Hey gang, had an opportunity to race at Infineon Raceway in the beautiful Napa Valley of Ca. this past weekend. Being a new track and 26 laps total around there (found out this morning), I was okay with what I knew in practice, but now it's time to find places to pass. For those that have seen how other regional pro series work, they grid amateurs with amateurs and experts with experts, even in a 2 wave start.... not here. Grid sizes are always determined by the size of the track, for saftey reasons of course. Not here. Race one was 750 Production. 2 waves and 72 RIDERS!!!!!!!!!! SEVENTY TWO! 5 to 7 second gap between waves. I was gridded 69th at the back of the second wave. lol In the 8 lap sprint I finshed 12th overall. lol, was just crazy passing 4 bikes at a time inthe corners, when the lead of the 4 was already commited, knee down, but enough off line to muscle our jugs between him and the curbing.... so 57 bikes in 8 laps was a real eye opener and I am very happy for the support and the show we could put on.
Open twins, gridded 32nd and finished 6th, got rather greedy trying to reel in 5th just ahead, but it was not in the cards as Brian even admitted the bike I was on just needed a stiffer spring, 44's was all we could muster with the settings. The bike had good brakes and good power. The electric shifter stuff that has plagued the team all season here, they are great when they work, but when they dont.... you see up close what the tripples really look like and how clear the windshield really is, as you bounce your chest n' helmet off of them.
Last race was 750 Superbike. gridded 59th as I recall and finshed 13th. The tiress were cooked (same for all 3 races). As I learned the track better, the tires were pushed harder, and the blowing through the stroke of the rear shock was more prevalent due to running wide with more tire spin. Best thing was just sharpening my decision making skills on passing by starting so far back. T1 and T2 at the start of these races were litterally cattle runs, no daylight except for what you made.
Regardless, the bike worked well, and Brian and I had a great dialogue. Fly home tomorrow, cant wait to ride again!
N8!
Open twins, gridded 32nd and finished 6th, got rather greedy trying to reel in 5th just ahead, but it was not in the cards as Brian even admitted the bike I was on just needed a stiffer spring, 44's was all we could muster with the settings. The bike had good brakes and good power. The electric shifter stuff that has plagued the team all season here, they are great when they work, but when they dont.... you see up close what the tripples really look like and how clear the windshield really is, as you bounce your chest n' helmet off of them.
Last race was 750 Superbike. gridded 59th as I recall and finshed 13th. The tiress were cooked (same for all 3 races). As I learned the track better, the tires were pushed harder, and the blowing through the stroke of the rear shock was more prevalent due to running wide with more tire spin. Best thing was just sharpening my decision making skills on passing by starting so far back. T1 and T2 at the start of these races were litterally cattle runs, no daylight except for what you made.
Regardless, the bike worked well, and Brian and I had a great dialogue. Fly home tomorrow, cant wait to ride again!
N8!
posted by nate_kern at 4:19 AM
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Your the best!!
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