The second weekend of racing for the team saw great improvement across the board for everyone, and also saw the 1999 debut of two of TDR's racers.  Kevin made his first appearance of the year, coming away from the weekend with a very impressive list of finishes, including a 4th in his first race, and coming home with a 2nd place finish in his second! Just wait until he shakes off all the winter cobwebs!   Scott made his return to racing after a 2 year hiatus, running just one race on a borrowed bike, but getting back on the track, nonetheless. We can't wait for him to attack the track in earnest on the NSR600. Rob also debuted the RD350 during the vintage races of the weekend.

Unlike the first weekend, the team was treated to fine, spring New Hampshire weather, nice and warm and sunny.  Perfect for racing!
 

Find all the the weekends race results at the LRRS website here.

Race 1: GTU Jr/Ex:
Paul was the first TDR member to race on Saturday. Paul was gridded on the 3rd row, but got an awful start, pointing the front wheel of the F4 skyward.  Once he got everything sorted out, he found himself going into turn 1 in something like 19th place.   He slowly starting picking off bikes through the first two laps, but on lap three he missed a downshift going into turn 3, forcing him to abort the turn.  Once he got turned around and re-entered the track, he found himself at the very back of the pack.

Paul put his head down, knowing that this was a 30 minute race and that he had plenty of time to make up positions.  Over the next several laps his time steadily dropped, running a 25, then a 24, then a strings of 23's.  On lap 8, Paul got a little too carried away, feeding too much of the F4's awesome power to the rear tire coming out of turn 2.  The rear end stepped out on Paul, he tried to get it back in line, but was unsuccessful, lowsiding the newly painted F4. With the help of the cornerworkers, Paul pushed the bike to the inside of turn 2, and was forced to sit the rest of the race out.  Adam and Crystal GoPed'ed over to where he was sitting to make sure everything was ok, and to bring him something to drink.

After the race, Paul rode the F4 back to the TDR garage, and the team went to work getting the bike ready for Paul's next race of the day, repairing the fibreglass, straightening bent parts, and mounting new tires.
 

Race 4: LW Supersport, LW Sportsman Jr/Ex:
Next out were Kevin and Scott.  This was the first race of the year for both riders, and the first race in 2 years for Scott.  Kit had graciously lent Scott the CB1, to allow him some track time before the introduction of the NSR600 late this year.  Scott was racing in LW Sportsman, while Kevin was running in LW Supersport.

Since Scott was on a borrowed bike, set-up for someone a lot, um, lighter than he was, he took it easy.  Just wanting to get the track time in, and the feel of being in the race again.  He successfully navigated the track for the 8 laps of the race, finishing 12th out of 12, but finishing his first race in over 2 years.

Kevin got a decent start and went into turn 1 in 7th place. Kevin was starting to feel more comfortable on the bike and quickly started moving forward.  On the second lap, Kevin passes two riders through turn 3 by taking the inside line.   He started pulling away, and soon caught up to the next group, managing to pass two more bikes on lap 6.  When all was said and done, Kevin finished his first race of the season with a 4th place trophy!

Race 5: LW Sportsman Am, MW Superbike Am:
Both Bruce and Rob were entered in LW Sportsman, Rob on the EX and Bruce on the Scorpion.  Rob was hoping to take the opportunity to follow Bruce around the track a few times, but while waiting for the warm-up lap, Rob noticed gas leaking from the EX's petcock.  With the help of the turn 1 flagger, Rob tried to cut the end of the fuel line off and re-attach it, but this did not solve the problem, and Rob was forced to sit the race out.  The crash in practice had damaged the fuel line.  Rob headed back to the pits to make the required repairs. He was not a happy camper.

Bruce had the pole position for this race, but ended up going into turn 1 in 2nd.  He managed to hold that position for a lap, but on the next lap, a more powerful EX managed to motor past him.  He held 3rd for a couple more laps, until another EX managed to get by him.  Bruce held on to 4th until the last lap, when, coming though turn 12, a back marker got  in Bruce's way, causing Bruce to miss a shift, and allowed 3 EX's to pass him before the checker.  Bruce was not happy.  Anyone who knows Bruce knows that is is a generally happy, easy going person, but not after this race.  We have never seen Bruce so mad.  Who are you?  And what did you do with our Bruce?

Race 7: MW Superbike/LW Superbike Jr/Ex:
After making repairs to the bike after the race 1 crash, Paul headed out to the grid with new tires, duct tapped bodywork, and no windshield, but ready for battle.  The first clue of the problems to come should have been how hard the bike was to start in the garage.  During the warm-up lap, Paul noticed a sever hesitation in the bike.  Hoping it would clear up, he gridded and waited for the green flag.  The flag dropped, and Paul was off, entering turn 1 in around 18th position.  Coming out of every corning, the F4 would almost die as Paul opened the throttle.  After about 3 laps, Paul called it quits and pitted, not wanting to be a rolling roadblock on the track.

Back in the pits, the bodywork came off, and the cause of the problem was found, the airbox was full of gas.  Eeek.  The airbox was cleaned, the carbs checked out, the bike was given the ok...finally.

Race 8: LW Superbike:
This was Kits first race of the weekend.  Kit got a good start, and managed to drop nearly 7 seconds off her lap times!  This race was a real confidence builder for Kit.

Race 8A: Production Twins/Formula Forty Am:
This race saw Rob back out on the EX. This is the class where Rob has a great chance at excelling.  Rob lost the lead pack at the beginning of the race, but still managed to pick off a few bikes through the course of the race, and even posted his fastest time ever on the EX, a 1:36.73!  When everything was said and done, Rob walked away with a 6th place finish.

Race 11: MW Supersport/Supertwins Jr/Ex:
The final race of the day saw Paul back out on the grid.  The combination of a sore knee from the race 1 crash, and the mechanical in race 7 left Paul in a slightly less than optimal state of mind for this race.  Paul decided to go out, take it easy, and just get the feel on the bike and the tack back.  But even taking it easy, Paul clicked off consistent 1:25 laps and finished of the day with a 14th (out of 21) place finish.
 

With the day of racing done, the team retired to the canopy to enjoy BBQ under the stars, as well as a few BEvERages.
 

Sunday
Sunday saw another gorgeous NH spring morning. Practices went well for all the racers, with a few exceptions.  The practices were constantly being interrupted by a bike oiling the whole track, practice after practice.  It was either one of the vintage bikes or one of the amateurs, not sure if it was ever determined exactly which bike it was, but it did slow down the practices.

Race 1: GTO/GTL Am:
Unlike last week, we made sure Bruce was all set and out on the pre grid in plenty of time.  The warm-up lap went out, and we were all set for the race.  After only 5 laps, two of the GTO bikes get tangled up together and brought out the red flag.  Paul ran over to pre grid, to make sure Bruce was all set with water and gas. After making sure Bruce, and several of the other racers were all set, Paul headed back to turn 3 to watch the restarted race.  But no sooner has the race re-started, did the red flags come out again.  This time, two bikes in the second wave got tangled on the grid.  Paul headed back over to pre grid once again, and this time stayed there to make sure the race got on the way.  On the third start, Paul witnessed the cause of the third red flag of the race.  Patricia Clark pulled a huge wheelie off the line, came down sideways, and laid the bike down.  The bike behind her had nowhere to go, and ran right into her.  Luckily both rider were (mostly) ok, but this did cause the race to be called.  (It has since been decided to re-run the race at the next event.)

Race 2: Production Twins Jr/Ex:
Having just purchased an installed a set of stock EX pipes, Kevin headed out to try his hand in the production class.  Grided on the 13th row, Kevin got an excellent start, jumping ahead of the two rows in from of him, but being gridded on the outside, prevented him from getting any further positions going into turn 1.  Kevin had switched pipes, but had not had time to re-jet accordingly, so as a result he was running a bit rich, and down on power.  After spending a few laps trying to catch up with the lead group, Kevin decided to concentrate on his riding, rather than trying to catch up, which was the right decision as his times dropped and he started catching up.  On the white flag lap, BJ Woorsham went wide through turn 9, running off the track, letting Kevin by.  That left Kevin to take the checker in 2nd place! (BJ was fine)

Race 2A: Vintage:
This was the first race for Rob and the RD 350.  On the start Rob either didn't rev the engine high enough, or the let out the clutch too fast, but the result was him almost stalling the bike.  Once he recovered, he spent the race learning all the shift and brake points again, since they were completely different from the EX.  On the second lap, Rob lost the clutch cable, forcing him to power shift for the rest of the race.  Even though no results were posted due to a mixup, we know Rob did very well for his first race on the RD.

Race 4: HW Superbike/MW Grand Prix Jr/Ex:
The last race of the weekend for Paul.  Paul got his best launch ever, but still ended up going into turn 1 in around 14th position.  On the 3rd lap two bikes got past Paul in turn 3, and a few laps later another bike tried the same trick, but by taking the inside line, the passing bike went wide on the exit, allowing Paul to regain the position on the exit of the turn.  This was the best race of the weekend for Paul, running consistent 24's, 23's, and his first 22!

Race 5: GP Singles Am/Jr/Ex:
After the fiasco in Race 1, Bruce just id not have his heart into this race.  He opted to just go out, take it easy, run the race, and finish on two wheels.  Well, this plan seems to have worked, giving Bruce a 4th place finish, 2nd in the Scorpion Cup!

Race 10: HW Superbike/LW Supersport Am:
This was the last race of the weekend for the team.  Both Rob and Kit were entered in this race.  This was a great race for Rob, posting his fastest times of the weekend, a 1:35.19, and finishing 7th.  The race did not go so well for Kit.  Mechanical problems with her brakes, forced her to pit after only a few laps, and record her first DNF of the season.

Paul's Report

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.....oh, sorry, wrong story, but an appropriate opening for my report.

I spent Thursday painting the F4 white, so I didn't make it to the track until Friday afternoon.  I opted not to practice, and instead, just made sure I was all set-up and ready to go Saturday.  Rob showed up mid-aftertoon, followed shortly by Kit and then by the Kevin and the rest of the NY crew.

One thing lead to anther, and before I knew it, it was 6pm, and even though I had brought up the XX with every intention of heading over to NED to do a little drag racing, I decided I didn't have the time. Instead, Rob, Kit and I headed to the local pizza shop for dinner, and made an early night of it.

At some point in the late night, the drag racing crew showed up and set up camp, but hell if I know when, I was fast asleep.

Saturday was a beautiful day. Practices went well, even if I was running a bit off pace, clicking off 26's and 27's.

Race #1, GTU:
-------------
I was gridded on the third row, but got a really bad start, letting the clutch out way too fast, and pulling a monster wheelie.  By the time I got the bike sorted out, and back on the ground, I ended up going into turn 1 in something like 19th place.  On either the first or second lap, I missed a downshift going into turn 3.  That forced me to abort the turn, pull off to the side and renter. This put in in dead last. :(  OK, time to start playing catch-up.  I put my head down, and set myself to the task of moving my way to the front of the pack.  My
times got steadily better, running a 25, a 24, then a string of 23's.  Then on lap 8, coming out of turn 2, I either got on the power too early, had a worn out tire, or something, but I lost the rear end.  I think I just low sided, but once I left the bike, I really don't know what happened, I just remember earth - sky - earth - sky - for what seemed an eternity.  I finally came to a stop, ran over to the bike, picked it up, and pushed it off the track with the help of the corner workers.  I was forced to sit on the sidelines, and wait for the race to finish before I could get the bike into the pits to make repairs.  My first DNF of the year.  Fusk!

Back in the pits, the bodywork was ripped off, and repair work commenced. At the same time, the wheels were pulled off and sent over to Street and Comp for new rubber, since I did not have any confidence in the tires on the bike. Thanks to the TDR pit crew, I was all back together, and ready to go for race #7, or so we
thought.

Race #7, MW Superbike:
I should have known something was up from the very start when we had a very hard time starting the bike. After getting the bike started, I went out for the warm-up lap, and noticed a very big off idle hesitation in the bike.  I hoped it would clear up, and got into position on the grid.  I got another lousy start and went into turn 1 in about 18th position.  Coming out of every corner, the bike would almost die as I opened the throttle, before finally coming to life.  After about 3 laps, I called it quits, and pitted.  My second DNF in on day.

Back in the pits, the bodywork, tank and airbox came off.  Weird, there isn't supposed to be fluid *IN* the airbox.....it was FULL of gas.  Each Carb had about an inch of standing gas on top of their butterflies.  Whoa.

Everything was cleaned up, and the bike taken out for a test ride.  Everything seemed much better and I got ready for the last race of the day.

Race #11, MW SuperSport:
I just wasn't clicking for this race.  A combination of a sore knee from the crash, the crash, and the mechanical in race #7, just didn't add up to a good mental state.  I decided to just take it easy for this race, and get my legs
back again.  Even taking it "easy", I still managed to keep my lap times in the 25's for the most part, and pulled out a 14th/21 place finish.

With the day of racing done, we all retired back to our campsite, where we feasted on BBQ in the wonderful NH spring evening.  Ann Marrie supplied some fantastic marinated chicken that was a huge hit with everyone.  It was a very relaxing evening, hanging out under the stars, enjoying the great food, and the great company.

Sunday:
Practices went well.  Between practices, I corner worked turn 3, since Sandy and the USMarshalls were so short staffed.  I felt good in practice, and while I don't know what kind of times I was pulling, I felt good.

The only race of the day for me was race 4A, MWGP:
Got a much better start than any to date, but still ended up going into turn 1 in around 14th position.  On lap 3, two bikes got passed me in turn 3, including Mr. Iannarelli on the TZ.  Two laps later, another bike passed me on the inside of turn 3, but by taking the inside line, he went wide on the exit, and I got the position back through turn 4.  For the next several laps, I could hear a bike right on my tail, so I did everything I could to stay ahead of him.  On the white flag lap, I missed a downshift going into turn 12, so I aborted the turn, and went straight onto the front straightaway.  Not wanting to get penalized for an unfair advantage, I let the bike behind me pass, but it wasn't just one bike, it was two!  And I gave them too much space.  Going into turn 3, #47, Steve Scott, went wide, so I got past him easily, but I could never quite catch up to #25, so I ended up finishing in 18th out of 29.  However, I did manage to run consistently in the 24's and 23's, and even broke into the 22's with my best time ever, a 1:22.968!

Overall, a successful weekend.  I would like to thank everyone who came up to watch, as well as everyone on the team for their help and company throughout the weekend.  And finally, I would like to thanks all of the team sponsors (http://www.teamdaemon.com/sponsors.html).

Look for a full race report and pictures at http://www.teamdaemon.com shortly.

Bruce's report

Executive summary:

LW Sportsman - 7th

Into turn one in 2nd, hold that for a lap, EX500 comes by.  Hold 3rd for a couple more laps, another EX500 comes by.  Hold 4th until the chicane on the last lap, get held up by a back marker who doesn't know how to
hold his line, miss a shift coming out of T12, 3 EX500s blow by me to the line.  To say I wasn't happy is a gross under statement.
 

GTL - 8th

Three red flags, race called with only 5 laps on the books.
 

GP Singles - 4th
Scorpion Cup - 2nd

After the GTL debacle I was not into this.  Slow start, took too long to get around another amateur, lost touch with the guys I usually dice with, Neenan crashes in T8-9 and spews dirt and debris across the
track, doesn't get cleaned up for most of the race, I drop well off the pace and just look to finish on two wheels.

I have enough points to move to Junior but think I'll wait. (Bruce has since changed his mind, and will be attenting the June 12-13 race weekend sporting Junior plates! - Editor)

Thanks go to sponsors Bikeworx, Factory Pro Tuning, HJC, Jodi F. Solomon
Speakers Bureau, Lockhart Phillips, Fog City/Modern World Ventures,
North Reading Honda/Kawasaki, PK Suspension/GMD CompuTrack, Parametric
Technology Corporation, Sharkskinz, Spectro Oils, Street & Competition,
The Knee Dragon, Vanson Leathers, and Woodcraft/CFMotorsports.

Rob's Report

My report is coming....
Sat: 8A (9th/33)
Sun: 2A(vintage)( no idea, not posted... ), 10( 19th/23, 7th/11 in class)

Ouch. Monday morning, and my body is still sore.

It was a good weekend for racing. Great weather all weekend. Sunny, 70 degrees, an easy breeze blowing across the infield. I left work early on friday to get to the track and work on the EX500 and the RD350 for the weekend. Met Paul in the garage, who had gotten there a little before me. I put the new chain and rear sprocket from Street & Competition on the EX, and fiddled with the jetting on the RD. The clutch was sticking on the RD, so I scrambled around the infield, asking all the other vintage Yamaha racers for parts to no avail. Safety wired a few extra bolts on the EX as a  precaution, set up the tent, and got organized for the next day of racing. Kit arrived and we went up to get registered. I gladly got the EX tech'd, one less thing to worry about the next morning. Kevin and Joey arrived from NYC in a rental van with their two EX500's.

Saturday morning. Frost on the tents again, but the showers were warm. Meet Jay Phinizy, a fellow USCRA racer, who just happened to have a spare set of steel clutch plates that I could borrow. After my first practice with the EX, I goped'd up to Registration to enter the USCRA races on Sunday only, since I'd be busy with the EX with two races on Saturday. Practiced with the RD350, the first real time I've ever been on the track with it. I found that I had my clutch and brake levers at the wrong angle for my hands, and that I couldn't shift well with the position of the shifter. My jetting was way too rich, but I was able to keep up with some of the bigger bikes down the front straight. After a few laps, I pulled in. My hands were almost numb from the vibration.

My second practice on the EX, I was feeling more and more comfortable. I was getting used to the new gearing, and was practicing braking as late as I could into turn 1 and 3. I could feel the front tire starting to slide, then I'd ease off the brakes and turn in. Final lap of practice, going into turn 1, hard on the brakes, front starts to slide, but before I can ease off and turn in, the front kicks loose. I'm down hard on my left side. I slide on my back to a halt, lay there a few seconds to make sure I'm still together, and run over to shut off the bike. The EX is perfectly fine. Case guards kick ass.

Race 5, AM Lightweight Sportsman:
My first race. On second call, I head out to pre-grid. While waiting for my warm-up lap, I look down to make sure that the petcock is set to Reserve. Gas is leaking all down the side of my bike from the petcock. The fuel hose is loose on the petcock. I borrow a knife from the turn one flagger to cut off the end of the fuel hose and
hurriedly reattach it, but it doesn't fix the leak. I can't make the race. I wanted to make this race so badly. Bruce had the pole position, and he's a more consistent rider than me. I wanted to see if I could follow him throughout the race. When I get back to the garage, I take the fuel line out. My crash in practice that morning has damaged the line. Very angry with myself for not thoroughly checking the bike after a crash.

Race 8, Production Twins:
This is why I need to learn to ride a consistent race. I hate racing by myself. The lead pack pulled away from me when I tried to play catch-up to much in the beginning of the race. My fastest laps are always the last few of the race, but by that time, the leaders are too far off. Around lap 5, I was passed in 6 when I ran wide. I caught back up, and passed him on the brakes into 3. I then put my head down and turned the my fastest lap ever on the EX, 1:36.738. Sixth place again in Production Twins. One of these days I'll pull a fifth or higher. As I get faster, so does everyone else...

Saturday dinner was terrific. Adam and Crystal brought food. Alot of food. Ann-Marie has been enlisted to bring chicken every race weekend. One of these days, I'll have to inform her of her new duties... :) After dinner, I had no desired to rejet the RD for tomorrows practice, and slept like a log. On my right side.

Sunday morning:
Wake up late, rush a breakfast and start work on the RD. Saturday practice, the 330 mains I had in the carbs were way too rich. I put in 290s and lowered the needle one clip. Practice on the RD was fun. The front wheel gets light between turns 3-4 and the exit of 12. Its only 270lbs, so its very flickable. Practice on the EX was good, but I was getting tired from not eating enough from breakfast. I pulled in early and skipped the second practice on the EX to get something to eat.

Race 2A, USCRA vintage race:
My first race. The bike felt good, but the clutch was still grabbing a little. On the start, I didn't rev the engine enough, and it almost stalled on me. Entering turn 1, I'm way behind. I don't know too many of the racers in my class, and this was my first race on the RD, so I concentrated on learning how to ride the RD instead of tracking down people in my class. All my shift points, breaking points, turn in points are different from the EX to the RD. The bars are alot lower, making it quite a workout under hard breaking. Second lap my clutch cable goes, and I have to powershift the rest of the race. I was fast enough to lap the stragglers and reel in a few riders, but I have no idea where I finished as the results were a messed up somehow.

From there, I started to pack up some things and take pictures of Bruce in race 1, the GT race. Three red flags, and the race was halted after only a few laps.

Race 10, Lightweight Supersport:
My last race. I was on the back of the grid, to the right of Kit. On the start, I passed the row in front of me, ending up 7th into turn one. My goal in this race was to stay with Shandra Rubchinck, who was Bruce said was fast all weekend. I was right behind her for the first few laps, but a missed shift in turn 3 and sliding tires in 11 caused me to fall too far back. In my rush to catch back up, I slid the front tire in turn 1 on the brakes, stood it up and ran wide through the corner. I try to make up the gap, but 7 seconds is hard to make up in an eight lap race. Turned my fastest lap yet, a 1:35.19. Finished 7th in my class.

Things I learned this weekend:
1. You can draft people down the front straight.
2. When the tires start to slide, let go of the brakes.
3. Make sure your bike runs well before your races start.
4. Sliding through corners can be fun.
5. AM's chicken is loved by all.
6. Its great to have someone there to help put your bike on its stand after a tiring race.
7. I need to move the seat back on the RD350 and safety wire EVERYTHING!

Thanks to Adam, Reto, and Crystal for helping out this weekend. Thanks for Peter Kates of PK Suspension for revalving the\ GSXR750 shock on the EX. I'm much more comfortable on it now! Thanks again to Street & Competition for the EX500 parts! Thanks to Fog City, we wouldn't be able to see without you!

Kit's Report

Successes and Failures, May 1-2, 1999

I got to the track late again this weekend. I'd been hoping to leave work at 2:00, but didn't manage to leave until 4. It seemed to turn out okay, though. Route 3 to 495 was the expected parking lot, but Nashua traffic was almost nonexistent, compared to my usual dose of parking lot all the way past Nashua to the part of Route 3 where the tolls start.

Much to my surprise, when I signed in at the front gate, Kevin was already signed in, and fairly high on the list. Later on we figured Kevin and Joey must have been aiming to get there for Thursday's practice, and that's why they'd gotten there early on Friday. ;) In the garage, I found a decidedly large number of bikes and over in the corner, Paul spewing oily stuff all over the bench. What he *said* he was doing was working on the goped, but I think he was just enjoying making a mess. I unloaded my metric buttload of gear and again marveled at how much stuff it is, yet how easy it is to move it around when it's essentially in eight medium- to large-sized containers. I'd managed to arrive early enough to get all the unpacking done in time to go to registration for the weekend, so Rob and I spent a half hour in the burning sun wondering why the heck our line wasn't moving before we registered for our respective races.

Rob and Paul and I headed out for pizza and groceries, and when we came back, Scott had arrived (with my bike) and was setting up his tent. Long after we'd all puttered around, set things up, and then gone to bed relatively early, the drag racers showed up, only waking me up slightly as they set up their respective camps.

Saturday morning was bright and beautiful. Unfortunately, it was a vintage weekend, and the track got *well* oiled during my first practice. It was a little unsettling to come into Turn 3 and see oil all through the exit, and then come into Turn 6 and see oil all through the exit, and to come into the chicane and see a path of oil across the exit and onto the front straight. I dropped anchor coming onto the front straight on that last one, and was very surprised to see people blowing past me coming out of the chicane; I'm assuming they didn't notice the oil all over their track and tires until they hit Turn 1. It took a long time to clean things up, and in the end, we wound up with about 5 minutes of practice, what with all the stopping. Second practice was better, and I was feeling pretty good about riding, and about achieving this weekend's race goals.

I corner worked in the afternoon. All during the day I was thinking hard about racing and riding, and what I was going to do when I got out onto the track. Much to my surprise, I was gridded in the middle of the pack since I'd registered for races Friday night, so my customary hanging back at the start (so I can survive the pack of amateurs heading into Turn 1A) wouldn't be an acceptable strategy. As a result, I figured I'd give the competitive mindset a try for the afternoon, and see how that worked for a change.

The race was good. The morning's practices and the day of thinking had really put me in a positive frame of mind for the race, and it showed. I got an okay start (my first one) and I dropped 7 seconds off my fastest time ever, according to timing, and 8 seconds, if you count from Turn 2 to Turn 2 (corner captain timed my race for me ;). I came out of this race feeling like I could really do this again, and with some things to practice for the next day.

Sunday was... interesting. We split up the practices so that the vintage guys could oil the track early (ha-ha), and without assistance from a bunch of novice riders on bigger/newer bikes, and I figured I'd get some of my previous day's lessons worked out during the morning. The first practice I was practicing racing, and although I seemed to be running faster, I made a couple of really awkward mistakes, like downshifting into neutral twice in Turn 11. It was creepy, feeling like I couldn't actually steer the bike if I didn't have power, but I wound up blowing the chicane entirely as a result of exactly that, twice. I also locked up the rear on the way into 3, just by downshifting, and after some fishtailing, hooked back up and continued around the turn with my heart in my throat. After practice, I realized I was thinking, "well, I didn't crash 'here', and I didn't crash 'here', and I also didn't crash 'there'" and decided I'd better work on riding instead of racing for the second practice.

Second practice didn't feel too comfortable, and although I was practicing smooth riding, I realized that until I deal with my rear shock, I'm not going to be smooth anytime I hit a slightly uneven surface. Since the wobbling of the rear end of my bike is also preventing me from practicing hanging off, I expect before the next race weekend, I will have to deal. I came out of this practice a little demoralized, after yesterday's big progress, but I figured I had a little more track time during the afternoon's race to get a good feeling back.

Little did I know...

I came back from corner working in time to settle down a bit before my race, but as I rode the bike back from my corner, I noticed a nasty grabbing sensation in the front brake, which I hadn't noticed during practices. I showed it to Rob and asked him to take it out and see if he observed the same thing. He confirmed that there was a problem, although he thought that as long as I was going fast and squeezing, and not going slow and grabbing, I shouldn't see any problems on the track. There wasn't time to change the worn pads before the race, and I'm not much into the RUSH RUSH RUSH thing right before a race, anyway; it makes me way too uptight. I was weirded out to begin with by a Very Bad Feeling about this race (unrrelated to the brakes; just vague foreshadowing of doom). So, I figured the brakes were probably fine for one race, and I'd just be cool and mellow going around the track.

Unfortunately, this particular race was Race 10, Heavy Weight Superbike and Light Weight Supersport: first wave of Very Big Bikes under Very Novice Riders, and a second wave of Little Bikes under Very Novice Riders. Ugh. I didn't like this race last race weekend, and I was less psyched this time around. First lap was okay, but I wasn't feeling okay with the bike. The suspension issues and the insecurity about braking made my first lap mildly uncomfortable, and in the second lap, I got the bejeezus scared out of me when I entered Turn 1. The brakes grabbed the second time I applied them coming off the front straight, and I lost all confidence in my ability to navigate the track safely. (The two heavyweight bikes that had just gotten mauled in Turn 1A didn't help, either. Someone exercised some pretty poor judgement there.)

I went around another lap, and as I came through Turn 5 that time, I could see the first wave of heavy bikes entering Turn 2, and I knew that the situation was getting really risky. As I came into 11, I pulled off into the pit to see if I could keep brake safely, and every time I touched the front brakes, I locked up hard. For a moment I considered letting all the superbikes pass me on the front straight, re-entering, and taking the checker as slowly as possible, but a couple more tests of the brakes (and a look at a couple more superbike riders) and I knew it would be a Bad Idea For Me. There was no way I was going to ride well, feeling like I couldn't brake safely, so I went into the paddock and got my first (and hopefully last) DNF of the season. I was pretty bummed.

Oh, well. At least I didn't crash.

Thanks to Rob for all his support during the weekend, and to Scott for bringing the bike up and helping in all sorts of ways, big and small. Thanks also to Annette for timing me from trackside.

Looking forward to a working bike and a long track day in the near future.

Scotts Report

Back To The Future

After an almost 2 year hiatus from racing, I returned to NHIS to "feel the excitement" again. Mired in going to school and keeping my job, building the NSR600 (NS400R-framed 600cc single racer) (see http://teamdaemon/...) had run into niggling yet compounding problems. So I went to help out in our pits. Kit graciously offered to let me race her CB-1. I entered one race, LW Sportsman. With a way-too-softly-sprung and under-damped suspension (and this being her only bike so don't wad it), I tooled around the course for some race feel and overdue track time. I finished 12/12 with a greater sense of racing and feel than when I arrived. My Junior status has begun.

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The NSR600 is much closer to finished than the pictures would indicate. The electrics should be done in an afternoon, the oil tank in 3 days, the exhaust in 3-4 days time. The bodywork arrives in 2 weeks and will require some custom fitting but shouldn't pose a problem. The most time-consuming task will be tuning. I really want to have everything together and running by May 30 so I can get one or 2 days of track testing/tuning in before the June LRRS weekend of 6/12-13. Keep your fingers crossed and hopes high!

Kevins Report

Hmmmmm.....  Well, it's not all coming back to me now so I'll just have to do the best that I can.

Unfortunately I found out early in the week that our normal mode of transportation was no longer available so the days leading up to this weekends festivities were spent wondering if I was even going to get a chance to partake...  As it turned out we managed to rent a garbage can with trashed steering and tires for the long haul up to Loudon....

Friday 8am...  Rent the dumpster load the bikes and make a mad dash for NHIS..  JOey and I got to Loudon at about 3pm and promptly set to work on getting the bikes track worthy...  Unfortunately, racing out of an apartment in NYC means bike storage and maintenance facilities are at a minimum so tune and prep often gets done at the track..GARAGES RULE!!!!!!!!!

Friday 1am.....  Got to bed after finally having managed to adjust the valves (twice--front does not always mean "IN"take) on two bikes, yank and install new tires, swap plugs, fork fluid, brake pads, bleed brakes, check headsets etc... etc... yada, yada.... Oh yeah and racewire everything all over again... PHEW time for some shuteye....

Saturday 6.30am.....  BBBBRRRRIIIIIIIINNNGGGGGGG  okay I think I'll ignore the alarm clock for 20minutes.... BRIIIINNGGGGGG time to get up and wipe the crust out of my eyes and do the morning routine.  All that said and done Joey and I headed over to registration to sign up for a few races..

First practice Jr/Ex red.....  Hmmmm.... what's the best way to put this...  Oh yeah.... fat and slow yeah that's it that's the ticket FAT and SLOW..  I think I managed a few 1.32's (4seconds off last season) and just never really got comfortable on the bike.  I''d been working out this winter and along with having put some mass on my shoulders and chest it seems that I managed to put some on my midsection as well....Molson muscle I think they call it....  I found that I was having problems moving around in my leathers and one the bike.....

Second Practice...  Mostly more of the same but starting to feel a little more comfortable.  Low 32's

Race#4 LWSupersport I was gridded on Row 13D with most of the JR EX riders.
Board goes sideways and I get a fair start start...  I think I was 7 or 6th going into T1.  By this time I seem to have loosened up a bit on the bike and I'm beginning to feel more comfortable.  ON the 2nd lap I pass a 2 guys on the inside going into 3 and proceed to start to pull away from away..... 5th? 4th place now....  On about the third lap the dice started to get interesting...  I think I had caught up with Alan and Brian and we proceeded to play tag and move through traffic until the 6th lap when I got under them again and made it stick.....  I honestly had no idea where I finished it seems that both the SS and Sportsman folks left at the same time so who and what I was passing (or was passing me) I had no idea...  Turned out I got a fourth!! (out of 11) Way cool for my first race in 6months and I believe it was the first wood for the team that weekend. It also gave me a good chance to size up the competition for the season.. This is going to be a good year..knock, knock.  BTW the trophy was donated to one of our sponsors, Jody F. Solomon of Jody F. Solomon Speakers Bureau, who was kind enough to come up and root for the team this weekend.  Attentive sponsors are a cool thing to have.

Saturday 2pm.  I picked up a set of proddy pipes (thanks Mr. Perkins!) to put on the EX so that I can run the production Saturday 9pm I lasooed(sp?) a couple of helpers to swap the pipes.  I did not change the jetting, even though I new I should, becuase I really needed to get some sleep.  Unfortunately it probably cost me a position or two.

Sunday Race#2  LW Production Twins.  Once again I was gridded on the 13th row (13C) only this time next to Matt Lai and BJ Woorsham.  This time I get and excellent start and manage to jump past the folks in rows 11 and 12.  Unfortunately, I was gridded to the right and traffic being as dense as it was did not permit me to get a few more spots and the entrance line into T1 that I wanted.  Matt came by me on the inside and that was as close as I came to him for the rest of the race.  This race went pretty much just like Race#4 on Sunday.... I picked off a few and a few picked me off.  On the third lap (with the bike running rich and down on power) the cheeky Mr. BJ had the audacity to wave at me as he drifted by at start/finish...  I spent the next 2laps catching up and falling back from BJ and the lead group.  Finally I realized that I was concentrating on what they were doing and not what I was doing and I put my head down and jsut rode my race.  I realized as I took the white flag that I had made up substatial ground but that I was not going to catch them before the checker.. but I was going to try and be there if a mistake was made.  As I was cresting the rise just past the curbing for T8 I saw BJ running off into the dirt in T9.  I must admit that my very first thoughts made me feel a guilty "good one less person in front of me" but BJ is a friend and I quickly quashed that.  I'm usually pretty good at not target fixing but I made a point of keeping one eye on BJ (I knew there was no-one behind me at that point) as I ran down through T9.  Something about wanting to know that your friends are alright....  As it turned out later BJ didn't *really* fall down but he did leave me 2nd place to inherit.  That and the knowledge that no one was hurt made this a very good weekend!!!!  A big thanks goes out to all the TDR folk and sponsors  ( thanks to PTC, Jodi F. Solomon, HJC Helmets, Street and Competition, Woodcraft, Lockhart) and all the other folks that showed up this weekend to help continue to make us a successful racing team.