track since the last round. I was running in the 1:29 to 1:30 range, where I would like to have been in the 28s. Nevertheless, I ran laps in the 29s in sessions where I was held up in multiple turns by slower riders. I felt that a 1:27 was definitely achievable, especially in a race situation, where I'm always a bit quicker. Still, I wasn't feeling very "smooth" and a couple of my lines needed work.

My first race on Sunday was Heavyweight Sportbike Amateur, which allows lightly modified sportbikes up to 165 whp, favouring litrebikes. I started on the 9th row, but on the far right side of the track where the traction is best. I had a great start, leapfrogging ahead of some key rivals, as well as some faster amateurs. I've figured out a perfect launch method for my 600rr: I hold it steady at 6500rpm and dump the clutch, allowing the midrange to fire me off the grid with consistent quickness. The front wheel picks up about 6 inches off the deck but allows me to hold it wide-open.

It was a close race, and I had a lot of fun, dicing it up with 3 other racers, passing in places where I hadn't passed before, and beating my best time by almost half a second, with a 1:27.3. I even had a "near-miss" sphincter-clenching moment, where 4 of us piled into the "bus stop" almost all abreast. I stood it up and 2 guys went in the grass, but rather than getting spooked I used it as motivation and passed a couple more guys. The race was red-flagged on the 7th lap (of 10) and the timing worked out mostly in my favour, as I was currently ahead of a couple of the rivals I was battling with. The officials decided to call the race, so I finished in 8th. There were a couple of guys I was still working on, but then again, there were a bunch more guys working on me. I had been trying to be a "smart" racer... stalking guys, looking for their weakness, planning a perfect pass and conserving my energy, rather than going full balls-out. For the most part it worked, and this "racecraft" is something I need to practice. I also find it easier to be the guy trying to gain a position, rather than the guy tring to defend it. This came as sort of an epiphany. Be like Valentino.

My second race was Middleweight Sportbike Amateur and it was the shits. Don't drink energy drinks on a race weekend. Don't drink energy drinks on a race weekend. Get it? I understand what a diuretic is, but I guess I somehow thought this basic physiological rule didn't apply to me. It does, and I pissed out all of my H20 reserves before the 5-minute horn. Did I mention that it was 30 degrees celcius this weekend? I started reasonably well, but allowed a lot of other riders to take my line away in turn one. I set about re-passing a certain rival... This particular guy is faster than me in the slow turns, and slower than me inthe fast turns, but he takes wild curb-to-curb dive-bombing lines and is very difficult to pass. I felt that if I didn't pass him right away I could be stuck behind him for the rest of the race. Against my own advice, I went balls-out trying to get around him, attempting a couple of sketchy passes in 2 consecutive fast turns, both of which caused me to run wide and lose more time. Alas, the race was red-flagged after 2 laps. We had to pull in the hot pit while the officials decided what to do and the crash was cleared up. We stood there in the sun for a good 5 minutes before they announced that we would re-grid and run an 8 lap race. (rather than 10)

I was tired right away. I got off the line reasonably well, but chickened out in a very crowded turn one and yielded the line to basically everyone. I chased around a bunched-up group for a couple laps, but started to get cotton-mouth and painful muscle cramps. I'm pretty sure I was dehydrated. I started having confidence issues. I was making a lot of mistakes, thinking too much, braking too soon, and dropped my visual focus to the patch of asphalt in front of my bike, which compounded the problem. My laps fell into the 1:29s and at a few points I considered putting my hand up and exiting the track because I felt like total garbage. I managed to hang on somehow for a 15th place finish (out of 23) but the way I was riding I felt like I should have been dead last. At some point mid-race I believe I might have stopped sweating as my body lost its ability to cool itself. I'm probably lucky I didn't get hurt.

I had a bit of a break before my third and final race so I went to work hydrating myself and had no trouble retaining more than 2 litres of water. The third race was Middleweight Superbike, where you can run basically anything under 125whp. This is a money class where there is no distinction between amateur and expert racers. I started well and was able to hang with a quicker pack for a few laps, but started to fade back and found myself alone for a few laps. I was exhausted again. I didn't have the strength or alertness to go deep into turn one, and a couple more guys passed me there. I got slower with each lap, but I knew that there were guys trying to get around me so I did my best to ride a tight defensive line and leave as little room as possible. The flag went out to signify the final lap, and I rode as hard as I could to try and maintain my position. On the entrance to the final turn, the "carousel" hairpin, another racer outbraked me and showed me a wheel. I'm sure he was frustrated as hell from being stuck behind me, but he made a move which still pissed me off, coming up on the outside and dive-bombing into my line. He came right across my front wheel, forcing me to jam on the brake and stand the bike up in the middle of the turn. I don't know how the hell I managed to keep it upright but I was seriously angry. I dragged my ass across the finish line for a 13th place finish. I tried to find the guy in the pits to have a chat with him but it seemed as though he rolled his bike off the track and straight into a trailer... he was nowhere to be seen. I hope he knows what he did.... and an apology would be nice.

The weekend wasn't a total loss. I beat my best time and learned some valuable lessons... the biggest one being that planning and strategy play as big of a role as my on-track performance. The next 2 rounds are a double-header, and I'm already trying to form a plan. I'm also going to seek some one-on-one instruction and mentoring at some trackdays in the interim.

I just didn't get the results I wanted... I guess that's racing.

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NorthernRR

Nice read, sounds like you are still making progress and learing from what you are up to out there. I would think that this would be a good thing.

Keep it up and you'll be one of the fastest guys at grattan 2011... or when ever you make it back down.

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CBRVFR

School of hard knocks, eh? Great narrative as usual.

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phobe

Some pics:

_CAP4292 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

CMRA Regional Race August 17, 2008 (93 of 140)

CMRA Regional Race August 17, 2008 (120 of 140)

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NorthernRR

that bike looks a LOT like the 125

I just can't get over how small it is.

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seamus

When you stop sweating, that's heat stroke.

Best thing you can do if you're dehydrated is find the waaahmbulance and see if they'll give you an IV. May or may not stop your race day but it won't cause you to puke, pass out and wake up in the hospital. Or worse.

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The nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools.
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bwhip

Great job, Tan - both on the racing and the report. Thanks!

So, you think that all those GP guys on the grid with their bottles of "Red Bull" or "Monster" might actually have something else inside?

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Hammer

Great write up. And just so you know, energy drinks are da devil.

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macgyver

Good write Taylor. I'm sure I was one of the guys slowing you down in the practice. Man it was hot out there.

Baketech

Nice work...

Now buy Jess a nice camera rig...

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deftones156

+1 on both counts...

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RedRider

Nice job and writeup! Look at it this way...no matter what happens, you still have the best looking umbrella girl in the paddock.

ND4SPD

Nice job Tan. You drove yourself home, that right there is a good weekend!

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phobe

More pics:

_CAP4460 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

_CAP4744 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

_CAP4758 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Funny thing I noticed: I was well-aware of the locations of all the photographers during the practice sessions but totally oblivious during the race.

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ND4SPD

Heh, I bet you'd notice if they walked across the track in front of you.

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phobe

Yeah that would probably get my attention.

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macgyver

Here's a couple pics that I took ya.

Attached Thumbnails

         

phobe

Thanks Scott.

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Shenders1

I've heard it said that "A bad day racing is still better than a good day at work". That probably applies here.

As always, enjoy the writeups and the pictures. That is one sweet helmet.

CBR929RE

careful with that dehydration stuff. energy drinks are just good to jump start you. you still gotta keep the good hydration going to counteract them making you piss.

I blame what you perceive as a shitty performance on the new boots. you can't switch stuff up in the middle of the season, that's bad mojo.

good luck at the next round.

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phobe

Just noticed on the boots yesterday... the camo shapes are silhouettes of the GP tracks.

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phobe

And of course, the much anticipated press release:

Quote:

BGPR Gets Stroked in the Sun August 17th 2008 It was hot enough to evaporate cheeseburgers on the crumbled asphalt at Western Canada’s Premiere Demolition Obstacle Course for Round 4 of the CMRA regional motorcycle roadracing championship series and under the BGPR Canopy (AKA “The Paddock of Ill Repute”) the roadracers kept their cool but definitely weren’t frigid. Number 17 Brad “The Good Shepherd” Gavey kicked off the race weekend in his usual role as head instructor and chaperoned his flock in the all-ages novice race. Brad made sure that there was plenty of daylight between the boy and girl racers, and did not wheelie. Determined to widen his lead in the Geezer Championship, Brad enlisted the services of tuning super-guru Willie Vass, who would cast his spell to make the heavy slow Honda less heavy and less slow. While no amount of magic could persuade Brad to lose 40 pounds, he still defied the physics of his “husky” power-to-weight ratio to soundly beat svelte rival Tim Johnson and extend his championship lead. Tim, or “Ti-Jo” as he’s known as in hip-hop circles, was later seen pacing back and forth in his pit, cursing Isaac Newton and updating his spreadsheet. Enhanced by the Vass Voodoo, Brad rode his heavy slow Honda to a 7th place finish in the Heavyweight Sportbike Expert race, and later to a 5th place finish in the Open Superbike race. Number 15 Mitch “Rat” Rathje AKA Marlborough Mitch changed his own tires and did his own tuning on his Yamaha R1 racebike in Round 4. With no Vass Voodoo available, Mitch bested Brad’s 7th place with a solid Mitchth in the Heavyweight Sportbike Expert race. And without the help of Willie Vass, Rat also bettered the Good Shepherd’s result in the Open Superbike race with a 4th place finish. Rat, who had no professional tuner, had this sage cowboy advice to offer: “If you’re ridin’ ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then and make sure it’s still there”. Number 8 Mandy “Midge” McKay, who has still not washed the bird remains off the side of her CBR600RR racebike, was accidentally given “ultra-light” cigarettes and due to uncontrollable twitching at the starting grid, was not able to finesse the throttle and clutch in her usual way to get her usual holeshot. Instead, she held the throttle wide-open in a nicotine-withdrawal fit and spun her back tire into a fine mentholated powder when the flag dropped for both of the novice contests. Still, Midge was able to take a deep toke of the tire smoke to calm her nerves and made up for her crap starts with a couple of smooth, fast performances that earned her 9th and 7th place finishes. Number 55 Jennifer “Fish” Salmon retired from the sport of roadracing. Some say that the abuse of the BGPR press releases was just too much for her to take. We’ll miss you Fish. Thanks for the mammaries. Number 87 Chris “Skippy” Trickett AKA “The Litre” brought his inimitable riding style and winning attitude to challenge the amateur ranks in round 4. He also brought his mom, who dressed him and fed him yogurt cups and fruit roll-ups. Skippy was holding his own in 13th place in the Heavyweight Sportbike Amateur race until he decided to “rub” another racer in turn 6 and put his Yamaha in the weeds, causing the red flag that ended the race after only 6 laps. Unfazed by the incident, Skippy still made the starting grid for the Middleweight Sportbike Amateur race on his YZF-R1 1000cc 150 horsepower heavyweight litrebike superbike. Using the superior horsepower of his 1000cc 150hp litre-class litrebike, Chris forced his way past the middleweight racers like a schoolyard 1000cc bully in the 600cc lunch line to finish in 11th place. Chris was very pleased with his performance and looks forward to the round 5/6 double-header in September where he will race his R1 in the Veterans, Lightweight, Formula II, Sportsman, and SV650 Cup classes. Number 82 Taylor “Pretty Boy” King AKA “The Tan” once again chose to sunbathe rather than practice on Saturday, and went into race day rusty and unprepared, but magnificently bronzed. Pretty Boy was grateful to Skippy for ending the Heavyweight Sportbike Amateur race after only 6 laps. Using his strategy of “blocking the faster riders, especially Amy” the Tan hung on to 8th position, his best amateur result so far. The Tan’s 15th and 13th place finishes in the Middleweight Sportbike Amateur and Middleweight superbike classes represented a bit of a disappointment, but Pretty Boy still considered it an excellent opportunity to show off his chic new white urban camo racing boots and matching knee sliders, which he feels that the fans truly appreciated. Number 51 Nelson “Gomez” Goncalves purchased a used racebike with a dodgy radiator from Brad using money he earned picking peaches and lettuce in the Okanagan. Brad felt guilty, and gave Gomez a ride on the team to help clear his conscience. Plus, the bike was already blue and yellow, and much faster than his previous ride; a donkey. Gomez made his debut in the novice races, which he won with much less difficulty than, say, swimming the Rio Grande. Still, the Juan-on Juan battle between Gomez and Redline Benny provided great entertainment for the fans. His back wet from perspiration, Gomez easily advanced to amateur and contested the Middleweight Sportbike class, where he finished somewhere mid-pack, though as of this writing he hasn’t officially been scored. Some say that he turned impressive times for a rookie, while others say that his 4 foot-nine 67 pound frame gave him an unfair advantage. Gomez was happy with his performance, and breaking with BGPR cheeseburger tradition, he ate a celebratory taco. Brad swears he has all his papers. Yet again it was a successful weekend for the motley BGPR racers and crew. Special thanks are due to all the volunteers who make our hobby possible, as well as Parts Canada, Pirelli Tires, Coors Light, Redline Motorsports, and Vass Performance. Take it to the Track and we’ll see you in September! Don’t miss our next track night on Thursday, September 4th!

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ONEvcs

Awesome writting as ussual. Thanks.

bwhip

Yeah, I gave Amy crap about The Tan beating her. Here's what she wrote back: "Ah! I see he neglected to tell you that I started the race from the hot pits and it got red flagged. But I guess whatever floats your boat, I was comin for him fast! (2 seconds a lap faster) I woulda sucked that tan right off his body when I went by!"

I think she done just you, Tan-Man.

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phobe

Doesn't matter I still beat her.

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