The 2013 track season came to a close with Zoom Zoom's Thanksgiving double header at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA.
After sorting out the "how am I getting there" situation, figuring out how to finagle the money issues, and then grabbing some spots from those needing to unload theirs, it was time to get ready. The bike needed some basic prep even for this final weekend, had to get the Land Rover fixed up enough to make the trip, and of course the usual packing and prep work. My carpool buddy helped make that all happen and on Friday night we headed up to Willows.
Saturday dawned bright and cool. With a calm, sunny day we set up our pit area with our friends, made it through registration and tech, attended the riders meeting, then got ready for our first sessions out. I had snagged a B group spot for this day, which actually worked out well - it had been nearly 3 months since I had been to any track, and I wanted to work on passing and learning to take those mental breaks - plus figure out WHERE I could take those breaks.
For the first few sessions out, I was taking things pretty easy - even going super slow I had both wheels break loose in turn 3, thankfully I was pretty much upright and it wasn't that big of a deal, but made me pretty cautious for awhile. By the third session things were warming up nicely and I was able to start picking up the pace. Pretty soon I was getting plenty of opportunities to pass. A few things I got to work on included learning to set myself up for the pass, patience and finding those areas where I could take someone on either a drive or the brakes safely without encroaching on their space.
As the day went on I felt like I was back into the game. Life's stress had killed a little bit of my RAWR for awhile, but I felt like it was coming back - in a much safer way this time. I was consistent, my lines were good and I was relaxed. I found several places where I could take a break, and I also found that I was doing a lot more "waiting" around the track than rushing....I ended Saturday feeling confident about taking on A group the next day.
Saturday evening was an enjoyable after-track party complete with a scrumptious taco bar provided by Z2! I enjoyed chatting with friends old and new, playing a few games and relaxing before the final trackday of the year.
Sunday dawned sunny and cool as well and I was feeling good. By the second session I was picking up the pace and I was feeling pretty on top of my game by the third session when I worked with one of the instructors. For once, his list of "what to work on" didn't begin with "where do I start?" LOL. Of course there were a few little tweaks for me to make to help me get around the track faster, and I went out the next session and worked on those. Primarily it was moving my slow part of the corner on 6 and 14 to an earlier part of the turn so I could get a better drive out of the corners. This definitely helped a lot on 6, 14 still needed some refinement but was getting there.
I also changed my shift patterns (yet again) to accommodate my improved braking confidence. By the end of day 2 I had changed my shift patterns between 2 and 5 and also between 9 and 12. These helped me approach a few of the corners faster, although I was wishing for a lap timer so I could have seen if there was measurable improvement or not!
Then, our awesome pit neighbors who I had met earlier that day let me try their Triumph 675 - OMG, awesome bike! If I hadn't been so nervous about pitching their bike down the track, I think within a session or two that bike would make me feel like a god!
Overall, the day went well, and I felt like I was doing well and had a blast doing it - and I'm sure this was the least tired I've been post trackdays ever - and it's not because I'm in any kind of "good shape" - but learning to take those mental breaks and waiting instead of rushing was HUGE on my endurance levels.
My one "issue" with the weekend is that this was the first time I walked away realizing that my bike is finally holding me back. Of course there's a little more I could squeeze out of it, but for the first time, there were riders on similar size (but newer) bikes that I was out riding in the corners, holding my own on the brakes but they would simply walk away from me in any drive area (better brakes would improve things for me as well since I got to experience that on the 675, and I could easily move brake markers up by a quite a bit with very little practice). Granted, my bike is 11 going on 12 years old - it's not that it's not a good bike, it just simply doesn't have as much going for it!
The weekend was great, I had a blast, and I feel like I'm ready for next year. Now that the job thing is sorted out, I'm pretty excited about the racing opportunities, and can hardly wait to get going. Now to save up for a new race bike and find some awesome sponsors!
2014 HERE I COME!!
After sorting out the "how am I getting there" situation, figuring out how to finagle the money issues, and then grabbing some spots from those needing to unload theirs, it was time to get ready. The bike needed some basic prep even for this final weekend, had to get the Land Rover fixed up enough to make the trip, and of course the usual packing and prep work. My carpool buddy helped make that all happen and on Friday night we headed up to Willows.
Saturday dawned bright and cool. With a calm, sunny day we set up our pit area with our friends, made it through registration and tech, attended the riders meeting, then got ready for our first sessions out. I had snagged a B group spot for this day, which actually worked out well - it had been nearly 3 months since I had been to any track, and I wanted to work on passing and learning to take those mental breaks - plus figure out WHERE I could take those breaks.
For the first few sessions out, I was taking things pretty easy - even going super slow I had both wheels break loose in turn 3, thankfully I was pretty much upright and it wasn't that big of a deal, but made me pretty cautious for awhile. By the third session things were warming up nicely and I was able to start picking up the pace. Pretty soon I was getting plenty of opportunities to pass. A few things I got to work on included learning to set myself up for the pass, patience and finding those areas where I could take someone on either a drive or the brakes safely without encroaching on their space.
As the day went on I felt like I was back into the game. Life's stress had killed a little bit of my RAWR for awhile, but I felt like it was coming back - in a much safer way this time. I was consistent, my lines were good and I was relaxed. I found several places where I could take a break, and I also found that I was doing a lot more "waiting" around the track than rushing....I ended Saturday feeling confident about taking on A group the next day.
Saturday evening was an enjoyable after-track party complete with a scrumptious taco bar provided by Z2! I enjoyed chatting with friends old and new, playing a few games and relaxing before the final trackday of the year.
Sunday dawned sunny and cool as well and I was feeling good. By the second session I was picking up the pace and I was feeling pretty on top of my game by the third session when I worked with one of the instructors. For once, his list of "what to work on" didn't begin with "where do I start?" LOL. Of course there were a few little tweaks for me to make to help me get around the track faster, and I went out the next session and worked on those. Primarily it was moving my slow part of the corner on 6 and 14 to an earlier part of the turn so I could get a better drive out of the corners. This definitely helped a lot on 6, 14 still needed some refinement but was getting there.
I also changed my shift patterns (yet again) to accommodate my improved braking confidence. By the end of day 2 I had changed my shift patterns between 2 and 5 and also between 9 and 12. These helped me approach a few of the corners faster, although I was wishing for a lap timer so I could have seen if there was measurable improvement or not!
Then, our awesome pit neighbors who I had met earlier that day let me try their Triumph 675 - OMG, awesome bike! If I hadn't been so nervous about pitching their bike down the track, I think within a session or two that bike would make me feel like a god!
Overall, the day went well, and I felt like I was doing well and had a blast doing it - and I'm sure this was the least tired I've been post trackdays ever - and it's not because I'm in any kind of "good shape" - but learning to take those mental breaks and waiting instead of rushing was HUGE on my endurance levels.
My one "issue" with the weekend is that this was the first time I walked away realizing that my bike is finally holding me back. Of course there's a little more I could squeeze out of it, but for the first time, there were riders on similar size (but newer) bikes that I was out riding in the corners, holding my own on the brakes but they would simply walk away from me in any drive area (better brakes would improve things for me as well since I got to experience that on the 675, and I could easily move brake markers up by a quite a bit with very little practice). Granted, my bike is 11 going on 12 years old - it's not that it's not a good bike, it just simply doesn't have as much going for it!
The weekend was great, I had a blast, and I feel like I'm ready for next year. Now that the job thing is sorted out, I'm pretty excited about the racing opportunities, and can hardly wait to get going. Now to save up for a new race bike and find some awesome sponsors!
2014 HERE I COME!!
Photo courtesy of GotBlueMilk.com
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