Race Report for Week 8: September 30 - October 1, 2000
Find all of the weekends race results at the LRRS website here.
My road race season is over for this year. I'm bummed yet relieved at the same time. Between road racing and flat track racing I've only had a handful of non-race weekends since April. It's been a *great* year and I've thoroughly enjoyed it but I'm also ready for a break (after one more weekend of dirt track to close out the season).
This was my first year racing as an Expert (I ran one race as an Expert at the end of the 1999 season) and I finished the season in 4th in Super Singles and 7th in GP Singles as well as taking 14th in the AMA Pro Thunder race at Loudon. In my first year of flat track racing it looks like I'll finish the year in 2nd in the 125 Amateur class. I'd say it was a good year of racing!
A huge thanks goes to all of Team Daemon's sponsors:
Factory Pro Tuning, HJC, Jodi F. Solomon Speakers Bureau, Lockhart
Phillips, Fog City/Modern World Ventures, MCE Graphics, North Reading Honda/Kawasaki,
PK Suspension/GMD CompuTrack, Parametric Technology Corporation, Robinson's
ACE Hardware, Sharkskinz, Spectro Oils, Street & Competition, The Knee
Dragon, Vanson Leathers, and Woodcraft/CFMotorsports.
Without support from our sponsors, racing would most certainly require more effort and money to accomplish. A special thanks to all our sponsors who provided support at the track. Eric Wood of CFMotorsports and the Penguin Roadracing School, Peter Kates of GMD CompuTrack, the entire Street & Competition gang, Jodi Solomon, and Vanson Leathers.
In addition to our team sponsors I owe tremendous thanks to the entire BikeWorx gang, especially Galen Miller. There isn't anyone in the country (perhaps the world) who knows the MuZ Skorpion better than Galen. And not only can he build a strong and reliable bike, he can also ride the wheels off one! Gas, oil, and tires were all my bike needed for the entire season (well, a little crash repair too). Jim Brown also provided a ton of help both in the shop and at the track and always had a word of encouragement as I worked to lower my lap times throughout the season.
Of course a team wouldn't be a team without teammates and a big thanks goes to Kevin, Paul, Rob, and Scott for their help and commraderie throughout the year.
Racing wouldn't be the same without all the other great people at
the track. Jack Aksel provided lots of encouragement and always took
the time to watch my riding when he could and offer suggestions.
Dane, Kit, and Tim who shared our garage at various times during the year
and were always ready to lend a hand. Bob R., Brian M., Nick R.,
and Paul C. who pushed me to go faster and were great fun to race with.
All our friends and family who came up to support and watch us race.
And of course all the folks who gave up their weekends to corner work so
that we could even race at all. I made a few more visits to the corner
workers than I would have liked this year but I was most grateful that
they were there.
On to this weekend.
The temps were supposed to drop to freezing Friday night so I decided to leave my bike in the garage and load it in the morning. The thermometer read 34F Saturday morning as I finished loading up and headed for the track. By the time I reached the track and got through registration it was just about time for practice to start. Although I was in the third session I decided not to rush to get unloaded and the bike through tech and opted out of my first practice. The near freezing temps made the decision that much easier.
By the time my second practice rolled around it had warmed up considerably.
I had a decent practice but didn't push hard and wasn't really feeling
"into" it.
Race
6, GP Singles - 5th
I got a so-so start and was about 9th coming out of T2. Ahead
of me were all the usual suspects, Jack, Nick, Brian, and Bob. This
got me going and I set out after them. Slowly but surely I picked
them off one by one, taking the checkered with Brian still nipping at my
heels. I turned my best lap of the season at 1:24.327.
Race
9, LW Sportsman - DNF
Heading into T1 at the start of the race I take the outside line
with two other riders inside of me. The next thing I know Martovich
comes around the outside of me and moves right into the side of my bike!
With two other riders inside of me I run the risk of hitting them if I
try to tighten my line. On top of that the pack is now starting to
straighten up and head for T1a. Without very many options I start
to straighten up. I will *not* let some over zealous idiot cause
me to take another innocent rider out. Unfortunately my front brake
lever gets caught on his bike and I now have a locked up front tire to
deal with. Paul C. and Kev were behind us and both said my front
tire was absolutely *smoking*. I try to get free of his bike but
the front finally tucks and I'm down. Martovich manages to keep it
upright and head across the grass to re-enter the race. Bad karma
has a way of catching up though and he crashed near the end of the race.
Unfortunately he took out his second victim of the afternoon as Brian couldn't
avoid his downed bike and ran into it.
In my three years of racing I've not made contact with anyone in T1 at the start of the race. I've also gone three and four wide through T1 before. I'm confident that I know how to hold my line.
If you've ever seen the start of a dirt track race you know it's much crazier than the start of a road race and contact is not uncommon. I'm confident that I'm not easily spooked by close racing.
I talked with quite a number of people and without exception all were of the opinion that Martovich often rides too aggressively and makes some very questionable passes. On top of that he never bothered to find me (even if he didn't think it was his fault) or even mention the incident in a race report he posted to the NEAR list. Very unsportsman like behavior but given what I knew of him, I'm not at all surprised.
Other than bent fairing stays and right clip-on and a trashed front
brake perch. The bike isn't too bad. Scott was working T2 and
said he found a front brake lever there during the race but I'm not sure
I believe it's mine even though no other incidents occured there.
Sunday morning I head over to see Galen and grab the front brake
master cylinder he brought up for me. No spare fairing stays so I'll
have to make do with trying to bend the ones I have back into shape.
Once again I skip first practice but the bike is re-tech'ed and ready to
go for my second session. Other than needing to rebleed the front
brake, I and the bike feel fine.
Sunday,
Race 9, Super Singles - 3rd
I get a decent start but find myself going backwards between T2
and T3. I probably running about 6th or 7th and not making up ground on
the guys in front of me. A crash in T12 from the MW Sportsman class
brings out the red flag. This gives me a chance to regroup.
On the restart I'm riding better and soon find myself in 4th behind
Bob Robbins. We trade positions a few times and I'm fortunate to
have a HP advantage on him. Although I'm turning 1:24's I'm working
hard and not riding particularly well. When Bob is behind me I know
he's *right* behind me as I can see
his shadow looming over me. :) On my 7th lap Steve Scott,
leading the Formula Forty race, comes by out of T10. This brings
out the checkered flag and I finish just ahead of Bob.
The crash on Saturday pretty much sucked but other than that it
was a good weekend to end the season on. I'm already looking forward
to next year!
It was a long, difficult, trying road getting to this race weekend. After my crash at Pocono, I had some work to do to the F4 to get it back into racing condition. I had sent the bike home with Peter Kates of GMD to have him measure, straighten, and basically repair the bike. I had located all the parts I needed to get the bike back together from another racer, who was going to ship everything straight to Peter so he could basically give me the bike bike back "ready to go". However, due to some problem, the parts were returned to the sender. I picked up the bike from Peter on Saturday, and proceeded to do whatever I could to the bike to get it ready.
Monday, I I was finally able to reach the racer I had bought the parts from, he had been out of town at another race. He agreed to ship them out ASAP, as I was supposed to be at the track on Wednesday for the Penguin track day. He is in NY, so I figured even if he sends the parts UPS ground, I would have them the next day.
Tuesday, No parts.
Wednesday, the day I'm supposed to be at the track, still no parts. I call him again, turns out he send the part via the US Post Office!
Thursday, still nothing. now I'm really worried. i do some investigation, and find out the parts are being held because once of the boxes is kerosene soaked. Arrrrgh! The post office finally releases them, convinced it is not a bomb, and I have the parts, sans one. For whatever reason, once part was left out, so I would have to get that one at the track.
I'm up to midnight Thursday getting the bike back together. Jodi came over to bring me some dinner and help out wherever she could. I fired the bike up for the first time. It starts right up, but is running rough. I touch all the exhaust pipes one at a time, one is not getting warm. Damn. Something is wrong. Jodi asks me if I put gas in the new gas tank. Doh! No I hadn't Put gas in, and the bike ran like a champ!
When I'm done, I have what looks like a bike again.
Friday
The original plan was to get to the track, finish the bike, and
play with Penguin. A late start and traffic soon changed that plan
to just practicing. Once I got to the track and started working on
the bike, the plan ended up and just getting the bike ready!
I finished up with the bike, Kit, then Scott showed up, we unpacked, got all set up. Kit discovered that the her engine had blown a head gasket! Doh! She made arrangement for Dane to bring up her spare engine in the morning, we would deal with that the next day.
We were finally done, so we wen to dinner, and called it a night.
Saturday
Did I mention that it got very cold overnight? When I woke up in
the morning, the thermometer in the car showed 29 degrees. My tent
and car were covered in ice. Electric blankets rule!
Kit took the F4 out, just to get track time, while here bike was down. I think she liked it! :)
Bruce showed up and unloaded, by opted to skip the first practice, a bit too cold for his liking, I think.
I went out for my first practice. It felt good to be back on my bike. I took it easy, as I was cold, the track was cold, and the tires were cold. After circulating for about 6 laps, I was feeling good, so I came in a bit early, not wanting to push it.
The second practice was much the same as the first, I was feeling good, everything was working, so I came in early again. Once in, swapped out wheels, and got ready mentally for my first race.
Race
#1, GTU (grid 5D),6/25
I was gridded pretty far back, I had a lot of ground I needed to
make up. I got a good start, and went into turn 1 mid pack, and got
to the job of working my way forward. I managed to pass another few
bikes on the brakes going into turn 3, and was feeling good. As the
pack started to spread out, I found myself behind bike #901, who had motor
on me, but would park it going into the corners. I just did not have
enough speed to get around him cleanly.
It was so aggravating watching bikes I know I'm faster than pull away because I was stuck behind this slow bike! I tried a pass here, and then there, but just did not have enough speed to make a clean pass. In the process of trying to get around #901, #52 got around me, then #901! #25 tried the same trick, but I re-passed him quickly.
About halfway through the race, I finally got around #901 going into turn 2, but missed a shift on the back straight, letting him past again! Arrrrgh! I finally got around him for good, and then checked out. I passed a lot of lapped bikes, but the bikes in my class were just too far ahead for me to make up the time. I finished 6th. I need to learn to be more aggressive in my passing!
After my race, Dane showed up with Kit's new engine. So we took to the job of pulling the old one and installing the new one. Pulling the old engine took about an hour, but then we needed to swap a lot of parts from the old engine to the new, which took longer than it should have.
Come 7 o'clock, we are still working on it. We take a break to goto the worker dinner, then head back to the garage to finish up. When I got to the garage, I found my leathers missing, and a note. I had lost a little wager with Tony Iannarelli, who would have the fastest lap of the weekend over the season, so I owed him some booze. Well he and the SRNE crowd had come looking for it! I went out and got them their booze, hung out with them for a bit, then got back to finishing the engine swap.
Midnight, the bike was done and running like a champ! We call it a night. I clim into my tent and pass out!
Sunday
Not as cold as the previous morning, but still chilly. Both
my practices went well, and I cut them both short to save tires.
Race
#2, MWGP (grid 5B), 13/23
That's what I get for not pre registering. This is a very
large field, I know I'm going to have my work cut out for me. I get a really
bad start, and go into turn 1 near the back of the pack. I know I
only have 8 laps to make something happen. I get by a few bikes between
turns 1 and 2, and another few in turn 3, but the leaders are already pulling
away. I get caught in a pack of bikes, once again slower than me,
but I don't have the killer instinct to just stuff them to get by.
As a result, I wait until I can get a nice clean pass, while the lead group
pulls away. I end up battling with 4 other bikes, I know I'm faster
than them, but can't get around them. Coming out of the last turn
on the last lap, I make a last ditch effort to race them to the line, but
cannot pull it out. I finish 13th, but didn't crash, and didn't take anyone
out.
I packed up, helped Scott and Bruce get ready for their races, took some photos, and worked in turn 2 a bit the rest of the afternoon. Overall, a great way to finish the season.
A great big thanks to all our sponsors who have been with us this year! I know it is a cliché, but we really couldn't do it without them! I'd also like to thank everyone on the team and everyone who has come up to watch, help an hang out at the track. It's a great place, and a great bunch of folks! I'm already ready for the new season!
Did not race this weekend.
3 races, 5 points...
...that's all I needed to make Expert status.
After the transmission lunched last month at NHIS (http://www.teamdaemon.com/reports/20000902-03.html#scott), I was in a quandary about how I could finish this minimal season and move ahead to Expert status (the 5 year plan). Dave Siple had offered up his SV650 before, but I was reluctant to race another racer's bike for fear of crashing it. But after the transmission thing, I was desperate. I ask him if the offer was still open and he said sure - foolish boy, great friend! In the meantime, MY engine has been removed and taken back to Harry's for evaluation and repair, expectedly at their expense (since I believe they installed *something* wrong).
The tricky part of using Dave's bike would be the plate-swapping for practices, and for races. I opted to choose races that wouldn't interfere with his, so I ended up choosing SuperTwins, LW Superbike, and MW Sportsman.
Saturday 9/30
Dave's bike is a stock motor/exhaust/jetting, but upgraded suspension
via Peter Kates/GMD, and clipons. I went out for practice Sat. AM to get
the feel of the bike - scary - the rear suspension was good (tho' too stiff
for my weight), but the front was waaay soft, all spring, very little damping.
Add to the fact the throttle had lots o' free play at close, made for a
bouncy ride coming off-throttle. After the first practice we fixed the
throttle slop, and I discussed with Dave the suspension thing. He agreed
it was soft and we took it to Peter who also agreed, and could fix it before
Dave's race (#8). My races were all on Sunday. So Dave and I went off to
pull the forks, I went to cornerwork for the afternoon, Dave installed
the forks and raced and had fun, the front end feeling much more secure.
3 races, 5 points ...
Sunday 10/1
Sunday dawned even nicer than Saturday, warmer, dry track. Dave
went out for practice, then I went out - whoa! big difference in the front
end! Very stable, doesn't move around. The steering effort on this bike
is sooo light, it needs a steering damper. At this point, it just requires
more muscle to hold the bike going into the turn because it wants to steer
so quickly - think of it as oversteer ;). Anyway, Dave and I swap
practices again, and Bruce graciously leads me around to help me pick up
my pace. About the 2nd lap coming into T9, I'm about to turn in (left)
and a really fast guy comes through under me - startles me so much I stand
it up and - look the wrong way. Over the edge of T9, down the hill
thru the dirt, no front brake, 50mph, locking and releasing the rear brake,
slowing enough to get my feet down, turn the bike toward the access road
and paddle over to it and the track. It's not my bike - I can't fall down.
I re-enter and finish practice. Dave couldn't believe I went off the track,
there were no marks! I was just happy to have survived!
Supertwins
Race 4
I really had no business being in this class with pumped TL's,
Duc's, VTR's, HAwks, and SV's. I needed 3 races. I raced to finish, hoping
for ... attrition. Halfway thru the race I was being lapped, cutoff, I
felt like a pingpong ball, very scary. I was last, no points.
LW
Superbike Race 6
This was a better race, only slightly better odds, but still 'built'
bikes against a stock one. This was the second race I had started so I
was still getting use to the clutch-throttle-engine speed thing. I kept
up closer, didn't finish last but no points.
MW
Sportsman Race 9
I had no idea what my finishing positions were until the end of
the day, but I was sure I hadn't done well enough to get the points needed,
so I vowed to get a better start and keep half the pack behind me for this
race. It wasn't until this race that I figured out what gears to use where,
then I was able to concentrate on racing. I kept my speed up throughout
and only the fast Experts (Galen was one), passed me. Taking the checker,
I hoped I was in a high-enough position to get enough points. For races
with more than 5 riders, the points assigned are:
15 - 1
13 - 2
11 - 3
9 - 4
8 - 5
7 - 6
6 - 7
5 - 8
I pulled in to the garage and just stopped to unwind. The results
are usually 30-45 minutes after each race. I packed up what gear I had,
and strolled over to the results postings for race 9 - 631 Scott Lilliott
8th place 5 points Hey - I had a deadline, I met it. I'm excited.
Now I've got to put the bike together to last a season!! *That* will be exciting!
Much Thanks to go around: Paul, Bruce, and Kevin for positive support, especially this past weekend; Dave for the loan of his racebike making it possible, and helping him spend his money on the fork improvements; Kit for good vibes, support, and mechanical distractions (minor motor swap); All our sponsors, including Jodi who came up Saturday, and Lisa who came up Sunday.
We've got cool new T-shirts! check w/Paul to get one now for next season, and wear it and be the talk of the next party!
Coming soon!