Sonoma Raceway has historically
been one of my worst tracks on the AFM circuit. While my overall laptimes were
of a similar range compared to the other tracks (ie I would like to be 5
seconds a lap faster than I am) the overall times seem to be a bit closer than
they are at the other tracks with less spread between the front and the back. I
had some clear cut goals and ambitions for the weekend, the big one being to
make up for what I didn’t accomplish at Round 1.
One of the things I realized after
R1 was that I needed to sort out my mental game. Obviously the pros must have a
way of dealing with this, and I knew I needed some tips and ideas on how to get
out of my own way. Ken Hill has been doing a podcast series, so I suggested
that as one of the topics. He graciously offered to discuss this particular
issue with me prior to the podcast, and he shared a fair bit of information
with me on how to deal with this particular issue. He also arranged for Cameron
Gish to review some of my Saturday video with me to give me some tips on
getting around the track – WOW, I was super grateful for all of that, and
wanted to put it to good use! Thanks to Erich Stiegler Insurance I was able to
purchase a Go Pro to make good use of this coaching.
After loading up the RiderzLaw
truck, I dropped my stuff off and started setting up the garage on Friday
night. I had my take offs swapped for Saturday practice so I could put on some
shiny new sticky new Dunlops before my first race. Saturday practices I was
working on a few things, but quickly realized I was bottoming out my forks in
several places. Jim at Catalyst Reaction Suspension helped me sort some of that
out, and I eventually headed out for my Saturday race, Clubman Middle. I had an
okay start, was feeling good – and red flag. I wasn’t even to Turn 3 yet! Ugh,
back into the pits, race finally gets called again, and we grid up a second
time. I have a better start this time, was feeling pretty good still, got to
about turn 7, ANOTHER red flag! WTH! Okay, back into the pits we go. Again we
get called out, grid up, and start. I had a great launch on this one and was
starting to have some fun. We finally complete a lap and we’re racing. I’m
coming down into Turn 8, and a THIRD reg flag!! WTH people!! We get waved back
to the pits a third time. Apparently race direction also had their fill of
this, so they decided to move on to race 2 and move our race to race 0 on
Saturday.
Well, now I was going to get a
really good test of my fitness. I had added one race to my schedule from R1
already, and now I was going end up having all 6 of my races happen on Sunday!
Okay, it is what it is, this is what I’ve been training for, let’s see how it
goes!
Saturday evening Cameron came over
and we went over the one lap of the race I managed to do. He had several
suggestions on lines I could correct and a few other mistakes I was making, so
after taking some notes, started to think it through. That night, it was on my
mind as I tried to mentally correct some of the bigger ones that were
definitely slowing me down. I slept well enough that night, and headed back to
the track Sunday morning to take on the challenge of the day.
Sunday morning I crawled into my
Dainese gear, and put on my favorite helmet I’ve ever tried, the AGV Pista. I
made it out for the first practice and was feeling pretty good. Race 0 being
the first of the day, we gridded up for a race none of us were quite sure how
it would go. I had another decent start, which gave me a better position to put
down some laps. I had a few riders I was getting to battle it out with, and we
had a good time. I made a good move in this class and finished 12 out of 25,
with a 1:55.7, just shy of my previous personal best (PB) here at Sonoma.
The next race out was the new one
to me, 600 Superbike. Since I have never ran that class, I was near the back of
the grid. I had an okay start, but never quite got into a good rhythm.
Additionally, I was yet again bottoming my forks out in several places, making
entry into all of the hard braking corners difficult, as my front would be
chattering as I was trying to turn in. I finished the race in 14th
of 16, with a 1:55.2. Still shaving a bit of time, but the front suspension was
definitely an issue. There was only one race between this and the next one,
however, so I didn’t feel like I’d have time to get things fixed before then –
and then the race between got red flagged – and they were early enough into it,
we knew it would be restarted. I decided to make use of that and ran over to
Catalyst yet again. Jim added a bunch more preload and tweaked a couple things,
and I headed back to the pits. The delay for the other race was a long one, so
I had plenty of time, even managed a bathroom break LOL.
The next race was Formula 1, which
has remained one of my favorites to run. We headed out for our warm up and
gridded up. I closed my face shield, shut out the noise, and focused on the
world in front of me. I had a great launch, and got to chase some of the faster
guys for a bit. The suspension changes were very helpful, and I plowed on
ahead. I had several great battles in this race, including a first for me as
another bike just barely squeaked in front of me going into Turn 1 and we went through
the corner side by side! I finished the race in 11th out of 20,
setting a new PB of 1:51.5 – a good 3 ½ seconds of my previous PB!
I kept getting closer to my goal of
making the top 10, but was just staying shy of it thus far. So close!! Over
lunch I swapped my rear tire, ate, and then got ready for our next race, Legacy
Middleweight. Our grid at this round was quite a bit smaller, so while my
increase in speed helped me put a couple of my contenders who were beating me
at R1 behind me, it didn’t look quite as good on paper. Again I had a great
start, and got to play chase for awhile. Eventually had a couple bikes I was
getting to duke it out with a bit, and ended up finishing in 4th out
of 6 with a 1:52.4.
Thankfully after that we had a few
races between so I could catch my breath before my last two. I was starting to
feel the fact that I had barely sat down wearing on me since I didn’t really
get a chance to relax over lunch, so I made good use of this down time. Our
next two races were the Production classes, so I wanted to get out there and
keep this improvement trend going.
By the time 600 Prod was called, I
was feeling pretty good. I had another good start (theme for the weekend by
this point) and got to chase down several bikes. I was noticing that due to the
mental coaching I had received, it was making a huge difference on my
willingness and ability to make passes. It wasn’t about aggression at all – in
fact, quite the opposite. When I was making the passes it was just seeing the
path, being quiet and “in the zone” and I’d just take it. Smooth, safe, but
making it happen without stressing about everything that “might” happen like I
historically have struggled with. This race was the real clincher for me as I
finally crossed the line in 9th place out of 22! Woohoo, another
goal for the weekend made reality! I had a best lap that race of 1:52.4.
There was a one race break before
our last race of the day, 750 Prod, so again, not much down time. Grabbed some
water, and basically got ready to go out again for the final race of the day. I
could feel the fatigue starting, but thought about the fact that it was the
final race, and knew I could manage one more. Our race was called, and we went
out and gridded up. I had another good launch, and had some more fun battles
through the race. I continued to push through, and finished the race in 6th
place out of 11 with a 1:52.9.
I came off the track feeling pretty
good, and was happy to see that my laptimes remained in the same range they had
been most of the weekend. That sixth race, however, put me at my limit. I had
noticed my legs starting to shake a bit during the race, and I got off the bike
and could see my hands shaking while holding our ‘celebratory’ beers – so I had
definitely maxed out what I could do and still perform! Thanks to Skratch Labs
I was at least able to survive and finish strong, their hydration mixes have
made a huge difference in my body’s ability to recover.
Overall, I’m pleased with the
weekend. There are still a number of very clear places I can make up time, and
we’ll obviously need to do some suspension work since my on fork seal started
to leak by mid-afternoon on Sunday after bottoming them out repeatedly…the
never ending chasing of that proverbial tail! I managed to break into the top
10 a couple times, and I made some significant improvements over my previous
times and performance.
I can’t thank all of my wonderful
sponsors enough for their help. Because of their generosity, I was able to
spring for a camera so I can now have more accurate review of what I’m doing,
and hopefully can increase my opportunities for more assistance based on those
videos as well. The mental coaching and suggestions were huge as well. I
thought I needed more aggression, but the weekend proved that was almost the
polar opposite of what I needed. I’m looking forward to more opportunities to
work on applying those methods so they become habitual. Their support is
also going to allow me to get the suspension work done that I need to do before
the next race round, so I can continue to work through some of the changes I’m
making and continue to improve.
I’m not the most talented rider out
there, and my progress isn’t amazingly fast, but it’s been pretty steady. At
this time last year I was the clear back marker in all of my races. While my
longer term goals still leave a lot of work in front of me, I know I can reach
them as long as I continue to apply myself, and I can’t offer enough gratitude
to everyone who has helped me on this journey!
My sponsors have been amazing this
year, and I can’t even begin to imagine where I’d be without their support!
Each has been instrumental in making this happen, and while I know we all say
that, I really do believe in their products and services. RiderzLaw aren’t just
lawyers – they’re riders and they are passionate about the sport. Dainese keeps
me safe and comfortable both on the track and on the street, day in and day
out. Dunlop tires continue to keep my shiny side up and are there with every
new Personal Best that I achieve. Erich Stiegler’s support of racing and his
customer service for all my insurance needs has been beyond anything I’ve
experienced. Catalyst Reaction has been instrumental in each of these
improvements, and they are there every time we need to readjust after yet
another change! MotoGuild keeps all my maintenance supplies, parts (and help
when needed) at the ready. Skratch Labs hydration mixes allow me to operate at
my peak, and are key to being able to recover quickly. Motion Pro supplies some
of the best tools imaginable. Chicken Hawk warmers keep my Dunlops warm and
ready to go; Cycle Gear has kept my pit well stocked; Woodcraft and Amour
Bodies keep the bike set up, protected, and looking good.
It was great to see some old (and
new) friends out at the races, and it’s always a blast being able to share this
passion with people who knew me as a brand new street rider, took me under
their wings, and planted the seeds that have gotten me thus far. The journey is
far from over, and I am looking forward to Round 3 at Thunderhill the end of
the month!
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