Well, it was a long road to Little Tally down in Munford, AL but my dad and I made it and it was well worth it. Im happy to report I pulled out 2 wins this weekend!
Our 12 hour drive from Michigan started at about 6:15am on Thursday, only to find that the trailer running lights weren't working on my dad's truck. I was really hoping this wasn't going to set the tone for the whole weekend. We got on the road around 8 (still no running lights) and headed south. Usual stops along the way for food and gas were supplanted by a stomach bug I was trying to beat all week and just wouldn't leave me be. The whole trip was littered with construction slowdowns and pockets of rain. We pulled into the campground at around 8:30pm CST and got set up right next to another guy I race with. All set up about an hour later, it was bed time.
7am came real early Friday morning after the long drive and the stomach bug, but I was ready for action. I had gone through all the maintenance items on the bike and was ready to make some laps on the track. Friday was hotter than hell (92* and high 90's for humidity) but the bike ran really well. I always have certain expectations of where I will settle on lap times relative to the class winning guys. Hot laps were running 1:09 to 1:10, so I figured I would be in that 1:15-1:18 range just getting out and work down from there. My transponder wasnt working for the first half of the day but based on keeping up with a guy in my class, I was running around 1:18.
I called MyLaps and got my transponder figured out and I was ready for the afternoon practices. This track is hard on tires so I was monitoring my pressures closely as well as the wear. The track is all left handers and one 180* right hander, so the left sides were getting lots of use. More rubber boogers on my front tire after this weekend than after almost 2 seasons of racing other tracks. I knew they would got the weekend but new rubber would be on order before Barber in October.
Lap times for the 3rd session of the day settled into the 1:16 range and I was starting to feel good on the track. It seems like its an easy track but its so tight that mistakes cost you huge amounts of time to fix. Someone said it was easy to learn, but very hard to master. I totally agree. The last session of the day had me under 1:16 and there was still practice before racing Saturday.
I only did one practice Saturday morning to save the tires, but times were in the 1:14-1:15 range now and I was ready to race. After all the last minute checks race 7 was ready to go.
I got an OK launch but with the larger rear sprocket (48 tooth) I lifted the front tire and had to back out of it a bit to correct. The one other guy there from my class got out in front and I began chasing. I tried to calm myself after my bad launch and get in the game. A couple corners later coming into the only right hander I hit a false neutral just as was downshifting. That put me off race line as I got back in gear and completed the turn. Now I was a bit further back but fortunately that was a slower part of the track for him and I was able to make up some ground. I have the whole race on the Go Pro and just need to get it put on my PC so I can post it.
I don't remember exactly but I do know that I was able to take the lead from him that first lap and I lead him for each of the first 5 laps. He passed me coming out of the little left-right-left just before the front straight and beat me to the start/finish by about 2 tenths. I promptly dove deeper into 1 than him and regained the lead, carrying that through most of the race.
On the 8th and final lap, he passed me just coming out of the last long sweeping left hander, which was a slow portion of the track for my anyway so Im sure he was just waiting for me to tire out a bit. Well I was on his rear tire all the way down that straight before the left-right-left leading to the checker, and I started braking just after him and was able to dive to the inside as we started the turn and he goes wide but keeps it on the track. I crossed the finish less than 1.8 seconds before him, turning a 1:12.759 in the process, which was my personal best for the weekend.
It turned out that he had picked up some nasty brake fade in that last corner and he had to pump his lever just to keep on the track. So far with my cast iron disc that has not been an issue at all. Most of these guys run a thinner disc and it works fine, while it works. Too many stories of warping rotors out on the track. The thicker cast iron on my bike seems to be holding up really well.
Sunday came and I wanted a quick practice just to make sure everything was working correctly after the race on Saturday. It was and I looked over the bike again to get ready for the race in the afternoon.
Sunday's race went quite differently. I knew he was out to get the win for the day and was prepared to give my all. My launch was far better today and I was able to stay closer to him throughout the first half of lap one. My plan was to watch him and keep pace, waiting for my chance. I had planned on another barn burner of a race just like yesterday but as he led me coming out of the last big left hand sweep on the track (where he passed me going for a win on Saturday) his rear tire breaks loose and he and the bike slide off the track right in front of me. Fortunately it was the exit of the corner and I was able to stand the bike up and stand on the pegs, preparing to hit either him, the bike, or both. Well he slide right and I veered left and missed him by about 2-3 feet. The red flag came right out and I went back to hot pit.
Having had to bump start in the pits once this weekend already and knowing it was easy to do with a hot bike, I killed the engine and sat. Once the crew helped get the other guy off the track, we had 6 laps left to race. I lined up again, just me in my class, and tried to get another good launch. Of course this was the best of the weekend, but all I had to do was stay upright to get the win. The rest of the race was pretty uneventful, not pushing the tire or lap times to the extreme. I finished upright and collected my second win. Gotta be there to finish. Gotta finish to win. I did both and came out on top.
Happy guy
The spoils
Action on track
And now there are 23 days left until the big show at Barber, and the list grows:
New tires front/rear
Oil change
Get leathers fixed (from my boo boo at a track day the week before)
All other items checked on the bike
Adjust valves
Cam chain adjustment
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.
23 days...
