Oh wow, what a weekend. (This might take a while to finish, so within the next day more pics will be edited in.)
From round 5 of the S.O.A.R series last weekend.
This was the 1st time that we decided to sleep over at the track on Friday and Saturday, because driving a 15mpg truck for 10 hours driving back and forth from track to house costs a lot in gas. Saved a couple hundred bucks just from sleeping over.
For this round, we would be running the "Screaming Alien" configuration in reverse, it's really fun way to ride it.
On the Friday practice, it had rained for a good bit in the morning, but we were able to get a good amount of track time in to learn this configuration.
MotoGP tuner John Cornwell had installed stiffer front springs for us, because the stock ones were starting to bottom. He also spent an hour talking to me and answering my questions, which is incredible information to be getting, considering that he tuned for Carl Fogarty during his championship years.
Going to bed on the Friday night, it started to rain, and then it started to pour, and then it started to flood. Ridiculous amounts of water, everything was soaked, and even overnight the dry sheets got a bit damp from humidity.
^My sleeping configuration. There is something very calming about being warm in bed while the trailer gets assaulted by rain. (Dad was sleeping in the truck.)
We used the CRF230 for a pitbike because the the TY80 was out of commission.
(Oil tank nipples broke, not surprising for being almost 40 years old.)
It's nice to have e-start and a kickstand though.
Not to mention massive wheelies.
Trying to keep dry.
The track was still a bit damp from the previous night, the 1st race of the day for us was the Bridgestone Cup heat race.
Result spoiler a bit below
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I managed to get a terrible start, (Not aggressive enough with the clutch.) but was able to go around the outside of the leaders in the 2nd corner.
The front end got up a bit on exit, and threw me around fairly good.
Was able to cruise to the heat win.
Next race was the Open Sprint heat. Anything goes, as opposed to Bridgestone and 600's where only supersport bikes are allowed. (600-4, 675-3, 850-2)
Results below.
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Got a decent start, and made up another 2 places braking on the backstraight. The front end locked and the bars turned quite a bit at :42 over the puddle. Managed to save it and make the turn.
Lost a place, made it back, and then took advantage of the battle in front to gain another spot.
By this time I was leading the Novice group. (They are scored separately, so I could've just stayed there, but... nah...
The 800 is a really quick guy that runs up front in our club, but his rain bike was down on power, so I was able to breeze by on the strait and get the overall. (Not that it mattered for the actual results.)
Ahh, the 600 Extreme heat.
Mixed Novice's and Pro's. (Ie, the 47 who won the Superbike race that weekend.)
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This was just a really good battle the whole way through.
Almost ran into a guy when he stood the bike up over the puddles.
Finished 2nd in Novice.
Going to bed on Saturday, it started to rain again...
Next morning.
We're lucky that Grand Bend has those trucks to suck the water up, it was up to the top of the kerbs in one corner.
First race of the finals was the Novice 600.
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Track was still a bit wet in places, so no place for a DOT race tire.
Held the lead till the halfway mark, up until then I could hear the guys behind, so I just tried to pace and maybe save some tire for the last few laps.
Once they got by they opened up a small gap, but I closed it back up again, and then...
...the rear tire went to Jell-O.
I could not get drive off of the corners for the life of me, the back end was all over the place.
5:36 you can see that I try to roll on the gas and it just spins up. I really thought I could have won that race if not for the tire melting itself.
(After the race, you could see difference between the right and left sides of the tire, the shape was gone on the left side from lack of rubber.)
Still, happy about getting on the podium where the goal was a top 6 finish.
Open Sprint final.
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This was probably the toughest race mentally of the weekend, my visor fogged up so badly, that with the combo of rain, I could hardly see.
I had to start turning into some corners before I could even see them.
Got a good start, and almost had a mess at :24, he was pretty damn close.
Took a few laps to catch the guys in front, but once the rain started to fall it was easier. Kept on picking people off, and found myself racing with the Pro guys on their 1000cc superbikes. The orange wheeled bike was on slicks, and the blue bike was on rains. I was on DOT race tires.
The blue bike was Scott Rupert, he is the guy that you expect to win at Grand Bend. He was going to go out on dry tires, but his dry bike had a problem and he had to use the rain bike.
I tried to go on the outside coming to the white flag, but there was no way that he could see me, so I had to let the corner go.
Still, got the Novice win, and I didn't even know it. I didn't know who won our class, so I was heading off, then everyone was pointing at the start line and yelling.
(t was getting a bit slippery, front end started sliding at 8:54.)
600 Extreme final, since I got top 6 in the Novice race, I got a free provisional in the expert final.
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Finished 6th, happy enough even to be in the race.
Flames at 5:05.
Bridgestone final.
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Holeshot, pushed a little for a few laps, then held pace for the win.
There were only 4 people in the race though, so no free tires.
Now I'm only 1 point behind the 86 going into the last race of the year, it'll be interesting.
For a guy who is in hospital from a hit and run.
I'm not sure on the order, but meh.
I really like the heat haze from the exhaust on this one.
Got noticed from racing with the big boys, so hopefully that might open up some doors.
👍
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