Witchkraft Racing: The Search for Speed

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Pushing

In typical fashion, the days following a race weekend are often replayed and relived over and over after all is said and done. And with last weekend at BeaveRun, this process was no different for me.

The moments that were the most vivid were the close calls or so-called pucker moments. The near-crash, gutsy save, or off-track avoidance by either skill or sheer luck that most talk about later. Over the course of four races on Sunday, I had several of those moments – mostly because I was pushing harder than I have been. Sure they've happened before, and happen for many – but riding around last year, I didn't have them very often, and that's probably part of why I was slower. I haven't been riding around over my head or outside my comfort zone, but finding speed in certain areas has presented new situations and new barriers that I've had to adjust to.

The thing I'm optimistic about is that while these may have been close calls by my standards, these are the things that the top-level guys experience at nearly every turn. I've often thought the difference between those guys is that they ride the same way my buddies and I ride fifties. Pushing it every corner, catching the bike when it gets out of line or tucks, and just working the bike around the track as the maximum of its limits. Hopefully at some point they won't be moments at all and that will mean I'm improving as a rider. Nonetheless, here were a few of my moments.

Race 1 – 600 Superbike. Running down the back straight in the early laps, I was flat out, just hitting the rev-limiter as I leaned into the right kink. I went past my normal brake marker, hard on the brakes and back shifting into 2nd gear. Going from 150mph+ down to 40mph in a hurry, I had gotten my backshifts in, but wasn't done braking. I just started to tip the bike in and as I initiated the turn, I felt the front end protest, oscillating in an abrupt fashion, with an almost bucking-like fashion which wasn't normal. The front tire felt like it was really biting into the pavement and at that time, but I knew the forks were working at their limit. I gently let off the brakes and got into the turn without tucking the front – avoiding a potential slide off into the grass. Fortunately, this wasn't the first time this had happened, so it didn't raise the pucker factor too badly – but I'd like to thank the Mike Fitzgerald-tuned 25mm Ohlins kit in the front forks, as they were definitely earning their keep.

Race 2 – 750 Superbike. Trying to pass Jeff (Wrobel) for the lead, who's riding great and was solid on the brakes, I was just behind him on the inside heading into T5 and braked a touch later, but it was real late. I was hard on the brakes and had to trail them in again. This time, the bike felt like it suddenly dropped a few extra degrees onto its side. And that was the moment I thought I was going down. Fortunately the tire held and I kept the position. Pucker factor was fairly good on this one. It was more a mistake on my part for watching Jeff to make sure I could make the pass, which caused me to not pay enough attention to my brake point. For me, it seems easier to feel what the rear is doing when at its limit, rather than the front. Pushing the front tire to its limit presents more potential for a crash in my opinion. We do it all the time on the fifties now and perhaps that will help me become more comfortable with it on the big bike. I did go over and talk to Jeff after the race about it and he yelled at me for even coming over to pseudo-apologize in the first place for something I didn't need to worry about. Jeff's awesome.

Race 3 – 600 Superstock. A few laps into the race, I made a mistake into T1. I back shifted twice, but I wasn't smooth, or I was stiff on the bars, or something. The rear end hit one of the bumps and threw the bike off line. I didn't want to keep braking as I was just initiating the turn, but I could feel the slipper clutch actually kick in (since riding this bike, I can hardly tell it's even there) and it helped settle the rear end. I could hear a low "brrrrrrr" as the bike settled. I blew the corner and ran wide, but that leveling out might have kept me from running off the track. T1's catches a lot of riders out because it's fast approaching, it's blind and again – the bumps can throw any bike around if not careful.

Race 3 – 600 Superstock. This one probably wouldn't have even been noticeable to anyone other than me, but T7 is an important downhill, blind corner leading onto the back straight. A good drive here is critical and this is a popular place to crash – either highsiding or tucking the front end from the change in elevation heading down it. As in other spots around the track, there are bumps through here from the cars if you're just a little off line. Rolling through here in 3rd gear at 75-80mph a couple laps from the finish, I needed a good drive and as I got on the gas, I felt the rear tire quickly slip and catch the tiniest bit. It happened so fast that I didn't have time to react to it. It wasn't the normal, progressive rear tire slide that can be fun to ride around with – this was the feeling of hitting one of those bumps and the tire nearly pressing the eject button. It was probably good it happened so fast, as I didn't have time to react to it. I stayed consistent with the throttle and was through the corner, but I was sure to pay a little more attention to my line through the next lap.

It'll be interesting to see if I can apply any of what I've learned at Grattan, which is a track I definitely have room to improve at ..

Friday, June 26th, 2009 | POSTED AT: 8:24 AM
FILED UNDER: General

2 Comments on “Pushing”

doug wrote on 26 June, 2009, 8:40 AM
I wondered when you would admit to pushing the front around some. : ) Is the green front allowing this consistantly so you can anticipate the slide? I suspect you have stepped onto a new level we need to address in the suspension. Wish I could be at Grattan with you before the National.
Eddie wrote on 26 June, 2009, 8:52 AM
Suspension is good .. although Grattan will be the true test .. if something is off, Grattan usually seems to show that. ..

Hurry and get your new car so you can be back in time! :)