posted on June 19, 2010 22:36
Round 4 - Pacific Raceways
On Friday, I was given the opportunity to test Jon Friesen's NCR Millona - an exotic V-Twin Italian race bike (only a small number of these bikes have been produced in the world). My first impression? The bike was absolutely incredible! The handling, torque, and brakes surpassed that of the R6. The only advantage the R6 had over the Millona was its overall top-end speed. By the end of the day, I was simply giddy with excitement for the chance to race the bike on Saturday. With the R6, I managed to download a Windows 7 compatible driver for the Bazzaz software so my laptop could communicate with the bike - only to find out that all of my previous fuel maps for the MR9 fuel had been lost. We would have to start from ground zero AGAIN.
Saturday morning practice with the NCR Millona left me a bit worried. The bike started to cut out on acceleration down the front stretch. We initially thought it might be a loose electrical connection. Jon actually found and fixed a few issues with some of the connections, so we hoped that the problem was resolved for the race.
MW GP Twins. Jon had mentioned that the bike was a challenge to launch off of the start and he was right! I ended up bouncing down the front stretch with repeated wheelies. Despite this, I had worked my way up to third place by Turn 3. By the time I reached the busstop, I was in 2nd place. As I charged down the front stretch after Eric Featherstone (who was in the lead), something went terribly wrong with the Millona. The bike violently stumbled several times and then lost power. I quickly pulled in the clutch lever for fear that the engine was seizing. Once I threw my hand up, I coasted down the rest of the front stretch and pulled off at the track entry road in Turn One. The starter motor simply spun when I tried to start the bike again. Sadly, the crash truck had to tow the bike back to our pit area. After Dave Alexander looked the Millona over, he concluded that the problem was not one to be fixed at the track. Thus, my adventure on this bike was over for the weekend.
600 Supersport. Back to the in-line four R6 - I did not get off the line too well at the start, so I had to make up a number of spots quickly within the first two laps. The fun began when I found myself behind Jeff Seehorn - he's a fast guy that I have had no experience racing. Strangly, I spent the entire race battling with him... and admiring his rear wheel slides into Turn 3! I found it difficult to fit in another downshift between Turns 5-7, so I let the bike bog out of the powerband on the exit of Turn 7. Jeff would pull away at this point, and I'd have to make up the distance again. Despite my attempts, I couldn't find a way around him, but I finished the race in 6th place - a NEW best finish during a dry race!
600 Superbike. We ended up with a bizzare "mass" false start, and a number of riders (including Eli Edwards) where sent to the back of the grid on the restart. Once we got going again, I found myself in 5th place behind Jeff for a good part of the race. To be expected, Eli Edwards and Mike MacConaghy eventually made their way by both of us. Despite quite a few mistakes during this race, I was still able to make up the distance and continue my attempts at passing Jeff. Though he managed to stay in front of me, he pushed me to make a big leap in the lap times. The results showed that had I consistently stayed in the 1.29s, while managing to pull several laps in the 1.28s. The fastest lap? A 1.28.2! I finished the race in 7th Place.
750 Superbike. My final race of the day would be used to practice downshifting another gear between Turn 5 and Turn 7. I felt as if I was losing a significant amount of time here, and I needed to get the downshift figured out. Though the effort slowed down my entry into Turn 7, I was at least able to consistently fit in another downshift. Surprisingly, I found myself passing a few folks and breaking away for a bit. Since there was nobody immediately in front of me, I put myself on cruise control. Likewise, there was a decent gap from the riders behind me, so I backed off just enough to stay fairly comfortable without letting anyone get by at the finish line. Result - 8th Place.
Overall, we had a fantastic weekend at Pacific Raceways and at Spokane County Motorsports Park [for round #03]! I reached a personal best in lap times and with overall finishes in dry conditions. Though I still need to sort out my gearing issues for Pacific Raceways, I'm elated at the results so far! After looking back at the race footage on video, I can still find some places on the track where I could make up time. This is something I'll continue to work on throughout the season.
Once again, I'd like to thank Dave Alexander for his suspension expertise - the R6 is handling phenominally well with the re-worked stock suspension. Tom Young - you were right! The new Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa compound had considerable improvement in grip and longevity - the tires provided the confidence that I needed to get on the gas harder coming out of the corners. Jon Friesen - I was honored to have the chance to ride and race one of your NCR Millonas, and I can't wait for the opportunity to do so again when the bike is back together. Furthermore, thank you so much for your assistance with the Bazzaz fuel mapping system on the R6. We were able to create a map that worked very well for both race weekends! I'd also like to thank everyone in the Fluid Suspension Science pits that provided a helping hand - everything you do makes our race weekends so much easier to handle! Finally, I want to recognize all of our 2010 season sponsors for your support this year - you play an essential role in our success at the race track. Thankyou!
Fluid Suspension Science, Oregon Trail Sports, Adrenaline Freaks Trackdays, Scorpion Helmets, Competition Motors - Pirelli / VP Racing Fuel, LeoVince Exhaust, Seattle Cycle Service, LP USA, AMSOil, Vortex Racing, SPIDI, SIDI, RK Chains, Race Ready Design, Seattle Cycle Center, Darren Beatty Photography, Fourwinds Graphics.
fourwindsroadracing.com