SATURDAY
I must say that I went into this round with some trepidation. A few weeks back, my son and I went to the AMA/WSBK races at Miller, which were incredible. The next day, we did a trackday on the perimeter course at Miller. Apparently I was trying to do my best Troy Bayliss impersonation, because in the first session after lunch, while exiting the final turn “Release” into the long straight, I got on the gas hard on the 1098. Suddenly I head the motor spin WAY up, as the rear end of the bike pitched out to my right. Before I had even a split second to react, down we went, with me on my back under the bike, with the awful sound of scraping metal, plastic, and leather, feeling the “thump, thump, thump” of the curbing on my back as the bike and I slide off the track, wondering how this was going to end.

I pushed the bike off of me as we slowed to a stop just off the edge of the track. Fortunately, the riders behind me were able to avoid me and the bike. I was fine, just a bit battered and bruised. The bike actually sustained very little damage, mostly because it was on top of me the whole time! Just a bent footpeg and scraped frame slider, with a small bit of rash on the lower. My leathers, however, were toast. No complaints, they did their job well, but will need to be replaced.

So, for this round I’d have to use my backup set of leathers, which I truly hate. They were a custom set, but the manufacturer was a small shop that went belly-up shortly after delivering mine, and they just never fit well. I can’t move around on the bike the way I normally would, as they are extremely restrictive, especially in the legs and shoulders. My new set won’t be available for several more weeks, so I was stuck with the backups.

I also changed the gearing on my bikes, hoping it would give me a better setup for the East track, on which we would race this time.

The first practice session was pretty awful. I thought maybe I should just pack up and go home, it was so bad. The gearing felt better in some areas, worse in others. The suit was driving me crazy. As I’d turn my head through the corners, my helmet would bump into the hump on my leathers, which just added to the frustration of the restrictive fit. I must admit that my riding was a bit tentative as well, especially at corner exit, where I was reluctant to get on the gas too much.

Before the second practice session, I told myself to just get over it, and find a way to quit riding like a wuss, and just make it work with the leathers. The session was definitely better. The leathers seemed to be stretching out a little bit, and I started working on figuring out the new gearing. It’s amazing how much difference just changing one tooth in the rear can make. It was a lot better in some areas, but not as good in others. Always trade-offs, I guess.

As the day went along, it got really hot. 95 degrees or so, which in a leather suit, helmet and gloves, becomes pretty oppressive. I also noticed that there would a bunch more competition in my classes than in previous rounds, making podium finishes pretty tough. Two factory KTM riders were there, riding Super Dukes – Troy Herfoss and Chris Fillmore.

They had raced with us once or twice last year, and although they are very fast and talented riders, it sounded like they didn’t have a great reputation around the paddock for some of their very aggressive tactics on the track. Apparently they didn’t mind bumping and stuffing and standing people up (I found out for myself on Sunday about this).

KING OF CLUBS RACE
This is the fun “team” race, where I’d be part of the four man “Team Idaho,” riding the 1098. We donned our fluorescent lime green vests, and took our grid positions. Somehow I wound up being in the very last spot on the grid, despite a decent finish in the previous round’s race. I decided to just use it as motivation to see how many people I could get through off the start and through the race.

The green flag flew, and off I went, getting a very good start. Fortunately, this race wasn’t the crash-fest that it had been last round. I settled into a comfortable pace, and wind up finishing a respectable 12th out of 19 guys, with a best lap time of 1:42.9, which is only a half second slower than my first race on the East track in round one.

At the end of the day, I figure that between the leathers issue, the increased competition, the heat, the gearing, and so on, that maybe this weekend I’d just try to ride a bit conservatively, accumulating points toward the championship, and not do anything stupid. After needing to spend a couple grand from my recent crash for leathers and bike repair, I wasn’t really in a hurry to do that again. I also have a big three-day track day event with great friends coming up next week, and didn’t want to do anything foolish to jeopardize that. But I’d still push hard to try to achieve the best results I could under the circumstances.

SUNDAY
I’d signed up for five (!) classes this time. As in the past, the two usual twins classes, the Amateur GTU, and the Formula 40. But this time I added the Twins GTU class, where I’d race my Aprilia SXV550 supermoto bike against SV650’s, a Bimota, another supermoto, a Buell, a two-stroke, and so on. I’d prepped my SXV for racing the last few weeks, and was really excited about having some fun in the class. When I looked at the schedule, I saw that I’d wind up with two races back-to-back at the end of the day (F40 and LW Twins), and with 90+ degree temps I decided to bag the F40 race this time.

Race One – SuperTwins
I’m in grid position 1B, next to ultra-fast Shane Turpin on his 1098R, with regular rivals Paul Avery (PK) and Mike Bunds behind me on their 848’s, along with the factory KTM boys, and the very fast Patrick Lansu, who races with us occasionally, also on the grid. This was going to be tough!

I get a great start, and chase Turpin into one before he checks out as per usual. I’m in second place in the championship for this class, and he does 1:35’s on this track compared to my best of 1:41’s. Yeah, he’s fast. As I start to tip the bike into turn four, a slow right-hander, I feel the presence of a bike to my left. And it’s practically touching me. It’s Herfoss on the KTM, and he means business. Apparently he wants to turn in a bit more sharply than me, and cuts right across my line. I sort of had a feeling it was coming, so I gently applied a bit more front brake and tipped in harder to avoid hitting his rear tire with my front. It was really, really close. I just shook my head and kept riding. Before long the other KTM guy, Lansu, and Avery got by me. Fillmore wound up crashing his KTM, and I managed to hold off the rest of the pack to salvage fifth place.

I was a little disappointed to not finish higher, but later found out that I’d actually achieved my best lap time ever in the race, a 1:41.1. That made me happy, because I really didn’t expect that considering how poorly I felt I’d been doing with the leathers and gearing.

Race Two – Twins GTO
This time I’m in position 1A, on the 849, ready to try and grab the holeshot into the very tight turn one. No Turpin in this one, but I’ve got Shannon Moham next to me on his heavily-modified SV, along with Bunds, PK, Lansu, and Herfoss on the factory KTM to deal with. Let’s have some fun.

They have two starters up in the tower. One is holding up the number boards, and the other waves the flag. I see the two, then the one, and the flag flies instantly! No sideways 1???!!! They’re supposed to turn the “1” board sideways before the flag flies, but the guy with the flag screwed up. As a result, my start isn’t great, but I still follow Shannon into turn one in second place.

Shannon’s usually been pretty easy for me to get by, but not this time. Either he’s running better than normal, has added some horsepower, or I’m not riding as well as usual (definitely some of that going on). PK, who has shown himself to be really fast on the East track, gets by us and takes off. I’m still looking for a way around Shannon. Herfoss gets by (this time more cleanly). Finally I late-brake Shannon into the “Attitudes” corners (which felt really cool), and try to hang on for the last podium position. I’m wondering where the heck Lansu is, as normally he’d have blown by me long before.

On the sixth lap (of seven), a bike slides by on my right. I thought it must have been Lansu. Instead, it’s my pal Mike Bunds on the 848. I’ve managed to beat him several times in previous rounds, but he’s improving and getting the 848 dialed in. I try to stay with him, but the tires are feeling a bit greasy so I wind up settling for fourth, with a best lap time of 1:42.8, which is a bit disappointing. Herfoss wins the race, with PK second (1:39.8), and Bunds in third (1:41.1).

Race Three – Amateur GTU
Pole position on this one, riding the 849, with Spencer Steed (with whom I’m tied for first place in the championship) on my left. Spencer’s really fast on the East track, so I know he’ll be tough to beat. My pal Brad Moore, who is also getting really fast, crashed earlier in the day, fracturing an ankle, so he’s out of this race, unfortunately. Right behind me on the grid is an Idaho buddy of mine who is also getting very fast on his GSXR600, Nate Titus. Nate used to be a factory snowcross champion, and is quickly becoming an excellent roadracer.

This time we actually get a proper start procedure, and I take the holeshot. In turn four, Spencer shows me a wheel, but I manage to pull back ahead. In turn five, he does it again, but makes it stick. He takes off and I’ve got no answer this time. I’m just not feeling confident enough in the grip, and my comfort level with proper body position due to the restrictive leathers is holding me back. I’m also still struggling with the gearing.

On the second lap, as I’m braking into turn one, a bike appears on my right. It’s Titus! He starts to get around me, but I dive deeper into the corner and sneak through underneath him (he also is polite and doesn’t cut me off as he could have). This tells me two things. A) I’ve got a race on my hands, and B), I need to brake later into one, which I know I can, but have been too lazy and comfortable with. I push as hard as I can, trying to avoid mistakes, and brake as deep as possible. I manage to hold him off and take the checkered flag for second. When I turn around to see where he is at the end of the race, he’s right on my tail! I guess it was that close the entire race, which was really fun for both of us, and the spectators.

I manage a 1:42.3, which is better, but still not as good as the 1:41.5 I did in round one on the same bike. I chalk it up to the leathers/gearing issues, and look forward to working hard at big improvement next round, which will also be on the East track.

Race Four – Twins GTU
Now, a fun race! No pressure, just out having some fun mixing it up on the motard. I get a decent start, and off we go. I’m on street tires – Michelin Pilot Power 2CT’s, which grip amazingly well. This bike is just crazy. I find myself in fourth gear through a bunch of the turns, because you just don’t need to slow down!

Rolling through turn two, I look down and see I’m doing over 100 MPH, and it feels like I’m just cruising. I manage to hang with Scott Ferguson on his Buell for a few laps, trying to battle for third place. He pulls me on the straights, but I reel him back in under braking. As the race progresses, he pulls away further and further, and I manage to hang on for fourth, with a best lap time of 1:51.8. It was a great and fun way to finish the day.

Although less than thrilled with the results, it still wound up being a really good weekend. I kept it safe, stayed in the hunt, and had a bunch of fun racing with my friends. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I love the competition and the excitement of the racing, but the best part is certainly all of the friends I’ve been blessed with in the paddock. It’s really fun seeing some of the young guys I’ve helped progress, and see their excitement with their improvement. (Now they’re nipping at my heels, darn it!)

I’m really looking forward to the next round, as I know there are so many ways I can improve. That’s the challenge, and a big part of the fun.

ON TO THE NEXT ROUND >>>