Saturday Practice
The day dawned warm and clear -- perfect conditions for racing. I took out the supermono for the first practice session, and actually turned some decent lap times, getting into the 1:10s -- that's 3 seconds faster than the last round. The proper race tires certainly had something to do with the increase in speed, as well, I assume, as the gearing changes and the suspension tweaking.
The second practice session was also a good one, out on the EX650 and running in the 1:07s, again much improved over last round, but still a few seconds per lap behind the top guys. The other issue would be my starting position, at the back of the experts due to missing 2 races on Sunday of Round 1.
Race 1: Canadian Thunder GP
I was able to video this race, and I will upload it shortly. Highlights for me was dicing with Jason (and getting by when he was balked by a lapped rider), and catching back up to Mert on his hot rod 650. Wasn't able to pass, but it was nice to see a rider come back to me over the course of a race. Ended up 5th overall, with several 1:07 laps; however Doug and Peter were on a different planet, turning times in the 1:04s -- got a ways to go then!
Race 2: ULWGP 1
A good race, led for awhile until the 2 strokes came by me -- Mert on the RGV, Lance on the Aprilia, and the 125 rider as well. However, we were essentially nose to tail the whole race, having the lead in sight at all times. I ended up 3rd overall, with the 125 going off-track. Mert got the expert win in 2nd overall, with the improving Lance 1st on the Aprilia. Not that far ahead, however!
Race 3: ULWGP 2
A better race for me, taking the lead and only losing at the end of the straight on lap 2 -- again the 250s have the legs on my bike (and at least 15 hp as well!) -- this time I stayed right on Mert's tail and capitalized coming out of turn 5 on the 2nd last lap. I tried to bury myself into the bike for the last 2 straights, expecting his machine to blow by me, but he never did. 2nd overall, 1st expert. Huzzah! Lance and the Aprilia took the win.
Sunday
Sunday practices were OK, considering the deluge that hit the track at about midnight Saturday. Tough to sleep in the back of a station wagon while it sounds like ball bearings are falling on your head. Luckily the rain stopped and I got some sleep. Lap times of others were a bit slower, while mine stayed the same... perhaps all the running has paid off!
Race 4: Canadian Thunder #2
This is a shorter 10-lap version of yesterday's 15-lapper. Another decent race, for at least 9 laps. In the 1:07 again, however a couple of riders behind me were motoring on their SVs, one guy tried a banzai move on the white flag lap going into turn 1; I just saw him out of my periphery, but I did have the position going into the turn. I leaned over and sure enough I felt a bang as his bike ran into the back of mine. I stayed upright for awhile, but went off track and crashed, flipping myself and the bike back onto the track when all was said and done. The race was red-flagged and deemed complete at 9 laps. The end result was a wrecked helmet (yes, the custom-painted one!), a broken footpeg, master cylidner, and swingarm spool mount, as well as a seriously dented tank and a mangled fairing. Sh!t. We were both Ok, or sort of, as me and the other rider got checked out by the ambulance crew. It turns out I was scored as 5th (at the end of 9 laps) -- a bit of justice as the crash was not my fault. The other rider apologized profusely and other witnesses agreed it was a dicey move. Racing incident.
Race 5: Canadian Thunder #3
Having gotten the green light by the paramedics, I set about preparing the mono for the last race, in order to "get back on the horse", and score some points. Turns out it was a good idea, as fatigue (I think), and attrition saw me finish that race unscathed in 4th! Still behind some of the novices (I started at the back of the novice grid in order to not get mugged going into turn 1), but I did pass some bigger bikes in the race, despite bringing a knife to a gunfight. My lap times were a bit slower than I thought (1:11s), but considering how the earlier part of the day went, it was OK.
Now I need to sort out some things -- mainly getting the swingarm repaired and fix the rearsets, tank, and fairing stay. Time for new tires, as I think these ones are shagged. I also plan to get the bike to a dyno to get properly mapped -- every other 650 is faster than it in a straight line, and trust me, I'm stretching the throttle cable! A bit more speed would be nice, although much of the potential for faster times is still within me, not the bike.
Thanks to Vince Ritcher for the pics.
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