Lucky for me my parents live an hour away from the track so after the long haul to get there, I have a nice comfortable base of operations. The track is an amazing place, and I'll do a brief description of a lap around the track. You start off coming down the main straight and clicking in 6th gear, and wind it all the way to the RPM redline before braking for T1, that's about 135mph on my EX650. At T1 you brake hard, go down one gear, and try to carry as much speed as possible as there's a little rise at the exit. Between 1 and 2 you hold the throttle wide open and redline 5th gear. At the entrance of two you roll off the throttle a little tip in, and add gas the whole way through 2. T2 goes on forever, and you have to continuously add gas or it will load up the front tire, and dump you. You come out of 2 and hit a short straight once again pinned at redline before T3. At T3 you grab a handful of brakes, down 1 gear, and turn left (one of only three lefts), and up the hill for T4 "the Omega" as that's what it's shaped like. You double apex at the top of the hill, and try to hold a tight line as you exit coming down the hill, and you need to be on the gas or it will again load up the front end. Drive down the hill with as much speed as you dare, because T5 is a down hill left. Get on the brakes as late as you dare (down hill), enter the turn late, and carry the speed out because again there's a rise at the exit. I click up a gear between T5, and T6. Turns 6 and 7 are hardly turns at all, you barely changed direction so they are more of a subtle chicane. Down the hill after 6 click up another gear into 6th, and hold the throttle pinned through 7 (not really a turn), and into T8. Turn 8 is where you separate the haves from the have-nots, the men from the boys if you will. You hold the throttle pinned entering T8, lean all the way over, but stick out your knee, that will have the wind trying to rip you off the bike. Because here you are 6th gear 9,000rpm, 130mph, leaned all the way over. There is very short piece of asphalt between what is considered the exit of T8, and, and the entrance of T9. Here you roll of the throttle drop a gear, and carry as speed as possible through T9 and onto the front straight.
I did a half day of practice on Friday, and saw my times get into the mid 1.40's. I knew if I was to have any chance of racing I needed to get into the mid 30's. A daunting task. Saturday a guy named Eric Angel, pitted with me. He loaned my his transponder for the WERA race, and was now giving me tips on how to get around willow.
Eric's help is immeasurable. Without his guidance I would have been lost. I did 7 practice sessions, and my rear tire was toast!. I couldn't believe it. This was only the third track day on the rear, and it was a shredded sad pile of smoking rubber. The speed of T8 just destroys rear tires. By the end of the day on Saturday I had got down to the 1.37's. Good but I needed another 2-3 seconds to run with the pack. Where the hell was that going to come from? I knew exactly where. At this point I was still a boy, and rolling off the throttle going into T8 losing precious ticks of the clock doing so. I knew I had to find the courage to hold it open.
Sunday came around and a new rear tire is on, and I do two practice sessions that morning, again in the 37's.
I gridded up for the first race, and I knew if I could stay with the group I could find the courage to hang with them. The flag drops, and I got a great launch, unfortunately the guy in front of me did not, and I had to roll off the throttle to keep form hitting him, and that was pretty much the end of that race right there. I went into T1 about 2 bike lengths behind the front pack, and lost touch. By the time we got to T8 they where 8 bike leghts in front of me, and I didn't have what I needed to stay with them. I rode around for 6 laps by myself. Too slow for the front group, to fast for the back group. I finished 8th out of 14.
Race 2. This time I could feel it. I didn't care if I had to knock someone down. I was going to stay with that front group at the start no matter what.
That is the racing attitude I hadn't felt yet this year. Red Mist.
the flag drops, and off we go. I hold a tight line through 1 and come out 4th in the 2nd pack of riders, which would put in in 9th overall. This would turn out to be a great race. The 4 of us enter T8 nose to tail in a line, and I told myself out loud in my helmet "if they can you can" and I hold that damn throttle wide open all the way through, T8 and we come out on the straight 4 in line nose to tail. OK game on. i make a move on the brakes into T1, and get a position, but the guy goes right back past me exiting 1. We come around 4 8 again, I hold the throttle open again, and I realize that I close up on the exit of 8. They are rolling off mid turn! We come down the front straight again, and the guy two bikes in front of me runs off track at the exit of 1, but to his credit he stays on gas, through the dirt he's on the gas, and come back on track between 1, and 2. This mixes the 4 of us up, and I get two guys going into 2. One of them gets me back at the exit, and now I'm 3rd in the group of 4. Nothing really happens between 3-8. Sure we show each other a wheel, but always back off. T8 again. I hold it wide open, and go underneath one of the guys in front of me, yeah baby I just passed someone mid turn in T8. Unfortunately that spooked me and I rolled off too soon, and he got it back down the straight. We hammer at each other for 6 laps. On the last lap heading down the hill from T7 I'm once again 4th in the group. So I use my head. I back off just a little, and give them some room. I now know that I can carry more speed through 8-9 then these guys so rather than riding right on their tail. I give them 3 or so bike lengths going into T8, and I hold it open gaining on them as we apex 8, we come out of T9, and I slingshot right past two of them onto the front straight, and up a gear and on the gas I almost got the third at the start finish.
What a great race. I finished 7th over all, but in my book I finished 2nd, in what was a hard fought, smart race where I finally stopped being a boy. I was really proud. Not only had I overcome my fear of going fast through T8, but I had found it as a new strength that I could exploit over my competitors. That last lap of the 2nd race was my fastest lap of the weekend. 1.34.2
Later in pits I found those guys, and we all agreed it was one of the most fun races any of us had ever rode.
A special thanks to Dave Moss, Jennifer at Werkstatt, Slim Jim, Dunlop, and my mom, and dad.
Look out AFM here I come.
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