Race reports

May 29-31: Summit Point

Pat #233

CICADAS ARE DEVIL SPAWN. they are worthless, stupid insects that don't have the whole "flight" thing down too well. they land/sit everywhere, are ungodly loud, and generally are a major pain in the ass. I hope I never have to deal with swarms of cicadas ever again. Ever.

Middleweight GP amateur, monday May 31 - I didnt get my rain tires mounted in time for the race. not so happy about that as its wasted money for an entry fee, and I was gridded on the 3rd row out of like 9 rows so I would have run very well.  Oh well, I'm not really focusing on this class too hard this year but I know I could have gotten some great rain experience and finished well.

Lightweight GP amateur, monday May 3 1 - After checking the grid sheet, I was unhappy to find that only 5 racers were in my class. Well it was still very wet, so I had my rains on. I got out there for the race and only 2 other amateurs were on the grid! Well we took off after the experts from a 2nd wave start. I got a FANTASTIC holeshot and left the two amateurs behind. I caught a huge pack of experts and by the second lap had sliced through many of them. I ran very hard especially being my first race on rain tires ever. My Dunlop rains felt great! I did slide in many places, sliding the front and the rear tires - but it was mostly due to the sealer patches at Summit Point which are suspect even in the dry. I passed many many experts, I was told up until 3rd place in the expert ranks. On the white flag lap I passed one of the amateurs who was on DOT tires and was just cruising around to finish the race I think. Anyways I took the checkered very excited about the win - although I would have liked a dry, well-packed race instead of just two other amateurs out there. I got to speak on the microphone after the race which was fun and gave a good word to my sponsors. Mainly I had to thank Dunlop for great rain tires. I don't really understand how the "new" rain front tires work, but they do. The grooves go straight across from left to right, no angled chanels from the sidewall towards the center of the tire. However it works, they did great and now I have a set of rains in case of the wet stuff.

USGPRU 250 GP - monday May 31 - I qualified with a terrible lap time of 1:25.26 - which is over 4 seconds slower than my best lap at Summit Point. My XT laptimer recorded a 1:22.77 lap during the qualifying session, so I thought I was in good shape. Oh well..... anyways that time put me in the last spot on the 3rd row for the race. The USGPRU 250 race was fun as hell. it was hot as hell so the slicks went back on. I got a good launch and got past a bunch of 125's, only to get passed by like 3 of them in the carousel on the first lap. I ran really hard, really hard, I turned some fast laps although there was no sender for my XT so I have no idea. I got clipped by John Klaras on the outside of me in turn 6 exit, he was coming by and got my clutch lever and left handlebar. I mightve moved onto him a little bit, oh well thats racing. It spooked me so he got by. We diced, I got him on the straights and he would try to pass in the carousel. Nope, I didnt let him by though. I was braking so deep into turns 1 and 5 it was sick. I had the scariest moment on a motorcycle other than crashing at VIR though. I did a 130 mph stoppie into turn 1. I promptly shit myself, and almost ran off the track. Klaras came by me on the inside, and I had to pass him again later.  My temp guage came out of the dashboard from the stoppie, and I think my thermostat sender is messed up because I was showing 80 deg C on the front straight (this is seizure territory). I had no tape on the radiator so there was nothing I could do. The ambulance came out on a lap too and I had to pass it on the inside of turn 5 with Klaras in my tailpipe so that was hairy. Anyways, my buddy Brian Roach crashed dicing for 3rd in turn 6, this is what brought the ambulance out. Luckily, he didn't need the shiny bus so it got off the track. I ran hard just praying for the white flag, I was tired. I really had to loosen up on the bars on the straight because my forearms and hands were tired. Klaras had caught me when I slowed up to pass the ambulance so I had him on my butt the final 4 laps. I had to run hard and he was close behind me coming out of turn 10 on the last lap but I held him off to the line......so I ended up in 7th place. Not bad when people like Brian Kracget and a few 14 yr olds who weigh nothing and RIP on 125's were ahead of me. I ran really well, and it was SO MUCH FUN. I was DYING though I was praying for the white flag, the race was friggin long and it was HOT out. I got hit by about 50 cicadas while racing, those things are the fucking DEVIL.............

The whole USGPRU experience was great.  This was my first event running this and it was awesome. The guys running the show, Dennis and Stewart, really are doing a great job and I applaud them for their efforts. I want to thank all the USGPRU series sponsors also. We had an awards ceremony after the 250 race where they handed out the cash and the prizes offered up by some sponsors. I finished in the first place out of the paying places, so I won a sweet set of Motion Pro T-Handle sockets with a holding case.

Thanks a lot guys !!! For more information on the USGPRU series, visit www.usgpru.net