The last race for the season was September 19th and 20th at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. We had a pretty decent grid considering it was the end of the year with a few fast guys coming out for the last race. I was hoping to keep a top ten finish for the year but was bumped out in the last few races. With that in mind my plan was to have fun this weekend and finish the season on two wheels. Racing on Saturday was botched with two significant crashes that tied up all the emergency service assets so racing was canceled. My race on Sunday started great but ended with me loosing four positions in the last few laps. Overall I was happy with where I finished for the year but had hoped to perform a little better than I did this last race.
The weeks leading up to this race had been pretty busy motorcycle wise. I signed up for a track day at Laguna Seca with a group a friends for a once in a lifetime chance to run the track without sound restrictions. Since Laguna Seca is a state park there is a strict 94db sound limit except for five events during the year. Believe it or not there is also a speed limit of 140 mph, silly I know. The track day provider took the day after the AMA removed the race from their schedule. I decided to run my Ducati 748R instead of the RS. The Ducati would be easier to run for the day and if I put the miles on the RS it would have needed a top end rebuild before the race. I figured I’d save the motor and dust off the 748R instead.
The Ducati has been tucked away since the end of the 2007 season so it needed some work. I was really motivated and took the time so install several major upgrades I’ve been sitting on for years. The most important being a 54mm tapered exhaust system from Ducati Corse for the 748RS. I figured with no sound limit, why not. I also installed new slicks, magnesium rims, full floating brake rotors, oversized radiator, silicone hoses and several other trick “bits of kit.” Since I was in a “get it done” work mode that transferred over to the RS the week after the track day. The bike was prepped and ready to go Thursday night. When I got home from work on Friday I spent a few hours packing up and headed out for the track. Funny how it’s taken me all year to get to this point, I felt like I was cheating somehow. Not rushing to get things done at the last minute and driving to the track like a mad man before the gates closed felt foreign to me.
I got to the track and unloaded into my garage space for the weekend. I had a few small items to address on the bike but I was chatting with my neighbors and generally having a good time. My parents are still gone in Europe so no track side support vehicle for the weekend. I had stopped at the store on the way to the track and grabbed some groceries for the weekends so I was good on food. I threw in a box of camping equipment when I was packing and brought my sleeping bag and a pillow. I finished up around 11 PM and backed my truck into the garage. I set up my bed in the back of the truck, took a quick shower and then got some sleep.
I woke up at about 6 AM and packed up my bed. I moved my truck outside and then fired up the camp stove to make some coffee. The bike was ready for tech so I rolled it down around 7 AM after having some coffee. I breezed through tech and returned to the garage. I got the bike up and the tire warmers on and prepped for practice group two. A while later, my “garage mate” showed up and unloaded his stuff. Eric Kolstoe is a long time FII racer and an all around good guy. His girlfriend Jennifer works at the Ducati dealer and the last time I was in a few weeks ago she mentioned Eric was considering not doing the last race. He was tired of the drama that was brewing in the area he normally pits in so I offered him to share the garage space with me. There is more than enough room and since I was by myself on Saturday I figured it would be nice to have someone close by to lend a hand if needed.
Most of Saturday was pretty low key. The practice sessions went well and I was running close to my lap times from the last race. I was doing well and just enjoying the day. Since it was the end of the season I was riding smart and trying to stay out of trouble. The weather was nice and the track was warm so grip was good. I was running my older spare wheels so I could get the most out of the good set I have for the race on Sunday. They were doing fine at practice pace. We had a break around 12 for lunch as usual and then ran another two sessions in the afternoon. My little brother Ryan showed up with his friends that afternoon and hung out. It was cool having him there. After my last practice session I came in and gave the bike a once over and get it prepped for the Clubman race.
Since it was the last race of the season the AFM let all Novice riders enter into the Clubman races. Now I normally run F40 Heavyweight but since the guys up front on 1000cc machines run so fast I thought I would try Clubman Middleweight. They are mostly 600cc bikes and only 3 to 5 seconds faster than me compared to 10+ in F40. When the call came out for our race I headed out and warmed the bike up. A few minutes later they gave us the signal for the warm up and I headed onto the track. Coming around into the grid I took my spot. The grid was pretty sparse, maybe 20 bikes in all and a lot of big bikes in front of me. I later found out they gridded us with the heavyweight class. The countdown for the green flag starts, 3, 2, 1, sideways, green flag and we are off.
The big bikes take off in front of me and I slot into the field about mid-pack. We get through T1 safely and head up into T2. As I start to crest the top of T2 I see bikes going everywhere. I sit up and adjust my line while scanning the track. In the dirt on the left edge of the track I can see a bike down. In the middle of the track about 10 ~ 15 yards in front of me is a rider down and he’s sliding. Bikes are going everywhere; I maneuver quickly to the right and try to get away from the chaos. In my peripheral vision I can see bikes dodging the rider down on the track. A few miss him but as the traffic splits a rider has no where to go and hits the rider straight across his lower body. I actually hear the impact then see the bike and rider that hit him going up in the air. I know this is going to be bad, I throw my hand up to alert everyone behind me I am slowing. I am now off to the far right of the track and safely through the incident.
We all slow as the black flags are out on the corner stations. We all cruise down to T4 and they take us off in the NASCAR turn/apron area. They hold us for a few minutes then give us the red flag and send us in. I return to the garage feeling a bit sick. I had a front row seat to the accident and seeing that guy get hit was somewhat disturbing. I am sure this will take a while so I put the bike back on the stands and get the warmers on. Both ambulance and the crash truck are out on course. About 15 minutes later we can hear the helicopter starting up, that is never a good sign. The helicopter takes one rider, the other goes in the ambulance. The guy who was hit is critical, both femurs broken. The guy who hit him is bad too, broken shoulder, shattered heal, cracked ribs etc. It’s times like these I really examine what I am doing here and how dangerous racing can be. It takes 30 to 45 minutes for us to get back on track. I try to clear my head and put a race face back on. We go back out for a warm up lap then they grid us again.
The green flag goes and we are off again. I am being a bit more cautious this time. If these novices want to battle I’ll let them. I have nothing to gain by placing or winning in this class. We get through the first lap and the field thins out. I have a few 600’s in front of me but don’t think I’ll be able to pass. After the first lap I come through T6 down the hill and head into T7. Far on the outside of T7 I can see two bikes and their riders on the ground. I shake my head. The next turn the black flags fly again. We head back in to the pits. I park my bike and call it a day. So much for racing with Novice Clubman. I was not pleased with the performance of these riders. 20 minutes later they shut the track down. The second ambulance is gone for the new crash and without medical evac or services we can’t race. I get out of my leathers and try to enjoy the rest of the day.
I cleaned my bike up and get it ready for Sunday. While sipping a cold beer I straightened the garage out a bit and cleaned up. The family of the rider who hit the guy on the track was just down and across from me in the pits so I talked to them a bit. Their dad was doing ok, he’s beat up and a few broke bones but nothing life threatening. Not much info on the other rider. I left the track early in the evening and headed home to get a good nights rest. The drive home was quite as I thought about what happened out there today. It’s a dangerous sport but I love it. I’ve been riding clean all year and managed to stay out of trouble but I know that something bad could happen at any time. I think about my family and friends who support me racing and I am glad they are there for me.
Sunday morning I get to the track at around 7:00 AM. I teched the night before and have the warmers on the timer so it’s just practice around 8:20 then a race before lunch. I swapped wheels also for my good set and have the bike all fueled up. As the morning goes on friends and family start to arrive at the track. My buddy Michael Schwindt shows up with his friend and photographer Sharlene. My younger brother Justin arrived later with his daughter Mia, and then my wife and son showed up. I go out and run morning practice with group 2. The track feels good and I seem to be running well. It’s warming up so it looks like we’ll have a nice day and the weather should be perfect when our race comes around. After practice my in-laws show up with their daughter and her boyfriend. It’s pretty busy in the garage with all the family around and everyone is having a good time.
It’s around 11:30 and the race before ours is finishing up. I get back in my leathers and start getting my “race face” on. We are listening carefully for first call so I can roll out and get the bike warmed up. Soon the P.A. barks for first call. The tire warmers come off, the bike goes down and with a swift push from the crew I am out the door. The bike fires and I gently blip the throttle as I head down to the track entrance. This is it, the final race for 2009. I pull into a shady spot by the timing and scoring tower and let the bike warm up. With all the action in my pits I forget to write down my grid position. Luckily a fellow racers girlfriend is close by and I ask if she can go check the grid sheet real quick. It’s just inside from where we are at so she returns a minute or two later with my number. Several minutes later they wave us out and we go out for the warm up lap. Around T11 into the starting grid we come. For this race they have decided to grid us behind the SV’s. This at first seems ok but by the first lap the top guys in FII are already into them where usually they don’t pass us until the last few laps. The first wave goes out and we get ready. 3, 2, 1, sideways, green flag and we are off. I get another great start (this seems to be a very strong point for me on this bike as I regularly beat guys a lot faster than me off the line). We are off and up into T2 and I have already made up a few places. During the first lap we get sorted out and the field completes lap 1. I lost a few positions in the first lap to faster guys but seem to be holding my own.
One or two laps into the race a few bikes tangle up in T9 and we get the yellow flags before and after. We all have to lower the pace since we can’t pass under yellow. For almost the entire race the downed bikes sit in the impact zone of T9, the workers can’t remove them quickly enough so they leave them there. A lap or two later two guys on SV’s get into each other in the top of T2. The one rider clipped the inside of the entrance of two, went into the dirt, shot it all over the track then reentered and collided with another rider. They both slide off into the outside of T2 so it’s more yellow flags now. We also get quite a surprise coming into T2 as the gravel is lying right in the path most of the FII bikes take. The race pace is certainly slower at this point. There are several issues to contend with on track and I know I am running slower than in practice.
The next few laps I try to just ride well but I start dropping back. I’ve been holding my own but now the riders behind me are making their way by. Over the next two or so laps I fall back four spots and I am not happy. I try to regain my positions but each time I end up riding over my head and making mistakes which set me back even further. I was running in 11th but now I am back to 15th, ugh! For the rest of the race I just try to maintain my pace and not fall back any further. We soon get the checkered flag and I finish 15th. Not the best for me but it’s the end of the season so I am glad to bring it home in one piece. My only hope going into the last race was to maintain my 10th overall standing but I knew it would be tough. Another rider new to the class and the previous year’s class champ, who only came out the last few races, both finished ahead of me demoting me to 12th overall.
With the race over early in the day I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with my friends and family, having a great lunch and watching the remaining races. I got some help packing up then cruised the pits for a while chatting with friends and just relaxing. It had been a long but good season. I learned a lot this year and can’t wait to get back out in 2010. I steadily progressed throughout the year and every race my lap time got quicker. I have a few mods planed for the bike in the off season and will have new number and bodywork for 2010. As the sun was setting I rolled out of the gates for a quiet drive home. With the entrance in my review mirror I said goodbye to the track and promised to be back next year.
Stay tuned!
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