AFM #750

Round 8 - Back to Buttonwillow

2009-02-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

I had not been back to Buttonwillow since the first race, and I was eager to just finish up the season. I felt good at my last race, but coming back to BW after riding a world class track like Infineon, just plan sucks.

For some strange reason, during Saturday practice, I felt off. The bike and I didn't seem to get a long good. I was no where near my old pace, and I didn't have confidence in the front end.

I got a new front tire after lunch, and while with each session my times improved, I wasn't feeling that great. I don't know what it was, but I just wanted to get this weekend over with!

When Sunday morning rolled around, I did morning practice, and I could tell immediately, that my confidence was not there. The bike felt strange to me, and I couldn't get any faster. I had a great start on my race, but by T4, I was getting buzzed pretty fast. I saw some 500-twins guys catch up and pass me in mid race, which further screwed with my head. At this point, I really just wanted to finish the race crash-free. I didn't expect to come in last, but I guess it happens sometimes. Just didn't want to finish the season this way. The good news is my constancy paid off.

I was able to finish 6-race weekend this year for my Expert license in '09.

Here are the final point standings in '08 for 650P

650 PRODUCTION    
Pos Name AFM# Hometown Points
1 RAFF, DAVID 873  SALIDA, CA   306
2 FLOREA, ALEX  49  SAN JOSE, CA   268
3 ERKMAN, ALLEN 808  LOS GATOS, CA   244
4 SILVA, ANDREW 736  GILROY, CA   117
5 WALLIS, DAVID 532  FREEDOM, CA   112
6 ELROD, MARK B. 926  SAN CARLOS, CA   109
7 BARKER, JAMES 868  SAN FRANCISCO, CA    90
8 CHAN, STANLEY 750  SAN JOSE, CA    73
9 WILLIAMS, RICK 123  CONCORD, CA    72
10 DAVIS, BRIAN 863  SAN JOSE, CA    65
11 HENNING, ARI 980  SANTA CRUZ, CA    50
12 STRAUCH, JAMES 206  SACRAMENTO, CA    48
13 GONZALEZ, ROGER 688  OAKLAND, CA    47
14 DORSEY, THOMAS B.  36  REDWOOD CITY, CA    42
15 CARPENTER, JOE 424  SAN JOSE, CA    35
16 CRAMER, RICK 219  SANTA BARBARA, CA     20
17 BERNTSEN, JOHN 146  CAMPBELL, CA     9
18 RHETT, JO 553  SAN FRANCISCO, CA     4

AFM - Round 7

2008-10-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

As I type this, i'm still a little buzzed from this weekends races. For the first time in a while, I had a lot of fun, and felt good on the bike. I can't say that leading up to this weekend, I was fully prepared, but in the end, everything worked out well.

4-hour Endurance Race

My team mates and I decided to try the AFM 4-hour endurance race. Out of 4-riders, only 1 rider had done it, and the rest of us were eager with anticipation. Personally for me, it was all about track time. I figured, if I put my laps in, I can work on entry/exit speed, and trying out different lines. We were going to use a 2nd gen SV, which I had never ridden on the track before.

During practice with the bike, I felt the bike handled much better than mine, but the controls and pegs were quite awkward. Being that there was 4 of us riding, I can't really change the position of the controls, so I just worked on being smooth on the bike. Our original goal was to each do 1-hour stints, but if we were tired in any way, we can come back in and pit to exchange with a fresh rider.

I was assigned hour 2. When my team mate went out for the first hour, I was very excited. I really wanted to be out there and I can feel in my heart that I was ready. The only thing that nagged in the back of my head was my fitness level. I hadn't particularly trained for this event, and I was not sure if I could last and hour out there at race pace.

When Marcus finished his first hour, we did our best NASCAR pit impersonation, and we were in and out with me out of the pits in less than 40-seconds with a full tank of gas. As I headed out, I noticed that the brake lever was almost touching the grip! I guess an hour of non-stop riding burned up the master cylinder.. I adjusted the lever, and I was off... The bike felt good, but it was hot out there. I tried my trick of going 1 fast lap, then a slower one, but after the 12th lap, my mind was getting tired. I started to make a few mistakes and I could see another bike that was in our class catching up.

I signaled to come in after 14-laps, not because I was too exhausted, but I just lost a bit of confidence after making a few mistakes and I decided to play it safe and come in to exchange with a fresher rider.

Marcus being the fastest out of the 4 of us, decided he was rested enough to go out and finish my hour. He went out for a few laps, and then I noticed he didn't come in.. We waited, and it turns out he crashed in T8, but he was able to bring the bike back into the pits. Seeing that he was ok, was a big sigh of relief for our team. The bike didn't look that much damaged, but the rear brake lever was bent and the front brake master was leaking. We frantically worked together to repair the bike--stripping parts out of my bike and others, we got the bike fixed and back out on the track - we were only down about 40-minutes.

Rick was next up to bat and he put in some good laps.. After about 40-minutes, we signaled him in and Alan was going to be our last rider. He was an animal on that thing.. Going race pace for a good 1:30! We were worried about running out of gas, but we decided to not signal him in, so we don't break his momentum.

The last 20-minutes of the race, we were all excited! Our first endurance AFM race, and we were very close to finishing. Historically, just finishing the race is a feat in itself, but finishing after a crash and not coming in dead last was to be our ultimate goal.

When Alan crossed the finish line, we all jumped up and down and screamed. A lot of hard work was put into this race, and we did it. We endued up finishing 5th out of 6 FIV teams, but that didn't matter. We set out a goal and it was accomplished!

[Marcus was not pictured as he had to leave early, but we'll get another pic of him somehow!]

650 Production

Having not been on my bike for about a month and riding the endurance bike had me a bit worried coming into my 650P race. I got to work on some new lines during the endurance race, that I could use, but I had no idea how my bike would feel after riding a different bike for the last day or so. I also decided to skip morning practice as much needed sleep was needed if I were to do my best.

I went out on my bike and did a few morning warm up laps, and the bike felt good! My stock end for some reason felt a lot better than Alan's GSX-R setup. I felt like I was home again. The warm up laps felt good, and I felt my confidence was back after last rounds dismal performance.

I also got to see Rick Williams #123 back after a horific crash back in round 2. Turns out we were gridded next to each other. We said our 'good lucks' at the start before the green flag was waved.

As the flagged dropped, I got a good start, and I went around outside in T2, as the pile went through the inside. I felt very comfortable on the bike and I just told myself to take it easy and pick off riders as you see them. For the first time, I felt that I was with the pack, rather than have them walk away from me right at the start.

After 2-laps or so, I found myself right behind #123, and I did my best to follow him and see where I can pass him. I know he is a much faster rider than me, but if I can follow him and chase him down, then perhaps I had a shot of passing him. My chance came after the 4th lap or so, I out braked him into T1, and for the first time all season, I found myself ahead of him! I knew he would be close, and I knew he would plan on passing me soon, so I did my best to find him off. I tried to speed up in places where I had been slow before, and on spots that I was quick at, I tried to open the throttle earlier and brake later.

After a few laps of being in front of him, I made a few mistakes (namely T11) at which he had passed me, but it was ok, I knew I had a shot to get him back on the last lap. As the white flag came out, I hunted him down, but I screwed up in T8 and he gained some more on me.. As we passed through the final corner, I tried to get inside and out brake him, but it was not to be.. He had a better drive and crossed the finish line before me.

But to be honest, that didn't matter. I felt I had ridden well, and I had someone to race with, so I was very happy with my performance. Next round will be the last round of the season, and nothing feels better than having a bit of confidence coming into the last round. Til next time!

I finished 6th in 650P - which matched my finish back in Round 3.

AFM - Round 5

2008-09-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

Well, despite my somewhat minor injury, I was unable to race in Round 4. The bike -- although looked fine needed some $$ put into it. I bent the forks, which was the biggest bummer. I did however had them sent out to Zoran from TWF and he re-did the innards, and they felt a lot better than before.

When Round 5 came around, I was excited, and really itching to get back on the bike. I had not been on the bike since Round 3, so I felt very off. My goal at this point was just to finish, and not crash. Secretly inside, I didn't think I could beat my best time from several months back, but I thought I could come close.

This is also the first round that my teammate #782 and I would be racing together. We were stuck in the same slow practice group #1, so we just went out and tried to get into the groove together.

I felt good on the bike, but I lost all my markers and I felt very slow. I was also getting a bit of arm pump during braking, and it fatigued me a bit. I just felt off, and I decided it was best to ride within my limits and not go all out. The last thing I wanted to do was crash and hurt myself again. I figured i'll just turn up the heat on the Sunday race and just use my practice time to get used to riding the bike again.

When Sunday rolled around, I was very excited. I was doing some really crappy 2:01s during practice, but I figured during race pace, I should be able to pull off another few seconds.

I was gridded 2nd row to the left, right behind all the front runners. As the flag dropped, I had a terrible start. The bike wheelied too much, and I lost a lot of positions quickly when I had to roll off the throttle a bit. By the 4th turn, I can see the front runners just pulling away and gone they were. I just told myself to ride smooth and don't worry about what's behind you. I can feel some bikes very close to me, but I just decided to hold my line and if they were to pass me, i'll work on getting them back.

I had the same problem as during my practice the day before. My entry and corner speeds were way off. I got passed several times on corners where I used to be strong in. I had no idea why I was so off. After 3-laps I figured i'll just work on finishing this damn race. I wasn't having fun and I didn't know why I could not break my mental barrier. Although for much of the race, I didn't really have many people to race with, I just wanted to bring it in home.

When the race ended, I didn't feel so good. My braking arm was very tired from overworking the master cylinder, and I felt very tired for what I felt was a dismal performance.

The good news is that the bike worked great. I was dealing with a bunch of little problems prior to the race, but the bike held up well and felt good. I can tell that the fork work was much improved over what I was using. I just think at this point, I need more seat time to feel competitive again. I know what I need to work on and i'll be back!

I finished 7th out of 8 starters. My worse finish this year!

.Crashed at a trackday

2008-06-16T16:03:00.000-07:00

In preparation for the upcoming Thunderhill round, I decided to do a trackday this past weekend. My goals was to re-learn the lines (haven't been there in 6-months!) and to have a solid good time.

Unfortunately, during the 4th session, I had a get off on T5. Normally, it's a relatively low speed turn, so any crash would be quite easy. Unfortunately for me, I tucked the front end somewhat hard and I tumbled down the hill with the bike on top of me. I remember hitting my head pretty hard, but I never lost conscious.

By the time the medics arrived, I was quite dazed and the sky looked chromatic. I remembered asking for oxygen, and my left thigh was in real pain. I didn't realize I was bleeding until I took off the leathers and I just saw blood oozing from a dime sized hole in my leg. We went to the ER and got patched up, and I was very disappointed in myself. I really wanted to continue riding, but I was in a lot of pain.

Fortunately for me, the bike faired well, and all I need is some new clip-ons, rearsets, and little odds and ends.

I'll take the next few weeks to heal up, and I should be back for the next AFM round!

Infineon - Part 2

2008-05-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

After a disappointing Saturday practice, I was back early on Sunday to get all my track time in. I was in practice group 2 this time, and it was much better.. I got to ride out with my pit mate #707, and I didn't get passed at all by those pesky 600s. My race was next to last, so I had a bit of time to prepare myself mentally--actually, I had too much time to kill! I got a little bored, listening to music, watching others race, and just praying the weather Gods for no rain.. I must have looked up at the sky every 20-seconds!

By the time my race was called, I honestly didn't feel ready. I don't know if I was tired from sitting around all day, or If I had some sort of mental block. My other pit mate #413, had a bad crash the race before, and he was on my mind.. I just figured if I raced a smooth and clean race, I could survive this weekend.

This time around, I got gridded in the 2nd row, which was awesome. I knew if I had a chance to get a good start, I can hopefully keep some of the front runners in site for at least a lap. The warm up lap had me pushing a little more than I liked, but I knew this was a race, and I needed to really step it up a notch.

When the flag dropped, I had a good launch, I didn't really get passed by anyone til around the carousel, and I just kept my line and rode aggressively. By the second lap, #868 had passed me, and gained a bit of ground on that one single lap. By that time, I made it my mission to reel him in and pass him. The next 2-laps I gained on him, to the point where I was right on his rear tire. I lost a bit of confidence and almost crashed on T4 tucking the front and losing the rear, but miraculously, I didn't go down. I guess I just got carried away with too much throttle.

By lap 4, I had passed #868 on T1, which i'm sure was a bit ballsy, but I just had to do it. I heard he ran off the track, and I never saw him again.

When the white flag came out, I took a quick glance behind me and didn't see anyone. I knew I had this race in the bag, and I just concentrated on bringing it home. During the last corner, I noticed a motard on the ground in the horizon and just as I came to T11, I saw all kinds of oil streaks on the ground. Luckily I had seen it and wasn't really going full race-pace or I would have easily gone down. I tip toed through there and passed the finish line!

Just as I passed the finish line, the corner worker waved a black flag, and told me to pull over in the track - I did so, and I was only to assume that it was due to the oil slick, and others have probably gone down behind me. We didn't get a cool down lap, and was just told to return to the pits.

When I got back, I apologized to #868 for doing the strange pass on T1, but he wasn't worried. He said we had a very good battle and congratulated me on my finish.

I finished 6th in my 650p class, and 8th overall. I also got Top Novice, which was another goal of mine.

Unfortunately, I was only able to do a 1:58 in race pace, but I felt like I did much faster. I'm going to go ahead and blame it on traffic, as at no point during the race did I get to be by myself :)

AFM Round 3 - Infineon

2008-05-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

First off - wow! what a weekend.. I've never had a weekend filled with so much excitement, drama, and disappointment.

I woke up bright and early Saturday morning to attend the practices, but when I started driving further up north, the weather looked very foul. There was huge amounts of overcast, and signs of rain to come. I had been checking the weather report like a hawk for the past 48 hours, and it looks like rain was tip toeing in the forecast. This time, I brought a long a friend to watch the practice, and it helps to have someone there to motivate me and provide some mental support.

To not disappoint her by crashing was my first goal to say the least! Again, they stuck me in practice group #1. After tech, I told the sticker lady that I was in group #2 last time around, and apparently they made some changes, and with so many faster riders, I was back in 1. Argh. I went out in the first session and started to warm up the tires, not 2 laps later, the session was black flagged and back to the pits I went.

When the next session came out, the weather was still looking very dim, but I did my best to re-learn my lines, and just to get comfortable on the bike. I finished the session with 5-laps and noted my best time of 1:59--which I was very happy about, since I didn't feel like I pushed it in any way.

After the session was up, I got called to the start/finish line - for some sort of problem! They told me my line through 7 was a bit off, and that I needed to correct it. I could only think of one lap where I went in tight to pass a slower rider, and that I came out kinda wide and funky. I immediately raised my hand in acknowledgment of my mistake, and I think I kinda pissed off that rider -- enough to report me.

Anyways, we went off to lunch and when we came back the rain was in full pour. Deciding that the track was done for the day, I headed home for some rest.

.ready for #3

2008-05-19T17:19:00.000-07:00

With Round 3 rapidly approacing, I find myself a lot less stressed, and very excited. I'm happy to do Sear's again, and I know I could get myself back in to pace relatively quickly. I had not been on the bike since last round, but I have been riding my SuperMotard on the street, and getting used to the limits of traction on that particular bike.

With this round, I wanted to try a 650T or FIV race, but since my Production race was scheduled next to dead last, I felt that I could not risk falling down on either of those 'fun' races.. It's not that I expect to take the championship or anything like that, but I want to concentrate 110% on my class, and hopefully get myself a Top Novice trophy before the season is up, and I can't risk having injuring myself or the bike.

Time to go over my bike before this weekend's festivities..

Infineon - part 2

2008-04-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

I got a lot of sleep and my mind settled going into race day. I felt confident, and I knew with a new rear tire, I would trust my bike again, and things would 'click' for me. As I pulled into the pits, I was actually very excited to race, and not worried or had any nagging problems in my head. I went through the track turn-by-turn on the drive up to the track, and I knew where I stood.

My race wasn't until later in the day, so I had time to swap out my rear tire. When I pulled my rear wheel, the bearing came off! I didn't trust hammering back into the wheel, as It needed to be done with precision, so I decided to 'borrow' my teammates spare rear wheel and had my new tire mounted on it. Truth be told, that was the only mechanical problem this weekend, and it really wasn't all that bad.

Since I skipped Sunday morning practice - finally in group 2 now.. I decided to scrub in my tires by going out on the other race's warm up laps. Immediately, I felt good about getting the new tire on, and I felt 'ready' to battle.

When I race was called, I got out there nice an early to do my practice starts in the hot pits. I got to do practice starts with several of the front runner guys and I felt confident in my drive. My strategy for this race was to get a really good start and just keep people behind me, while trying to pace or keep an eye out on the guys in front of me. I was gridded in 3rd row, and second position from the left. The first turn is a left kink, so I knew I had a good shot of going inside and holding off a few bikes.

As we gridded up for the start, I looked up at the grand stands and I could see some of my friends cheer me on. I was happy, but didn't want to disappoint them with a spectacular crash. I nodded to my fellow grid-mates and we were off..

I had good confidence in my starting ability and when the flagged dropped, I got what I felt a very good start. I wheelied a bit more than I wanted to, but I picked off a few riders right away. I knew on the first two turns, there would be a lot of hesitation by all, so I wanted to be as aggressive as possible. As long as I held my line, I knew I would be ok. During the first half of the first lap, I had the leaders in sight and I felt good. No one was whizzing by me and I felt aggressive and strong. I saw 808 (a front runner) go down in T4, and after seeing that I decided to really turn it up another notch as I know others may be affected by seeing his crash, and perhaps slow down their pace for a bit.

I felt good on the first 2-laps, but by the third lap, I was riding pretty sloppy. I noticed that my front brakes were going out, and I could not hit my markers correctly. I ran wide on T11--and hit a damn cone. That and screwing up on T1, really hurt my confidence. At that point, I turned it down a bit and just concentrated on finishing. By the 5th lap, I was pretty tired, and kept telling myself to relax and breath. The sun along with my allergies were really taking a toll on me. I didn't have many folks to battle with, but I did get passed by a Super Dino guy, so I decided to dice it up with him for the last 2-laps. I paced him for a bit, but passed him on T11, going into the straight. Right as I did that, I noticed that white flag. On my last lap, I took a quick glance behind me and didn't see much traffic, so I just wanted to finish the damn race.. I treated my last lap like a track day lap, where I didn't ride 100%, and I was more worried about being smooth than anything.

As I passed the checkered flag, I was exhausted, but happy with my finish and the way I rode. My brakes were pretty much done by now, and I have a good idea of what I need to improve on for the next round. Luckily, we're coming right back to Infineon, and Rick should be healed to race by then.

I finished 8th in my class, and 14th overall from a grid of 40-bikes. My best lap-time during the race was a 1:59, and I was pretty disgusted with that. I knew I had at least another 3-seconds in me, but i'll be back for next round, and i'm shooting for 1:55's :)

AFM Round 2 - Infineon

2008-04-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

Going into this round, I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me. It was the track I had the least amount of experience on, and one that I knew was very technical, so I had to ride with great precision and control. On the flip side, this track does not really favor the high powered bikes as there is really no straight to speak of.

Saturday practice rolled around and they stuck me in group 1 again, even though my entry states that I should be moved into group 2. I usually prefer to ride with riders faster than me, so I can learn from them. The first 2-sessions, I was just learning where all my markers should be and getting comfortable with a faster pace. I did a 2:00 which I was happy about, and that was with traffic. If I could shave off another 2-seconds by the end of the day, I would have been very happy.. The bike and I felt good up until the third session, when I started altering my lines and seeing where I could gain speed. Nothing really worked, and I could not find another second off my best time.

On the fourth session out, I slid the rear in a couple of places, but I put them out of my mind. It had been hot, and I know my tires were at the end of their service life.. I pressed on, but kept my throttle hand in check, when I entered in the problematic corners. I had a huge problem with turn 11, which is a very slow U-turn. Why they have a turn where I felt I could have pushed the bike faster in--I have no idea. I turned to my teammates for some answers, but nothing really clicked for me. I knew if I didn't do the turn correctly, It would screw up my drive into the front straight, and I would be very easy to pick off.

I decided to pack it up and go home, as I no longer had trust in my tires.

.Mental Preperation for Round 2

2008-04-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

As I look back at my first round results, I find myself a little sad that I didn't do better. Not that i'm unhappy with finishing, and not placing DFL. I just think I could have gone much faster. In hindsight, I think my problem was a mental block I had. Coming around Riverside, I knew I could have put in a little more throttle. Thoughts of a crash there earlier that day where the rider broke his leg kept me in check.

I am comfortable going 90% of my pace, but that last 10% has me mystified.. I can't seem to break the barrier out of my comfort zone--even during race pace. Which is something I am unhappy about. I know I am capable of more, yet I find myself rolling off the throttle when my adrenaline says not to.

The next race weekend is rapidly approaching, and I know I need some more time on the bike before I am mentally ready. Unfortunately there are no open Infineon dates, I can do, so I think i'll just do a Thunderhill trackday and use that for practice and fine tuning the bike.

. Buttonwillow - Part 2

2008-03-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

With Saturday in the bag, I started preparing myself mentally for Sunday's 650P race. There was a bunch of fast guys signed up for this race, but I knew that If I rode smoothly and hit my markers, I should do relatively well for me and my bike.

Sunday only gave me one practice session--and the first one out at 8:00am on top of that.. The bike/track/ were cold, and I could not go out there and run 100%. I just concentrated on smooth throttle inputs and remember all I could about yesterday's race. After my session was up, I did not feel ready. I put in a best lap of 2:18, which further disgusted me. At this point, all I can do now is make sure my body is ready and play the waiting game before my race was called.

When my race was called, I did the same thing as yesterday.. Entered the hot pits and practiced my starts. I can feel my confidence regaining, and I knew as soon as the flag dropped, I can pick up the pace and be where I needed to be.

The warm-up lap was very intense. It was almost a race in itself. There was a very distinctive different feeling than the Clubman race. These guys mean business! I knew I had to step up or just go home.

Again, my grid position had me nearly dead last.. I reminded myself it was ok, and if I can survive this race, my weekend will be complete and i'll be happy to go home with me and my bike intact.

As the flag dropped, I got a semi-good start -- eerily similar to yesterday's. I had picked off 2-guys immediately. As we went through the first 2 laps, I can see people passing me left and right. One pass was done over by a long right-hand sweeper where we had to have been doing an easy 100mph. He passed me like I was standing still! Being as this was my first taste into 650p - I knew I had to step it up a notch, and I found myself on the throttle more than I had ever been. I can feel my competitive spirits within, and I just rode at a higher level. Similar to yesterday's race, I didn't have much people to race with, since over half the field was already ahead of me. I still rode hard, and perhaps some of those faster folks will tire out and slow down their pace?

Around the 2nd to last lap, I was passed by someone, and I felt happy that I had someone to dice it up with. I was completely fixated on passing him. By following him for a lap, I can sense that he is fatiguing and I can see which sections I was faster than him on. I was plotting my pass, when we were both passed by bigger bikes. Luckily I did not change my line, or I would have found myself on the ground with a few other guys. This also messed up my chance at passing him, since there were very few corners I could catch him on.

I found my self on the 2nd to last corner, where I tried to out brake him into the turn. I can sense he felt this and it was a game of chicken. I got on the throttle later than I expected and he took the corner. I knew we had one final corner left, and we both braked so deep, that our exit speeds were way out of line. I got on the inside, and got ahead of him. I was happy, that I got the final pass, and i'm sure it made for exciting racing, but I was disappointed in myself that I could not catch up to the other guys in front of me.

I later learned that my race pace was a solid 2:10, which knocked off another 2-seconds from my previous best time, so I am happy at that. I still feel I have a lot more seconds to shave off inside me, and I will be ready when we come back in October.

I took 12th in 650p and 21st overall from a grid of 31 starters.

. AFM Round 1 - Buttonwillow

2008-03-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

Here is my race report for Round 1- Buttonwillow.

Historically, I have not had good luck at this track. Never crashed here *knock on wood* but never really felt fast here. I knew I had a lot to work on coming in on Friday night, so before I went to bed, I went over in my mind where I can be faster at and what markers I should be hitting.

Saturday morning rolls around, and i'm excited.. I wake up 20-minutes earlier than I needed to be and I feel good. My body is rested, but I had a bit of a head cold. I won't let that bother me, as I know as soon as the gloves slipped on, i'll forget all about it. I'm in the first practice session, which meant for people with no previous recorded lap times. This was good and bad for me. I'm riding in a sea of EX250s and trying to put some fast laps in, while dodging bikes that were a bit slower than mine. I take note of other people's (who were faster than me) lines and using my baby step technique to move the braking marker farther back each time.

The technique works well.. By, 3rd practice session, I was feeling good and putting down consistent 2:14s -- a bit slow, but a good platform to work on. I knew exactly where I can be much faster, so I concentrated on those corners.

By the end of my practice session, I was disappointed to see my times didn't really go down from 2:14s, but I just blamed it on the traffic, and I started to prepare myself mentally for my first Clubman Light Weight race.

I had been getting lots of good tips from my fellow team members, and I felt 80% in my confidence. I knew the flow of the track, and I knew where I stood. I was told time and time again, just to survive this race, so I can qualify for Sunday's race -- and I kept re-assuring myself that I would not do anything stupid and fall down.

Right as the first call for my race, I put on my helmet, and my game face was on. I got a really bad grid position--basically last, but I was ok with this. I like working my way through traffic, and picking off riders. I can feel the butterflies in my stomach, but I reminded myself at all the work I put in, and I was ready...

Before my warm up lap, I was in the hot pits working on my start, and just generally warming up my tires and suspension components. I felt confident in my starts, and I knew if I got the hole shot, I can can at least hold off a few bikes for a few laps. The number board goes to 5, so I head off with full confidence in my warm-up lap.

I had been on the bike for a good 5-minutes, so I was already warmed up, but I decided to showboat a little and ride at a quicker pace than I should have for the warm up lap. I went straight to the front of the pack and kept mental notes of which markers I need to hit, and which sections that I need to hold the throttle longer in. As I finished my warm-up lap, I felt good and ready.

I proceeded to grid up, and words cannot even remotely describe the level of excitement I felt--crowd watching, 25 or so bikes revving up, and every rider intently focused on destroying one another! I was in a zone I had never been in before.. As the flag drops, I felt that I got a really good start--slight wheelie and zero bog. I can tell I got a better start than the person in front of me, so I just went right around him. I picked off a few riders right away and grabbed my line. As the first corner drew near, I can feel that this is a make or break moment. I was surrounded by bikes, but I knew if I kept my line, I should be ok. As we rounded off the first corner, I was relieved.. I settled into my pace - which I felt was faster than I had ever gone, and made lot's of mental notes during the early laps.

The first few laps were just likes in practice session. I was comfortable, and had a few guys up in my horizon, but nothing close enough to do immediate battle with. I told myself to hit my markers, and be a smooth as possible. As the laps racked up, I noticed a few riders had crashed out, and I made a mental note at how easy this all could end. By the time the white flag had gone out, I heard a buzzing bike pass me. My adrenaline kicked into high gear and it was on! I paced him for about half a lap, but he was very hard to catch. I started getting a little tired, but I knew I needed to step up my game. During the final corner, I decided it was a make or break moment. I took the outside line, so I can carry more throttle out of the corner. I knew that was what I need--if I could just get on the throttle earlier, I can pass him on the straights.

As we rounded off the corner, and into the straight, I was about a bike behind him, and I was gaining. I was in full tuck, shoulders in, boots pointed straight so I can have every possible aerodynamic advantage. I saw the finish line near, and I squeezed every last pony I could out of my bike. As we passed the finish, I swore I passed him in time, but I wasn't 100% sure. A photo finish it was! During our cool down lap, we shook hands and nodded to each other. We didn't need to talk, but our body language did all the talking. I was happy to have completed the race, and I was very happy that I had someone to compete with.

My cool down lap was surreal.. All the corner workers clap and thumbs up you as you finish up the track. I felt like a million bucks! When I got back to the pits, I was told I came in 7th - which I was happy to hear, and I got to do a 2:12 during race pace, which made me even happier.

Goal for the day was met.

.bunch of little problems

2008-03-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

So I have a few days left before the start of the season, and i'm finishing up the bike. It's been about a week since I last checked on it, and everything was fine and dandy. Then I looked down on my belly pan, and what do I see? OIL! About a 1/4 quarts or a buck in today's market.. No idea what happened, but I pulled the belly pan and see that oil is barely dripping from the clutch cover. Damn. I knew things were going too smoothly, and it wouldn't be racing if you didn't have to do any last minute miracle work.

I drained the oil, pulled the cover, and examined the gasket--all looks well... I fit everything back together and decide to check again tomorrow to see if it was just a loose bolt or something else. Luckily, the next day showed no other dripping, but my fingers are crossed. It's the last thing I want on my mind when i'm out there focusing mentally 110%. I don't want to even remotely *think* of the bike. I just want it to work.

I also decide to pull the rear wheel to swap out the sprocket, and I broke the damn cotter pin.. Argg... Is it me, or am I just not having a good week with the bike? Luckily the rest of the sprocket install went smooth, and I had no other problems.

I really_really want to run the bike for a bit before my first race, but there is no way I can ride this thing on the street without attracting too much heat.

.mental

2008-03-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

They say that 90% of riding is between the ears. And I now firmly believe so. You ride a lot better when your mind is telling you your body is is doing the right thing. You get confident, you go faster, and your reaction to any nudge or wink is a lot better.

That's what i've been doing for the last few days and for these last on-coming days before the race. I'm mentally preparing myself.. I find myself going through the entire track in my mind before I sleep, and right when I wake up. I think of all the markers I used when I was last at the track, and any input the bike was telling me.

I think this is what I need to do.. oh yeah, that and go running.

.Bike Woes

2008-03-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it's less than 2-weeks away from the first race, and i'm a tad worried about the bike situation. The good news is that it is running good -- engine-wise. The suspension is still not to my liking. The front end feels too shaky and not confidence inspiring. My last trackday with the bike, was also the first time on the bike, and I was not immediately comfortable like I was with my previous bikes. I know seat time will help, and i'm trying my best to get another trackday in on the bike before the first race.

The front tire on the bike also rubs 'slightly' against the bellypan, and I am praying that it will be able to pass tech inspections this way. This is what I get for buying cheap bodywork. Lesson learned.

I guess the good news, is that I have a solid gameplan on relieving myself of these issues. I plan on yanking the front forks after the first race, and get them completely re-done by the tuner i'm most familiar with (Phil @ http://www.aftershocks.com/)

.hello world

2008-03-11T15:15:00.001-07:00

Wow, first entry.. It's been a while since I started something from scratch. Well, I guess this entry should be a little something about me, and why i'm doing what i'm going to do.

I want to say racing to me, is about fulfilling a dream, a passion, or something ambitious that i've been thinking of since I was a kid.

I really want to, I do. But to be completely honest, and not sound too over my head. Simply put, i'm a very competitive person, and i've always been this way. I don't care if i'm playing a casual game of NBA Live, or going bowling with friends. Anything I do where scoring is involved, you can bet that i'm on top of it.

In all honestly, i'd like to think of this trait as a gift that I must use. I'm not exactly the kind of person that will stand in the sidelines and watch other's get the glory. I will be damned sure i'm working at my full potential to be at the top, and if not, I won't cry about it--i'll just continue to work harder at my craft and better myself.

My passion for motorcycles actually did start as a kid, but I didn't start riding until my mid-twenties. Earlier in life, it was just not possible.. With school/work and a full time GF, no one was supportive. When my life experienced a massive shift, I knew it was time. I completed MSF, and rode around like a newbie. Along the way, i've met some great people -- most who I still call friends today. After a few years as a wobbly new rider, I started doing trackdays and I was hooked! Street riding became unfriendly, and unkind to me.. I took out all my aggressions and personal improvement on the track. Fortunately for me, i'm at the time of my life, where I can really enjoy it and not worry about all the standard caveats of track riding.

After 3-years of track riding, I knew the competitive spirit within me needed to be unleashed. I knew I wanted to race, and I knew I wanted to improve myself as a rider and a person. I guess it really helps to be friends with fellow racers, and have the community around you. I took my AFM license, and I have graduated to another stage in my riding career.

So there you have it - a quick summary of where i'm from and where i'm headed. If everything goes according to plan, I should complete my first season with moderate success and a thirst to come back next year with more hunger. Stay tuned..