"Am I doing this for naught?”
That’s the question I ask myself as I sit here a week later reflecting on round 1 with WERA West at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Ca.
It’s frustrating. You travel 2300 miles round trip to go out and race for what ends up being 4 laps and after the race you find out you are still dead last.
What is the matter, why am I doing so poorly? Sure I ran into two minor technical problems that didn’t show itself until the race. One was my clutch adjustment down at the push rod was too tight. This made it so when I started the race I got to watch a majority of the grid go flying by. Wow what a way to begin a race. Going from the 3rd row outside starting position to all I could imagine was dead last by the first real turn of the race.
But nevertheless, start hard on the gas, break as late as I’m willing to and flick it in. Get back on the gas and get into the groove as quickly as possible as this race was shortened from 6 laps to 4. I’m hot on the heels of the bike in front of me ready to pounce at a moment’s notice and then we come out of turn 6. They pull away and all I do is act like I’m driving Ms Daisy around a gear too high. Yup…I didn’t get all of my downshifts in due to a maladjusted shift lever. Oh well…pick up the gear and whack the throttle open and let that freshly built Zlock motor make it easy. I gain onto the back of the group again on the brakes at the next major corner.
Out we come and damnit! This time I’m two gears too high. I try to make the downshifts but I’m in such a rush I’m getting ahead of myself and I don’t get it. Well at this point I can kiss the pack good bye. That’s right…within 9 corners of the first lap…and I’m out of the race. There goes Lightweight Twins Superbike.
So I focus for the rest of the race on trying to do all of my shifting properly and to push myself. I end up dropping 2 more seconds off my previously best time. Still 5 seconds off of the back of the pack but you can’t do those times unless you are using the right gears.
The Formula 2 race ended up being called due to a lack of light. It will be made up at the Vegas round on January 23nd-25th.
I would like to thank all of my sponsors who without them I couldn’t have done this round. Motorex for providing the fine oil for my motor and brake fluid that doesn’t bring me any brake fade. Leo-Vince for the not only awesome sounding but performing exhaust system. Vortex for my gearing and clip-ons. And Lockhart-Phillips for taking the edge off of the many parts needed to put a race bike together.
I would also like to thank all of the help in the pits from the crew that I came down with, Brian, Randy, Eric, Corey and Chris. And a special thank you to Katie for getting that precious food that makes us go round d’ round.
Image courtesy of Studio819