2010 CCS Mid-West schedule finalized

April 24-25 Heartland Park - Topeka, KS. / Twin Sprints weekend
May 22-23 Blackhawk Farms - S. Beliot, IL.
June 12-13 Gateway International Raceway - St. Loius, MO.
July 3-4 Road America - Elkhart Lake, WI. / Twin Sprints weekend
July 24-25 Blackhawk Farms - S. Beliot, IL.
August 21-22 Blackhawk Farms - S. Beliot, IL.
September 11-12 Heartland Park - Topeka, KS. / Twin Sprints weekend
September 25-26 Blackhawk Farms - S. Beliot, IL. - Double points weekend
October 15-17 Daytona International Speedway / Race of Champions - Daytona, FL.

The weatherman says that the first snow of the season should be tomorrow!! So what’s a racer to do! Buy parts and gear for the upcoming season, of course!!
After three years racing on Pirelli tires I’ve made the decision to switch to Michelin for the 2010 race season. My two teammates, Troy and Mike. are running the same tires so we’ll be able to share information which will be very helpful to all of us.
The bike will look the same next season but I won’t. I’m waiting for new Teknics Racing leathers to arrive, my new Buell helmet and Alpinestars boots are already here so as soon as the leathers show up I’ll post some pics!

Stay warm!!

Very sad news from Buell Motorcycle Company

Buell Motorcycle Company has been dissolved and will discontinue building motorcycles immediately.

http://www.buell.com/en_us/

Well to say this news is devastating is an understatement. I have gotten to know Erik Buell, in fact Janet and I spent most of our evening sitting by him, visiting and laughing at the Red Flag Fund auction at Blackhawk Farms just a few weeks ago. He is an extremely passionate guy and was teasing us about new models coming in 2010 so I know this news must have hit him really hard and fast.

I want all our friends to know that I will continue to campaign my Buell XB12R in CCS competition as it is an extremely competitive motorcycle in the classes I compete in and the only bike I care to race. My only hope for Buell is that someone out there with the means to revive the brand will come forward to continue production of the only American sportbike brand available.

End of the season results

I had a steep learning curve this year racing with the folks in the MidWest Region. This region
is tougher to place well in but it has helped make me a better racer with faster lap times.
My final season results are...

Blackhawk Farms Track Championship
Lightweight Formula 40 - 2nd out of 9 racers
Thunderbike - 5th out of 24 racers
Lightweight SuperSport - 6th out of 20 racers

CCS MidWest Region
Lightweight SuperSport - 6th out of 26 racers
Lightweight Formula 40 - 6th out of 13 racers
Thunderbike - 10th out of 28 racers

I'd like to thank all the 2009 sponsors for their generous help with my race program.
Sliver Eagle Harley-Davidson Buell
John Kahrs - ASMSOIL
Top to Bottom Home Inspections
Butler & Sons Barber Shop
The Farrell Family
Gron4 Photography
Mike Boomer and Mr. "X" for all their tuning help

Gron 4 Photography joins the effort!

I'm really excited about becoming a part of the G-Team, thanks the Mikel and Andy Gronfor otherwise known as GRON4 Photography.

The vast majority of great photos you've viewed on this blog are the handywork of these two talented guys and now they are offering racers an opportunity to be a part of their program.

I'll be sporting their jazzy decals for the last round of the season at Blackhawk Farms in a couple of weeks!

CCS Mid-West region points update

These are the current points as of August 26th.
Since I've only been able to race 3.5 races out of the 7 that have been run to date, I'm very pleased where I'm at currently in the points chase in the three classes I compete in.

7th - Lightweight SuperSport / 22 competitors
7th - Lightweight Formula 40 / 12 competitors
10th - Thunderbike - 21 competitors

There is one round left that I can get to at Blackhawk Farms in September. That is also a double points event so we'll see how that will affect the final points outcome.

Wish me luck!!

New sponsor joins the effort!!

Even though we are at about the mid season point, good friend, Curt Balvanz has joined our race effort as a sponsor with his company, Top to Bottom Home Inspection Services.

Curt is the guy to call if you're in need of an inspection whether you're buying or selling a home in N.E. Iowa. Although the business is still young, he has solidified his company as a major player in the local market.

I'm very excited about having Curt's company on board!!

Thank you, Curt!!

Blackhawk Farms race report

Blackhawk Farms Race Report
Vol. 4, #2
Blackhawk Farms Raceway, South Beloit, IL. - May 30-31, 2009

What a great weekend of racing at Blackhawk Farms!! The weather was outstanding and I had three really strong races there.
I knew the MidWest Region was going to be tough but I didn’t realize how large the fields would be at Blackhawk!

Saturday started out with drizzle but when it quit the track dried very quickly. I skipped the first practice session so I wouldn’t have to change tires and concentrated on the second practice session to get reacquainted with the lines around the track. A red flag shortened the session but I felt confident that I could navigate the track at speed. Let’s go racin’!

Race #1 - Lightweight Formula 40
This race was a combination of four classes, 125 GP, Femmoto Lightweight, Ultra Lightweight Superbike and us, both expert and amateur, which placed 29 bikes on the grid, a little crowded compared to what I was used to.

The green flag dropped and I was off with a great start! Turn one was a little crazy but everyone got through it and we were off! With so many of us racing on fairly equal equipment it was impossible to know if you were racing with someone in your class or not. It really didn’t matter to me who I was racing with but when the checkered flag flew I knew I’d run well.

I have no idea where I finished overall but ironically, there were only two of us racing in the amateur LW Formula 40 class and I’d taken second! A podium finish right out of the gate!

Race #2 - Thunderbike
O.K., now it was time to come down to earth because Thunderbike is no walk in the park and I knew I’d be working real hard to stay with the pack. With 32 bikes on the grid, both experts and amateurs, I knew I’d need one of my patented great starts to keep from getting swallowed up!

The experts were green flagged first then us and I did have a great start! The race went will but the faster guys were gradually getting around me. I just couldn’t hang with the quicker guys but felt like I was running well and as it turned out I finished 12th out of the 15 amateurs in the field.

That night Erik Buell and his band the Thunderbolts played a free concert at the track which was the capper of a very good day for me! Sunday, I would have only one race so a good meal and rest was definitely on the schedule!

Race 3 - Lightweight SuperSport
This was a fun race! I had a great start again and I was mixing it up with a couple of different racers including a guy on a Buell. He got around me on the 5th of 8 laps and I could get right up to him but couldn’t get past. I was all over the guy but I just didn’t have the confidence to pitch it into one of the high speed corners to pass. Then on the straight, the white flag was waving, one lap left, so I knew I had to commit to a strong pass so I drove in a little deeper into turn one as I watched myself going by him, I knew I could out brake him! It worked, I’d out braked a guy into turn one!! Then I was off and I never saw him again! I finished 7th out of the 9 amateurs which is a little farther down the results than I’d like to be but I did race well and got a chance to improve my race craft with some very good riders so it was a very successful weekend!

Farrell family rejoins as sponsors

The Farrell family rejoins as sponsors on the Longus Motorsports Buell XB12R racebike for a second year. Clair and Mike are family friends and when they offered to help out again this year I was very happy to have them on board again!
Thank you, Clair and Mike!!

First race of the season - Road America

Road America Race Report
Vol. 4, #1
Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI. - May 3, 2009

Yahoo, the 2009 race season is underway but due to budget and work related issues I was only able to attend the Sunday races as part of the three day Road America Festival of Speed, Twin Sprints weekend. Sunday was the best of the three days, weather wise, so it was a great way to get back on the horse!

The last time I was on the bike at race speed ended in the crash that ended my ‘08 season so to say I was a little tentative would be an understatement!

Of course the first race weekend couldn’t go without some drama which started as soon as Troy and I unloaded the trailer only to discover that I had left the keys to start the generator at home! That changed our game plan a little as far as having hot tires right off the start line so we’d both have to be a little conservative into turn one and the first half of the first lap until the tires got up to temperature. As it turned out this really didn’t seem to slow either one of us down but I won’t do that again!!

We only had one practice session so as I went I was arguably the most nervous I’d ever been on the bike. I slowly increased my pace on each lap and started to get more and more comfortable. My wrist and little finger were a little achy, probably a reminder to ride within my means, but everything else felt good and ended practice feeling like I was ready to race!

Race #1 - Lightweight SuperSport
Since I registered that morning I was last on the grid which didn’t bother me, I just wanted to get a race under my belt to start the season. The flag dropped and I got one of my patented great starts! I launched and was up with the experts immediately! After turns 1,2 and 3 the fast guys smoked by but it was really fun to get near the front right away. I ran well all race, maybe a little stiff but safe, trying to remember what to do and how to get around the track as quickly as I could. My result was 6th which still scored me good points but the more importantly I was back in the saddle and feeling real good!

Race #2 - Thunderbike
Troy and I were gridded next to each other in the race and as I came up from the warm-up lap to grid there was someone else in my grid box so I just move over to the next one but as I was getting situated the #1 board was already up!! As I was getting the bike into gear the green flag dropped, “Oh my gosh!” Needless to say my start was terrible and I was way behind the eight ball! I settled in and started working on my race craft. I did close on the pack but was never a threat to them. Yes I was disappointed but I used this race to work on my lines and gear choices to try some ideas I had. I ended up a distant 8th place but I still figure it was a success getting through my first race weekend after the way it finished last year. I ran all the laps and none of the rocket fast experts ever lapped me, a first for me at Road America!

It was a fun day and Janet being there with me obviously brought me good luck! I enjoyed visiting with several friends while there including the director of Buell Racing, Henry Duga. We're off and running!!

Stay tuned...

New look for 2009

As the racing season fast approaches I'm happy to report that the race bike is now ready for battle and has a new new look for this year as well. Now dressed in Buell Racing Red, I have a few more sponsor decals to apply but now it shouldn't be hard to find me during a race.

Bulter & Sons Barber Shop sign on as 2009 sponsors!

Today was very exciting for me as Butler & Sons Barber Shop signed on as associate sponsors for this season.

For those of you not from the area, Howard, Dan, Matt and Tim are something of local legends around here as Howard established the business back in 1962. Dan is Howard's son, Matt and Tim are Dan's sons and all of them are gearheads! Not only can you get a great haircut there but you can talk cars, bikes, sports, hunting or whatever while you're there. They are a great group of talented professionals and I'm proud to have them on board!

When you're traveling through Waterloo, stop in and say hello! You'll find them at 330 LaPorte Road, Tuesday - Friday, 8 - 5 and 8 - noon on Saturday.

Thanks again guys!!

Local boy makes the big time!!

Last summer Buell Motor Company commissioned a film crew to document Buell Racing and the racers who make up this very unique community.

I was fortunate enough to be interviewed at Road America but at that time had no idea how or when it would be used. As it turned out the video was used during the I.M.S., International Motorcycle Shows, around the country as part of the Buell display showcasing their racing efforts.

It's really an honor to be part of this!! Check it out at http://www.buell.com/en_us/racing/#, then look for this video,
"Racing Is In Our DNA.



Now, I've REALLY got a lot to live up to this summer!! Stay tuned!!

AMSOIL returns as a major sponsor for 2009!!

I'm very excited to announce that AMSOIL is back on board as a major sponsor again this year. My dealer, John Kahrs from Hudson, Iowa, added additional support for my program and for teammates Troy Walbaum and Mike Boomer as well. Since all three of us race Buell XB12R's we'll be able use all the same products but we will be promoting the entire AMSOIL line.

Check out the complete AMSOIL line at John's website http://www.johnsoils.com, contact him and try out an AMSOIL product.

Thank you, John!!

Farewell Great Plains

Last weekend Janet and I, Troy and his wife Sheila, journeyed down to Kansas City for the Track Addix Great Plains awards banquet.

It was great to reconnect with several folks we've raced against and become friends with in the Great Plains region. It was also kind of sad to say good-bye to some as they will continue to compete in the "new" Great Plains region while Troy and I will switch to the MidWest region. We had a great time catching up and laughing alot with fellow racer Terry Goepferich and his wife from Des Moines and Charles Miller who sat with us at the banquet. Charles, who is the GP announcer and fellow Buell rider and racer will be particularly missed as he always gave Troy and I a little more air time while calling the races!

Probably the part of the banquet that was the most enjoyable was hearing everyone's thank you to Kim and Dean Rumfola for their dedication in building the GP series. Dean and Kim have been great supporters of my racing efforts and I will sorely miss them at the races. They will, however, be back into the track day business so I hope to get to some of their events at MidAmerica Motorplex near Council Bluffs, Iowa and Motorsports Park Hastings in Nebraska.

I was very excited about receiving my two awards and was really glad Janet could be there with me to share in the event. Of course after talking racing all weekend I wish the season would start, NOW!!