posted on June 12, 2010 22:33
Racing Road America
Last week we did the second leg of TTXGP, racing in Road America. I flew in from San Francisco, while the bike was transported by Electric Motorsports. The Funhauler seized a couple of brake calipers in Reno, so the trip got delayed and the bikes (there were four competitors on the trailer) didn't arrive until Friday afternoon! Half the paddock was sitting in the pits wondering if the bikes were coming in for the last practice that day! But since it rained hard in the morning, nobody was too sad about not riding. The bikes arrived in time for the last practice, so I had time to acquaint myself with the track. 4.3 miles, three long straights. Seems like you are leaving the county and back by the time you are all the way around the track! It's a beautiful track though, and great for the spectators, too! The green cushy grass is awesome for camping, which is what I did.
The next day in qualifying I started with the first lap, and started to get on the throttle, but getting out of the last corner onto the front straight, the bike cut out. First I thought it might be just a reset problem, but it wouldn't reset, so I got towed back in. Turns out the solenoid was fried, possibly from all the problems we had before. Fortunately Electric Racebikes had another one that we could buy, so we everything was fixed by the second and last qualifying session. Since I didn't qualify, I had to do the rain session, me and one other competitor. Pouring rain, really slick, but at least it was warm. I qualified with a dismal time, but at least I was on the grid!
The next morning we had no practice before the race, and I was a little wary since I didn't know the track that well. The race started and I kept up with the front group, when... the bike cut out. Argh! We thought we had fixed that, but electrics are tricky. This time I got it to reset right away, but of course everybody was gone already. So I was faced with the same situation of having to pass everybody back, and I again placed in 4th.
The brushes and controller are back in England now for improvements. Liam Shubert is developing a race fairing for the Mavizen, of which I will probably only have the tail, but I think that will give us at least another 10mph. James Sidall is re-valving the shocks, since they are *still* way to stiff, we keep going down and down, but since we had so little track time, it is taking a while to develop. Either way, by the end of the season, the Mavizen will be a kick ass bike, ready to rock on the street and on the track!
Ah, the joy of research and development, yet I am very proud to be part of it. So I'll be back with new and improved parts for the next race, so look out, boys and girls!
I had a great weekend, I am now 3rd in points overall, everybody was super nice and helpful, and congratulations to Zoe Rem on 2nd place and Michael Barnes on 1st! The next round is at Mosport, Canada, where I'm planning on being on the podium for sure.
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