First Race Report: May 28-29, Infineon Raceway

Peer pressure finally won out, so I joined the other lunatic Coolriders on the grid at Sears Point this weekend. What a blast! Herewith my first race weekend report:

Saturday practice - Arrived at the track in plenty of time to get unloaded (thanks Ian for saving space for me), go through tech and get suited up before the first session. I was in group 1 (the slowest), which was also home to about 20 vintage Honda 160's who showed up for the weekend. Top speed of those appeared to be about 40 mph. So I got plenty of passing practice. My times were horrible compared with last month's practice, but I felt pretty good about some spots on the track that had been causing me grief.

Sunday practice - Arrived at the track a little late and realized I had overfilled the oil when I changed it Saturday. So quickly went through Tech, drained a little oil, got the belly pan back on, suited up and caught the 2nd lap of the 1 and only practice session. Impossibly slow again, but I was able to observe something about how my clipons were adjusted and fixed it, thereby solving some chronic pain problems I'd been having.

Race 5 - 650 Twins and Open GP - My first race! Goal is to finish upright. Nothing more. Talk about nervous. Thanks to Ian for helping me calm down and reminding me to use the warm up lap to really heat up the tires. Warm up lap, hard on the gas, hard on the brakes, easy corner speed. Took my grid position (inside spot, row 17!) and did some deep breathing. First wave (Open GP) goes, then it's our turn. Once the 2 board went up, everything seemed to go quiet. I couldn't hear Fosgate, but mentally, I was going "Sidewaaaaaaaaays, GREEN FLAG!!!". Up the hill to 2 I was dead last, and stayed there thru turn 5. Then I got my wits about me and rode around 1 bike in the carousel. Next lap I got 2 more in the carousel. Then there was nothing but clear track in front of me for a few laps, so I just rode. I was the smoothest and fastest I've ever been (which of course isn't saying much). Then at the exit of 9, Mesa and 2 other frontrunners from Open GP came by. At least I think they did. They were going so fast I think it affected the transmission of light. They got the crossed flags, so I had already gone down a lap (no surprise), and then I was in Open GP traffic. I hope I wasn't too much in anyone's way. There was a crash in turn 3, with a bike on its side at the top of the hill right at the apex and a debris field all the way across the track. I had caught up to another SV (#323), so we picked our way through the mess and on we went. I got around the other SV in my new favorite place (the carousel) and held him off through the esses and turn 11. He got me back on the gas out of 11 and crossed the line in front of me. By the time we got back to the little straight between 2 and 3, the front runners from 650 Twins came by. The turn box in 3 had the oil flag out this time, which I assumed was where the bike had been lying before. At least a couple of the Open GP guys and Michael Earnest didn't make the connection or didn't have time to react, hit the oil and crashed hard into the haybales at the exit of 3A. It looked like at least 4-5 bikes were collected over there. Before I got to turn 4 the black flag was waving, so that was it. I got to wave to a few turnworkers and my own little cheering section (wife + 2 friends) on the way back to the paddock. I was mostly bummed because the scoring was as of the last lap, which means #323 had beat me. But I had finished upright and even passed a couple people. Unofficial results show me 31st out of 36 (34 finishers).

Next race, Formula 4. This time I'm gridded on the next-to-outside in row 13 with a couple more people behind me. "Sidewaaaaaaaaay, GREEN FLAG!!!" I could see Ian heading off way at the front, but I was still really nervous about charging too hard into such a big pack of riders, so I stayed off the gas a little and was once again dead last up the hill to turn 2. This time, I started making moves a little sooner, and picked off guys one by one in a variety of places. I got one on the brakes into 7, another around the outside in 1, another at the entrance to the carousel. Once I was through the little clump at the very back, I was on my own again. After a couple laps I could see my new arch-nemesis #323 with another rider or two ahead in the distance. I really put my head down and started catching them. Every lap a little closer, but alas it was not to be. The leaders caught me on the last lap and ended the race with the checkers. All down to the slow start, I suppose. But this time I got to cross the line, take the checkered flag and do a complete cool-down/celebration lap. Wave to the turnworkers and pull in feeling like a real racer. I was really happy to have not been lapped till lap 7, and only by a few of the front-runners. Unofficial results have me 46th out of 52 (50 finishers).

Checked my timesheets and I had taken 3 seconds off my best time ever, and about 8 seconds off Saturday's practice times. My last lap in Formula 4 was my fastest of the day, and was 3 seconds better than #323's fastest. I totally had him. Next time, more assertiveness at the start, and I might make a race of it.

Big thank you's to Ian, Joe, Rick, Pete, Carla and the other CoolRiders for putting up with my newbie antics. I can't wait for the next race!!!

Cheers...