Thread: WERA @ TGP 6/13-14/9

Good luck, and get that cam working

Raining , there is a ring around us. I did not run practice. The slicks are on now but I have rains mounted. I am race #7 so it COULD dry if we stay in the ring. I am waiting for race2/3 maybe before deciding on tires to have...

So a DNF. I was really just wanting track time but we came off the line and I am right there. So I figure 20 laps be a Rossi sheep and just run them until mid way. For the next 10 laps me and 2 others went back and forth. Sadly my back cramped at lap 13 and I fell off the pace and dropped out. Fun though and should help tomorow. One thing that likely was the source was I swapped from slicks to rains and back. So that wore me out. Had I waited as planned I would have fresher.

do not start a racing post with DNF. first thought was you fell. glad it was only the back even thought that's not really good either.

More complete now that I have a keyboard:
Got in Friday about 8:30PM and dropped the trailer. I headed to the hotel and stopped to get a Chick Fil A (the burgachikadog was to far) and the wind picked up with a storm coming. I was hoping to get stuff up to the room before the rain hit but got luggage and my sandwich and WHAM! A huge wind came up and it dumped rain. The kind of front that rains sideways and takes the gas station garbage cans for a ride. After 20 minutes or so of that the rain slowed and the wind dropped to just normal windy so I finished unloading.

Saturday morning I got up extra early since my list of things to do different was get ready earlier. The previous times I was just not ready to go with enough time to pause before first practice. That worked I am sure just understanding what to expect a bit more helped also. The day started off a raining and wet. Not pouring but a steady rain. I got a set of rains to go on my spare rims and was determined to make a go wet or dry.

Well it was wet for both practices so I sat out not wanting to push it in the wet. I have been to TGP before so I did not really need to get lines down (or so I thought). At the riders meeting the rain had let up but it was still wet. I was race seven so had time to decide on if I was going to swap the slicks to rains. Well my original plan was to wait until race two and get a report from some guys I knew that were running it. Well in my wisdom I decided I was waffling to much and might as well switch so I was ready for my race. well they ride in and tell me there is a dry line and the rain has now stopped. Then we check the radar and it is obvious that things are clearing. So now I rechange my freshly installed and wired rains back to the slicks I should have So I get them changed and wired just as race #6 goes out.

Well I have a couple of minutes to chill but soon it is time to gear up.

I get up to the line and there is someone in a slot I am not expecting... No worries I pull into my slot on the pole I was hoping for a back row. We get ready I drop it in gear as we go to two. I rev it a bit and it seems to long though everyone is doing it... so I back down a bit then after a pause rev it again and the board goes to one. When it tips the starter always goes quick so I am super tensioned and might have gone just a bit to quick or so I thought so I kind of accelerated slower Well I get off in second (there was only three that showed up) and we go into turn one with me right on him. I decide not to try to get by in turn #2 despite that I think I could have as I was concerned with pushing past the tires that were not on warmers long.

So I follow the first lap then I think why not just follow. This is 20 laps I figure so if I am near why go early Well we go about 3 laps with me just tailing him when a second guy comes by. I am not that concerned as the same thoughts still apply. Well the guy that came by starts pushing the leader and I am right there watching but with a small gap just in case they tangle. After a couple of laps the green bike goes by the lead bike and gaps him a bit. So I decide I need to go by also. It takes me a lap maybe two and I am by and catch the guy on the green bike fairly quick. I am following now and notice he has rains and the track is nice and dry. I figure if I can follow him his tires will go off and I get an easy happy ending

After a bit more the first leader comes by and I am back in third but still right on them so nothing has really changed. Well we come around to the half way flags and i start the count down. After I thought two laps I get a cramp in my back and thought I had 8 laps left. I try to go but they are starting to gap me a bit and unless I can loosen up there is nothing I can do. Well I head into number two and the expert leader comes up the inside. I had been expecting that as the layout of TGP makes it easy to see someone running between 1 & 2. Well he comes by clean and quick but then tips in early and from my prospective just is trying to get it stopped. I was kind of watching then tipped it in myself. I watched a bit out of the corner of my eye and I thought he was going to get off the brakes and get it turned while still on the pavement and was figuring he would come back around. I was wrong and he went off (but I heard he came back on and tech'ed and won as the other expert had crashed out) Well I continue around but now my back really tight so I decide to just wave out and come in. I thought I had eight laps to go and figured pushing it would make Sunday a no go. I checked the times and it was lap 14 though I still think I would have limped in at best. My goal for the day was just to get practice and times so despite not finishing I exceeded my goal by battling a bit They even commented at the awards (paid 2 places) about the run we had

Oh and they had a patch in the infield turn that totally altered the line so my figuring I had the line was a bit off. Though that was always my worst at TGP.

Well back to the room for the night and I am whipped so crash a little early and advance the alarm a few minutes since I do not need to tech or sign up for Sunday.

Sunday starts a great day, humid but sunny. My plan was to run practice once then just stay rested so I was fresher for the two races. I go out the first one and after a couple of laps decide to come in as my new glasses are not working like they did for street riding. Under hard braking they wanted to come forward a small bit and soon were just not right. That had happened during the race Saturday but I thought it might have been due to rushing and I hadn't got them on good (obviously I was wrong). So I go out the second practice also with my other glasses (worked well) and get some laps but not much rhythm. I turned a 1:10 while my best Saturday was a 1:07.5 and I did a lot of 1:08's. I was not concerned figuring in the race I would have a better pack and could pick it up again easy.

Well it starts clouding a bit but no worries until we see the radar Now I am back in waffle mode as it is a hard call on if race #2 is wet or dry. If I toss on the rains and it stays dry I figure disaster, slicks on wet same problem... what to do. Well I think the two changes of tires was a bit of why my back cramped and I decide to not change and go slicks. As race 1a is out you can see this mess of bubbling black clouds coming As they said in Indiana Jones "he chose poorly" So I figure that is that and start loading the bike. Oh first the guys next to me I know from Rogue and one was riding in my class (with two helpers) and they start on his and actually told me to get started and they would help this from someone that is chasing points and had practice times a bit over mine, THAT is a good sport and class!

Well I get a few things set inside the trialer after telling them thanks but I am just not going to push and pull the bike off the stand to push it in. At that time WHAM it hits and stuff starts to fly. The one neighbor was able to grab his and mine one the corner but I am fairly helpless to help as I had the bike. So it bent my canopy and I was able to grab and help him hold but even that was a battle. After a bit a kid from across the lane came to aide us and was able to release the top on my canopy at that point mine could stand and I got the bike out from under and up in the trailer. When I did that we went and released there top. Then I tossed both tops in my trailer and closed the back door up. We then hid.

I was soaked and then some but after a bit it tapered off and everyone came out of hiding. Well the neighbors started back on the wheel change but I decided that was plenty for me and just finished loading and said some goodbyes.

I was really looking forward to race #2 as I figured I would be all over them like a maple block but still consider the weekend a great time and success. I don't think I would have had anything for them in the Senior SB but might have made it to mid pack. So DNF, DNS, DNS but after the tragedy last time I got on the horse again and actually did decent. Not the weekend I had hoped for but a good one none the less

Sorry to hear about the weather issues, but glad to hear you made progress and had some safe racing fun.

Originally Posted by bwhip

Sorry to hear about the weather issues, but glad to hear you made progress and had some safe racing fun.

Thanks it was kind of strange when I thought about it. That was really race #2 since I did not run at Barber

Good commentary. You haven't had much luck this year with the weather. If it makes you feel any better I ruined my canopy at my last track day too. They don't handle the wind well.

And since Seamus is biting his tongue (and I don't want my buddy being bloodied) I will point out for him that my Nexus of Disaster held due to the expert group guy pulling a beavis in my zone

Yes weather has SUCKED here so far this year. To cold and rainy. I think I have had one day of total dry so far.

Originally Posted by SheepOfBlue

And since Seamus is biting his tongue (and I don't want my buddy being bloodied) I will point out for him that my Nexus of Disaster held due to the expert group guy pulling a beavis in my zone

Hypothesis was Theory is now Law.