Subject: Re: Last race of the season
Author: EldoMike
Date: Oct 22, 2002, 11:21 AM
Post ID: 1711250541
Congrats Ken.....as you might expect, I really hope you stick with the Loop
so we'll have somebody to cheer on next year.....before you spend money why
don't you give your supporters a chance to help you upgrade the Loop....I've
helped in the past and am willing to do so in the future.....anyway, it's
been a pleasure hearing the race stories.
Mike
www.classicguzzi.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ken Pitts" <MGcoo-@aol.com>
To: <Loopfram-@topica.com>; <MG-@topica.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2002 12:45 PM
Subject: Last race of the season
| I had a nice drive down on Thursday & arrived at the track with plenty of time to unload, set up our pit area & cook dinner. Over the next couple of hours it was great to see some of the good friends I have made this season roll in & set up. Most of our group from Asheville made it to the track during the evening & once everyone was unloaded & set up, it was time to "try" & get enough rest for the next day's practice. Friday's sunrise was spectacular. I know this because as usual before a track day, I woke up about 4:30am, part nervous at the prospect of hurling |
| body around a race track on a 33 year old motorcycle & part eager to get going because I have so much fun doing it. Practice got under way & |
| the jitters gave way to the focus of learning a new track. After a couple |
| sessions learning lines, braking & shift points, I began going out on the track behind some of my competition to see how I compared. A couple of |
| were running pretty good but I did not think they would be a problem. |
| was how ever, a Triumph running really well. I may have been able to carry just a bit more corner speed than him, but he was out braking me pretty badly. Way cool, someone to dice it out with in the race! Saturday, with the races starting at noon, we get a couple of quick |
| of practice in the morning. The Triumph is a definite threat but I think I can take him. Our race is #5, its a two wave start with two classes in |
| wave. Our class, for some reason get gridded as the second class of the second wave, behind what should be a slower class. A couple of the guys in this slower class are exceptional riders & won't be in the way, but at the start that still leaves 7 or 8 bikes to pick my way through to get into |
| one. The green flag drops & we all lurch forward towards the first turn, |
| the exit of the turn I have passed the 7 or 8 bikes. Three bikes remain in front of me, the two fast riders from the other class, one on a Honda, the other a Yamaha & the third bike is the Triumph. I follow the three bikes around most of the first lap looking & waiting for my chance to pass the Triumph. At turn 14, the Yamaha tries to make a pass on the Honda, he crashes, slides off the track & makes a spectacular cloud of dust as he tumbles through the infield. My chance comes on the back straight of lap |
| passing the Triumph & making it stick through the braking as we enter a series of turns. That only leaves the Honda in front of me, he is running really fast, I don't know that I could pass him if I wanted to. I have a tendency to start slowing down about three-fourths of the way through the races & this guy is not in my class so I decide to let him pace me, if he keeps running the same pace & I stay on his tail, the Triumph will not |
| me. My plan works, we keep a steady pace only slowing slightly towards the end of the race. I take the checkered flag for my 3rd win of the season! |
| turns out the guy on the Honda is the manager of the track & has countless hours of practice on this track, once learning this I felt pretty good |
| able to hang with him even though he was on a smaller bike. It also turned out that one of the BMW riders passed the Triumph & was gaining on me late |
| the race, he finished about a hundred yards back. A sizable lead but he |
| gaining, I just may have a new threat for Sunday. Sunday brings another beautiful sunrise & what looks to be great weather |
| the last day of AHRMA racing for the season. Feeling pretty good with my lines & corner speeds, I use the two practice sessions to work on what I perceived as my main weakness on this track.....braking! Again racing |
| at noon & quickly the calls go out for race #5. The grid is the same as Saturday but this time I understand why, AHRMA wanted to let the track manager be in the front row. Things start out very similar to Saturday |
| the work on braking pays off. On the second lap, entering the series of |
| at the end of the back straight, I pass the Triumph & the Honda. Nothing |
| open track in front of me, I settle into a comfortable pace, catching & passing a few of the back markers from the first wave. Once again the BMW |
| gaining toward the end of the race but he was trying a little to hard to catch the Guzzi, he crashed on the next to the last lap. Win #4!!! I did not get to race as much as originally planed but I ended the season with four 1st place & three 2nd place finishes. Now to decided what to do |
| next year, spend money on the loop & get more power for the next class or build up a Tonti frame bike. Thanks to everyone that gave me support & words of encouragement & |
| Loopframe Guzzi can haul ass, you just have to be stupid enough to believe it. :-) Your not so bright Loopframe racer Ken Asheville, NC |