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WERA ’12, Round 4 – Nelson Ledges (Godspeed Eric)
This weekend we won three races and finished second in another. I found out Sunday morning my friend Eric Cetnar had passed away, due to a serious lung infection and complications during the process. He was only 51 years old. He leaves behind three kids and and a wife and left way too early. Eric was one of the kindest, most giving people I had the pleasure of coming in contact with. I worked with him and spent time with him outside of work. He came to the races – twice at Mid-Ohio. Once, he was with his kids and helping us put my bike back together after I had put it in the gravel trap. The second time he brought an RV with his whole family as they camped out in the keyhole and watched us compete at the AMA races. He always made an effort. He frequently read the site here and posted comments of encouragement and support in my racing. He was an absolute great person and I will miss him. These wins are dedicated to him. Godspeed Eric.
Jumping back to Thursday, our latest adventure and next stop on the WERA schedule had us traveling down to the lovely, scenic Nelson Ledges (slight hint of sarcasm there). Nick (aka Phil) and I headed down Thursday after work, getting ready for what looked to be a beautiful weekend. A quick stop at Honda East for a couple things, along with dinner and we were on our way. We were able to drop the trailer off late that night and get to the hotel for some sleep before things go underway. Dad couldn't make it due to my mom not wanting him to be away with their house in a rough state with some flooding they had the week before, so we'd be solo for the weekend. Not a situation I particularly look forward to, but I'd make the best of it.
Friday practice was thin – very thin. There was virtually nobody there and with the light turnout, only corner workers in every other corner. I turned some laps, but it was hard to push past a certain comfort zone given the conditions. Nick was picking up the track and put in some good laps. The bike didn't feel like it normally did around Nelson. Back not too long ago, lap times in the 1:07's were my best, but I was significantly off the pace at this point. After the day wrapped up, we went into town with Matt (Spannan, aka Stymie) and his girlfriend Jillian which was a good time. Wallaby-Darns tasted pretty good after being in the hot sun all day. Some good laughs and bench racing as always.
Saturday morning's paddock had more people in it which was a step in the right direction. Morning practice was an array of activity, combined with setup changes and gearing/wheelbase tweaks with the Pirelli 180/60 tire (our notes here were all based on the 180/55), which kept me busy early on. I still wasn't comfortable with the setup of the bike and how it was turning into the corners. I kept making changes, but nothing seemed quite right. I was a fair bit off the pace and I didn't know if it was the bike or not having someone out there to help push me into those faster times.
The 20-lap solo race went off pretty smoothly. I was able to lead into T1 and by lap two, there was a good gap and I just tried to keep it safe the rest of the race. Experts and amateurs were combined, so there was quite a difference in speeds, so I took extra caution on a race that didn't have any purse or points to chase after. I think I lapped up to 2nd place, but was still struggling getting the bike to turn like it needed to around this fast layout. It was a relaxed race at least – but I went faster in morning practice than I actually went in the race. Weird. As for the wrist, it didn't like 20 laps on the less-than-smooth Nelson layout.
After the race, I sat in the trailer and went over some notes. Went over some more notes. And went over them again. There's a particular way the bike usually is for things to click around Nelson. It's unconventional. Throw out sag numbers and whatever else makes sense for most tracks. I needed to make a drastic change, so I had the shock off and bike torn apart while Nick was off making friends, drinking beer and telling lies. :) Another issue with the bike was that it was overheating more than normal and not running at optimal temperature. My options were limited with what I had available, so I'd just be keeping tabs on it for Sunday.
Saturday night we again went out with Matt and Jillian, as well as Gene (Burcham), Garry (Jeffries) and Gene's dad. Gene apparently knows of every hidden gem of a restaurant at every track in the country, so we followed his lead. Great food, laughs and a burger that was way too big to eat all in one sitting. I've always liked Gene but never had a chance to hang out with him outside the track, so it was nice to get out together for dinner. Good times all around with everyone.
Sunday morning came and early on, the changes to the bike were better. A few more tweaks and I felt pretty good on the bike. It was starting to feel like it did when I remembered how to go fast. :) The Trautmann's were there for Sunday's races (John with his mom Sherry, otherwise known as "Ma"). They've been racing since before I got started and have always been familiar faces in the paddock. I had asked if Sherry wouldn't mind giving me signals during the race, as she does them for both John and her other son Scott when they're racing. She said no problem, as she'd be happy to keep herself busy.
The first race was 600 Superstock. I had a good launch and led into T1. Rick Lind followed and kept me honest. A few laps in I saw a 1:08.6 on the lap timer and had built a comfortable gap by then, where I was able to relax a bit for the remaining laps. WERA's scoring system had been acting up, either not counting laps, or showing the wrong time for the laps. So while I was happy at dropping a couple seconds in the race once I put my head down, WERA's scoring sheets weren't showing anything close to those times compared to what my timer showed. The GPS timer has always been dead-accurate with WERA's system, so I felt a bit better once WERA said their system was acting up.
The second race was 600 Superbike. Bill (Sweeney) nabbed the holeshot in this one, wheeling off the line and into T1. I followed alongside him through T3 and was able take the lead into T4. He must have made a mistake, as by the next time around, Sherry was showing that I had a good size lead. Rick had been able to pass him and finish second at the checkered. Lap times in this race were in the 9's according to the timer on the bike.
The last race of the day was 750 Superbike. Stymie and Brad (Burns) would be in this one, both of who were running well and both on 750's. Off the line, I nagged the holeshot as they both didn't get great starts. Brad passed me coming out of T4 on the first lap and I was planning to just sit behind and watch until the last lap, and make a pass at the end.
Over the next couple laps, we built a small lead over Stymie and I had a couple spots in mind where I could pass. The plan changed when Brad had a crossed-up wheelie on the front straight that he had to roll out of, where I went around and retook the lead. I put in a decent lap, back into the 8's where I then had a small gap on him and might have been able to break away. Although I caught some lap traffic in the carousel and probably played it a little too cautious. He got back around me on the following lap, as we ran across the white flag.
Setting up on the last lap, I was able to get onto his rear wheel through the carousel and then pass back before the kink. However I was tight into the kink and deep on the brakes into T12. I missed a backshift into T12 and ran through it a gear too high. Transitioning into T13, Brad came along the outside and we came together a little bit – and I couldn't get into the right gear. I ran through T13 in 3rd and that gave him the drive to the line and the win. Mistake on my part as I screwed that up. This was a race I wish I would have had earlier in the day that would have snapped me into gear – both figuratively and literally, after maybe relaxing a little too much in the earlier races. On the cool down lap, the bike was running way hot. I left post-tech and shut the bike off, pushing it back into the pits, to be safe.
Overall it was a good weekend. The lap times weren't really there, but I also didn't want to push and do something silly without the usual crew there to help if something happened with the bike. Nick and I had fun and got in some good finishes. Nick improved throughout the weekend and went faster, part of the learning process in his first year racing.
After missing points in the first round, we've managed to claw back into the lead in both 600 points championships, so with one double header-round left in the season, I just want to put in some solid finishes and try to win both 600 Championships to thank everyone who has helped me this season.
And to Eric, he was in my thoughts all day Sunday. I'm still in shock of him passing. He was just one of those people I would never have imagined this would happen to. I can only hope his kids and family are provided the strength to move forward without him. In my short time knowing him, I can't even imagine what they must be going through. His funeral viewing is this week and as Gina said, it just doesn't seem right that we're going for him. I agree.
Thanks for reading.
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- You're currently reading "WERA ’12, Round 4 – Nelson Ledges (Godspeed Eric)," an entry on Witchkraft Racing.
- Published: 08.27.12 / 5am
- Category: Race Reports
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Awesome job bro!
It is great that you sorted out your handling issues at Nelson. Changing the rear tire must have added an unknown to the mix. Pretty soon you will need knobby tires for that track. : )
I even pulled the motor last night solo! :)