Hastings race report - good news and bad news

Hastings Race Report
Vol. 3, #6
Motorsports Park Hastings, Hastings, NE. - September 7, 2008

The last time I was at Motorsports Park Hastings in Nebraska I came home battered and didn't even get to race so I was on a mission to improve upon that finish! This race was also a double points event like Gateway but was a Great Plains and MidWest event so I expected a lot of racers to show up.

We drove the six plus hour trip on Saturday, arriving late in the afternoon so we could get registered and the bike teched to beat the Sunday morning rush.

Sunday was a perfect day but a little cool in the morning for our one and only practice session. I saved a lot of cash by not doing the Saturday track day as I felt I remembered it well enough to just practice and race on Sunday. As I went out I immediately had helmet fogging issues, not good, so I clicked the visor up one notch and decided to slow it down a touch! Good thing too as I found myself off the track twice with steering problems into the tight corners.

I was totally puzzled as to what was going on with the bike but I knew I'd better get back to the pits and figure it out. After checking all my settings and talking to TrackAddix suspension ace, Larry, I wasn't any closer to a fix. I then remembered a similiar issue at an AMA race I'd watched last year and compared my tire gauge with two others and mine was almost 3 lbs. off. No wonder I couldn't turn the bike, my tire pressures were way too high. So now that I'd solve that crisis I felt good and ready to race!

Race #1 - Lightweight SuperSport
To my surprise there were only four amateurs in this race so that meant the possibility of BIG points. The flag dropped and I got the start of a lifetime, not only did I leave at amateurs in the dust but I was pushing a few experts as too. Well that didn't last long but it sure was fun running up front for awhile!! I had a good race and continued to build my confidence on this really fun track.

I ended up 4th which was all I had for them in that race but later found out that the winner was disqualified so I got gifted up to 3rd! I'll take it!!

Race #2 - Lightweight Formula-40
O.K. here's the deal. I was in second place in this class for the whole region and the guy who was first didn't show up so all I had to do was keep the bike upright, collect the double points and vault into the #1 spot. Simple, right? With only four guys in the amateur race, I could just tour around and that's it.

Well of course I couldn't do that, I was here to race and race hard I did until midway into lap four. I was working hard into turn 4, a high speed sweeper when it was clear I was in trouble so I stood the bike up and rode off track into a large open grassy area, gradually rear braking until I hit a little dip in the ground and off the bike I flew!! After several tumbles I got up, more mad at myself than anything else. The bike was fine but my right wrist was getting sore and I'd reinjuried the same ribs from my last time here.

After getting the bike up and riding back to the pits I did get some good news as only of the guys had D.Q.ed himself somehow which put me into 3rd and into 1st place in the region!

Race #3 - Thunderbike
Well, it was obvious that I had a spranded wrist but with double points on the line I sucked it up and gridded for the race. All I had to do was get one clean lap, come in, collect the points and take care of my wrist and that's exactly what I did! I placed 5th which still let's me collect Buell contingency cash plus all those points!


As it turned out, I found out Monday that I had indeed broken my wrist and I now have a cast on from my fingers to the middle of my bicep. With the last race of the season in just under a month away, it's mathmatically possible for me to get knocked back out of 1st in Lightweight Formula-40 so we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out!!


If my season is over, I want to thank John Kahrs, my AMSOIL rep for all his support as well as Klingenborg Farms, the Farrell family and of course all the great folks at Silver Eagle Harley-Davidson / Buell in Waterloo.

This story may yet have a happy ending, stay tuned...

Gateway Race Report and my first #1 finish!!

Gateway Race Report
Vol. 3, #5
Gateway International Raceway, St. Louis MO./ August 17, 2008


Troy Walbaum, Dave Abbas and I headed to St Louis's Gateway International Raceway for round five of the CCS Great Plains series. The main reason for traveling so far from home was that it was also a double points weekend.

All three of us attended the track day on Saturday and we were all surprised at how techincal this 1.6 mile track was in places. The transisions onto the banked NASCAR oval track was, well, exilerating!! It was big fun running down the front straight and dropping off the high bank also!!

The track day was well worth the time although I never really got comfortable on one of the right hand corners. I had a few off road excertions but fortunately without incident.

Sunday morning arrived with perfect weather, clear, sunny and calm. I got ready to race feeling good but knowing I would be competing with several locals on their home track so my plan was to not try to be a hero but to keep it upright and race smart. It was great having Dave with us as a spotter to critique us and help in the pits. Thanks, Dave!!

Race #1 - Lightweight SuperSport
I had a great start and ran right with the experts through the first sections of lap one but my nemisis corner allowed them to break away and a few of the amateurs got by on the front stretch so I remembered my original plan and settled in trying to keep the contact and stay out of trouble. It worked out as I placed 4th and felt like I was starting to get a handle on this tricky little track.

Race #2 - Lightweight Formula 40
This was a good race but the field was small so my main goal was to continue to gain confidence and attempt to lower my lap times. When one of the fast local amateurs came sailing by me on lap 4 of 8, I put my head down to go after him but his track knowledge kept me in second place. I was happy with my efforts and found out I later that the guy had entered the race after the start and was docked a lap handing the victory to me!! Hey, a win is a win, right, and it is my first!!

Race #3 - Thunderbike
I'm not sure why there were only three amateurs in this class but I knew if I kept the bike upright and kept my head I'd at least place third and be eligible to collect $100.00 in Buell factory congingency money. Now I'm as competitive as the next guy but I know a good thing when it lands in my lap! I had a great start and ran well during the first several laps but Buell racers Matt and Troy squeezed by so I concentrated on maintaining cosistant lap times and collect the cash, so I'm very happy with the third place finish in this race.

So all in all this was a great weekend!! With 4th, 3rd and 1st place finishes on a double points weekend I'm getting a major boost in the chase for the points which is a big plus since I missed several early races! This is starting to get interesting!!

A great shot of all three of us during the track day on Saturday. Dave, me, Troy thanks to Al Schwartz Photo, LLC

Stay tuned...

Blackhawk Farms Race Report

Blackhawk Farms Race Report
Vol. 3, #4
Blackhawk Farms Raceway, South Beloit, IL. - July 26, 2008

After a great 4th of July weekend at Road America, I really wanted to get back on the track between that event and the Gateway round in mid August. There were a few track day options but I thought racing at Blackhawk Farms either Saturday or Sunday would be a better to continue working on my race craft. Fortunately this weekend worked out for Troy as well so we decided to head over and compete on Saturday.

Blackhawk Farms is actually the closest track to us, about a three hour drive, so we headed out at 4am to be there by 7am. The coolest thing about racing at Blackhawk is that there are so many Buell racers that compete there, both amateurs and experts. It’s a great opportunity to compare notes, get ideas, ask questions and race with and against friends.

I hadn’t raced at Blackhawk since earlier in the season when I had mechanical issues so I was anxious to get out there at full song to see where I was at against some of the strongest competitors I face.

Both practice sessions went well but it was going to be a hot day. I visited with the Pirelli tire vendor to get their tire pressure recommendations for the temperature, made the adjustments and then I felt I was ready to race. Both my races were late in the afternoon so I had several hours of down time which let me catch up on my missed rest and time to get plenty of water down as well.

Race #1 - Thunderbike
This is a highly competitive class and one that just about every Buell racer competes in since Buell Motor Company pays contingency money through 5th place. Because of registering that morning I was gridded in the back row so I had my work cut out for me.

Unfortunately I was a little late on the start and immediately had to play catch up. The laps went by quickly and I had a few good battles especially with a particular Ducati racer but a mental misstep in the Bus Stop corner put me behind the eight ball. Fortunately I didn’t run off the track but I totally blew the corner which caused me to have to refocus to get back into the race.

My overall finish of 7th was pretty good considering my mistake and the fact that most of the guys racing here are racing on their home track and know it a lot better than I do.

Race #2 - Lightweight Formula 40
After a much better start this race went much smoother with no mistakes! This race is a combination of three classes, LW F-40, 125 GP and Ultra Lightweight Superbikes so there are lots of folks on the track which adds to the competition. Most of the time you really don’t know if you’re racing with someone in your class or not.

My confidence was much higher and I ran through the corners at higher speeds getting my knee down and generally feeling a lot better at competitive speed.

My final place in this class was 5th but the bigger issue is I’m getting more and more comfortable on the bike again so now I’m ready to start marching through the field toward higher finishes!!

Stay tuned!!

Road America Race Report

Road America Race Report
Vol. 3, #3
Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI. - July 4 - 6, 2008



I finally got to race!!
Troy Walbaum, his wife, Sheila, Janet and I took off Thursday to race at Road America over the 4th of July weekend which is the largest event on our series schedule. Not only is Road America the largest track we race on at 4 miles in length it’s also draws the largest number competitors. With two different series running CCS/ASRA and USGPRU and racers from all over the country I knew the races would be tough but I was up for the challenge! It’s kind of a tough race to start your season with but that’s how my season has been.

Another perk to this event is that Buell Motor Company celebrated it’s 25th Anniversary at this event. There were fellow Bueller from all over the world there as well so I definately wanted to run well in front of the “faithfull”.

Friday registration and tech went smoothly and after setting up our pit in Buell Alley I was off to practice. Since Road America is a large fast track I started off on the conservative side to get my racing legs back but it went well and I felt with the six races I would be competing in over the weekend I’d have plenty of opportunity to polish my skills. This year each race was increased one lap to five laps which is 20 miles of hard riding per race!

photo by Mike Boomer


Saturday - Race #1 - Thunderbike
To say I was a little nervous would be an understatement!! This race was packed with talent from as far away as New Jersey so I knew I’d have to be on my game! I had a great start but struggled in turn 5 on every lap and kept losing contact with the pack, I just couldn’t find the fast line at race speed in that corner but the rest of the race went pretty well. I finished 9th. and was really happy that I finally had my first race of the season under my belt!

Saturday - Race #2 - Lightweight Formula 40
At this event LW-F40 is combined with 125cc Grand Prix and Ultra Lightweight Superbikes so it became a large grid with Experts and Amateurs racing together.

During our warm up lap one of the experts on an SV650 blew up his engine, laying down oil on the track and eventually crashed pretty hard which brought out the red flag. By the time the track clean up got done we were told this and all races afterward would be 4 lap dashes.

Now with one less lap the start would be even more critical and I really blow it by missing a shift right after the drop of the green flag. RATS!! So now it was go time and even though I still struggled in turn 5, I was able to close on the guys ahead of me but I pushed too hard into the chicane and shot off the track, was able to get back on fairly quickly but the gap I’d closed was gone so I had to settle for 6th place in that race.

Saturday - Race #3 - Lightweight SuperSport
Friends and neighbors, Mike and Katie Boomer had watched the previous races and gave me some suggestions I took to heart; which lead to a fun battle with teammate, Troy Walbaum, in this race but a few mental bobbles put me behind him and I wasn’t able to close enough to get back around. This was by far my best race of the day, placing 8th and I finally felt more comfortable on the bike at race speed so I looked forward to the same three races on Sunday.

photo by Mike Boomer

Sunday’s races were packed pretty tight for me and I was a little concerned about my fitness level since I would only have one race in between each of my races which usually figured out to a 20 minute break. I figured I’d be fine for the first two and if I had concerns I’d ditch out of Lightweight Formula 40. The weather was great in the mid 80’s with low humidity and little wind so it looked good as long as I felt good.

Sunday - Race #1 - Thunderbike
What a great race! I got a good start and it was on! I finally figured out how to get through turn 5 and managed to stay in the race mid pack. It was a very close pack but I made a very minor error in Canada corner trying to pass two guys at once. I got in a little too hot, missed a gear on the way up the hill and immediately lost two spots. Fellow Buell racer, Ben Schmidt, #133, and I battled the rest of the race, he got around and I ending up in 8th.

I actually learned a lot during that race and was pumped for my next outing!

Sunday - Race #2 - Lightweight SuperSport
I was pumped for this race but unfortunately on the start I hit the rev limiter in first gear right away, went for second and missed it. Well the pack quickly moved away from me so I had to put my head down and get to business. I caught Ben and had a great late breaking pass into turn 5 and was on my way! I knew I was closing on the pack through the next few laps then Ben draft passed me on the front straight! It was the last lap so I had to get to work again and managed to get by him again on the way to turn 5, I kept telling myself to relax and be smooth through the rest of the corners and it almost worked but I pushed a little too hard just before the front straight, did a little off road riding and watched Ben roll on by. I closed on the front straight but he had more oats than I did and I had to settle for 8th.

What a fun race, though!!

Sunday - Race #3 - Lightweight Formula 40
After a quick drink of water, filling the bike with gas and a 10 minute rest, it was first call for my last race of the day. I felt great and with all the laps I’d run up to that point I decided to follow the advice of all the fast guys, “slow is fast”.

I figured I’d try harder to hit my turn in points and see if this theory actually worked. This was my cleanest race of the weekend. I hit all my apexes and brake points and it seemed like I was going slower but I didn’t have any issues the whole time and to my surprise I finished 3rd!

This was my best finish to date and I’m sure I turned my best lap times of the weekend.

All in all it was a great weekend of racing and camaraderie with all the Buell racers and fans during Buell 25th Anniversary. It was cool having bike founder Erik Buell hang out in our pits for a while and sign a 25th anniversary banner for Janet, too.

Troy and I are planning on getting to the next round at Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis in late August which will be the complete opposite of Road America’s 4 miles of fast sweeping turns as Gateway is a 1.6 mile, tight turn track.

I’ll keep you posted!!

Hastings race report

Race Report
Volume 3, #2
Motorsport Park - Hastings / June 21 - 22, 2008

Troy Walbaum, Dave Abbas and I headed to Hastings Nebraska for the race school on Saturday and CCS Great Plains racing on Sunday. The “Smooth Speed School” was a great experience on Saturday as all three of us did the school together with our instructor who is the 2007, #1 plate holder. The last school session was a disaster for me as I have now experienced the dreaded “high side” as I was attempting a pass on one of the last laps before lunch. The bike survived with very minor rash and I’m fine except for some deep tissue bruising on my right side but no broken bones!! I decided to pass on racing Sunday and concentrate on healing up.

It’s been a disappointing session for me so far but now I’m focused on getting ready for the Road America rounds in a few weeks so Dave and I were Troy’s pit crew for the Sunday Great Plains races.
I really appreciate all the folks who have supporting me even though I haven't been able to show the race results I'd hoped to have by now.

Thanks again to Jon Kahrs (AMSOIL), Klingenborg Farms and the Farrell family.

Farrell family joins the race effort with sponsorship

The Farrell family are the newest sponsors on the Longus Motorsports Buell XB12R racebike. Clair and Mike are family friends and when they offered to help out with our racing expenses my wife and I were both a little shocked but they insisted so the Farrell Family decals will be on the bike by the time we leave for Hastings.

Thank you, Clair and Mike!!

Speaking of the racebike, ace Buell tech Reese Murphy at Silver Eagle Harley-Davidson/Buell diagnosed that my ailling bike had an intake leak on the throttle body caused by guess what, ME! When I changed spark plugs I inadvertantly failed to properly snug down the throttle body velocity stack which caused a high speed lean out condition which made the bike fall flat on it's face when I applied full throttle. Fortunately, it was an easy fix and now the bike is ready for battle!!

Thanks you, Reese!!

Blackhawk Farms race report

Race Report
Volume 3, #1
Blackhawk Farms, June 1, 2008

After not being able to attend the Topeka or MidAmerica rounds I decided to attend the Blackhawk Farms races, Sunday, June 1, of the MidWest region to get some track time in since Blackhawk is the closest track to me.
Blackhawk Farms races on Saturday and Sunday but Sunday’s races include Lightweight SuperSport that I had planned on racing this year.
The weather looked to be perfect so Troy Walbaum, Buell XB12R, #143 and I headed out early Sunday morning. After getting through registration I headed to my first tech inspection of the year, the bike breezed through so it was time to get on the track for the first time of the season!
As I went out for the first practice session I was a little apprehensive and excited at the same time. About half way through the first lap I started to get comfortable on the bike again so I decided to get on the gas and get up to speed, then NO POWER!! What??!! As I rolled off the throttle the bike picked right back up but there was nothing at full throttle!
I decided I’d better not hurt anything on the first laps of the year and headed for the pits. After several minutes of checking for wiring connection or fuel problems I thought I’d go out on the last warm-up session to see if anything has changed. Unfortunately the full throttle gremlin was still on board.
While the thrash continued to diagnose my dilemma in the pits, Troy was out getting up to speed on the track. Several other Buell racers pitted by us gave me ideas and offered to help but it became obvious I wouldn’t be able to fix the trouble at the track.
The first race, Lightweight SuperSport, was called and I decided to try to get a few laps in even with less that 100% power. Since I was gridded on the back row I would not be in anyone’s way and the bike ran great until I got to the front straight. It was very frustrating but I figured I’d stay out as long as I wasn’t in anyone’s way. I had to work on corner speed and being smooth but eventually the first of the Expert riders came zipping by so I called it a day and headed to the hot pit and back to the trailer.
Troy ran well in both classes and I got to watch all my competitors from the pits during the Lightweight Grand Prix race.
The race bike has been so reliable that I’m more surprised than angry but I’ll get it to the dealer and hope it turns out to be something simple as I’m heading to Hastings, Nebraska, June 21-22 for a race school Saturday and the Great Plains region races on Sunday hosted at that track. Since it’s Great Plains points I’m chasing I’m really looking forward to going to this round. Attending the race school should help me get around the track a little bit quicker since I’ve never been to the Hastings track before.
I hope to have better news in a few weeks, stay tuned!!

Ralph Longus