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Old October 24th, 2018, 11:00 AM   #54
Mechanikrazy
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Name: Al
Location: Orange County, CA
Join Date: Dec 2015

Motorcycle(s): Thruxton R, R6 450 triple, EX300 (sold)

Posts: 263
Thanks you guys!

October 20-21
AFM Round 7- Thunderhill

Takeaway - I still need to practice quickturn turn-in handbar inputs and "screwdrivering" the inside hand.

I made it out to the final AFM round of the year. It was awesome. I will definitely be back. In a nutshell, I met some great people, dropped six seconds off my laptimes from two weeks ago, and had a lot of fun.

First of all, Tech. Thankfully, I got through Tech without a hitch. All I needed to do was to RTV the timing chain tensioner bolts, but otherwise I made it through unscathed.

From the tips and introspection from the trackdays two weeks prior, I was able to get down to the high 2:18s in practice. I ran a best of 2:23 at the trackdays previously. I thought this would bring me closer to the pack. However, it being the end of the year, the other racers in the Saturday race were running 2:14 or better. Sunday is a new day though, and I was happy to not finish last in 3 of 4 races in the weekend.

One set of corners in particular, T6-T8, was a particular area of focus for me. Previously, I was on the gas from T6 to T8, but taking T8 in the top of 5th gear. As the track goes uphill after T8, I was losing steam in 6th gear. However, on Sunday, I committed to keeping corner speed up in T6 and was able to get an extra 5MPH (indicated) though T8, allowing me to take it in 6th and keep accelerating up the hill. Unfortunately, this also meant if I screwed up a lap, I suddenly found myself losing steam very quickly after T8.

In the first of three races on Sunday, I was able to make a pass and two riders crashed out while in front of me, moving me up three positions by race end. In the second race, I was able to make a pass on a Ninja 400 and open a small gap. The third and final race was the most fun as the Ninja 400 rider dropped time and we both ended up making several passes on each other while running 2:17s. The Ninja 400 definitely pulled a lot stronger, as I could barely maintain position in a draft whereas he had power at will on the straights. By the end of it all, I was getting the bike leaned over and committed to the point of dragging the pegs in some of the corners. I was definitely faster in the back section of the course, but was getting a bit mentally exhausted and was losing time in T1 and T2. Luckily, I was able to hold my position down the back straight, running a defensive line and forcing him to try to go around the outside, and I held him off by 0.4 seconds across the line. If I could string it all together with a fresh mind, I think I should be able to get into the 2:16s next time.

However, I'm now trying to figure out the next step of where to find the gains as I was knee down in all corners and already dragging peg in some. The fastest expert rider was another 13 seconds a lap faster, and the fastest novice is about another 9 seconds up the road. With 34 horsepower, I will need significantly more thought on where to find the extra time. I think maybe an adjustable suspension and a bike properly sprung for my weight might buy me a second or two, but there is still a lot of rider improvement to be done.

At the same time, I am definitely starting to think what I want to run next season. My bike has a stock suspension right now, and it does not make sense to drop money into a 34hp bike if the small bike class is moving towards the Ninja 400 with 43hp. Based on when I was behind the Ninja 400, I was definitely getting a better drive off the corner but he was able to power up alongside on the long straights when he was behind. We will see how the rulebook shakes out, but maybe a different platform/class will be in the plans for next year.

Either way, I consider it a successful weekend and will plan to spend 2019 learning the AFM tracks and returning for racing. I'm signed up for the weekend after Thanksgiving to learn Buttonwillow.

In terms of the mental game of passing, I feel like I made improvements as I was able to focus on the track more. The back and forth with the Ninja 400 rider in the last race helped me to keep focus on the track rather than looking over at the other rider. My passes were usually started around the outside of the preceding corner to set up for an inside pass when the track switched back from left-right/right-left. At least this photo makes it look like I'm focused on the track (878 in the back).

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