Well, it’s funny. I no longer really have a sensation of speed on a motorcycle. I didn’t crash or suffer a head or ear injury or anything like that. I’m just really used to it, I think, and am looking for, straining to feel secondary things – how much is the front fork loaded, how much grip is the back tire offering me, where’s my foot on the peg?
It’s as if I have enough time now to sense all these things, and the confidence to make the minor corrections, unrushed, unhurried, while a part of me works on the bigger problem, how to get the bike around the guy in front of me. The main part of my attention’s on the small stuff, and there’s all the time in the world to make decisions about managing the race.
How did I suddenly get here?
I worked on my forks between March and April, replacing the oil. The manual said about 470ml a leg… I got 480 from both, together. Increased oil height in the fork tube acts like a rising-rate spring, as the tube compresses under braking, it squishes the air remaining in the leg. As it gets close to bottoming, the air acts like a spring, becoming quickly stiffer to resist the bottoming, but not really being a factor before that point. With my too-low level, I would expect the forks to bottom quickly under heavy braking. This is exactly what I experienced!
With the forks compressed under hard braking, every bump and ripple on the track surface is transmitted to the frame, without a cushion to absorb it. This translates into the rear wheel hopping and skipping, side-to-side. Not exactly the way you want the bike to be before tipping into a corner!
Since the bike wouldn’t be composed under braking, I had to brake earlier and lighter to compensate, and that led to being passed, or not closing close enough to pass in tight technical sections of whatever track I was on. Very frustrating… and my laptimes seemed mired in a plateau.
So, I did something about it, and replaced the fork fluid. I also set the oil height correctly, and replaced one of my fork springs, raising the spring rate slightly to help combat the bottoming issue.
What else happened? I’ve lost a few pounds, on a diet. I’m on a crusade to be size 34 waist by Christmas. To do this, I’ve had to commit to a 1400-cal-a-day diet (basal rate is about 3900 cal). That deficit should equate to about .22 lb/day weight loss.
It means I can’t drink alcohol and meet the goal. So, no drinking on Saturday night after race practice, which in turn, means a really restful night’s sleep. Who’da thunk it?
Saturday, in practice, the bike felt great. Composed, solid, planted, all good steady words. Predictable, and confidence-inspiring would be good words, too.
But I wasn’t using all the fork travel. I was turning the same times I’d ever turned in races, but in practice – which is usually good for being a second slower than your race laps. I had a lot of confidence in the coming races… still, I wasn’t using all the fork travel. I took a mm of preload out, and the bike felt even better a little lower on its nose.
Too much oil height? Naw… if the bike is behaving, try braking later. And harder.
Wow. The concept had me giddy, but it was time to change out the tires for new rubber, and there was no time on Saturday to experiment further.
Sunday dawned, finally. I woke up, really excited to get to the track, but it was a strange excitement – I was eager, but in no hurry. I mean it. Scuba Dave even mentioned something about it later, on the ride home: we had all the time in the world Sunday morning, and we were completely unstressed after breakfast. We arrived at the track in great time and in great style.
The first practice session arrived, and I took a click of compression damping from the front end. That’s the total adjustment I’ve made now – one turn of preload out, and one click (one quarter turn) of compression out. I ran quickly – but there was no beacon out, so I have no idea what laptimes I ran. But it felt great, even in the morning coolness.
My first race was ULSS (Unlimited displacement super-stock). The flag goes up, and I’m fifth into the hole (turn one). A good launch, but I can make it better… and I quickly motor around 4th place in the carusel turn, and get behind third place.
The four of us in the lead quickly pulled away from the rest of the field. I’m giddy because I’m in the lead pack and no one is getting away… I tried like heck to pass Ken Skripkar, but he’s not having any… he gets by Jim Wolkens, and I’m on the exact same machinery as Wolkens, and can’t quite find a way around him. For that race, I’m in fourth. I wasn’t quite frustrated yet…
After the race, I see I’ve run 1:15.4, and I’m not thrilled. I really thought I’d do better as good as the bike was feeling. In Timing and Scoring, Jim and Adam Rogers see me there – Adam won the race, with a 1:13.9 fastest lap somewhere during the race, and Adam tells me not to worry, I’ll hit 13’s soon.
Prophetic words.
The second race is Formula-40 (old-geezers, only requirement is you’re over 40 at time of entry). Last month, this race had a bad crash that took Tom Savoca’s leg and laid it open like a sharkbite. (Tom’s fine, but mad he’s missing races while he heals.) Yecch… This time, I get a clean launch, and I’m fourth into turn one, behind Tom McFarland and Jeff Smith, and Greg Talbot. Talbot, last month, was showing off and passed me sideways, the back wheel locked up, on my old bike (my old 636). This month, I just let go the brake handle and passed him into turn 3 off the back straight, and never saw him again in the race.
McFarland had some difficulty with the kink (turn 1) in the third lap and runs off, and then tries to reenter the course as I’m coming around the carusel at 97 MPH. Tom missed me, but barely, and the race is redflagged as they clean up the mess (gravel) that ensued when Greg and Ken Skripgar bail off the racetrack to avoid McFarland.
On the restart, I’m second behind Jeff Smith, and I am working to keep him in sight – but the race ends with him about ½ the racetrack ahead of me.
As I pull my helmet off, Troy Gammill tells me I’ve run 13.9’s in that race and finished second.
It hasn’t sunk in yet, after lunchtime. I’m full of energy (Monster energy drink…) and ready to go. The next race is Formula Arroyo, ULGP (Grand Prix, a purse-paying class).
The flag goes up, and I get a good launch. I’m chasing Jim Wolkens again, and Adam Rogers outbrakes me into T3, but flubs the corner. I get by Wolkens a moment or two later, leaving the carusel, and a redflag is thrown for a crash (Rob Richie) in the busstop.
On the restart, I grab another good launch, and am again following Wolkens when the race is stopped again, for another crash in the bus stop.
Once more, we restart, and the same thing – me, Adam, Jim, and the race is stopped for a crash in the horseshoe turn. On the restart, Jim had forgotten he turned the bike off in second gear – and I stole the holeshot – the race goes to the ready. Adam is a few seconds behind me, and I’m feeling really good, but a little out of synch in the esses. For some reason I target fixate on the edge of the track leaving the 111 turn, and let Adam by as I’m trying to get back on… giving Adam the lead and first place, plus $30 difference in tire money and $50 in the payout for the class.
I’m such an idiot.
I got back on the track, and lay down some scorching 13.2’s to get back in sight of Adam, but no dice. Finished second.
Last race. ULSB. I get a great launch, but Jim Wolkens’ is better. I show him a wheel into turn 3, and then follow him for another lap. Jim’s been braking early for the kink (turn 1) and I get up inside him and show him a wheel there. I keep the pressure on him, drafting him on the straight, and getting inside him on T3 again, and again on the busstop. I let him open up a little in the Yucca turn so I can then set up to drive into the horseshoe, and show him a wheel AGAIN in that corner. I back off for the kink this time, planning to drive by him on the outlet of the carusel, but Jim runs off the track in the kink, and JUST LIKE MCFARLAND, throws his bike at me trying to get back on the track.
Jim’s aim is better. This was way closer. I made it through the gravel and dust, ducking Jim’s helmet, and, no surprise, meet a red flag at the 111 turn.
On the restart I launch well, and lead the rest of the race for my first Arroyo Seco victory. It was really nice that my friends in the corner stations knew I was winning my first race here and clapped for me as I went by. The starter congratulated me personally, and honestly, it was a really nice moment.
I gotta say, I’ve seldom ever felt so in control, so at ease on a motorcycle as I did last weekend. Seldom have I felt that good off a motorcycle, either.
At the awards ceremony, I was a bit choked up, but it felt good, too. I told everyone I was going to keep eating salad until Christmastime if losing weight helped that much in a race.
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