CVMA #312 January 2013 Race Report

[tooblekain]

My first race report and first time back on a bike since April 21, 2012—the fateful day I suffered a compound fracture. Time to get back on the (iron) horse.

Thursday--The “Night”mare Before the Trackday
Thursday night my girlfriend and fellow BigHeadz Racer Sofia Amadio (#327) were packing and loading up the truck. As I was about to load my Ninja 250 race bike on the back of the truck I felt that whole front end would lurch forward as I applied the brakes. It was late at night and the last thing I need to do is work on my bike. As we disassembled the front end it turns out the lower steering stem nut needs a specialized spanner wrench. I currently do not have one but used a screwdriver and mallet to tighten it up. It took couple hours of trial and error seeing trying to get it right between not tight enough and too tight that it affects the steering. I got it tight enough where there was no play but felt the steering tightened up a bit. At this point the only way to find out if it’s fixed is to test it at the track. So it’s already past 12am and I need to get up early for work so I can leave early from work to head to the track.

Friday Trackday—The Nightmare continues...
As usual I registered and went to tech inspection but barely passed because my chain was EXTREMELY loose and was on the condition that I need to tighten it up. When I got to the pits tightening the chain was a very difficult task because it turns out my chain was really worn out. As I rotated the wheel it would get tight as a drum skin to as loose as a Lynx dancer. I missed the first 2 sessions trying to find the right spot to adjust my chain.

I finally set my hot pressures using my Motion Pro tire gauge and go out on the 3rd session and immediately notice in the out-lap that my bike is surging back and forth to the point its actually making the bike rev funny and it was incredibly hard to steer my bike and turn the handlebars. I immediately pitted in realizing I did not fix last night’s problems. So back to being a mechanic and after a couple more hours using an adjustable spanner wrench (thanks to BigHeadz Racing teammate Bill McCoy #20) I thought I had fixed the problem. So I button the bike back up and it go on track...same problem. I pitted back in and think I may need to actually look at the bearings.

I pull the bearings out and notice that a small pebble was in the bearings and races!!! I immediately cleaned the race and bearings, repacked with grease and put everything back on the bike. The steering felt tight and smooth! Problem fixed. I go out on the track and with the steering fixed; I still had the surging problem with the bike caused by a worn out chain--but not as bad as before. I figure I can “ride through” this problem and address it back home.

Another session I started to go a little faster and immediately noticed that my suspension setup is way off and needs adjusting. I tried to adjust the Racetech emulators but did not have the proper tool to pull them out of my forks. A magnetic pick up tool was not enough strength due to the fork oil holding it down. I decided to make adjustments to my rear shock (which is an OEM GSXR 600) and checked adjustability range for both compression and rebound. I set both settings in the middle and did a session to see how it feels. The adjustments made the bike handle much better on the rear and slightly improved the front end feel. I spent the rest of the day fine tuning the rear shock adjustment to something I like.

I spent the rest of the day getting to know the bike, making new markers for shifting, turning, accelerating, braking etc. I averaged 2:28 lap times. A lot to accomplish in such little time left in the day and may need to skip the races and get more track days in and get to a better pace. However thanks to Walter Nitto Sr.’s advice I should do the races and just treat the races as a typical track day or practice. I took his advice and decided to enter in the races last minute for Ninja 250 Super Sport and Ultra Lightweight Shootout both days.

Saturday CVMA—So Far So Good…

The night before I got tech inspected by the same guy that tech inspected my bike for the Friday trackday asking if I adjusted my chain. I told him I did and passed. Before practices began I had to make more adjustments to my chain and set tire pressures using my nice Motion Pro tire gauge. My mental game plan for the day was to just put seat time on the bike and fine tune my markers. My goal for the races was to just finish and not worry about lap times or qualifying position. I qualified in the 5th row middle for all my races. Turns out I actually wasn’t qualified last and would have been fine with that—so I exceeded one of my expectations.

250 Super Sport Race 1
Having never race launched a Ninja 250 and never being good at them with my Daytona 675; in addition of the goal of just finishing a race I went as if I was entering the track. I was dead last, but quickly found myself chasing the rabbit ahead of me Tiffani Burkett. The whole race we exchanged passes. In the end she got ahead of me but I realized I not only finished, but didn’t finish last. On the inlap I made sure give her a fist bump acknowledging how much fun that was. It wasn’t my goal to try and get ahead of her but it reminded me why I love racing. I came in 13th place. I met my goal of finishing a race, but exceeded them by not finishing last.

Ultra Lightweight Shootout Race 1
Didn’t get a good launch but actually found myself going faster than my previous pass where I passed Tiffani Burkett early in the race and kept a sizeable gap. The gap ahead was too big so no positions were gained. I used the time to experiment with lines and shift points to see what worked and what didn’t. I made notes of them and for the ones that worked made sure to use them for Sunday’s races. I came in 12th place—both meeting my goal by finishing but exceeding them by not finishing last as well as a personal best of 2:18.612—ten seconds faster than yesterday!

I ended the day on a really good note and looked forward to more seat time on Sunday

Sunday CVMA—the Nightmare Returns

Practice 1
I go out and immediately notice something is wrong with the bike. The bike would make a clunking noise and would lose power and cut out immediately. I had a bad feeling it was my chain again. I pitted in and I was right—my chain was extremely loose and my rear sprocket had taken a beating. I was done for the day unless I get help.

I went over to the 250 camp and thanks to Bryan Hagenhaur and Josh Fogle they let me borrow a Motion Pro Chain breaker and a new master link. I was told to try and remove a link or two from the chain to see if that helps. The Motion Pro Chain breaker was missing the right size pin to push out a 520 link, so I used the next size done—It broke!!! In my pit my BigHeadz Racing teammate John Reynolds (#619) came to the rescue with his Motion Pro Chain Breaker tool. I was able to successfully remove and add a new master link, but it did not fix the problem. My day was officially over. I went to the office to cancel my races for the day but they seemed busy and Aimee Grana suggested I just not start them and I get my credits but in the meantime try and get my bike fixed.

Then the unexpected happens—my dad shows up at the track to watch my races. I was happy to see him because this was the first time he has ever watched me race, but saddened to tell him I will not be racing for the day. I’m glad he showed up because my Bigheadz Racing teammate had a change of heart and lent me his BRAND NEW chain he had and told me to get my bike running. I immediately got to work on my bike installing the chain in the hopes that it would get me running again.

As the day went on I got the new chain installed. I had my girlfriend Sofia Amadio (#312) test ride the bike in the pits. She gave me the thumbs up saying the bike feels good. Thank goodness my races on Sunday were close to the end of the day. Aimee drove by in her truck seeing me suit up. She yelled with excitement and told me she was right and had I cancelled my races I would have not been able to after fixing my bike because it was past the deadline. I’m glad I listened to MamaWalla. As the saying goes, “mama knows best.” So back to setting my hot pressures using my Motion Pro tire gauge and firing up my Woodcraft Tire Warmers to get my tires ready for some racing.

250 Super Sport Race #2
My only chance to get some practice in and get the feel of the bike was on the out-lap. Tires felt good, Suspension felt okay, steering nice and fluid, chain and final drive completely fixed. When I got to m grid position I was feeling good. I washed away all the trouble I was plagued with the days before and had them fixed for the most part. I saw the green flag dropped and got a really good start making up a lot of ground. The rabbit ahead of me was Brian Lensch and I felt the adrenaline kick in. I had to back off a tad because my goal was to just finish a race. I started to relax and rely on yesterday’s markers I had set. They seemed to be working because I was slowly gaining on Brian. I made a nice inside pass on him at Turn 16. Now I am the rabbit being chased. With this opportunity I decided to practice defensive lines and maintain my markers. I could hear him riding my coattails. I was reminded again why I love racing but had to remember my goals for the day and to just finish. I ended up taking the checkers ahead of him and finished 8th with a best time of 2:18.408. We congratulated each other in the pits. So far the day has been going well despite all the troubles I had before.

Ultra Lightweight Shootout Race #2
When I was gridded up I noticed that there was almost a whole row empty possibly due to crashes from the previous races and DNS’s. I figured I would need a miracle launch to get ahead to Row 3 and further. I decided to try a higher rev for launching that didn’t work in my favor. I didn’t gain any positions in the race and had built up a sizeable gap ahead and behind me. I decided to refocus on just experimenting with lines and markers. I ended up finishing the race 8th with a best time 2:18.088

Thoughts and Acknowledgements
This weekend had its set of difficulties I managed to get through thanks to fellow CVMA racers. I also had new equipment to test out such as my Leatt Neck Brace, Impact Armor chest and back protector, and Bell Star helmet. The Leatt Neck Brace does not interfere with my neck mobility and I am quite happy with it. The Impact Armor actually is more pliable than my previous back and chest protector. The Bell Star fits comfortably and is a good replacement for my crashed helmet.

I want to thank all of my race supporters: Chris Van Andel from Motion Pro with providing the tools to getting my bike running and my tire pressures set as well as my Revolver Throttle Kit that is soon to be installed and new clutch cable. Casey Bywater from Vortex for chain and sprocket support who I will be hitting up immediately for a new set in addition to owing my teammate a new chain, Mattias Beyer from Hotbodies Racing for my windscreen and race bodywork needs; Chris Honnald from Leatt for providing an excellent neck brace that doesn’t hinder my riding and will provide better protection for my neck and collarbone in the event of a crash; Sydney Ruge from Racetech for all my suspension needs—looking forward to getting my custom shock; Woodcraft for LiveWire Energy for energy chews that help wake me up and keep me energized throughout the day, Surface Sun Systems for excellent sunscreen and lip balm to protect me from the elements; Paula Kaltmeier for her pit support, Niccole Cox for providing Sofia and I a toy hauler to sleep in; and BigHeadz Racing for all your support and help.

[csmith12]

[Nemesis]

And I'll post it here too:

Great write-up, Matt!

So glad you decided to race, and had fun doing it all the while accomplishing your goals.

Next month I wanna see 2:12-2:15s.

[Dmented]

SICK MAH DUDE! mid pack already and coming for the front! daaaaang. go git 'em!

[Gurk]

awesome post, would read again!