Lot's going on this season, though not much in the way of pictures this time. I have been to several rounds of racing this year, including my first trip to Daytona. That is an amazing track! There is nothing in the world like riding at top speed around those high banks, feeling like you are being flushed down a giant toilet at warp speed. I would definitely like to go back and really push my bike. I picked up a couple of wins at Daytona, starting the season off right.
My next stop was Carolina Motorsports Park in South Carolina, one of my favorite tracks to race. Technical with some elevation changes, and more of a fast sweeping track the first half and very tight the last portion. I finished 2nd to my uncle on his XS650 both days.
The next round in Kansas found me with my first crash in quite some time. I had not had a race crash since Road American in 2019 so this one left me a bit rattled. I was leading Saturday's race, half way through and went for a downshift into a left/right/right/left chicane on the back straight and the rear wheel locked momentarily, keeping me from tipping into the turn. The result was an a trip into the grass, which also happened to be flooded with around 4-6" of water from earlier inclement weather. As soon as I hit the water I went down. I wasn't moving too quickly so the crash was relatively soft but did manage to get my right ankle stuck under the bike so was unable to move until they cleared the track and the track crew came to help lift the bike. I was able to get back to the pits and compose myself to get back on track with the Superbike, but clearly not in fighting shape mentally.
The damage was zero thankfully, just about 15 pounds of mud and grass that needed picked out of the right side near the exhaust/ignition cover. I drained the oil and dropped the pan to see if there was anything transmission related that may have caused the wheel to lock and found nothing. I had to "borrow" some oil from another racer to get going again and took a successful test ride. All was well and I was able to finish 3rd on Sunday, my worst finish in the last 2 years.
The following round in New Jersey met with some friendly faces, with Mike Rieck, Brent Waller and George Schuld attending the weekend's races. I still had a bit of reservation about pushing the bike after the last outing, but did manage a couple more 2nd place finishes. We stay close to Michigan the next 2 rounds with Blackhawk Farms in Illinois and my home track, Gingerman. After that it's onto the big show at Barber!
Thinking ahead to next season already, it has been announced that Formula 750 will be the featured class for the Vintage Cup. My bike is already very similar in many ways to the Formula bikes, so I have decided to make the jump and perform a few key upgrades to get the bike right and tight for next year.
I have sourced a new set of GL1000 fork lowers to set up a dual disk front end, with AP calipers and a set of thinned and drilled rotors from Godffery, with the carriers modified to fit my quick-change hub. Stopping power will never be a question again!
I will also be adding a half fairing to keep with the F750 look and rules. I chose the Rickman Competition half fairing from Air Tech to that end, but it will need a custom bracket made, as well as relocating the oil cooler to get it out in the wind more, so a bit of plumbing will be needed for all of it to work.
The engine is the big piece that will help me keep pace with the F750 front runners. I have been limited by stock round top carbs in my current class, but with F750, CR31 can be used. Coupling that with a stronger cam and careful JMR rework of the head I blew up in 2019 will make for a very potent package. I was sitting around 80hp and should be able to break 90 with these new modifications.
I am expecting some pretty heavy hitters out there next year in F750, many of which I have shared the track with, but seldom race head to head. It should make for an amazing season next year, but for now, I need to focus on pushing the bike hard this season to lock up my 2nd place spot in the S750 championship.
