Wow. What a weekend. What a season. Motorcycle racing is just too damn much fun. Unbelievable.

This past weekend was the seventh and final round of the Masters of the Mountain (MOM) series I’ve been competing in at Miller. The last few weeks have kind of been a blur, as two weeks ago was round six, then three trackdays over Labor Day weekend, then this race weekend. Between the six hour drives each way each time, and all of the bike prep time between each weekend, I’m ready for a break! Although I won’t be surprised if I’m jonesing for some more track time in a couple of weeks, but for now I’m worn out (and broke).

This round we’re on the very fast and flowing West track, and the weather is perfect – the mid-80’s are a welcome change from the 100 degree temps we’ve had since June.

My best times from previous races are low 1:40’s. All season long I’ve made incremental improvements in my lap times each round – a ¼ second here, a ½ second there, all with lots of effort, while often many of my competitors seemed to make more dramatic strides. Still, I was very consistent lap to lap, and the overall results have been pretty good for my first year. Somehow on Saturday, though, I’m just “feeling it,” and my lap times are 1:38’s on the Honda 600, and dipping into the 1:37’s on the Ducati! I’m amazed and pleased, and a bit dumbfounded, all at once.

After practice I give my buddy the Michelin rep another $400 plus for new tires – one part of the racing season that I’m glad is over for sure, although getting that contingency money does help some.

Sunday. The last race day of the season. I’m a little concerned that there might be some knuckleheads trying to be a hero in the last races of the year, and do something stupid like torpedo me, but I’m determined to just go out and have fun and enjoy it. My first race is probably my favorite class – Twins GTO. It’s pretty much all experts on Ducs and RC’s and the like, with just a couple of novices like me. My grid position is 1C, so I’m on the front row, hoping for a great start. I’d love a podium finish, but there are a few guys entered in the race that are usually quite a bit faster, so fifth place or thereabouts seems more likely. I’m in third place in the championship for this class, and a good amount behind number two, so the best I can hope for is to finish well and retain third place in the points.

The green flag files and we’re off. My start is not as good as usual on the Duc, but okay. A young guy on another 1098 flies around me on the outside into turn one, and I’m in fourth place. I’ve raced this guy before, and he’s brave but his lines are just wacky – he’s all over the track. He’s tough to follow, but I just decide to stick to my lines and wait for a mistake, despite the frustration I’m feeling seeing the first and second place riders pulling away. In turn six, he runs way wide at the exit, so I dip underneath him and rocket away.

By now the leaders are a ways out, but I try to push as hard as I’m comfortable, trying to hold off the other couple of fast guys I know are still behind me. In the second lap (of seven), I get to the final turn and see that one of the leaders has run off the track. I slide by and suddenly I’m in second! Five long laps to go. I try to just run the best laps I can, guessing that there must be several guys right on my tail. In the final turn on the fifth lap, I see a rider trying to squeeze by on the inside. Crap! We exit the turn together, and he pulls slightly ahead. I see it’s the guy who ran off earlier (who happens to be the fastest guy in this class), so it doesn’t bug me too much. I just want to hold off the others. I actually wind up hanging with him over the next two laps surprisingly well.

In the last turn of the last lap, I run a little deep trying to carry as much speed as I can. Suddenly I see the guy who’s second in the points sneaking up the inside. No! I tuck in, twist the throttle as far as it will go, and explode back by him to take the final podium spot!

The next race was the Amateur GTU, on the 600. I’m in the second row of the grid, and get a decent start. The few guys that passed me at the start I overtake in the first couple of corners with late braking. I get passed by a few of the superfast guys, and pass a couple of guys myself. In the last corner, again I try to carry more speed in, run wide, and I see a guy dip in underneath me. I pin it, and we’re side by side heading for the checkered flag. A total photo finish! Usually I’ve been able to tell if the other guy or me hit the finish line first, but I absolutely couldn’t tell with this one. Turns out he nipped me by 1/100th of a second for 8th! Still, a top ten finish, which is decent in this field. I manage to beat several guys who I’ve been battling all year.

At last, the final race of the season – the Novice GTO. I’m tempted to take out the 600 instead of the Ducati, still worried about the possibility of some nut plowing me. But hey, I bought this bike to race it, and I’d rather have 150 horsepower and superior brakes than 115 HP, so I decide to go for it. Hopefully I’ll get a great start from my front row grid position and not have to worry about it.

During the warm-up lap I’m just taking it all in, realizing it’s going to be a long off-season, and thinking about how much I’ve enjoyed racing this year.

I do get a great start – second into turn one. Again I’m determined to run the fastest pace I’m comfortable, and hope I can hold off the fast guys. The 1098S is a spectacular bike. I’m just amazed by it. Unbelievable power, amazing brakes, and fantastic suspension. It feels like cheating (but I can live with it).

A few laps in, one of the faster guys gets by me, but I hope to save the last podium position. On the fifth lap, I’m getting a little tired, and I botch a downshift into turn ten – the last turn before the start/finish straight. I’m bogging and I know it’s going to cost me big time at the exit. It sure does – the kid who has been winning most all of the novice races gets by me on the inside. I’ve got another fast guy sneaking by on the outside as we go into the high-speed turn one. He gets by me, but then starts to turn right across my line as we’re both doing 100+, dragging knee. I can’t believe my front wheel doesn’t run into his back wheel, but it causes me to have to brake and stand the bike up a bit. I’m cursing in my helmet (and I almost never curse). For a moment I get some red mist going and am determined to go get revenge, but I regain my composure and just try to keep putting in good laps.

When I get to the final turn, I see the really fast kid has crashed. I hang on for fourth, which caps maybe the best weekend I’ve had of a really fun season. I ran consistent 1:37’s on the 1098, and 1:38’s on the 600, which I’m really pleased about. Most importantly, I avoid crashing. A couple of times I was pushing so hard I had to save the front from tucking with my knee, at very high speed. I had a bunch of people coming up to me in the paddock after the races asking what the heck had happened – how had I gotten so fast? Of course, that made me feel great!

Final chapter >