Blackhawk Farms, July round

Blackhawk Farms Race Report
Vol. 5, #3
Blackhawk Farms Raceway, South Beloit, IL. - July 24-25, 2010

After the successes at Road America earlier in the month I was really looking forward to my first trip back to Blackhawk Farms this season. Teammate, Craig Davis and I headed east for the weekend of racing driving through rain and looking at a forecast that didn't look to good for racing.

Saturday morning brought showers and a very WET track! The weatherman said that it would clear up by noon but I really wanted to get out on the track since I hadn't been there since last year but when the first practice session was called, you could have heard a pin drop! No one else went out either, probably figuring like me that it wasn't worth wadding up the bike on a very wet track, especially since it was supposed to get nicer. By 11:00 the sun peeked through and the track immediately started drying out. I got a few practice laps in during the open practice and decided I was ready for action!

Lightweight Formula 40 - 4th
I came around after the warm-up lap to see the 3 board up which caused me to hurry to get situated on the line. When the green flag dropped was in neutral! I slammed the bike into gear and put my head down, it was GO time! I tried some different gear choices and lines that I'd watch on video of the fast guys over the winter and I was definitely on the march. As I came through for lap one I was already second but saw the meatball flag flying and as I was slowing into turn one to see if a corner worker was pointing at me I lost a position. I decided the heck with it I'm going!

Well it turned out the meatball flag was for me as I was moving on the line just before the start. Had I come into the hot pit for the stop and go penalty that would have been it but since I stayed out I was penalized a full lap. Fortunately for me I had lapped some of the slower guys so I ended up 4th. I did get a visit from the Race Marshall in my pit though! And as I told him, I hadn't seen a meatball flag since I went to licensing school and actually forgot what to do! Lesson learned!!

Thunderbike - 3rd
Finally, I got a really good start! I found myself right behind one of the really quick Amateurs and he towed me around for two laps. I got into turn 7 a little too hot and lost a position while I was getting back on the gas. I gave chase but he was a little too strong. I ended up 3rd but shattered my previous best lap time so now I knew I could go as fast as some of the front guys. The race was a great confidence booster!!

Lightweight SuperSport - 5th
This was a very strange race as there were no Experts signed up so four of us Amateurs got to line up on row 1. It was really fun to be on the front row! It's a lot different from starting on row 6 or 7 as turn one comes up a lot quicker!

I got a good start but going into turn one I was on the inside and all of a sudden I was 4th! So I put my head down and closed up the gap, out braking my buddy Mike Stone into turn 1. Now in 3rd with 2nd in sight I cooked into turn 4 too hot and off the track I went, just missing the tire barrier and air fence. O.K. now I'm in 7th as I got back on track. I put my head down and started clicking off some good laps from what I'd learned in my earlier racers, running my best lap time on lap #7 of the 8 lap race.

All in all I'm glad I didn't crash in turn 4 and I learned how much harder I could push.
Unfortunately Craig's weekend didn't end well as he lowsided into turn 4 and really tore up his bike. When it was all over he just walked away which was amazing! I'm very thankful he was uninjuried but his rookie race season may be over.