Da Tackho Repo' Numba 9

Trackho · 10-24-2005, 2:06 PM

Well it was yet another interesting race weekend. Filled with more drama than I typically like. Practice went OK, until I tried a few practice starts......No matter what I tried, the clutch wouldnt engage over 5K, it would just grab and stall the bike. Some of you prolly saw me trying to practice starts and thought ..."what a tard"..No slippage No wheelie, just a stall. Sat evening, everyone had an opinion, and I solicted as many as I could possibly find, trying to find some way to make sense of it. I pulled out the engagment rod to verify that it wasnt bent or screwed up, rebled the hydraulic master 3x. I would get hope, trying it, but anything over 6K it was grab/stall. With all the starting crashes lately I was a tad "concered". Ken Hill offered me his clutch Sunday am from his spare motor, but I didnt think I had time to change it. Thru lost of practice, I finally found a way to engage the clutch at 5K, then feather it...but I was concerned that I might "forget" whenst all jacked up for the start, stall and get asspacked by the four rows behind me. Ken told me to just pretend "I was coming off a stoplight"---remind me never to get behind Ken at a stoplight. --but the "thought" definitely made me relax. The equation of racing this weekend vs. having yet another AFM "back/rib breaking good-start-gone-bad incident" that we have all seen too many of this season just wasnt appearing to make alot of sense. I practiced some more starts, and thought I could probably manage it.
Open GP--well the start was "stalless" but I whent from grid position 9, to 2nd to last in about 100 yards, lucky for me I repassed 3 or 4 people by T3, then I "got to know" Mr Bolles a tad better than I would like. He gets great starts, but is a tad slow thru the corners. I followed him and a few other "stuck riders" like Barajas for a lap or so--finally the gaggle thinned and after almost rearended him thru lost hills, I finally took him on the way into the AFM turn, meanwhile Gary Stewart, my arch nemisis/racing buddy was 100 yards away, I caught up a tad, but try as I may...it just wasnt happening...I finished 10th, with a best lap time somewheres in the 1:54s. But other than "traffic" I wasnt too disappointed.
FP---Here I was gridded 14th, the start went much better and I think I held my position. It seemed like even when I got to T2, Tigert, Stanton, and Hill were all still pretty close--a sign of a decent start, all good. Barajas and King where in front of me, so I tailed them the best that I could for the whole race. I knew that Kurt Spencer was somewheres behind me on his "girlie SV" and I definitely didnt want him to pass me...I dont think he every came close. I probably passed a bike or two as the first laps running :54s , somewhere in there Lohmeyer defintely came by me in T1 or T2, only to run off track going into T3. I started gaining on Barajas, King and a few others doing solid 1:55s for the remainder of the race, and came in somwheres close to where I started. A :54 and consistant 55s was a second faster than my previous times so mission somwhat accomplished
F40--F40 was back-to-back with FP, so I had to quickly gas up the bike, throw the warmers on and off in 5 minutes, and go back out. This was the race I was really worried about the start in, as I was gridded on the first row, and had nightmares about getting asspacked by a bunch of mid-life crisisers like myself...I had "heard" that Bud Anderson crashed in Open Twins, so I thought surely the front would be a tad lighter--that is until Bud pulled up on the grid..bummer...I got lucky and had a pretty damn good start..passed Demas in T1, and got pass Thompson(on a borrowed 750) by T3, so there I was running in 4th place with Rudloph, Anderson and you got it ,Bolles leading the pack. I think there was some sort of unspoken pact NOT to try to pass Bolles for the first 1/2 a lap. Finally Rudolph got by before Lost Hills, me , Bud and Bolles went thru there within a foot of each other, I took Bolles on the drive off of Lost Hills, thru that little left kink post lost hills. OK now I am in 2nd place, this is pretty cool. we went around a lap more with Rudolph leading and me gaining on him. At the last corner, I am on Rudolphs ass, sacrifice a skinch of apex speed and get a killer drive onto the straight and pass Rudolph, finally a Honda 1000 that can beat a 750 in a drag..I lead the race for two laps doing 1:53s, then more drama...vintage bikes....****..I think I passed a few after Lost Hills, but some dude on a Yamaha twin from the ice age waddles thru the AFM corner into the SSs, timing was bad there just wasnt an easy way to pass....and I could here Buds RC51 thumping too close for comfort behind me, we both pass the goober on the exit of the SSs and drag down to the last corner, Bud tried one of those brake too hard too late and passed me in the last turn, no biggie, as I know I have a awsome drive "banked" I go flyin past him on the straight, giving him a waay to long "sorry you cant out horsepower me this time" look. I was laughing. I lead for another lap w/o drama...Bud on my ass, next lap going into T2....yet another "relic on wheels" I cant decide on an inside or outside pass, but I know that Bud is inches away..I go on the outside and drive HARD, the rear wheel spinning big time but without any sudden major sideways changes of direction from the rear end, I thought I had T3 solid, but Bud squeezes by me on the brakes...huh???I "juice it up coming out of T3A and almost highside myself to pluto", get it back under control, but Bud has gotten some distance on me, and I was starting to question the remaining available traction on the right rear...nonetheless I catch back up to Bud a tad, but not enough, Bud wins...I get 2nd..of yeah and top novice ...Bud put in an awesome race, but even in his own words, "the vintage backmarkers helped considerably"..if they were anywhere else on the track it would have been a slightly different story, but Buds an awesome guy, so I can live with 2nd place...for now. Best lap time 1:53.8--Bud got a 1:53.66. I can live with 53s.
So a nice end to a long race season and finally a "real" trophy, my goal was to maintain my gridding positions and it looks like that is certainly accomplished...so all in all a great weekend.
Thanks to all the turn workers as well as all the others in the AFM that worked so hard to give us a great season.
Yes Berto, the novice plates will be gone tonight:laughing :laughing