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 40This 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!
