Willow Springs Race Report 5-15-05

TZRaceR6 · 05-16-2005, 01:45 PM

Well, after busting my left hand in the AFM race at ButtonWillow in the beginning of April, this was my first race back and my first race in the expert ranks. My left hand was at about 80% strength, but enough to pull the clutch in, so I was ready. My TZ250 was still having issues however. I had to buy a few more parts and had them overnighted to the track. They were set to arrive at 11am on Friday.

I did the Advanced Racers Clinic on Friday on the 1990 FZR400 I recently aquired, and I really wanted it to learn the lines from the fast guys. That was my only objective. We went out and walked the track and I found out specifically where I needed to be at each turn. This was important to me and worth the $130 I spent. So Friday was nothing more than track time on the FZR and learning proper lines. At the end of the day, I got to work on the TZ replacing the entire wiring loom, fuel pump and CDI (electrnoic gizmo that is the brains). Then had the battery connections redone so they were soldered better.

Saturday came and finally got the TZ running, but not until the end of the day. So I went out and practiced on the R6 (which Mike so kindly brought up with him, thank you very much) and the FZR400. Again just going over the proper lines. Speed wasn't important to me at this point, and that became really clear to me as Kevin came flying by me in T2. I also had to prepare for my first race which was a 50 miler at the end of the day. And crap was it hot out there!

Solo Series Lightweight GT - 20 laps (50 miles):

Since the TZ didn't get finished in time for this race I went out on the FZR. Little did I realize that the SV650's were in the same class as me, so now realized I had no chance! Got a crappy start and think I was dead last going into T1. Not really a problem, cause after sizing up the field, this became a long track session in my book. Just finish the race and see how I feel afterward. Find out how much gas was lost and how tires would fair. Unfortunately, on lap 3 the valve stem going into the tire exploded as I was going down the front straight and heading into T1! The tire went immediately flat. I didn't realize at the time that this had happened, so as I try to turn left, the front tire just slides. I pick the bike up and attempt to turn again. I'm quickly running out of room! The front tire slides again, and by now I have no choice but to go dirt tracking. Luckily, I have a lot of experience with going off course at high speeds, and I'm able to keep the bike upright doing over 90 mph with a flat front tire and lots of dirt and rocks. Scrub race 1. A DNF due to mechanical.

Sunday comes and I have races 2, 3, 10, 15 and 17. My TZ is working and I do the morning practice sessions with it. I get back up to speed quickly on it, only 1 second off what I was running the previous month.

Race 2 600 Mod Prod:

I'm gridded 22nd out of 30 riders and get a great start. So good, I'm up front with the front 10 guys. I'm right behind my buddy Jason "Shaggy" Schnieder and watch as Dustin Coyner is actually leaning on Shaggy through T2. I'm not joking. His entire body was on Shaggy's bike. I thought for sure they were gonna crash, so I gave them an extra 2 bike lengths. Well, they got through there okay and the race resumed. I'm in the top 10 and have a really good rythem going, and then it happens... red flag! Damn. Now I have to go all the way back to grid 22nd again. All that hard work for nothing. Restart... and I don't get the launch I need and I end up losing a couple of places. I make them back up and end up 15th for that race. Damn red flag! Anyway, I have to get back to the hot pit entrance and hop on the FZR for Race 3. No rest for me, but thank god for Mike and Freakshow for bringing the FZR out to the pit entrance area for me and taking the R6 back.

Race 3 400 Superstock:

This is my first time racing this bike and I got the suspension kind of sorted the previous day. Now instead of pogoing all over the place, it's sort of stable. I've never had a start on this bike and not really sure what to do. Well, the green flag drops and I get a horrible start. Luckily, on the first lap red flag comes out. Bike on track. I know cause the guy crashed right in front of me. Good for me this time, so I can get a better start. Restart the race. I get a hella lot better start this time and am running in 4th, but then it happens again... another red flag! What the hell. It's really hot out. I'm sweating, I've now done 10 laps and I'm really thirsty. Luckily, they let us go back to the pits for 10 minutes while they clean up the mess. I drink and then go back out when called. Restart: I get a good launch again, and am in 4th for nearly the entire race getting used to the little FZR and the lack of any power with it. On lap 5 of 6 on this restart though, I'm either tired or the bike is having issues, cause Ryan Sturtz (another friend of mine) flew by me on the front straight and pulled about 5 seconds on me in the next lap. I finish in 5th.

Race 10 250 GP:

DNS. Damn battery went dead on me as I went out for the warm up lap. I was pissed to say the least. All that work and money spent to get it working and I don't even race. Luckily, Mike calmed me down before I beat the bike to a pulp. Thanks again Mike. :thumbup

Race 15 600cc Superstock:

Start 25th on the grid, and got an okay start, but not near as good as I got in the first race. I'm somewhere mid pack and set out to get a rythem going. It's difficult in this race though cause there are more bikes in the SS race and some guys are slower, but started in front of me, so making my way through traffic is difficult. I finally end up in 14th with about 3 of the 8 laps to go when a guy on a Honda 600RR comes by me in T2. Oh HELL NO. I'm not letting a Honder take down this R6. :funflip So I follow him around for one lap to see where he is slow and where he is fast. With 2 laps to go I retake him in T2 and then the battle was on. He retakes me and I retake him. Because of this we are both going slow now (doing 1:31's and little do we know, this allows a Kawaski rider to catch us, but he's still behind.) So, when the white flag comes out signaling one lap left, I let the Honda by me. My plan is to stay on his ass and take him in T8. Which is exactly what happens. Thanks to the ARC class I have learned how to take T6-T8 perfectly, getting awesome drive which allows me to pass just prior to entering T8. My next plan of attack is to take the low line, dump 2 gears, and get through T9 as fast as possible. Unfortunately, I gave it gas to soon and the rear end slides way out nearly highsiding me off the bike. I save it, landing back in the seat, but by now both the Honda and Kawasaki pass me. I am able to get into the draft, but the checkered flag came too soon. We all finish with in 1 bike length of each other, but I'm relegated to 16th.

Race 17 500 Modified Production:

Back on the FZR for the last race. Get a great start and I'm in 4th going into T1. The guy in 3rd ends up going dirt bike riding into T3 and I try to stay with the leaders, but it's not possible. I'm just not comfortable on this bike yet. I race a lonely race in 3rd all the way to the finish, although Ryan Sturtz did close on me significantly on the final 2 laps. So I finsh 3rd and get a trophy or plaque in this case.

So to tally it all up. 2 DNF's due to mechanical issues, a 3rd, 5th, 15th and 16th. An okay weekend considering I was still supposed to be in a cast and I had bike issues to deal with. I'll take the points though!

No video or pictures this month. Next month I will get vid's and pics.

Thanks to Mike and his constant efforts to help me out month after month. A real saving grace, cause without his support, I doubt I could have raced all the races I did. Thanks to Ado and his Goodridge lines for supplying braking power. :clapping

And remember, if you haven't ried Monster Energy drink, try the Assualt flavor. Good stuff.

SPEED · 05-16-2005, 02:07 PM

Great write up Lloyd, and great effort all weekend long especially after just getting back from having a broken hand!! Next month we'll have some bikes painted, and will be ready for a huge assult at WSMC!! :woot

Glad that you found our team, it's been a pleasure having you with us! Congrats on getting back to racing this month, and for working your a$$ off to obtain your goals!! :thumbup

That 3rd place finish was well deserved....congrats Mr Probational Expert!! :cheers

Fredball · 05-16-2005, 04:08 PM

Damn good job! boy was there a class you WERENT in! :thumbup

roadracer98 · 05-16-2005, 09:16 PM

Great write up !! :happyb Looks like a productive weekend for you. :thumbup I wish my weekend went that good. :headscratch :lmao See you all next month. :biglaugh

Freakshow999 · 05-17-2005, 02:57 AM

1) Lloyd
2) Lloyd + Shawn and bikes
3) Stable

TZRaceR6 · 05-17-2005, 02:11 PM

Thanks for the pics. :biglaugh

05-16-2005, 01:45 PM	#1
TZRaceR6 Know It All Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: The Valley Posts: 266 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 4 (10)	Willow Springs Race Report 5-15-05 Well, after busting my left hand in the AFM race at ButtonWillow in the beginning of April, this was my first race back and my first race in the expert ranks. My left hand was at about 80% strength, but enough to pull the clutch in, so I was ready. My TZ250 was still having issues however. I had to buy a few more parts and had them overnighted to the track. They were set to arrive at 11am on Friday. I did the Advanced Racers Clinic on Friday on the 1990 FZR400 I recently aquired, and I really wanted it to learn the lines from the fast guys. That was my only objective. We went out and walked the track and I found out specifically where I needed to be at each turn. This was important to me and worth the $130 I spent. So Friday was nothing more than track time on the FZR and learning proper lines. At the end of the day, I got to work on the TZ replacing the entire wiring loom, fuel pump and CDI (electrnoic gizmo that is the brains). Then had the battery connections redone so they were soldered better. Saturday came and finally got the TZ running, but not until the end of the day. So I went out and practiced on the R6 (which Mike so kindly brought up with him, thank you very much) and the FZR400. Again just going over the proper lines. Speed wasn't important to me at this point, and that became really clear to me as Kevin came flying by me in T2. I also had to prepare for my first race which was a 50 miler at the end of the day. And crap was it hot out there! Solo Series Lightweight GT - 20 laps (50 miles): Since the TZ didn't get finished in time for this race I went out on the FZR. Little did I realize that the SV650's were in the same class as me, so now realized I had no chance! Got a crappy start and think I was dead last going into T1. Not really a problem, cause after sizing up the field, this became a long track session in my book. Just finish the race and see how I feel afterward. Find out how much gas was lost and how tires would fair. Unfortunately, on lap 3 the valve stem going into the tire exploded as I was going down the front straight and heading into T1! The tire went immediately flat. I didn't realize at the time that this had happened, so as I try to turn left, the front tire just slides. I pick the bike up and attempt to turn again. I'm quickly running out of room! The front tire slides again, and by now I have no choice but to go dirt tracking. Luckily, I have a lot of experience with going off course at high speeds, and I'm able to keep the bike upright doing over 90 mph with a flat front tire and lots of dirt and rocks. Scrub race 1. A DNF due to mechanical. Sunday comes and I have races 2, 3, 10, 15 and 17. My TZ is working and I do the morning practice sessions with it. I get back up to speed quickly on it, only 1 second off what I was running the previous month. Race 2 600 Mod Prod: I'm gridded 22nd out of 30 riders and get a great start. So good, I'm up front with the front 10 guys. I'm right behind my buddy Jason "Shaggy" Schnieder and watch as Dustin Coyner is actually leaning on Shaggy through T2. I'm not joking. His entire body was on Shaggy's bike. I thought for sure they were gonna crash, so I gave them an extra 2 bike lengths. Well, they got through there okay and the race resumed. I'm in the top 10 and have a really good rythem going, and then it happens... red flag! Damn. Now I have to go all the way back to grid 22nd again. All that hard work for nothing. Restart... and I don't get the launch I need and I end up losing a couple of places. I make them back up and end up 15th for that race. Damn red flag! Anyway, I have to get back to the hot pit entrance and hop on the FZR for Race 3. No rest for me, but thank god for Mike and Freakshow for bringing the FZR out to the pit entrance area for me and taking the R6 back. Race 3 400 Superstock: This is my first time racing this bike and I got the suspension kind of sorted the previous day. Now instead of pogoing all over the place, it's sort of stable. I've never had a start on this bike and not really sure what to do. Well, the green flag drops and I get a horrible start. Luckily, on the first lap red flag comes out. Bike on track. I know cause the guy crashed right in front of me. Good for me this time, so I can get a better start. Restart the race. I get a hella lot better start this time and am running in 4th, but then it happens again... another red flag! What the hell. It's really hot out. I'm sweating, I've now done 10 laps and I'm really thirsty. Luckily, they let us go back to the pits for 10 minutes while they clean up the mess. I drink and then go back out when called. Restart: I get a good launch again, and am in 4th for nearly the entire race getting used to the little FZR and the lack of any power with it. On lap 5 of 6 on this restart though, I'm either tired or the bike is having issues, cause Ryan Sturtz (another friend of mine) flew by me on the front straight and pulled about 5 seconds on me in the next lap. I finish in 5th. Race 10 250 GP: DNS. Damn battery went dead on me as I went out for the warm up lap. I was pissed to say the least. All that work and money spent to get it working and I don't even race. Luckily, Mike calmed me down before I beat the bike to a pulp. Thanks again Mike. :thumbup Race 15 600cc Superstock: Start 25th on the grid, and got an okay start, but not near as good as I got in the first race. I'm somewhere mid pack and set out to get a rythem going. It's difficult in this race though cause there are more bikes in the SS race and some guys are slower, but started in front of me, so making my way through traffic is difficult. I finally end up in 14th with about 3 of the 8 laps to go when a guy on a Honda 600RR comes by me in T2. Oh HELL NO. I'm not letting a Honder take down this R6. :funflip So I follow him around for one lap to see where he is slow and where he is fast. With 2 laps to go I retake him in T2 and then the battle was on. He retakes me and I retake him. Because of this we are both going slow now (doing 1:31's and little do we know, this allows a Kawaski rider to catch us, but he's still behind.) So, when the white flag comes out signaling one lap left, I let the Honda by me. My plan is to stay on his ass and take him in T8. Which is exactly what happens. Thanks to the ARC class I have learned how to take T6-T8 perfectly, getting awesome drive which allows me to pass just prior to entering T8. My next plan of attack is to take the low line, dump 2 gears, and get through T9 as fast as possible. Unfortunately, I gave it gas to soon and the rear end slides way out nearly highsiding me off the bike. I save it, landing back in the seat, but by now both the Honda and Kawasaki pass me. I am able to get into the draft, but the checkered flag came too soon. We all finish with in 1 bike length of each other, but I'm relegated to 16th. Race 17 500 Modified Production: Back on the FZR for the last race. Get a great start and I'm in 4th going into T1. The guy in 3rd ends up going dirt bike riding into T3 and I try to stay with the leaders, but it's not possible. I'm just not comfortable on this bike yet. I race a lonely race in 3rd all the way to the finish, although Ryan Sturtz did close on me significantly on the final 2 laps. So I finsh 3rd and get a trophy or plaque in this case. So to tally it all up. 2 DNF's due to mechanical issues, a 3rd, 5th, 15th and 16th. An okay weekend considering I was still supposed to be in a cast and I had bike issues to deal with. I'll take the points though! No video or pictures this month. Next month I will get vid's and pics. Thanks to Mike and his constant efforts to help me out month after month. A real saving grace, cause without his support, I doubt I could have raced all the races I did. Thanks to Ado and his Goodridge lines for supplying braking power. :clapping And remember, if you haven't ried Monster Energy drink, try the Assualt flavor. Good stuff. __________________ Team: 03 R6 / 98 TZ250 / 90 FZR400 Orgs: WSMC #716 / USGP #716 Sponsors: ACSAS Tech / Wheel 2 Wheel / Takeit2thetrack / Goodridge / CRS Tuning / Vortex Racing / Hotbodies / RK Racing Chains / Zero Gravity / Utopia Optics My website: http://www.acsastech.com/acsas-racing/Home.html Suspension by: Catalyst Reaction Suspension Tuning

05-16-2005, 02:07 PM	#2
SPEED Administrator Tournaments Won: 2 Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: So Cali Bikes: '07 Honda CBR600RR, Cag Pocket bike Age: 43 Posts: 11,099 iTrader: (5) Rep Power: 16 (42)	Great write up Lloyd, and great effort all weekend long especially after just getting back from having a broken hand!! Next month we'll have some bikes painted, and will be ready for a huge assult at WSMC!! :woot Glad that you found our team, it's been a pleasure having you with us! Congrats on getting back to racing this month, and for working your a$$ off to obtain your goals!! :thumbup That 3rd place finish was well deserved....congrats Mr Probational Expert!! :cheers __________________ Live to ride another day!" SIGN UP HERE --> "Zoomsplat" -Wingers" SPORTBIKES WEST.COM User Maintenance General Forum Usage Reading and Posting Messages

05-16-2005, 04:08 PM	#3
Fredball Know It All Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: www.takeit2thetrack.net Posts: 369 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 4 (10)	Damn good job! boy was there a class you WERENT in! :thumbup __________________ aka- projekt7R "Hippies, theyre everywhere. They want to save the world but all they do is smoke pot and smell bad" -Eric Cartman AFM/WERA#922 special thanks: -RPM cycles Ventura CA -OFD racing -GALFER wanna go faster? http://www.sportbikeswest.com/forum/...gonly1_133.jpg

05-16-2005, 09:16 PM	#4
roadracer98 Newbie Join Date: May 2005 Location: Lake Havasu, AZ Posts: 34 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 0 (10)	Great write up !! :happyb Looks like a productive weekend for you. :thumbup I wish my weekend went that good. :headscratch :lmao See you all next month. :biglaugh __________________ GP Composite Race Body: www.gpcomposites.com Morse Racing Product: www.morsefiberglass.com TI2TT Track Days: www.takeit2thetrack.net

05-17-2005, 02:57 AM	#5
Freakshow999 Canyon Carver Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Newport Beach Posts: 571 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 5 (10)	1) Lloyd 2) Lloyd + Shawn and bikes 3) Stable __________________

05-17-2005, 02:11 PM	#6
TZRaceR6 Know It All Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: The Valley Posts: 266 iTrader: (0) Rep Power: 4 (10)	Thanks for the pics. :biglaugh __________________ Team: 03 R6 / 98 TZ250 / 90 FZR400 Orgs: WSMC #716 / USGP #716 Sponsors: ACSAS Tech / Wheel 2 Wheel / Takeit2thetrack / Goodridge / CRS Tuning / Vortex Racing / Hotbodies / RK Racing Chains / Zero Gravity / Utopia Optics My website: http://www.acsastech.com/acsas-racing/Home.html Suspension by: Catalyst Reaction Suspension Tuning

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