Greetings All,
Several of the F.A.S.T. crew made an assault on Mid America Motorplex last weekend for the Saturday track day and racing on Sunday.
Rain greeted us on Saturday morning but Mike Boomer and Dave Abbas soldiered on in race licensing and track orientation schools.
Now Mike is an officially licensed racer! His day went off without a hitch, he was very busy, the only time we saw him was when he came by to add fuel or from the grandstands.
Dave’s school went well with his class finishing up just before lunch. He got to go out and play the rest of the day.
By early afternoon the sun had come out and the track dried out so Troy Walbaum fired up his XB12R and headed out for some laps.
I also went out with the race bike hoping to get some shake down laps in to help set up the suspension for the races on Sunday and to get familiarized with the bike again. Everything started out fine but 3/4 way through the first lap the bike just quit running. As I was waiting for the session to end, I tried it again and it fired right up. After several minutes of thrashing to find a short or loose connection I decided to try the bike on the track again. After 6 laps it died again and on the way back to the pits, on the back of the rescue truck, it started right up. Needless to say I was at my wits end! The day was over, I locked the bike in the trailer and took the repair manual with me to the hotel for some light reading.
Unfortunately, Dave’s day ended with a low side and Troy did some agricultural riding but kept it up in separate incidences. Both guys are fine, Dave’s bike incurred only slight damage mostly thanks to recently installed frame sliders. Troy’s bike got packed with mud but sustained no damage.
Sunday morning arrived with no idea of what the problem was when Katie Boomer suggested that we disconnect the battery with the thought it might cause the ECU to reset. I was for anything that could insure the bike make it around the track for more than a few laps. So with no morning practice laps, I was off to compete in my first race of the day.
Race #1 - GT Lights is a timed race, 25 minutes long, so the idea is to get as many laps in as possible within that time frame. I got a good start and tried to get in the mix. The fast guys were gone in a hurry and I found myself circling around the course pretty much alone but it all worked out as I placed 4th out of the 8 amateurs. My fastest lap time was over 4 seconds faster than my best time on Saturday so I was very pleased.
Race #2 - Lightweight Formula 40 is the class I’m hoping to be competitive in but all the old dudes that race that class have the same idea! I had a great scrap with a guy on an older Yamaha over several laps which helped me a great deal. I noticed he had an expert plate so I figured he knew the fast way around the track but I did managed to get by him at the end, finishing 4th out of 6 amateurs.
Race #3 - Lightweight Grand Prix is a 12 lap affair but due to lots of red flagged races in the morning this race was reduced to 11 laps. I had a poor start and honestly, I was pooped, but I hoped I’d learn more by being out there, so there I was touring around by myself. Eventually, three experts blew by and I got motivated! I perked up and went in pursuit. I didn’t catch them but I did pick up my pace considerably and finished with my best lap times of the day, finishing 5th out of 6 amateurs. Good news, though, I found out later that this class pays cash to fifth place so I got PAID!! The checks were sent out Tuesday and I was so excited to hear that I won money, I forgot to ask how much!! I going to make an enlarged color copy of it when I get it, that’s for sure!!
All in all it was a great weekend even though we never figured out where the electrical gremlins went, so the bike will be going out to Silver Eagle for Reese’s critical eye as Troy and I are headed to the Buell sponsored track day at Road America in a week and a half.
Craig Davis took lots of outstanding photos, so I’ll bring them to our next meeting.
Ralph Longus
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