Tally

With all the races being so close together the next month, we decided to just head down for Talladega for the Southeast WERA race for just Sunday. Showing up to the track that everyone had been riding on since Thursday or Friday and only getting 10 laps of practice (seperate sessions, thats total) before the race, was a little bit nervousing for me. I even totally forgot it was Father's Day til mom reminded me around the start of the mini race. oops.. The all famous Steve Ault, personal friend, showed up just before practice to watch for the day.

In the Practices I got down to minute flats in the first session and then into mid 59s in the second session. I wasn't really going real, real fast but it was decent to be so early (I'm not a morning person!) and not have anytime on the track the whole weekend. After practice, we sat through lunch for an hour then another 2 hours atleast until my first race came up. It seemed every race that came up had a red flag or something happen.
When I finally got gridded up for 600 Superstock, I was starting in the middle of the front row, and got a good start and lead the first 2 laps. My second lap was kinda slow and Taylor Knapp passed me. When he got in front of me I started to push much harder and realed the little gap he put on me back in and made a pass for the lead entering the last turn esses deal but ran a little wide on the exit allowing him back up the inside. This is when I figured out that Payton Sassaman was also right there with us cause he came around me to and we all three split a lapper entering turn one. I got back by Payton and started to run different passes through my mind. Going into the 90's on the last lap, the only right turn on the track, I missed a down shift and let Payton back by me. I tried to fight back by in the next turn on the outside of the carousel. I couldn't get back on the throttle soon enough to make it stick and ended up .389 of a second off of Taylor who won, and only .119 off of Payton.

I was real excited with how I rode even though I knew I coulda made a couple different things work better for me and came out on top. but every time on the track is a learning experience. My fastest time was a 58.2! I was also real happy with that.

The next race was 750 Superstock. I gridded up second row and didn't get as good a start this time. I came out third in turn one behind Tim Hunt who held me up the first lap letting Opie Caylor get a little gap on me. Then Corey Burleson got by me and I got in front of Hunt. I still had Opie and Burleson in sight but I couldn't shave any time off. I worked real hard for it for a few laps and made the choice to settle down a little after having the back end step out right after the apex of one. I wasn't happy that I got beat but I still rode good. Actually my fastest laptime was a 58.1! A little faster.

Next race is Road Atlanta

Roebling Road.

First off, I wanna apologize for not keeping this updated. After the Rookies Cup last year, I am now getting the chance to race for M4/Emgo Suzuki in the WERA Nationals and Regionals with the occasional CCS/ASRA race to collect points to get an AMA License for next year. Big thanks to the whole M4/Emgo team and to John Ulrich and Doug Gonda for making all this happen for me. And to Chris Ulrich for being John Ulrich's son! =p.
So far this year, I have raced in 4 races finishing with two firsts and running close to the same times as Jenson and the Sassamans and the rest of the leading group, even racing with them when they're there. I am getting up to speed quickly on the 600 which is a lot different than the 125 I raced last year. I still have a lot to learn before next year and its all an adventure.

We filled the Surburban up after getting the trailer loaded and made our way towards Roebling Road Raceway for a WERA Regional race. On the way down, Susie (the Surburban) started acting funky on us so we pulled into a parts store after babying it there and got it fixed. My friend Nathaniel Parton and his dad Donald were car pooling with us so Donald helped my dad fix it so we could get on the road quicker. We showed up at the Microtel at around midnight and got some sleep in before Saturdays races. Early in the morning Saturday, I headed out for practice. I already raced the National at this track earlier this year and did good for it being my first time on the bike. In this first session, I was getting everything sorted out and shaking the cobwebs off not putting in real fast laptimes. I was only in the 19s. In the second session I went a little faster and got some things straight but I wasn't really setting the world on fire. I got into the 16's and I knew I could do 13's, even with the track being a little greasier than it was at the National. After the hour long break, we got dressed and gridded for the Mediumweight Solo 20. I was starting second row so I knew I had a good chance at taking the money at the end of it. I got a decent jump on the start and my M4/Emgo Suzuki motored by the front row (even the one who had moved a bike length before Chuck waved the flag). From there on, I lead the race to pull about a 3 second lead at the end. I know the times still weren't where I wanted them to be with a mid 14 being my fastest lap, but I only got a few clean laps without any lappers. In the end I was happy with how I rode, kinda conservative and smart and got into some ok laptimes. After the race, we got everything loaded and Nathaniel and I raced across the track to collect the earnings. We stayed in the air conditioned tower with Emily from WERA and her duaghter feeding us and having a good laugh. After our parents made it across with Susie, we headed to the hotel and to get cleaned up and to Tybee Island afterwards to eat at AJ's. Its this little seafood resteraunt we found on vacation at the Island a few years ago. Thanks to Donald for paying for it! :)
Sunday morning early in the first session, I got in behind Josh Day and was following him for a few laps. We only made a few laps before I suddenly lost the front for no obvious reason in turn one. I wasn't pushing real hard it just kinda fell away from me. As I was pushing my bike out of the impact zone, 2 more went down, seperatly. On the ride back in the crash truck, I saw Josh's bike laying outside of turn 4. When I got back to the pits, I was explained to that someone spilled oil all around the track after busting a crank case. The guy came to apologize for causing the big scene to all the riders who crashed so props to him for that! We got the bike back together for the next sessions but didn't really do anything impressive in them. We spent the whole two sessions trying to figure out my front end problem. It turns out that Day's bike was to crashed to even fix to try to race. I was kinda looking foward to racing with him and having someone help push me to faster times since I was struggling with it myself.

The first race of the day was 600 Super Stock. I was starting on pole, left side of the front row and got a decent start and lead into turn one. I struggled getting to pace and after 2 of the 8 laps, Tim Hunt worked by and stayed in front for the rest of the race. I got into the high 13's but I knew I could do better than that. I ended up P2 at the end of the race.

The next race was 750 Super Stock. I was starting again on the first row. In between Hunt and Opie Caylor. I broke out of the start right beside Caylor and my Suzuki GSX-R 600 motored by his 750. I beat him into the first turn before he got by. I pushed the my Pirelli tires hard but I couldn't stay with Opie. My fastest lap time wasn't as fast as the first race but the times were more consistently lower so I was happy with that. I finished P2 again. I guess in the end, the weekend was decent but I know I could have done better.
Im still working on getting better.. I'm coming after you Opie. I'm gonna beat you by the end of the year!! (I hope..)
Next race is Tally!