Round 2 was this past weekend, and it was yet another adventure, to be sure!

Despite a gloomy weather forecast, we packed up the trailer and made the six hour trip down to Miller on Friday afternoon. I brought my rain gear along, as it's still never been used, and it seems that whenever I bring it, it doesn't rain. Well, that streak is now over!

Saturday, practice day, was gray but no rain. We ran the (incredible!) full track, which is just tremendous. What a circuit. I felt really good on the 600, but seemed to struggle on the RC. Suddenly it felt heavy and really lumbered through some of the slower corners that I could just rail on using the 600. My best lap times on the 600 were around 3:18, but just 3:25 or so on the RC. Toward the end of the day I figured out that a lot of it had to do with my front brake feeling very mushy. Usually my brakes on the RC are hyper-sensitive, which is how I like them. Apparently they needed to be bled pretty badly. Overnight I did a speed-bleed on them, and they seemed better during Sunday morning practice (race day).

Sunday's weather was pretty crappy. Mid-40's to mid-50's through the day, windy, with on/off light rain. In the morning practice on the RC, I was feeling pretty good, picking up the pace a bit, when suddenly the RC gets very LOUD. It's normally pretty loud, with those Sato Banzais, but now it was ridiculously loud. I thought maybe one of my earplugs had fallen out, but that wasn't it. Something was wrong. I slowed down, got out of the race line, and looked back to make sure I still had the twin cans coming out either side of the bike. Yep. Still there. I limped back in to the pits, and there was a little surprise in my belly pan (thank goodness for belly pans!). See photo above. A chunk of exhaust pipe had broken off and was just sitting there.

Probably when the previous owner had it as a street bike, with the nylon wrap he put on those pipes, if it got wet or he washed it, it would hold the water in against the metal, and over time it just got corroded. Bottom line - the race with my best chance of a podium (Open Twins), I had to scratch.

As I waited for my other two races, there were multiple delays due to weather, crashes, schedule changes and so on. We all were wondering what tires to run, because we couldn't tell if it was going to be wet or dry. In some races, half the track was getting rained on, and the other half was dry. I needed a new rear on my 600, and was trying to decide between my usual medium-compound Power Race 190/55, or switching to a Pilot Power 2CT, which at least would be a little better in the wet.

I finally decided to buy my son Travis some new tires for his R6, for some upcoming trackdays we'll have. I got him a set of 2CT's, with a 180/55 rear that I could use on the 600 for the day, and then swap out to his bike.

Finally, my first race came - the Amateur GTU, against novices and experts on 600's. I was in grid position 7, on the second row, with my brand new tires (I scrubbed them in pretty good on the warm-up lap, and hoped it was enough!). I found out in the first turn of the warm-up lap that the geometry on the bike was way different, and turn-in was quite an adjustment, but after about half a lap I sort of had it figured out.

On the start, it was intensity time as usual. I was really good immediately off the line, and started going around the guy in front of me. I thought I could give it a little more, and did, when suddenly my bike does this huge wheelie! I let off and BANG! down comes the front end. This throws my groin directly into the rear of the tank, feeling like someone had just kicked me right in the crotch. It really hurt! Meanwhile, all these guys are going by me, but I had to forget the pain and just GO.

On the full track at Miller after the start the straightaway just goes on FOREVER into the first turn. It was so much fun flying into that turn with all those other bikes, because I was more comfortable braking later than they were, so I was just passing guys one by one, through the first three high-speed turns. After that I settled into fourth, and the three guys in front just took off. They were really, really fast, and I tried to hang with them but couldn't.

I was getting rained on quite a bit around the track, with the wind blowing me around, but those tires were really working well. The track was staying relatively dry, but I think that for a lot of the riders, the rain was making them think it was more slick than it was. After that the race became pretty boring, with the three guys out in front way ahead of me, and the guy in fifth an equal amount behind me.

When I got back to the pits it still felt like I'd been kicked in the package, but I was pretty happy with the result.

My last race was the Novice GTO, me against novices on 600's and literbikes. I was in the front row of the grid this time, due to my third-place finsh last time. Another big grid, with 20+ riders behind me. A better start off the line, out there in front with the other guys. I click into second, and hit neutral! Suddenly guys are flying by me as I go into second, get some wind in my face and realize my face shield is still up! Smack it down, get on the gas, and again start picking people off as they brake for the first turn.

A couple more in turns two and three, and suddenly it looks like the last race. Me chasing the three guys in front, and building a big lead on the guys behind me. Less rain this time, but still a little. I really wanted to see if I could stay with those three, but the bike just wasn't turning the way I'm used to. I kept missing apexes, running wide. A combination of pushing a bit too hard, and the altered geometry of the bike with the different tires. They still stuck really well, though. Every once in a while the front or back would start to slide, so I'd adjust to bring it back, but they did really well under the circumstances. I actually matched my best lap times with race tires from the day before in practice, in the semi-wet conditions on the street tires in the race, so I was pretty pleased with that. Wound up all alone in fourth place again, way ahead of the guy in fifth and the 20 or so behind him.

I've felt a real transition take place from my first race weekend. The first race it was - "This is crazy. I'm not sure this is for me." Over the next couple it changed to "Yeah, this is kind of fun. I want to do this again." After yesterday, it has become "Okay. Now it's time to do what I need to do to be out there with those guys in front." In those two races that meant about three or four seconds per lap over the long track. I can do that.

I find that my wife, kwhip, is kind of getting into it, too. Although she hasn't gone with me, she's seen the videos, and she really dug the very cool trophy I won with the podium finish last time. This morning she said, "You need to ditch that beast (the RC), and get a faster bike!" LOL...

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