So, good news/bad news! One of my teammates had a spare engine he was willing to loan me. It's good to have friends! Friday evening/Saturday morning, I got the engine bolted in and was able to go out and do practices.
Saturday afternoon, I crashed. Kind of a wierd one, but my first real racing crash - I was on the gas and trying to pass somebody, not doing something dumb to try and avoid a crash. My old trackday mentor was right. It hurts less when you're leaned in, focused around the corner, and you just run outta traction.
Details: lowside late in Turn 1 at PIR going outside a slower rider. 75ish mph (5th gear, probably 3/4 throttle), nearly full lean. No real indication I could feel that something was amiss until I was sliding. As I was sliding, I'm thinking "I hope I didn't
up the engine." A buddy behind me says my rear went out, but the tire was still melty on the edge, not scrubbed clean. A bit weird. Best guess is I got wide enough to be on dirty track, and my footpeg lifted the tire before it could show the expected wear.
I walked off. Leathers are off to the clubs friendly seamstress to see if they can be salvaged (lots of busted seams, but the leather itself is ok). Hit-Air vest worked like a charm and held pressure for a while, so it'll be good for another crash or two once it's recharged and the nylon patched. No damage to my helmet.
Bike's not too bad. Brake lever cracked the oil site glass, and the R rearset mount is cracked, along with the peg being ground down. R clip on is bent.
I figure ~$750 for the butcher's bill, including the leathers. Fortunately, the club credits us for the races we don't make, so next round will be real cheap. I kinda chilled and helped in the pits the rest of Saturday, then did a corner and grid on Sunday. I still have to unpack the van
.
