Round 4 - "Your Jedi mind tricks don't work on me."

Summary

Round 4 was a complete and total success, yielding another victory for a total of two wins, a second and a third so far this year.  With only one round left the BOTT LW championship is almost in the bag.  The Prairie Dog Racing endurance team survived another wet race on street tires, and my PDR teammate Allen is getting up to speed in his sprint racing endeavors.


Round 4

Round 4 of the SOAR series was held on the "Technical Track" layout at Grand Bend.  This configuration incorporates the entire length of the back straight, which works to my advantage in the Battle of the Twins Lightweight class since I have a bit more horsepower than some of my main competitors.

I like this layout a lot but had not ridden it since an instruction / track day back in August of 2013.  At that time, my best laps were in the 1:20.0 range.  I wasn't sure what lap times to expect with a season or so of racing under my belt.


Friday Practice

All three members of the PDR team were able to get time off work and attend the Friday practice day.  After the cluster f**k Friday two weeks prior, the organizers instituted a rule that if you miss the 8:30 riders' meeting, you don't ride until the afternoon.  I had a brutal week at work trying to get everything done so that I could play hooky on Friday.  I might have had four hours' sleep Thursday night and so was late hitting the road the next morning.  I arrived at the track at 8:35 but was able to sprint to the meeting in time not to be benched.

Practice went fine, and I was seeing times in the 1:15.0 range almost immediately (5 seconds faster than two years ago!).  Traffic was pretty heavy, and so it was hard to really set any times on clear laps.  Part of the problem was the perennial "slower guys on faster bikes" issue.  Really, it's pretty simple: if another rider shows you their wheel in the corner multiple times, they are, by definition, faster than you over a full lap distance.  If they weren't, they would not be in a position to come alongside you in the corner in the first place.  The fact that you can twist the throttle on corner exit and walk away from them doesn't mean you should.  Let them past - after half a lap they will not be affecting you at all.  Why is this so hard for some people to understand?  It really should just be stated outright at every riders' meeting.

The PDR pits are getting even more awesome, mostly due to the tireless efforts of Allen.  Check out the big canopy attached to the rebuilt trailer (now with air conditioning).  We even sometimes manage to cook breakfast and lunch for ourselves, instead of running into town all the time.

We have also accumulated some great friends this season (Glen McTavish and Yarek Rutkowski) who always pit nearby and hang out with us.


The BOTT LW Field

Disappointingly, Alex Radecki did not show up for this round.  Also, Dylan Bauer seems to have graduated from twins racing and moved up to Amateur Superbike and Amateur 600.  He had an incredibly successful weekend in those classes.  Here is a photo of him looking amazing.

Here I want to mention that all of these wonderful on-track photos are provided by Sheri Manuel.  She is a track rider, member of the SOAR community and incredibly talented "amateur" photographer.  She provides these photos for free every round.  We really need to find some appropriate way to thank her. 

With Alex and Dylan out, I really only had Bob Tziougras and Steve Mitchell to worry about in terms of competing for the win.  There were 9 riders registered in total but based on past races the other six guys didn't have the pace (either due to machinery or experience) to have a reasonable chance at winning.   Steve is the fellow who showed up out of nowhere with an SV650 last round to take the victory and give us all a big surprise.  And then there is Bob.

Have you ever had a friend that, on one level, you really like but on another level he is kind of an a**hole?  But you also realize that the a**hole-ness is, in a way, what you like about him?  That's Bob.

If Bob beats you, he gloats mercilessly and only half jokingly.  If you beat him, he implies that you really just got lucky because he had traffic or a mechanical issue.  He tells tall tales about the lap times he is doing in order to freak you out.  He rubs his chin, looks thoughtfully at your bike in the pits, and casually says "That doesn't look right.  Are you sure that's right?"

I love Bob.  And I kind of hate him.  Bob's bike has the same motor as mine, but is tired and ratty, mostly stock, and poorly maintained.  Mine is well maintained, pretty, and has had just enough work done to it (intakes and fuel mapping; slipper clutch) to give me a performance advantage.  But Bob rides very well when he is really on it and sometimes can negate the difference between our respective machines.

And, this weekend, for his most successful Jedi mind trick ever, Bob out-qualified Jason Andreassen in the BOTT Heavyweight class.  Jason is an experienced and talented rider, and his modified Ducati Streetfighter has at least 30 hp on Bob's 1000SSie.  And yet Bob beat him on Saturday.  I have to admit, that kind of got into my head a little.  Talk is one thing; performance is another.

Here is a photo of Bob chasing down Jason.

 BOTT LW Qualifying

In Saturday morning practice I had got my lap times down to the mid 14's, and was hopeful that would be enough to stay ahead of everyone in the 6-lap qualifying race.  I was starting on pole but had another mediocre start, as you can see in the video.  Bob ended up in the lead and I eventually caught up to him and made a pass going into the carousel, but he got by me again almost immediately, through the dogleg.  

The last lap was pretty interesting.  We came up on slower traffic (one of the LE Heavy riders), and Bob was desperate to by get by him in order to keep a gap on me before we got back onto the straight where I had a good chance of passing him.  Keep in mind that, at this point in the series, I pretty much just need to keep it upright to win the title, while Bob has nothing to lose.  That attitude showed in the dive-bomb pass he made on the other rider entering the "bus stop" - they actually came together when the other fellow turned in for the corner.  I briefly considered blasting past both of them while they wobbled about, but decided that discretion was the better part of valour.  

If you watch right until the end of the video, you will see that there were no hard feelings.

  

After the race I walked to Bob's pit area to congratulate him.  I could see him coiled there, waiting for me, just poised and eager to begin our usual back-and-forth BS session.  And so instead I just totally disarmed him:

"Hey, I got nothing.  You were just farkin' fast.  There is nothing else for me to say about it.  You were just awesome - congratulations."

He looked crest-fallen.

Saturday Endurance Race

Although it was dry and sunny at the start of the endurance race, the forecast was for heavy rain.  PDR owns a set of rain tires for the Gixxer, but no rims to mount them on, so if it rained part way through we were pretty much screwed.

Here are a couple shots (again, from Sheri) of how we were doing during the first part of the race.  First Steve, then me; didn't get one of Allen.

At around the half-way point, the skies opened up and they called a delay due to lightning.  It absolutely poured.  We were relatively lucky in our pit area but some other teams were standing in several inches of water.

I really thought it would end that way, but with just about 30 minutes to go they sent us back out.  Teams with rain tires had already mounted them, but we were stuck with the Q3s that were on the bike, and there were HUGE deep puddles in places.  We debated not going out again at all, but eventually decided to try tip-toeing around the track to log at least a few more laps.  Allen went out first, and then me, trying to weave between the areas where the water was deepest.  The left-hand section in the esses was occupied by a small lake, with only a tiny path off-line that permitted passage.  The bikes on proper tires would come storming past us through there, blasting a huge wall of water in both directions, like the wake of a seadoo.  It wasn't fun.

However, we survived and ended up placing 5 / 11 in the GTU class, and besting all 15 (!) of the GTL teams. 

Grand Bend

The Grand Bend Motorplex is located just a few minutes drive from the town of Grand Bend and one of the most amazing beaches in Canada, on the east shore of Lake Huron.  After the endurance race the skies cleared again and it was a beautiful (if hot) summer evening.  So, the PDR team and its extended entourage went into town for dinner and then walked down to the beach.  We waded into the water, enjoyed the party atmosphere, bought ice cream - it was wonderful.  I really don't know why we don't do that more often.

Sunday Morning

We awoke to a heavy fog Sunday morning and everything was covered with dew.

It burned off quickly though and the weather report indicated that we would have dry, sunny and hot conditions for the sprint races.  Morning practice went well and I was doing low 14s when I had clear laps.  According to Steve, who was watching the practice sessions, when Bob and I were out on track together I was leaving him behind.

I had been thinking about a strategy for the race, and realized that I always had the option of passing Bob on the straight if I was close to him coming off the previous corner.  The tricky part would be after that, carrying enough corner speed through the carousel and dogleg to stay ahead of him following the pass.  So, I worked hard on those two sections during practice, and eventually felt like I was taking them about as quickly as I possibly could.

Things started to look more promising when Bob had his BOTT HW race.  This time, Jason left him for dead, and Steve put a stopwatch on Bob and had him on 1:16s (!).

This is where it gets fun.  Allen (of his own volition - I didn't know about it), takes this information to Bob.  I understand the conversation went something like this:

Allen: Hey Bob, nice race.  Too bad you didn't have anything for Jason today.  Steve was watching the race and clocked you doing 1:16s.

Bob:  Oh yeah?  That's interesting.  What kind of times has Hugh been doing?

Allen: Oh, this morning super-consistent low 13s.

Bob:  (silence)

BOTT LW Final

Allen's little white lie actually turned out to be more of a prediction, since I did indeed dip down into the low 1:13s during the 12-lap final.  The video below shows the whole thing.

Starting from the middle of the first row, I had by far the best start of my life, leading into the first corner and then over almost two complete laps.  Unfortunately at that point the race was red-flagged for a rider who had gone down in the carousel and injured himself (not too severely - he was on his feet when I went by, but holding his arm up with his other hand as if maybe he had broken his collar bone).

The restart didn't go as well.  When I let the clutch out a bit in anticipation of the start I could feel it slipping and acting odd - I couldn't get the engine revs "poised" against the clutch, if you know what I mean.  When the starter sent us off, Jordan Renshaw, Bob, Steve Mitchell, and Yarek Rutkowski all darted out ahead of me.  

No problem.  Steve and Yarek were sparring a bit on the first lap, so I let that settle down for a while, then passed Yarek at the beginning of lap 2, on the short start-finish straight.  I tried Steve into the bus stop in a crazy move similar to the one Bob had pulled off in qualifying, but pulled out of it just in time.  Later that lap I got by Steve and Jordan on the back straight, putting me second behind Bob.  I passed Bob in the same place on the next lap, putting me in front, but then I fell off the pace a bit, turning a 1:15.0 and then a 1:15.5 despite having a clear track in front.  My next lap was better at 1:14.5, but then traffic came into play.  I tried to pass a lapped rider on the outside in the middle of the bus stop, but he left me no room and of course then Bob passed us both on the inside and pulled out a lead.  I finally got by the lapped rider on the straight, and put my head down to chase Bob.  I managed  a 1:13.3, then passed him in the usual spot on the following lap, which was a 1:13.7.  I had to pass another lapped rider on the next lap but he didn't really hold me up much so that was a 1:14.3.  Then, a 1:13.6, and finally another 1:13.3 to the checkered flag.  

    

Here is another video of the race (beginning from the restart), from Steve Mitchell's camera.  I love the bit at 4:10 when Yarek comes flying by Steve, but then Steve outbrakes him.  My pass on Steve is at 5:23.

Allen also had a good race.  He is not in the lead pack yet, but is having fun dicing with Dean Hammond on his 748.   Here is Allen on the fattest bike in the race, chasing Dean on the skinniest.

A few more great shots from Sheri.  Bob sizing up Jordan and Yarek:

And me behind Steve and Yarek:

As we were packing up after the races, Jordan Renshaw came up to me to let me know that Steve Kinghorn had picked up a Ducati clutch spring off of the asphalt at the start / finish line.  I made a snide comment about how Bob's ratty bike was more likely than mine to be shedding parts, but then looked at my clutch and saw this:

One clutch spring screw, spring and keeper missing, another nearly out.  Oopsie.  

I went and sheepishly collected my clutch spring from Mr. Kinghorn.

We stuck around for the awards ceremony this time, so I could pick up my plaque.  Yarek also received his first plaque ever, for finishing second in the Lightweight Superbike class:

I wish Bob had stuck around.  I am sure he would have had something to say about my T-shirt.

  

Round 3 - The Universe Tells Me Not to Race. I Tell the Universe to Stick it...

Summary

Round three of the 2015 SOAR series July 10-12 was a brutal, incredibly crashy weekend where it seemed like nothing could go right.  I avoided the carnage and, despite a big mistake fighting for the lead, still managed a third place in the BOTT LW race.  The Prairie Dogs continue to improve and are moving up the ranks of the GTU Endurance class.

(photo: Sheri Manuel)

Round 3

Round 3 was held on the "Reverse Screaming Alien" layout at the Grand Bend Motorplex.  This was the annual Steve Shreeve / Jeff Waller Memorial Weekend, which includes a BBQ, band and fireworks show Saturday evening, then the traditional silly pit-bike race event Sunday at lunch.

It was a great pleasure to have my daughter Caterina, 10, and my nephew Nicolo, 17, who was visiting from Italy, along for the weekend.  Nico is pretty enthusiastic about the recent success of his Ducati-racing Zio and was really into the whole thing.

I wasn't able to attend the Friday practice day this round, but had a good bit of experience on this layout from a track day back in 2013.  Looking back at my records, my previous best lap time was a 1:12.5.

I was entering this round with a healthy lead in the BOTT LW class, and was determined not to make any mistakes that would jeopardize my chances of winning the championship.  All I needed to do to keep myself in a good position was to not have a mechanical DNS, or a crash leading to a DNF.


Friday Evening

We met the rest of the Prairie Dog Racing team, Allen and Steve, at the track Friday evening and started hearing stories that would unfortunately set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

Apparently the Friday practice day, especially the "slow" group, had been a complete Gong Show.  People showing up late and missing the rider's meeting, then doing idiotic stuff like exiting the track improperly, stopping on the main straight, re-entering the track against marshals' orders and even  (get this!) riding at full speed past four red flags and a crash site while the track crew was trying to mobilize the ambulance to attend to the fallen rider.

SOAR principal Ken McAdam was having kittens.  Ken is always serious when it comes to safety, but if you make a mistake, when he speaks to you about it (which is always immediately), the conversation is 100% constructive.  Not about bawling you out, it is about getting you to understand what you did wrong, why it is dangerous, and making sure you completely understand the correct procedure.  Then, on with your day and it's water under the bridge.

To make him actually furious, you have to be a special kind of stupid.


Saturday Practice

I had arrived too late Friday to register or tech the bike, so there was quite a lot to do Saturday morning if I was going to get two practice sessions in before qualifying.  Unfortunately we all had such a good sleep in Allen's trailer (which he had completely gutted and put back together since the last round, in order to rebuild the floor structure!), that I didn't wake up until a quarter to eight!  Eek!  Big panic.  Got registered and teched quick but then the bike was doing the same old thing where it would throw the engine light on and stall.  At least this time I knew if I warmed it up long enough it would eventually work properly.

The rider's meeting was kind of long since Ken had some "comments" to share regarding the previous day's shenanigans, and there was also a long discussion about the endurance racing procedures.  My group was supposed to go out for practice first and there we were, burning up all that time, and my tire warmers weren't on yet...  

This stuff gets stressful when you aren't properly prepared.  I had just returned from a 5000-km road trip with Caterina and Nico two days prior, and hadn't had the time to really get all my ducks in a row for this round.  My lack of preparation was starting to show and we hadn't even hit the track yet.

Anyway I did make it out for first practice with maybe less heat on the tires that I would have liked.  Nico was recording my lap times and I was slow.  1:14.2.  Jordan Renshaw was doing 1:13.8 on his KTM 390.

Second practice I started to feel it, and managed a few low 1:11s.  Better.


Qualifying

The qualifying races were a bit nuts.  Lots of crashes, one quite serious resulting in a leg injury and a long delay.

The BOTT LW field was a decent size again this round - 11 entries.  Considering that three of the regulars didn't show up (Alex Radecki and the Bauer boys), this was very encouraging.  Also, Allen was finally on the grid with his BMW 1100 Boxer Cup Replica.

After some complaints from Bob Tziougras and others, the organizers agreed to give us a two-wave start.  The lost era heavyweight bikes would start in front of us while we stood still on the grid, and then after a 20-s delay we would be released.  The idea is that we then don't get tangled up with the other class right away, and can race amongst ourselves for at least some of the laps.

Since I had the points lead I was starting on pole for the 6-lap qualifier, and it went according to plan.  As you can see from the video, Jordan, Bob and Don all passed me on the start, but I was able to work my way past each of them again, eventually passing Bob on the last lap to claim pole position for Sunday's final, plus five points in the championship.

Allen finished eighth.  He was riding the bike well but its lack of top-end power made it hard for him to pass other bikes and then stay ahead of them.  Hopefully a little motor work will eventually help with that.




Prairie Dogs Endurance

We had a successful and mostly uneventful endurance race, finishing fifth out of eleven teams in the GTU class.  It was another big turnout, with 26 teams total.

I don't know if it was the heat or what, but the race was crashy - four red flags, which I think is more than we had all last year in endurance.  Between those crashes and the ones earlier in qualifying, we sent the emergency department in Exeter five broken collar bones in one day!  They must have been losing their minds.

Thankfully the PDR team managed to avoid all of that.  We found it curious that Allen was on the track every time they threw they red flag, but he claims he was never anywhere near the incidents.

As you can see from the photos,  Glen McTavish is just a bottle of Nair away from making a pretty attractive umbrella girl.  Cat and Nico handled lap recording and pit boards.

Saturday night was great fun, with a free BBQ, awesome band, and the fireworks show.  The SOAR organizers really do make the memorial weekend into something special.

Sunday Morning

I managed to get myself out of bed at a decent time on Sunday.  When I took the cover off the bike I noticed that the left heel guard was broken.  The thing is butter soft and had been bent back into shape so many times that it had finally snapped at one of the mounting points.  Steve got on it for me and figured out a way to trim it, drill a new hole, flip it and remount it.  Perfect.

  
Morning practice went fine and Nico timed me on a bunch of low 11s and maybe some high 10s.  As usual, the laps spent on the endurance bike the day before had been useful.


Pit Bike Race

Over the lunch break they held the pit bike race.  The costumes were as crazy as ever, and it looked like it was shaping up to be a lot of fun.

This is where shit really started to get weird.

And I don't mean the costumes.

About 10 seconds after starting the event, they suddenly stop it because someone has fallen.  No biggie - somebody fell off a minibike at low speed, probably scraped their elbow, right?

Wrong.  The person was in fact badly injured, and they have to end the event and bring in the ambulance.  Word soon spreads that it is Kyle Newman who has fallen.  Kyle...one of the best young riders in the series, holder of the novice #1 plate by virtue of having won the rookie 600 series last season.  Kyle, the regular podium contender in the Novice 600 series, who rides with skill and courage on a lost era machine, every round beating dozens of guys on modern machinery.  Kyle....Kyle is lying on the asphalt with his femur broken in two places.

In a dress.

You can't make this stuff up.

So, another very long delay while they wait for the road ambulance to show up.  Everyone is sitting around in the pits with nothing to do but think about what the hell is going on this weekend, and getting more and more depressed.  Then, David Renshaw, Jordan's dad, comes by on a dirtbike on the gravel road beside our pit area.  He stops, looks at us, and says

"Look, I''m going to be the next one!"

then rides 5 m, pops a wheelie, turns hard left towards Allen's truck, and crashes.

Only scrapes and cuts for David, but at this point the whole Universe is screaming at me DON'T GET ON THE BIKE!!!!   PACK UP AND GO HOME!!!!   My daughter is looking at me all freaked out and saying "promise me you won't get hurt Daddy".

But if I pack up and go home, I will get no points, and I will hand Bob Tsiougraz the BOTT LW championship.

And that simply can not happen.  Obviously.


Sunday BOTT LW Final

In spite of the protestations of the Universe, nothing really bad happened during the BOTT LW final, except for the fact that my camera stopped working, leaving me with no video.  The race itself was pretty interesting, and the video below was taken by Steve Mitchell.

Let's start with Steve.  None of us had ever heard of him.  After the race he told me that he had just built the bike (an SV650).  It had bodywork off of something else, making it look like a four cylinder.  In fact, at 8:30 in the video you can see the starter trying to wave him up into the front group, thinking he was one of the Lost Era Heavyweight competitors.

The start was goofy.  The first pack got off fine, but when the starter put his hand behind his back to extinguish the red light for our group, instead of waiting a few seconds he dropped the control box on the ground, causing the light to go out immediately (you can see him off to the right in the video at 9:12).

Bob caught on quicker than the rest of us what had happened and got the hole shot, followed by me and then Don on the R1200S.

I had gone into the race telling myself not to take any chances - a win wasn't necessary to keep a good lead in the points, I just needed to not finish too far behind Bob.  Which doesn't explain why, on only the second lap, I got greedy and tried to outbrake him at the end of the straight.  Instead, I ended up missing the corner completely and straight-lining it (10:52).  What was I thinking?

So that's all of me that you will see on the video, but let me explain what happened after that.  By the time I rode down the access road to the designated reentry point between turns 4 and 5, I had lost a good 20 s, and pretty much the whole field had passed me.  With tons of clear track in front, I put my head down and started turning better and better lap times.  Nico clocked me on high 10s, then low tens, and finally one or two laps in the 9s.  From memory, I caught up to Allen and Dean Hammond first and got by quickly, then a lap or two later passed Yarek Rutkowski on the back straight.  A little later yet I came upon Don Morris and made a slightly sketchy pass on him on the brakes in the same place I had run off on lap two.  Next I caught up to Jordan Renshaw and passed him just with motor on the front straight before the dogleg.

Meanwhile, Steve had passed Bob for the lead (nice pass at 17:15 in the video), but Bob had no idea!  He didn't recognize the bike, and figured it was one of the LE guys.

After getting by Jordan I had tons of open track again, and just kept laying down the best times I could.  Then, just after turning off the back straight, who do I see in the distance, but Bob!  I couldn't believe it.  I thought he was in the lead and so chased him down as quickly as possible.  I don't remember exactly where I passed him, but it was on the last lap or the second last.  At that point I thought I was leading.

The last half of the last lap is where it really got interesting.  At 22:43 in the video, just after the white flag, a rider crashes in front of Steve entering the carousel.  It doesn't affect him though and he carries on, catching up to Allen and Dean on the back straight, who are a lap down.  With five corners to go, I come up quick behind Steve who is being slowed up by Allen and Dean.  With everything getting backed up I was worried that Bob would find a way by me and retake the "lead".  On the short straight just before the triple-apex left they call Big Daddy, I actually pulled right up alongside Steve thinking about making the pass, then decided not to risk it and backed out of it (you can't see me in the video but it was at about 23:27).  I had no idea that that pass would have been for first place!  Anyway, by the time we came around to the start-finish straight, I decided to go to the right around the traffic, but there was no room.  Bob chose the left and just got me at the line - maybe by a wheel.

After the cool-down lap, Bob goes to collect his checkered flag, but is told to carry on, he didn't win.  That too is on the video (25:45).




So, in retrospect, I am pretty ashamed of myself for a) making a stupid move that likely cost me a win, and b) not being smart enough to even know who my competitors were on the track.  On the plus side, I did turn some pretty great laps when I needed to make up time, and in terms of my points position I managed to do what was necessary.

Next time Steve Mitchell won't have the advantage of running incognito, but regardless, it is wonderful to have one more competitive rider in the BOTT LW class!

Season Two, Round Two - and a First Win!

Summary

SOAR Round 2 is in the books, and despite some mechanical gremlins I was able to record my first victory ever, winning the BOTT LW class after a great to-and-fro battle with Alex Radecki.

The Prairie Dog Racing endurance team had a thankfully uneventful race on Saturday, with no crashes or goof-ups in the pits.  We finished 7th out of 11 teams in the GTU class.


Round 2

June 20/21 was "All Bike Weekend" at Grand Bend, which means that there were motorcycle drag races, a big Harley Show and Shine event, and of course the SOAR road racing series.  It is quite a fun event, but one downside is that accommodating all of the cruisers means that the SOAR pit gets compressed to about half its normal size.  It was a bit inconvenient, but in a way even more fun than normal, having everybody in such close proximity all weekend.

Allen came through for us and showed up with a "new" trailer - a proper camper in this case, not something previously used to haul livestock.  It's kind of old and needs repairs, but Allen worked like a maniac in the days leading up to the event, getting it into serviceable shape.  We were all grateful for the comfortable beds, the working fridge, etc.   What a difference from sleeping in frost-covered tents during the previous round!

Round 2 was on the "Modified Track".  This is the shortest layout at Grand Bend and, honestly, it's not my favourite.  The slow sort of chicane section through turns 2 and 3 is a bit of a mystery to me - I have never found what I consider to be an efficient line through there.  The layout also uses the entire back straight.  That was a disadvantage for me last year when I was trying to run Rookie 600 on the Ducati, since all of the Japanese bikes would blow by me before the carousel.  Running only the Lightweight Twins class this year it actually works in my favour since I have more power than most of my competition.  But I still don't care for the layout.

I wasn't able to get away Friday to do the practice day with Allen and Steve, so I instead showed up Friday evening.  I brought some monster rib steaks and Steve grilled them to perfection on the BBQ.   

In the pits, everyone was nervous about the weather forecast - it was calling for decent weather Saturday, but almost certainly rain on Sunday.   This put Allen in a quandary.  He had got the BMW Boxer Cup Replica bike ready for racing this Round, but didn't have rain tires for it.  He was reluctant to register for the BOTT LW sprint race, knowing that chances were better than even he would need to sit out the final.  He was compulsively checking the weather forecast every 30 min, which at Grand Bend is about as useful as checking your horoscope.

Saturday

After a great sleep in the new trailer, we awoke to a nice morning but a weather forecast that had not improved at all for Sunday.  Allen made the decision to not register for BOTT and loaded the BMW into his truck...thus ensuring that Sunday would be bright and sunny all day.  Thanks Allen!

I took the Ducati thorugh tech as soon as it opened, but when I started it and put it into gear to leave tech, it threw on the engine light and stalled immediately.  Started it again, same thing.  And again.  And again.  Sh*t.

I put the tire warmers on in anticipation of solving the problem before morning practice.  The computer didn't show any trouble codes on the ECU, so I scrambled (with generous help from Steve and Allen) to check everything we could think of, including the battery, injector leads, grounds...we eventually reasoned that it might be the old kickstand safety interlock, which I had jumped when I removed the kickstand.  Steve suggested I take the endurance bike out for first practice while he and Allen worked on the jumper.  

Practice went okay even if the brakes on the Gixxer were crap.  When I came in, Steve and Allen told me that the Duc was running normally again.  I told them dinner was on me.

I took the Ducati out for second practice and got quite comfortable. My target was to turn 58-s laps.  I am not sure what I managed because the timing beacon ran out of batteries, but I felt in good shape for qualifying.

Below is a video of my afternoon qualifying race.  I almost didn't post it because I collected some bugs on the camera lens during the warmup lap.  However, I decided to put it up because there is some nice footage of Yarek Rutkowski in his first ever race.  Yarek pitted beside us with his SV650 and had a great first race weekend.  Always nice to gain another member of the SOAR family, especially one as pleasant as Yarek.  Also great to fill out the BOTT LW field even more.

Disappointingly, the Bauer brothers didn't show up for Round 2, so I lost my best competition.  That pretty much meant that I was going to be battling Alex Radecki on his 748, and Bob Tziougas on the SS1000ie.  Unfortunately right after the start Bob came together with two other riders in Turn 2 and went down.  He was mostly fine (tweaked his shoulder a bit) but couldn't make the restart.  Here he is on the Ride of Shame (photo from Sheri Manuel).

They red-flagged the race to deal with Bob's mess, and then re-set us on the grid.  As you can see from the video, I had a terrible restart, with almost everyone blowing by me before Turn 3.  But very quickly I re-passed all of them, except Alex.  Eventually I got him too, under braking into the carousel, giving me pole position for Sunday.

Prairie Dogs Endurance

Wow, is SOAR endurance racing ever taking off!  Someone said there were 23 bikes set up at the start.  The results only show 19, but sometimes teams don't turn in their time sheets, so there may indeed have been 23.  Here are the bikes all set up for the LeMans-style start, where the riders have to run across the track to their machines, start them and then  take off.

Steve did the first stint as always, but was about second last coming past the pits the first lap, and following that his lap times were well off his normal pace.  Allen and I didn't know if this performance was related to the quantity of Jamieson's Irish Whiskey he disposed of the previous night, or if there was something wrong with the bike (other than the stuff that is always wrong with it).  At the end of his stint he said he wasn't comfortable and had had a few minor slides.  I had done some suspension adjustments after morning practice because the forks had been pogo-ing on me with really inadequate rebound, so now I was wondering if I had made a mess of it.  As it turns out, neither Allen nor I had any issues during our shifts.  Observing this, Steve figured it must have all been in his head, got on the bike for his second stint and immediately was back up to his normal pace.  

The race was otherwise pretty uneventful.  Ken came by the pits but, remembering my accusation of how he jinxed us in Round 1, just kept walking muttering "I'm not saying anything to you guys".  With the McAdam Curse thus lifted, our fuel stop and rider changes all went smooth as silk, except for the one stint where I apparently missed four pit boards in a row.  Oops.  

In the end we finished 7th out of 11 teams in GTU.  Not terrible, but still a bit disappointing.  We all recognize that we need to get faster, but in addition to that we should work on the equipment a bit.  First priority is to swap out the gawd-awful master cylinder.  Into the carousel I was braking at least a hundred feet earlier on the Gixxer than I would be on the Duc.  No amount of brake bleeding, fluid changes or pad upgrades can fix it (we have tried). 

Sunday

There were a few sprinkles overnight and the skies were a bit spooky in the morning, but by the end of morning practice it was nothing but sun.  Awesome.  

The Ducati was being temperamental again, behaving the same as Saturday morning, but this time I couldn't even get the ECU to talk to the computer.  Apparently the problem wasn't the kiskstand interlock afterall.  Once again, it seemed to heal itself after a while.  By the time it was working properly again it was only 15 minutes to my first practice session and the warmers weren't on yet, so I decided to skip the first round rather than go out on half-cold tires.

Second practice session went fine, but there was so much traffic I didn't have any opportunity to set any fast laps.

I spent the rest of the morning watching the sprint races.  Once again, Amateur 600 had a huge number of entries - 27 I think.  There were at least three crashes.  The worst was my friend Brody Coveduck, who had another rider highside in front of him.  Brody really had no options and ended up driving over the fallen bike.  Brody came out of it mostly unscathed himself, but his beautiful black and gold Triumph 675 is pretty messed up.  Fortunately there doesn't seem to be much damage to any expensive parts except the tank, so we are hoping to see him in action again for Round 3.  

For the BOTT LW race I opted to take the outside position even though I had qualified on pole.  I felt like this would put me in a better position going into Turn 1.  This may have been a good decision because, as you can see in the video, even though my start was still pretty bad I didn't lose as many places as normal.

The race was exciting.  Traffic in the form of slower Lost Era HW bikes really affected our race in BOTT LW.  Bob was starting at the back and was never a factor, and I managed to get past Alex early to take the lead.  However, I was then stuck behind a LE machine and was desperate to pass, in order to put some distance between myself and Alex.  I made a terrible decision forcing the issue going into the carousel and nearly took out the LE guy from behind.  I just managed to save the situation and in the end I doubt he even knew I was there, so no harm no foul I guess...but I need to make better decisions in the future.  Anyway I ran off as a result and Alex got by, so I had the fun of hunting him down again and passing him, all the while both of us negotiating traffic.  I ended up winning, taking my first victory ever.

What's Next?

At the beginning of the season it looked like I would need to miss Round 3, but I have been able to rearrange my summer schedule to avoid this.  So, with only three rounds to go in the series, I am in really good shape to win the BOTT LW title this year.  Alex, Jordan and Dylan have all missed a race, and the way the points are structured this makes it mathematically impossible for anyone to beat me so long as I can always finish fourth or better, stay within two positions of Bob every race, and avoid getting get a DNS or DNF.  At this point it is not so much a battle with the competition, it is a battle with the bike's electrical gremlins that could cause a DNS, and my own on-track decision-making which can always lead to a DNF.  

More importantly, check out this cool PDR cookie that Allen's wife Tracy made:

Round One, 2015 - So far, so good...

In Brief....

Round 1 had its challenges, but overall was a terrific success. I dropped a pile of time between Saturday qualifying and the Sunday sprint race, and ended up placing second in Battle of the Twins Lightweight - a great start to the new season!  My pace has improved substantially from last year.

The Prairie Dogs did well in endurance racing, even if Allen had a little moment....

Best of all, the SOAR series really seems to be on the rise, with most race classes growing substantially since last year.  Amateur 600 had 33 entries!


Friday

Steve and I were able to attend the practice day on Friday this round, which gave us a chance to clear the winter cobwebs and get re-acquainted with the "Long Track" configuration at Grand Bend.  I had it in my head that I was going to take it easy in the morning and not be in a rush to get out on track while it was still cold.  Instead, I spent some time with Wayne Kennedy of Kennedy Motorsports, choosing what tires I would try this time out.  We went through the options and eventually decided that the Pirelli Superbike SC1 slicks might be a good choice for me.  An advantage is that they were available in a 180 rear (the stock size for my bike), instead of the 190 I was forced to run on Bridgestones last year.  I gave Wayne both of my sets of rims and he mounted the Pirellis on one set and some Dunlop rain tires on the other.  Just before lunch I had the bike ready to go, all safety wired and passed through tech.  Temperatures were still low (about 9 C), but the bright sun was heating the asphalt nicely.

My best previous single-lap time on this layout last year was a 1:33.6, but mostly I had been running low 1:35s.  I ventured out with my X-country ski underwear on under my leathers, and after my second practice session I was already down to 1:34.x on my clear laps, so that was right on target. Tires looked great too, coming off the track.  Despite the cool air temperatures I wasn't getting any slides at all, so I was pretty pleased with the Pirellis Wayne had suggested.

 Here is a video of just one lap in practice:

Allen showed up Friday evening, but he had not been able to get his BMW Boxer Cup Replica bike ready on time, so no sprint races for him this round.  This was a bit disappointing, because I was looking forward to lining up beside him on the grid for BOTT LW.

In a bizarre last-minute financial move, Allen had, just the day before, sold the converted horse trailer that had been Prairie Dog Racing's swank trackside digs in 2014.  That left us with the tent option for Round 1.  The forecast was for a low of 0 C.

Saturday

And indeed, it was c-c-c-c-cold!  Inside my tent I was wearing ski underwear, a T-shirt, fleece-lined track pants, socks, and a big woolly sweater inside one sleeping bag and with another sleeping bag on top.  By the middle of the night I was so cold I just couldn't sleep, and by 5 am I finally gave up trying, left the tent and started walking around to warm up.  There was a hard frost.  Here is what my bike looked like in the pits:

Doesn't that look inviting?  My Shorai LiFePo battery was none too pleased with the situation either, I can tell you that...

Saturday morning practice wasn't great.  I didn't have the timing beacon set up, but I knew I was slower than Friday.  Traction was poor at first and I even slid the front tire once under straight up-and-down braking for OMG corner at the end of the side straight.  Fortunately, temperatures increased steadily over the course of the day and it was very bright and sunny, so by the time qualifying races started the track conditions were excellent.

My lack of sleep caught up with me and my 5-lap qualifying race was pretty miserable.  My start wasn't too bad, there were no issues at all with the bike, and my lines were mostly okay, but I just couldn't get up to my normal corner speeds.  Looking at the video later I found that my best lap was a 1:35.8, way off Friday's pace.  It was fast enough to stay ahead of the slower riders and lower-powered machines, but not nearly good enough to challenge the guys I had hoped to compete with this year.  Those would be the Bauer brothers (Jordan and Dylan), both on Kawasaki Ninja 650s (I think), who between them won the majority of BOTT LW races last year, Alex Radecki on his Ducati 748, and Bob Tziougras on his Ducati SS1000, which has the same motor as my bike. 

Here is the video of the qualifier.  We are gridded with the Lost Era Lightweight class in front of us.  BOTT LW had 12 entries, which is more than we had in any one round all last season!  (Allen should make us 13 for Round 2 - here's hoping).  Actually I think only 11 made the grid because Jordan Renshaw's beautiful new KTM RC 390 decided not to run.  (I told his dad Dave that the bike would look great in the living room anyway, but he didn't seem to find that funny.)

Bob was ahead of me off the start but at some point ran off the track turning onto the back straight.  I can't seem to find that in the footage, but that is the story he told afterwards.  At that point only the Bauers were ahead of me, but on lap 4 I missed a downshift entering OMG corner and Alex blew by me on the exit.  Honestly I doubt it mattered because judging by the way he then gapped me it was inevitable that he would have got by me eventually.  I qualified 4th.

Prairie Dogs Endurance

The first endurance race of the year went fairly well for Prairie Dog Racing, and would have gone even better if it hadn't been for the dreaded McAdam Curse.  We had had a great fuel stop without spilling gallons of Shell 91 all over the bike, as is our normal practice, and SOAR Principal Ken McAdam had stopped by to congratulate us on our improvement - we hadn't set the pits on fire, and he hadn't had to pick me up with the recovery vehicle all day.  Literally 10 seconds after that smart-ass comment, Allen rode off the track between turns 2 and 3, right in front of the pits, hit a big dip in the grass and flipped the bike dramatically.  He had had some kind of coming-together with young Wes Forgie running in the GTU class on a CBR125 (and when I say young, I mean, like, too young to shave).  Allen took a good tumble but thankfully jumped back to his feet quickly (or what passes for quickly at his age).  Ken started to get out the recovery vehicle but Allen was able to pick the bike up and ride it back to the pits.  Wes didn't even go off track.  He just calmly rode into the pits to ask his mom if he could keep going.  

Damage to Humpty the GSXR was minimal.  Steve applied some of his sophisticated Ryerson Engineering skills and bent the shift lever back into shape with a pry bar and adjustable wrench.  The rear brake lever was mutilated but who uses that anyway?  The exhaust can was still more or less attached and the fairing only had minor cracks.  I swear that 03 Gixxer is a frickin' anvil of a bike.  

Allen was a bit woozy from his tumble so I replaced him.  The bike rode perfectly and I was back up to speed in half a lap.  Steve was in the pits asking Allen hard questions like "do you know where you are?".  As I began to feel that the length of my stint was extending well past normal, I was getting pretty tired, going past the pits each time searching in vain for the pit board and eventually giving the guys the universal one-handed palm-up symbol for "dafuq?"  After they did call me in for a rider change I laid down on the ground for a bit.  Turns out I had done about an extra four minutes.  Fitness is again an issue...

In the end we finished 7/10 in the GTU class with 98 laps.  Without Allen's off-track excursion we may have placed much higher, since positions 3 through 6 did 104, 102, 101 and 99 laps.  At any rate it is wonderful to have so many entries this year - 18 endurance teams across the three classes!

Here is the post-race photo.  I really wish we had got little Wes in the picture.  We gave him the gears a bit after the race but he truly is a cool kid and is already showing nice form on the track.

   

Sunday - It all comes together

Nighttime temperatures were much more reasonable the second day (about 9 C minimum), so 

I slept like a baby and got a solid 6 hours.  I was determined to do everything necessary to give myself the best possible chance of doing well in my one sprint race, which was scheduled for the first slot after the lunch break.  I was very methodical during morning practice, working on controlled but late, aggressive braking into OMG corner, the Horseshoe, the entrance to the back straight and the carousel, and also experimenting with alternate lines in a few spots.  I was checking my hot tire pressures, getting advice from Wayne and making adjustments.  The bike was perfect, and I was fast by my standards - substantially faster than Friday and much, much faster than qualifying.  I wasn't timing the laps but there was just no doubt that I had found a bunch of time.

After practice I spent a lot of time in the stands watching the morning races, but I was really conscious of the need to stay hydrated and not get overheated or tired from being in the sun.  Like I said, I was determined to stack the cards in my favour and capitalize on the extra speed I had found in morning practice.  I thought a lot about what my strategy would be off the start, and what I could hope to accomplish over the course of the race.  Honestly I didn't feel like there was much hope of my challenging either of the Bauer boys, but I had been competitive with both Bob and Alex in the past so a podium finish was not out of the question.

There was quite a bad wreck in the morning amateur superbike race.  One of the riders wheelied at very high speed on the back straight, and the wind got under his bike and flipped it over backwards.  There were two ambulances and a fire truck on track for quite a while tending to the situation.  Word got back to the pits later that the fellow had suffered a serious leg and hip injury, but nothing life-threatening.  Get well soon Tomasz - we are all pulling for you.

After the long delay, things got pushed back a little and my race was the second one after lunch.  Since the rider who was so seriously injured in the earlier superbike race was a friend of Alex's, Alex  had more important things to do and skipped BOTT LW race.  That really only left Bob for me to worry about.  As you can see from the video, he had a better start than me (as always) but I passed him fairly quickly, apparently with superior horsepower.  I then managed to hang with Dylan Bauer for a little bit, but he eventually gapped me and I resigned myself to third behind him and his brother Jordan.  On the second last lap however traffic came into play and Dylan took more time than he should have getting around a lapped rider.  With the distance between us reduced substantially, I put the hammer down and chased him over the final lap, showing him my wheel into OMG corner and again entering the Horseshoe, and then finally passing him between the Horseshoe and the turn onto the back straight.  I knew from previous laps that I had a little more motor than he did, so once I was past him it was just full throttle down the straight, late braking with a defensive line into the carousel, and then it was all over with only the dogleg and the short straight to the finish line to go.  Checkered flag, second place!

Checking the video later, I found that all of my clear laps were in the high 1:31s (!), with a best of 1:31.5 on the final lap - an improvement of more than 2 s over my best time from last year, and 4 s better than Saturday qualifying.  

Edit:  A few photos from Karolina Pelc.  Thanks Karolina!

Here we go again...Season 2

Plans for 2015

Well, it wasn't easy, but despite my injury last year, I was somehow able to convince my wife that it wouldn't be completely insane to do a little more racing in 2015.  That was six months of pretty tough negotiations, let me tell you...

I will be running the Ducati Sport 1000 in the Battle of the Twins Lightweight class again in SOAR.  Rumor has it that we will have a few more entries in that class this year, which should add to the challenge and fun.

There have been some changes to the way SOAR is organizing its series this year.  Instead of class champions being decided based on six rounds, there will only be five rounds for that purpose.  However, anyone who manages to accumulate 95 points over the season will qualify to compete in the "Provincial Championships" which brings together the best riders from SOAR and its sister series in eastern Ontario, RACE.

This is all great, except for one thing: I will need to miss Round Three, because of a planned trip with my daughter and nephew.  With only five rounds total, that puts me at a real disadvantage in the series points.  To make matters worse, the new points structure favours consistent participation over outright finishing position:

1st - 40
2nd - 37
3rd - 34
4th - 31
5th - 28
etc...

So, only 3 points separate subsequent positions from 1 to 11, then from 11 to 15 it is 2 points difference per position.  That really magnifies the penalty for missing a round or having a DNS or DNF.  Anyway, no matter - we will just treat every round as an opportunity to try for a podium position, and let the points fall where they may.  On the positive side, in a small class like BOTT LW it should be easy to accumulate the 95 points needed to earn an invitation to the Provincial Championship round.

The Prairie Dogs will also be back in the GTU Endurance Class on Humpty Dumpty the GSXR600.
Round one is next weekend (May 24), on the Long Track configuration at Grand Bend.  Watch this space!


Test and Tune at TMP

After smashing up the bike in Round 4 last year, it spent the winter in my basement workshop, slowly getting repaired as time allowed.  I ended up installing Woodcraft bars and a quick-turn throttle, repairing and repainting the fairing, reshaping the belly pan a bit to get better clearance from the exhaust and, for good measure, I wrapped the exhaust.  I also sanded the blood stains from the inside of the fairing (!).  Front suspension got a thorough rework with new springing and a cartridge mod to give me compression adjustment, and the shock was sent out for maintenance.  Complete rebuild of the steering damper, then all the standard tune-up work (valve adjustment, etc.) and she was good as new.  Well, okay, good enough...

Having not been in the bike for nearly 9 months (or any bike for 8 months), some practice was in order. I also needed some serious time to work on suspension adjustments, having made so many hardware changes from last season.  I wasn't able to attend the SOAR practice weekend, so instead took advantage of a Thursday track day, run by Red Dawn Entertainment, at Toronto Motorsports Park near Cayuga.

I have done many, many laps at TMP since 2009, but had not been there at all in 2014.  So, I was curious to see if my lap times had improved as a result of a season of racing experience with SOAR.  My best lap there in 2013 was a 1:23.0, on Dunlop Q3 tires.

Red Dawn runs their track days in a unique fashion.  Essentially, it is open track all day (no groups).  This is a great situation when you need to work on suspension tuning, since you can enter and re-enter the track without waiting for your group to be called.  The downside of course is that you encounter riders running at vastly different paces, and so it is sometimes hard to find clear track to set a time.

Here is the bike in the pits, waiting for the first run of the season:

My Prairie Dog Racing teammate Allen also showed up, with his new ride (still on crap street tires, but otherwise nearly ready for racing):

It is a BMW Boxer Cup Replica - another big air-cooled twin.  So, Allen and I will compete head-to-head in BOTT LW this year.  So cool!  Plus, the PDR pit is starting to collect some pretty darn funky machinery.   We might not beat all of the SV650s and such...but we will look good trying!

It was super cold over night (radiation frost) and so the tarmac was very cool in the morning - cold to the touch even in the direct sun.  The first few sessions were crazy.  The bike would be fine right off the warmers, but then after just a few laps the rear would get so cold that I couldn't use any significant throttle exiting corners, and I even pushed the front a few times.  Not the best situation for a rusty pilot just trying to get comfortable on the bike again!  I was spooked and was running 1:32.  Yuck.  Allen and I agreed that the day needed to be first and foremost about making good decisions and going home in one piece, so we both took it easy and didn't force the issue.

Fortunately the sun kept beating down and by 11:30 or so the track really came in.  My times were coming down by a second or more per session, but I eventually got pretty tired and sore (legs, groin, neck), and couldn't manage to get under 1:25.  Not great in comparison to my previous best, but on the other hand, not terrible for the first outing in a long time, on last year's worn-out tires.  It was easy for me to see where I was losing time (especially Turn 6), but I just couldn't force myself to do better.  

Importantly, I managed to ride within myself and not give myself any real scares, but there were a few occasions setting up for Turn 4 where some combination of moving myself across the bike, the new throttle tube, new lower bars, etc. resulted in my inadvertently applying a tiny bit of throttle when I didn't mean to.  I definitely wasn't getting locked into the bike very well and so was likely using my hands too much to hang on.  I need to work on finding a more effective body position.  I also was not steering  the bike as hard as I normally do.

Here's some video that pretty much shows how the day went.  Note that a lot of the bikes were wearing their license plates and didn't have the brake light taped.  Weird.

Edit:  Here are a few photos from Melanie MacMurchy.  Thanks Melanie!

Round 5 - Back in the saddle

Summary

Contrary to my expectations, my hand injury was healed to the extent that I could do a little bit of riding in SOAR Round 5.  I didn't contest any sprint classes but I did more or less pull my weight with the Prairie Dogs in the Saturday endurance race.


Progress with the Injury

The finger amputation I suffered as a result of a crash on  a practice lap during Round 4 has been healing pretty well.  When the dressings came off after about two weeks it was clean with no infection, but still pretty gross to look at, all swollen and nasty.  A week later I got the sutures out.  The poor nurse had to dig around through the scabs and whatever to find the stitches, which hurt like the dickens now and again, sending shocks up my finger and hand as she irritated the nerve tissues.

After the swelling subsided there were what I believe to be little stumps of exposed nerves sticking out of the closure in several places.  Whenever they contacted anything solid they would, again, trigger big pulses of tingling nerve shocks, startling me and making me jump.  Eventually the exposed bits dried up and fell off, so now the nerves are all below the surface and not quite so sensitive.

Here is what my hand looks like at this point.

Pretty ugly I guess.  Eventually I will have the surgeon shape the finger better so that it has more of a proper tip.  Right now the sides stick out too much and kind of get in the way.  On the plus side, it has good articulation and strength - I can use it normally to grip things, like say a coffee cup or the handle of a tool box.  I can even already do gym exercises that require grip strength, such as seated cable rows.

Obviously this is a permanent injury and one I would much rather not have experienced.  It does have consequences.  For example, in my line of work I spend a lot of time standing in front of large groups of people, speaking to them usually while waving my hands around (as one does).  Now, with every new group, I get to watch a bunch of them following my finger with their eyes, probably for a while not really paying attention to what I am saying.  On the other hand (no pun intended), as life-altering injuries go it is not really very life-altering.  It would be pathetic and counter-productive to get too upset about something like this when my life is otherwise awesome and every day I encounter people who have actual serious problems, including in some cases truly debilitating physical issues.  I also don't find it useful at all to go over in my head the zillions of tiny little things that could have gone differently, allowing me to avoid the accident altogether.  Shit happens.  You make the best choices you can with the information you have, then deal with whatever comes.  I did that on August 16 and will continue to do it.

Nevertheless the first few days after the incident where a bit emotionally charged for me.  In those times, it really helps to have friends to talk with, so you can keep your perspective and sense of humour.  I received plenty of kind messages from other SOAR riders through the GTAM forum and Facebook, and also from my PDR teammates, Allen and Steve.  Here for your entertainment is a positively sophomoric email exchange that took place between the three of us, starting on the day that I was injured.  I emailed Steve and Allen to let them know I was home safe, but at that point only Steve knew about the accident:

Sunday August 17

ME: I am home with Buttons.  I am a bit tired.  After being in Exeter hospital for about three hours I had to drive myself down to the hand clinic in London, but they couldn't do anything to save the finger and so amputated about half of it.  Then I drove back to the track and Kyle and his sister helped me load my stuff....then I drove home.  Talk about a long day.

Sorry I left the trailer in a bit of a jumble maybe but it is all properly locked.

ALLEN: Wtf?!?!?

STEVE: So you think it was the brake guard or the brake lever that got your finger?

ALLEN: Guys. What the fuck happened?!!! Hugh u alright?!? I'm hoping u guys r fucking with me

ME: Not a joke.  In morning practice some fellow made a really tight pass on me in the esses and to avoid his rear wheel I grabbed some brake while leaned over.  Went down hard and the handlebar tore through my glove and squashed my finger.  Pretty much tore all the meat off the top third of my finger so they had to amputate a considerable part of it.

Steve, based on the wound it may have just been the bar running over my hand as it ran along the asphalt.  Not necessarily the lever guard. 

Monday August 18

ALLEN: Dude..
1.  Glad you're okay?
2.  You should've called one of us to come down.  I could've been there in a couple hours and helped out with stuff and driven you around.
3.  GET BETTER.
If you need help with anything let us know.

ME: Thanks Allen.  I'll be fine.  The bike is not bad either but I don't intend to run it any more this year.  My racing days may be over but we shall see.  It is a bit shocking still so I don't know how I will feel about it in a few weeks.  Don't count on me for endurance in round 5.

ALLEN: It's totally shocking on this end can't imagine your end.
Get healed up and your brain back and we'll worry about endurance later.  Good luck with the wife!  OMG that must've been the worst part!
Did you leave anything at the trailer you need back right away? 

ME: No I am pretty sure I got all my stuff.  Just left it disorganized and unswept.  Shah slept with me Saturday night but no cuddles at all.  :(

ALLEN: well for once I'm looking forward to reading your blog!
Don't forget to mention who had the fastest times...just reminding...

ME: Sure but it will be more of a comment on Dave's recording skills...

ALLEN: Just make sure you detail it as 'unbiased 3rd party' keeping time...that way you sound more sour grapes!
Oh yeah.
I have a beef with both you guys when it comes to txt, email, bbm.
Don't send me these emails with only bits of info.  Damn Hugh, I was about to go to bed when I got your email.  Kept waiting for updates to see what had happened or to hear it was some kinda joke..
From now on info!  And no Steve, not just teasing me rubbing my nose in the fact I'm not there info!

ME: Round 4 results are up.  At least we beat most of the GTL teams LOL

ALLEN: Hey..considering we had shitless tires on and most of the other teams had rains we did alright!

ME: Just getting through it without crashing was an accomplishment.  I'm proud of us.

ALLEN: I was hating it at first, but in hindsight there were a few good lessons learned:  

1.  Being smooth.  I really could tell the effect of sudden throttle movements.  Whenever I opened the throttle early the bike would snake.

2.  Being stupid.  It was stupid of us to run in the rain with those tires.  LOL.  Did you see the look on the faces of some of the other guys when we told them what we were running on.  LOL

3.  I'm smoother than Hugh..as we can tell from the lap times.  

4.  Hugh's eyes linger a little too long when I'm walking around naked in the trailer....

5.  I ate something I shouldn't have..Gotta figure out what it was, cause DAMN it made me gassy!

STEVE: Might have to call Brody back if Hugh doesn't feel good. He did buy us dinner after all :) or .. Maybe.. We go it alone.
Who knows maybe none of us will be allowed to race anymore.
Get better Hugh .
( Did ya tell Maw and Paw yet?)

ALLEN: My wife took it amazingly well.  I thought for sure Hugh had wrecked it for me.  ...I was terrified of telling her!
I say we try it with just the two of us.  Hugh's gonna want to go by then but might (probably) not be healed up enough.  
My money is on him being back the round after.
How'd that awesome trailer manage for you.  I didn't want to stop for coffee..just wanted to get home.

ME: I didn't tell mom and dad yet because I am thinking of the best way to break it to Caterina. It might really bother her, or she might not care at all.  Hard to know.

STEVE: Actually it did amazing. Don't even know I'm towing it.

ALLEN: The wife doesnt know yet?!?  
good luck dude!

ME: Oh yes she knows of course.  I called her from the hospital.

ALLEN:I would offer to come over for moral support while she finds out..but I'm afraid of her...and I still remember how your eyes lingered while I changed...
Okay..details time.
I'm trying to figure out how your finger got caught on the bar..did the bar move, or was your hand on the end of the bar?  I'm guessing you've run it thru a few times how it all unfolded.
PS.
Glad you're okay even if ur hurt..if that makes sense. 

ME: Based on how the injury looked, my best guess is that my hand was still wrapped around the bar when the bar hit the ground.  The brake lever guard probably tore off instantly and then the exposed clipon end ran over my finger while the bike was sliding, tearing all the meat off.  The bone and tendons were fine, except some crushing of the very end of the fingertip bone.  

Sorry if that is a bit graphic, but you did ask.

ALLEN: okay that explains it.  I couldn't figure out how your finger could make contact on the grip unless the clip on rotated/broke, or your finger was on the end of the grip.

STEVE: Which corner was it? In the big daddy area? Or was it the dive bomb corner?

ALLEN: big daddy.  he said it was the s's

STEVE: Who's your daddy?

ALLEN: The way 'lingering eye's Hugh' was watching me I'd say he wants to be.
I'll bet he slept Saturday night in my bunk....sniffing my pillow....

Tuesday August 19

ALLEN: been quiet.
how ya feelin

STEVE: Just sore hips and legs.
Thinking 2nd set of rims and rain tires. Would like to try slicks. Don't know if they would make a difference at this point. Dots are good for bit of damp.
Wondering if a better brake guard would have prevented Hugh's finger accident.

ME: I am much better today.  I stopped taking the pain meds already.  Blog post is up.

ALLEN: except for the feeling and sound of bus wheels on my body, nice write up.
I'm throwing my vote out there for Hugh to be our assistant (bitch) next race.  Will be good for him to be out and get the feel again, but with no stress.  Plus we need a bitch (assistant) to help out!
Hugh could you wear your tight shorts and hold an umbrella for us?

STEVE: Nice write up;)

ME: I'd love to come and be the lap timer / umbrella boy if I can.  I don't own any sexy shorts but perhaps you could lend me one of those sequined lycra numbers you like to prance around in.

STEVE: I think I know where this is going.

ALLEN: Woohooo rod and gun after the race!!

ME: You guys really do make me laugh!

STEVE: 

 ALLEN: I'll bring the movie for the next round.



Round 5 - Grand Bend Screaming Alien Layout

Round 5 took place on the "Screaming Alien" layout at Grand Bend Motorplex.  Steve and Allen were able to be there for the Friday track day again.  Here is some video showing the layout.  The camera is on Allen's ZX-6, and he catches up to Steve at about the 2:20 mark and then follows him.


This was Allen's first time combining video footage with the data and graphics output from his GPS lap timer.  In this case the gear position indicator and speedometer graphics aren't working (at least, I hope they weren't going that slow!), but the track map and lap times seem to be correct.

(Edit: Allen tells me the speeds are probably correct, but are in mph.)



The Decision to Ride

About a week out from Round 5, my hand stopped hurting so much and I started entertaining the possibility that I could actually do some riding.  However, I told myself that there was no way I was getting on the bike unless I could work the brake lever and throttle completely normally and with no pain at all.  Riding a motorcycle on a race track, your life truly is dependent on the dexterity of your right hand.

When I left for the track Friday night, I honestly didn't think there was more than a 10% chance that I would be getting on the track - I packed my gear "just in case".  Once I arrived and said hello to the guys (who were grilling a steak for me - how cool is that?), I put on Steve's gloves (mine were shredded during the accident) and sat on the endurance bike for a bit, working the controls.  I eventually convinced myself that I could probably manage it, except that the empty tip of the glove's middle finger was sometimes catching on the brake lever when I went from the brake to the throttle.

So, I went to see John Bickle in his trailer and asked him about modifying a pair of gloves for me.  He had a pair in my size, took a quick measurement, then set about shortening the middle finger of the right hand.

Saturday morning I attended the riders' meeting, then picked up my new gloves from John.  My plan was to go out with the slow group in practice, just to do a few laps and try things out.  I have to say that even as I was wheeling the bike out of the pits, I was asking myself "am I sure I want to do this?  Am I rushing things?  Is this a stupid decision?"

Honestly the first session didn't do a great deal to reassure me.  I have never got along particularly well with the Gixxer's throttle and brakes (they are so different from the Ducati's, especially the throttle response just off of closed throttle), but this was especially bad.  I was jerking and surging all over the place, feeling and no doubt looking pretty darned amateurish.  I came back in after five or six laps.

By the second practice session I was feeling better.  I was smoother on the throttle pretty much immediately, and had learned the layout well enough that I could start working on my braking and turn-in points a bit, trying to build some decent speed.  By the end of about ten laps I was knee down in most corners and really starting to feel in the grove.  

I came back into the pits and let the guys know that they could count on me for the endurance race.


Endurance Race

Conditions for the endurance race were perfect, except for the fact that it was so windy that none of the teams dared to put up their canopies in the pits.  Steve took the start and Allen did the second 20-min session, then I was up third.  The guys had told me to just signal them that I needed a rider change if at any point during my first session I wasn't feeling comfortable.  About 12 or 13 minutes into my stint I started to feel some pain in my hand and thought I had better get off the bike and re-evaluate, so next time past the pits I held up two fingers to let the guys know I would be in after two more laps.  I swear I gave them the peace sign for a good five seconds, but of course they didn't notice.  When I rolled into the pits two laps later I saw a surprised Steve rushing to put on his helmet and gloves.

Following that, we decided that a better system would be for me to give them the "two laps" sign, then the next lap they would show me the pit board to verify that they got the message.  In the end we didn't use that plan though because I was able to complete my other two stints without any issues.

The race otherwise went fine with a good clean fuel stop, and we turned a total of 131 laps.  That put us last (fifth) in the very competitive GTU class, but not by much.  The next two teams did 134 and 135.  If we can find a bit more speed next year, we should be in the hunt for third.  Not much chance we will ever beat the teams whose rosters include black-number (expert) riders, but maybe we can claw our way up the novice ranks.

Here is the requisite cheezy post-race group photo:

The day after the race, Allen went through the GPS data and was a bit annoyed to discover that they guy with 9.5 fingers had beat his best lap time by a full 2 s (best of 1:14.5 for me, vs his 1:16.6; Steve logged a 1:18.9).

Ha!

Edit:  Here is a nice photo taken by Sheri Manuel during the endurance race: