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Race Report: April 27 - 28, 2002


The team was greeted to the first race weekend of the year with several inches of snow!!  Now, we have heard of de-icing plans before take off and all, but de-icing race bikes?  Is this the Penguin Roadracing School or Snowmobile School?  Luckily, the snow melted quickly on Friday and the rest of the day, while cool, was sunny.  Paul taught with the Penguin School while Dane worked on the TZ.  Also this year, the team finally looks like a team, with all the bikes sporting new paint jobs with matching paint schemes!  Sweet.

Saturday was a nice bright, sunny day, with the temps in the high 50's, low 60's.  A nice day.  Paul ran in GTU first.  After getting held up for a bit at the start of the race, Paul finally got through traffic, and managed to work his way to a 9th place finish, running low 19's!  Not bad for the first weekend out.  Next out was Dane on the the TZ in GP Singles, finishing a strong 4th!  Great for the first weekend out on a new bike!  Nils ran in LW Sportsman on Saturday and unfortunately got the first DNF of the season, forgetting to gas up!!

Overall, a good first weekend for the team.  Now for all the individual reports!
 
 

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



Dane's report

Friday - 4/26/2002
First race weekend back after being 100% fit and ready to race.  Over the winter I acquired a new race bike - a 1995 TZ125.  We got our bikes painted in team colors (red and black) and they look AWESOME.  Great thanks to Pasquale Auto Body!!!!

To get comfortable with the new bike and to get comfortable being on the track again, I headed up on Friday morning to make Friday afternoon practice.  Mechanical troubles prevented me from getting out on the track Friday afternoon, but I got the bike into top shape for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday - 4/27/2002
I wake up C-O-L-D.  The temp in the garage is ~40 F.  I rejet the TZ to be a little richer and suit up for my first practice.  I get out on the track and the bike is running great.  The 125 revs amazingly quick and handles awesome.  It turns on a dime!  On the third lap I decide to turn up the pace a little bit and lowside in turn 3.  Cold tires, cold track, cold brain == no good!  Very gentle crash - broken windscreen and bent footpeg bracket.  Easily repaired before my next practice.

Second yellow amateur practice comes and I make the entire practice.  Spend most of the time trying to adjust to the tiny dimensions of the motorcycle.

Race #6: GP Singles - 4/7 entries (9 points)
I signed up for GP singles today.  I pull out onto pit road with the rest of the 125s and a smattering of 4 stroke singles.  We go out for our sighting lap, line up on the grid and...we're off!!!  The first race of my season.  I get an OK start and get into turn 1 in, I believe third place.  I get passed in turn 2 for 3rd and continue throughout the race in fourth place.  I
am slowly getting more comfortable on the bike - and I finished in the points.  This feels GREAT!

Sunday - 4/28/2002
No races registered for today.  Another cold morning and I am looking forward to practice.  Joe Melchionda offers to show me the 125 lines and we play tag with me following him around for most laps, then Joe following me to give me tips on adjusting my lines for the 125.  Riding the new lines REALLY made me feel more comfortable.  In fact, the second practice, I felt really good.  I took my time to find my lines and my lap time dropped.  I felt good, did not push in the cold again (don't wanna crash twice in once weekend ;-), and at the end of practice, felt MUCH more comfortable on the motorcycle.  I think I can lower my lap times next race weekend.  Great weekend, let the race season BEGIN!!!



Nils' report

Well, this was a mixed weekend for me for sure. This is my second season racing, but my first as a member of the team, and not a semi-invited guest. For the season I've set some goals that I'd really like to reach; specifically to finish top 5 for the season in Production Twins (Junior), and I'd like to score at least a few top-3 finishes along the way. I'd also like to lower my lap times to the 1:25 range, which means doing some serious work on improving my riding and my preparation, not only for my bike, but for my mind and body. Overall this weekend I'd give myself a C. I did OK making progress towards my goals in some ways, and really fell short on others. I've known what I've got to do for the next event, and now I've got to do it.

Not having raced since last August, I was anxious to get back on the bike and see how well it was all working since some work I did over the winter. I had the bike well tuned, stiffened the suspension, upgraded the brakes, and modified my exhaust to gain some needed cornering clearance. The entire team had our bikes painted by Steve Pasquale of Pasquale Auto Body in Medford, and we did a lot of work keeping the sponsors happy and on-board. I also added a covered trailer to my kit, and a new set of Vanson racing leathers and I wanted to get my entire race kit sorted out and shaken down. On the riding side, I was making my debut in Junior Expert and I was very interested in how I'd fare with the increased competition. Overall I guess I met some of my goals for the first weekend, but it was not without some frustration and disappointment. That's racing I guess.

I'm pre-entered for the entire season in two main classes that run on Sunday; Middleweight Sportsman (where I'll get my butt whipped badly) and Production Twins, where I hope to be competitive. This weekend I also signed up for Lightweight Sportsman on Saturday-in part to get the first race out of the way, and in part because the weather was looking pretty ominous for Sunday.

Saturday - 4/27/2002
Saturday was beautiful if a tad cool. The track had very recently completed some pavement work, and so some sections of pavement were a bit slippery, although several of the transition areas in and out of the NASCAR oval have been greatly improved in the process. Once it's had a chance to cure and get some rubber laid down on it, I'm sure the lap record will be lowered (by someone other than me :-)). I arrived and registered, setup and got out in time for one morning practice. (Note to self: get to the track in time for both!). On the plus side I had packed and prepared pretty well and had everything I needed, and was fairly well organized. The bike ran well in practice, and I felt OK. Definitely, practicing with Juniors and Experts is at once good for my riding and yet humbling at times. At one point halfway through the session Jeff Wood (in Junior red-sticker practice!?) went by me on the outside on his super motard so smooth and so fast it was amazing to see. It was a small group and I was unimpeded by slower riders-a welcome change from Amateur red-sticker practice, where I spent last year. I'm the slow guy now, which is good for me :-). I felt glacially slow, and the practice times confirmed it- 1:40 or thereabouts was about as fast as I got going. That's OK though-I just wanted to get it all shaken down, and I did that.

Race #10: LW Sportsman - DNF
My race came around at last, and I got geared up and out there. I was gridded dead last due to my same-day entry, and that was fine for my Junior debut. I got a crappy start with a wheelie and had to really claw my way past a few people to prevent entering T3 dead last. It took a couple of laps for things to spread out and for me to get in a groove, and then I started to get going and pass a few folks. Three laps in I came upon my pal Murf, riding unusually slowly and cautiously. I passed him up the hill in 7 and that seemed to do the trick for him, as he passed me back a half-lap later looking like the Murf of old and that of course was the last I saw of him. I was feeling 'up to speed' by then, and in a groove. Coming down the straight on lap 5, though, I over-revved the bike once again, and once again it started to quit, at 110 MPH or so. Not good. I put my hand up and worked the throttle, and it fired again at the entry to T1. Strange. By this time I was well off the race pace though, and concerned I was going to get railed from behind, and cause myself or someone else a problem. As it turned out I had pulled a decent gap from my nearby competitors at that moment, so it was not an issue. Around T2 the bike quit for good, so I put my hand up and glided off the track and parked it by the fence in T3, very frustrated. As it turned out I had cut it too close getting cute with my fuel level, and had quite simply run out of gas. I can't quite express how angry and frustrated I was with myself as a result. My racing friends mostly shook their heads knowingly, and nearly all said the same thing, "You get to do that once", usually followed by some description of the one (or two) times they did it themselves. I totally agree-once is more than enough. We finished up the day, cooked some more food on the new TDR gas grill and drank a couple of beers, and unhitched the truck and headed back to Newburyport for bed.

Sunday - 4/28/2002
Sunday started out dry and cool-temperatures were around 40, although nasty weather was forecast, including possibly snow. Again I managed only one practice, and really felt much better all around having made several small but significant tweaks to my bike. My practice times confirmed what I felt-I managed a fast lap of 1:34.8 on a much colder track. I did have a couple of exciting moments sliding the rear on the gas in T3 and 'backing it in' to T1 on the brakes too hard. That was about the end of the dry track for the day though, as temperatures dropped and the skies opened up shortly after my session. Following the end of practice there was an unusually contentious riders' meeting in the tech garage, with most of the assembled riders in favor of calling off the racing for the day. Track management (and a vocal minority) did not agree, and it was made abundantly clear that the show would go on, and so it did. I thought about going out, but temperatures by then were only in the mid to upper 30s, so I bagged it, packed up my stuff, and called it a day. I may regret the loss of points at the end of the season, but I do this for fun more than anything else, and so the decision was not that tough. I'll keep my self and my bike intact and rejoin the fray next month.

Plusses: The new brakes are excellent and I really worked on braking later, harder, and passed several folks that way in T1 and T3. The muffler and suspension work did the trick for clearance as I touched nothing in T6 for a change, although I think the rear is a tad too stiff, as I did slide it a few times unexpectedly. I may have to back off the preload and get a different spring in the rear after all. The new trailer is great, the setup changes are working well, and my 'stuff' is well organized this year. I did not get annihilated in Junior in LWSP at all-I would have finished 8th or 9th (started 17th) as I was running when I ran it out of gas, and I expect to do at least as well in PTwins. It'll be a while till I see the podium again, and that's fine. I'll have really earned it if I do. I'm tons more comfortable around the track and the paddock, I've got a bunch of friends now, and I know the ropes a lot better than last year. The team is great, and I'm psyched to be with them.

Minuses: I need the practice time and I squandered two sessions. Can't do that anymore. I'm forgetting stupid things like taping my grids to the speedo and checking chain tension and tire pressures. I need a checklist and I need to get more methodical about preparation as I'm running around at the last second and that's not good. (Thanks to Dane and Kit, by the way for the help in this regard). I need to work on my cornering speed and hanging off, as I'm losing time in a few critical locations as a result of poor technique. I need more time on the bike, and I need to put more gas in it :-) and not get cute cutting it close. I'm considering doing some of the endurance races to train for my sprint races.

OK, I guess that's it. Three weeks till the next race weekend! Woo Hoo!



Paul's report

What a first weekend! After the Thursday open practice had been canceled, due to new asphalt being laid in the ovals for NASCAR, I didn't head up to the track until Thursday night.  What a drive up that turned out to be!  While driving up, I was greeted by a driving snow storm!  So much for spring and summer!  Once I got to the garage, I unloaded, de-iced the bikes (!) and get situated.  Soon after I arrive, Jim Franklin showed up, up there to take Penguin and get hi racing license, and hanging out with TDR for the season.  Once unpacked and situated, I set up my tent in the garage, and went to bed.

Friday - 4/26/2002
Woke up to a clear, cool, sunny morning.  Jim ran off to sign up for the Penguin School, while I made sure the F4 was all set.  Jim and I ran off to the Eggshell restaurant for breakfast and to warm up a bit.  After breakfast, Jim ran off to class, while I continued to go over the F4.

Dane showed up and started setting up.  I helped him get the TZ ready between heading out with the Penguin school.  Mechanical problems kept Dane in the pits while Jim and I ran through the rest of practice.

Later in the afternoon kit showed up and a bit later so did Bruce. We all went out for diner with a bunch of folks from SRNE.  I think we had a party of 16 for dinner.  Lots of fun!  A quick trip to Walmart for a few essentials, then back to track and to bed.

Saturday - 4/27/2002
I only signed up for one race, GTU.  Figuring if I was only going to do one, I might as well make it a good one.  Saturday was nice a sunny, but still a tad cool. I went out for my two practices and felt good.  The bike was working well and I was feeling good.  Unfortunately, for whatever reason, my transponder was not being picked up, so I did not get any of my practice times, so I had no idea where I was.

Race #1: GTU - 9/26 entries (4 points)
Since I post entered I was on row 6 (out of 7).  Keeping true to form, I got a crappy start, going into turn 1 near the back of the pack.  I put my head down and was pretty aggressive through turns 1A and 2, making up several positions.  The field started to sort itself out, and I continued to work through traffic.

Once the filed sorted itself out, I found myself behind Mike Martire (#37).  Now last year I sort of "stuffed" Mike in turn 3 during a race, which he gave me no end of grief for.  Well, I remembered that, so even though he was holding me up, I wanted to make sure I made a clean pass.  I was much faster then Mike on the back section (6-12), but Mike had motor on me, and would pull me on the straights.  After being stuck behind him for about 5 laps, I finally managed to get by him between turns 8 and 9, one of my favorite passing spots.  I gave him a little wave, and started reeling in the next rider, Dave Schweitzer (#85).  It only took me a few laps to get by him and kept moving forward, passing several other bikes (#25, #95), then got into lapped traffic.  Toward the end of the race I was closing in on #271 quickly, but just ran out of time.  I took the checkered all alone, finishing 9th and collecting 4 points.  I think I'm going to like this class this year.  I ripped off a fast lap of 1:19.1, with most of my early laps in the 20's and 21's (traffic), and dropping as the race went on.

After the race, I headed back to the garage to hang out.  I was very please to see that Christine and Falvio had made the trip up to spectate!  A little later Dana showed up as well to cheer the team on!

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing a little emergency repairs on the trailer, helping the other guys get ready for their races, and cornerworking.

After the day of racing was done, a bunch of us headed into downtown Concord for a little mexican food.  After waiting for over an hour in the bar, we had the brainstorm that we should just eat where we were.  :/

Back to the track.  We hung out for a while, chatting with others in the garage, but soon called it a night.

Sunday - 4/28/2002
Based on the forecast, I had not entered any races on Sunday.  I also opted out of practicing, since practicing in the cold and damp, didn't seem to appealing to me.  Instead, I spent a long, cold, wet day working in turn 2.  Picked up a bunch of bikes in the pouring, cold rain, but almost all were simple lowsides from either going in too hot, or getting on the gas too hard.

After showering and warming up, I moved all my gear over to the north garages for the track day on Monday.  Foolish me decided to believe the weather forecasts of partly sunny, so, even though I brought them, I didn't mount the rains, keeping the DOT's on the F4. I headed out to Billy's (Brookside Pizza) with Jack for some food and BEvERages where we ran into Sandy, Don, BP, Carl, and a few others.  We closed the place and headed back to the track.  I spent a few hours going over the XX and the F4, getting them all set for the track day the following am.  I had set up my tent in the garages again, a bit warmer than outside.  :)
 

Monday - 4/29/2002, Penguin Track Day
Woke to an overcast morning.  Both Roger G. and Steve I. showed up and started setting up.  Roger, having ridden there, had to remove all the street running gear from the Aprilla.  I helped out for a little bit, but then ran out with Jack to grab some breakfast from the Eggshell.

Once we got back, Roger and Steve went into class, while Jack and I got ready to go out.  Then morning was overcast and damp, the track was wet.  I took the XX out for the first set of sessions, leading the new rider around the track during several follow the leader sessions.  We broke for lunch during which time the track started to dry out.  All right!

Unfortunately, my joy was short lived.  After getting some fairly fast laps in on the XX during the first session after lunch, it started raining again.  The XX reminded me that I was on street tire when I went into turn 1 pretty fast, braked, and then downshifted, locking up the rear wheel for several hundred feet.  Thanks bike, noted.  :)

The rest of the afternoon I just kept going out on the XX, not wanting to take the F4 out on the DOT's.  I did take Paul C's MZ out for a few laps on rain tire.  Woo, what fun!

As the day wore on, it was obvious the track was never going to dry.  I called it quits around 4pm, as did Roger and Steve.  We packed up, and headed home.

Overall, a good weekend.  It would have been nice if the weather had been better, but you take your chances in NH in April.  I would like to thank the rest of the team member for their help and company during the weekend as well as Christine, Dana, Falvio, and everyone else who cheered us on!
And last, but not least, all our sponsors, who make this all possible.



Scott's report

Did not race this weekend.  Instead, was off skiing!  Hell, he could have done that at the track!