Gateway Race Report
Vol. 5, #1
Gateway International Raceway, Madison, IL. - June 13, 2010
Even though this was the third round of the season it was my first race of the season!
Due to work obligations I had to miss the first two races which included our first attempt in the Michelin Team Challege at Blackhawk Farms.
But it was great to finally get on the track even though Gateway is probably the toughest track we race on all season.
The weather didn't look like it would cooperate as thunderstorms were forcast for the day but the weatherman missed it and we had full sun, humidity and 100 degree temperatures! Lots of bottled water and staying under the canopy between races was the schedule for the day!
Practice
At Gateway the amateurs only get one practice session in the morning so I spent it tip-toeing around trying to remember the track and it's unique turns. I hadn't raced here in two years but it all started coming back to me pretty quickly!
Race #1 - Lightweight Formula 40
I had a great start but just about ran over a guy in front of me who didn't have a very good start so I had to regroup and go to work. I was still a little sketchy getting through a few of the corners, trying to figure out the fastest line but I wasn't alone. I managed 4th place out of 7 so I was very pleased and knew I'd get faster as theday progressed.
Race #2 - Thunderbike
As it turned out there were on two amateurs in the whole field and I was pitted against one of the fastest amateurs in the region. I decided not to let it bother me, go out and continue working on my lines, body position and confidence level. It worked as I cut a full two seconds of my previous lap times but I did place second. That's O.K. as I scored 30 easy points that could make a big difference later in the season!
Race #3 - Lightweight SuperSport
This was the last race of the event and of course my last race so it was GO TIME!! I had a GREAT start!! So good that I was right in with the experts who start a few rows ahead of us! I took advantage of this by trying to hang with them as long as I could to see how they navigated this tricky track. By lap three or so they'd gotten away but my confidence level was way up and my lap times showed it by chopping another two seconds off. I finished 2nd out of 4 but really felt good and stayed safe even though I did a little agricultural riding on the last lap. Fortunately, my off track excurtion didn't cost me any track position!!
After everything was overand I had everything packed in the trailer, the sky opened up and it rained hard for over 30 minutes. I was so glad we were done racing when it decided to rain, it would have been a mess!
Overall I had a great day, it was nice to get back on the track, see old friends and take home two 2nd place plaques, too. next stop, Road America, Elkhart, WI over the 4th of July weekend.
