Race reports

Oct 13-15: Road Atlanta, 2005 WERA Grand National Finals (GNF)

And so it goes, the 2005 WERA GNF. 

I was not even thinking of bringing my own bike as I did not have the leave to take from work to make the races I qualified for on my 250 (as they were thursday). I qualified for the 2005 WERA GNF in HWT SB, F2, V7 MW and V7 HW. I was committed to riding the Wizard Racing II '04 GSX-R600 in the Dunlop/WERA National Endurance round at the GNF, so I was going one way or the other.  *Just in case* I could bring my own bike and race it I put a new top end in my 250 engine (it was due anyways) and I changed the gearing to suit Road Atlanta's loooooooooooong back straight. As it came down that week, I worked my ass off and had to hand off few tasks in order to leave wednesday after work to make the races. I really did not want to pull my own trailer as I get horrible gas mileage and I did not need to bring the whole kit-n-kaboodle for one day of racing, and I did not need a place to sleep as I was staying with one of my best friends in the universe in the Atlanta area. So, I borrowed a buddies small 4x8 open utility trailer and loaded my stuff up wednesday night after work, pulled his wheel bearings and re-packed them, and rotated his tires - finishing around 1930 and I tried to take a little power nap before getting on the road. Kelly could not take the time away from work, so I was driving alone for this long haul. Well, I couldn't sleep. Kept racing in my head, doing laps at Road Atlanta, highsiding in the rain, losing the front down turn 12, all sorts of adrenaline pumping. I ended up leaving my driveway at 2109.

I drove.

A lot.

By myself.

Through the night.

Well, around 0345 a pickup a few hundred yards in front of me tagged a buck. I didn't see the buck running, but I saw the pickup swerve, and a few other trucks did, so I knew something was up. But before I could really react or see what the hell was going on, I whacked the buck carcass on the right side of the truck. Took both wheels and the right trailer wheel. I could see a nice antler standing up out of the pile and it was a good sized deer. Oh well. Stopped and checked everything but no real damage other than some fur and some scratches on the bumper. 

Forward march.

I struggled SO HARD getting to Road Atlanta.

Finally I arrived at the gate at 0815, a full 11 hours after leaving my driveway. I probably could've done it in 10, but I *had* to stop for Waffle House at 0200 and a few times to splash water on my face etc. I haven't done many, if any, all-nighters since leaving college 2 years ago, let alone driving. I'd rather be partying my ass off rather than driving all night by myself and seeing the sun come up, that's for damn sure!!!

Well screw it, I get in the gate and to the pits, where the Wizard Racing team is setting up also and they are looking at me like I have my own rack of antlers coming out of my head. They think I'm crazy! Probably was. Huge bags under my eyes, unpacking my truck and trailer. I get to registration and through tech. I decided to run V7 MW and V7 HW. Great fun classes there. Get some gas and mix it up, get the warmers on, and get ready to ride. I only got 5 laps in practice due to a red flag, I hope that guy is ok (LW EX practice, he was in turn 4 esses against the wall). 

Hey there, I had forgot how to ride my own 250 because I did the Barber endurance race on the Wizard Racing II gsxr600 bike!!!! Let me tell you it's VERY STRANGE to get back on a 250 after doing hours and hours of riding on a big diesel 4 stroke, I hadn't ridden a 4stroke in 2 years, and its standard shift also. On Pirelli tires. Talk about the other end of the spectrum for me! But, I adjusted ok I guess.....

In practice I felt like poop and thought I was going to get my ass handed to me by Bryan Nelson and crew. I really wanted to race well, but OMG was I hurting. 

After practice I got the wheels changed to the "good" tires (well better than the crap I ran for practice!), put a new clutch in, made some gas, then tried to take a nap. Struggled for hours to actually sleep, BIG THANKS to Jen for bringing me some lunch to eat. I drove over into the woods to try to sleep better than in the pits. Came back to the pits before the V7 MW race to get ready. I really had to pump myself up as physically I was drained and mentally broken from being awake for so long. Once I got into the leathers and gear I knew it was time to get down to business.

I was gridded dead last because of an error, so I was on the back row and I knew I had to ride a great race to make a challenge for the win.

Well, that's just what I did. I made a decent start, not great but good enough. I ran wide in turn 1 and ran around as many people as I could going up the hill, as to not let the leaders get away. I ran pretty good the first lap and tried to make moves where I could. We were running behind the V6 HW bikes so there were a lot of bikes on track. I could see the leaders and that's all I wanted to have, coming into the 3rd or 4th lap. I ran a great race, making many passes inside and out, and on the brakes into turn 10a especially.

As the laps started to wind down, I was in a 3 way battle with Nelson and Paul Yates. We really diced it up for lap after lap. It was probably the most fun race I've ever ran in my entire life. I made a pass on Nelson in turn 10a on the brakes just before the last lap, and I put my head down to make the best lap I could to make it to the stripe. On the last lap I came up behind a V6 bike and tried to make a pass early so I could put some distance between myself and the other 2 guys nipping at my heels. I held them off, somehow, and took the win!!! I finished only 0.8 seconds ahead of Nelson, he was running really well. I only ran around a 1:39.0 in the race, which is not really as fast as I know I can go around there.

So in a nutshell, I came from dead last to win the race, and I'll tell you that not once in my mind did I think about my shape. I was thinking all about doing business under my face shield.

The V7 HeavyWeight race was the last of the day, and I was feeling great for once due to the MW race. I was once again gridded dead last. I made a pretty good start, and tried to get up in the front as I knew I could run well. There were a lot of bikes in this class though, 15 rows full. By the time the first lap got the back straight, the leaders were making a lot of time on me. They were specks in the distance! Some of those HeavyWeight bikes (old GSX-R1100's, FZR 1000's, etc) really have some motor!!!!!! And Road Atlanta is a place where it can be used.

Well I used my strengths on the brakes and in corner speed and I made about a zillion passes in this race. Inside, outside, corner entry, mid-corner, exit, drafting, brakes, etc..... I think at one point I went around 6 bikes on the outside of turn 7. But those heavyweight bikes would just walk by me on the back straight every lap!!!! All that work for nothing hahahaha.

It was a great race though, I had a great battle with Mike Kelly and Cook. I really wanted to nip Kelly at the line, but on the last lap he walked me on the back straight as always, and took a *really* defensive inside line into 10a, where he KNEW I would be coming hard on the brakes as I had passed him several times in the race there. Well he held me off, I did not know but we were battling for 5th place. He won that battle and I took 6th. I was still stoked though, wow what a fun day of racing.

Left the track, ate some dinner, and fell face down into a deep slumber, only to get up and do it all over again...

_______________________

Pat

Riding in the Dunlop WERA National Endurance Series, Round #11

for the Wizard Racing team '04 GSX-R600, Wizard Racing II #82

Well since the Barber round Wiz found out the secondary butterfly valve actuator/sensor was broke so with that fixed, and some other outstanding gripes fixed on the bike it was ready to rock. I got to the track a little late because I was still very, very, very tired and the team had the bikes down on pit lane getting ready for the Endurance race. I went out for practice and felt ok, the bike was so different from my 250 though. But I started to try to get suited back to the bike, back to the shifting, and the power delivery. I had ridden my old gsxr750 around the track, so I knew I had to be very careful with the throttle exiting turn 7, etc.  Practice went well, and in the Endurance practice I turned around a 1:40 lap time which was right about where I wanted to run my race pace.

John was riding the first leg of the race and got off to a good start. Everyone was riding well, and doing fine. It was incredible to be in the same race as Kevin Schwantz. He was riding a spare Vesrah bike. Anyhow a red flag came out, and we were worried because the SV did not come back to the pits. We heard word that Tray Batey of Vesrah Suzuki high-sided in front of her and she collided with his bike, sending her and 2 bikes tumbling. The bike came back on the trailer and we got ready to fix it when the red flag was done. Jen was taken in the ambulance to the hospital and we kept her in our thoughts the rest of the race. The other two chicas riding the SV (Cathy and Suzette) got the bike fixed with Wiz and Damien's help and they switched off the rest of the race

I took the reigns of the 600 and went back out for the re-start. Well, I hadn't launched a 4 stroke in 2 years either! I didnt get a great start but just wanted the dust to clear for the first lap. I then got into a little groove and decided to push hard since I knew the bike was working well and I had good tires on it. I couldn't believe it when I checked the laptimes after the race, but I ran some 38's and a best of a 1:37.2 ! That's over a second faster than my best 250 time on that track.

Anyways the right ram air tube came loose and started hitting my throttle hand and wrist, I guess I was going too fast aahhahhahaha. By the time I made the back straight, it was almost impossible to ride. it made me run wide on the kink on the back straight, and that's just plain dangerous. I went into the pits to get it fixed, and I let Mike take the bike back out. I really was a little mad as it was it was a short stint but, I told myself I would ride a very long stint for my next one.

The race went on, everyone was doing fine, and we decided to run the same tires for the whole race, to save some time and money. I got back on the bike and did a bunch of laps, but a few laps into my stint I tried to make a pass into turn 5 and the bike got a little loose. I was deep in the corner and the bike was very unsettled, so I ran off the track. Through the gravel, over a road, heading straight for a wall! I said SHIT and turned as best I could, but there was airfence in my way to re-enter the track so I ended up ditching the bike at very low speed on the left side. I was pretty pissed at myself, and since the WERA cornerworker told me I could re-enter I kept racing. Well, my second time around I got the meatball flag and I then knew I had to get to the pits and re-tech. Did that and kept going. I didn't break anything from laying the bike down, it basically just fell over on the left side in the mud. The only damage was some fiberglass was broken on the left. Lucky for me, as I was hauling ass when I ran off the track. John finished the race strong, and although we were in 3rd place when I ran off the track, we lost some time and finished 5th in class. Overall a good finish for us, we did well.

The SV team finished well, and the 1000 team of Dave and Timmy finished 4th in class. If Schwantz wasn't out there with his team on a "promoters exemption" running the GNF Endurance they would've stood on the HW SB podium!!!!!

The 2005 GNF was a great time. I'm glad I pushed myself and drove down, and brought my bike. I raced great on both my 250 and Wizzo's 600. Everyone did well and the bikes came back in one piece which is great.

Jen, on the other hand, was pretty hurt. She broke two ribs near her spine, cracked her humerous, and crushed her L1 vertebrae :( So, she stayed in the hospital for a few days but happily left, without having to have surgery, and there was no spinal cord injury so she will be back on a bike before you know it!!!! She is a real trooper, and I hope she reads this. The entire team, plus the Need A Sponsor team, went to see her in the hospital, and promptly made hospital people mad since we had over 10 people in her little room bothering everyone. Oh well!! We had to go see our girl.

I want to thank all the Wizard Racing folks - Wiz, his son Damien, Dave, Timmy, Jen, Cathy, Suzette, Mike, John, Julie, and whoever else I'm forgetting, for a great GNF.

Can't wait for 2006, we'll see what happens.....