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WERA ’12, Grand National Finals – Barber (WKR and JDSA)

The WERA Grand National Finals are an event we haven't done in quite some time. This would actually be my first GNF on a 600, so I was pretty excited to be doing it. And a new change to it this year was that WERA was holding the event at Barber Motorsports Park, rather than Road Atlanta which had been the destination for years. I really like both tracks, but Barber is more of a technical/rider's track, compared to Road Atlanta's long straight which can make it more of a horsepower-dominant track to race.

Leading up to the GNF, Chris (Broome) and I spent the previous weekend at Barber in what he dubbed "Mancation 2012". It was fitting and a 10-day excursion down south. I was taking the Jason DiSalvo Speed Academy with Jason and Brian Stokes. I was looking for some new skills to learn/try and had been hearing a lot of good things about the JDSA. I'll detail that weekend and the school in another post, but overall I learned a great deal and the experience was something I won't soon forget. Chris has done the school a number of times and was doing video work on the students of it. He had built a friendship with both Jason and Brian and they would be helping him improve his race craft heading into the weekend.

In between the JDSA/Sportbike Track Time weekend and the GNF, Chris and I had some time to kill. I worked from the hotel on Monday and Tuesday, which was nice in not having to burn up all my vacation time being 12 hours away from home. We fit in some golfing with Jason, which was an ugly experience for me – not having golfed in a long, long, long time. Chris and Jason had a pretty good battle going though, with Jason coming out on top after 18 holes. It was still fun, even though I was terrible. We hung out with Jason and his wife Bethanie as well, which was cool. During our down time, we also spent a little time pulling out the bikes and cleaning them up and going over them from the previous weekend – basically having the bikes ready for the following weekend. The Hampton Inn parking lot was our paddock for the week.

Wednesday afternoon was when we could start getting into the track. Chris and I moved into Barber's staging lot around 3:00pm or so, and weren't the first ones there. About 5-6 rigs were already sitting and waiting, so we took our place in line and waited. We popped in some old AMA races from 2006 and watched the good old days of factory teams and manufacturer support (money) across the board. Doug and Marion arrived around 5:00pm – which was great, as the crew was here. The gates were opened around 5:30pm and everyone filed in, quickly grabbing as much paddock space as they could find and securing pit spots for the extended weekend. With Chris' rig and mine side by side, we had a good setup down on the lower level of the paddock. Jason and Stokes would later arrive at the track, along with a friend of Chris', Mike – who would be helping on the crew. We would certainly have a strong group of guys between the two of us, heading into the weekend.

Thursday was an all-day practice, with 600 Superstock National qualifying at the end of the day. I felt pretty good right away and was into good times early on. By lunch, we had already surpassed my personal best lap time, which was good – after being new to the track last year. By the second session after lunch, we were down into the 1:32 range, picking up little bits of time here and there. The nice thing was, the lap times were coming without really pushing, but just applying what I had learned from the Speed Academy. I was riding at 7-8/10ths and felt relaxed while putting in the times. Things were looking up.

As qualifying approached, we put on a new rear tire and were looking to find more time. As the session got underway, I went out and did a good 6-7 laps. The lap times weren't there though. We had gotten out a little late and missed tagging onto the back of anyone, so I was out there riding by myself. I was riding tight, tense and pressing. The best lap was a low 1:33, which was a solid half-second slower than we had gone earlier. The big digital scoreboard in the center of the track showed us in the top three however, among the 25+ bikes that were out there – so that seemed both good and a little odd.

Little did we know that the scoreboard wasn't accurate for whatever reason. I put in a few more laps to end qualifying, but in the back of my mind, I thought we were sitting pretty good and didn't push at 100%. The final results would tell otherwise though, as we would finish qualifying at only 9th overall. Another half second or so and we would have been inside the top five, which would have been much better and completely feasible if we had continued to improve from practice – and more specifically, if I had done better to end qualifying. That was on me.

Chris did well and continued to find time himself. After each session, Jason and Stokes would sit down with Chris and go over the session and find ways to help Chris go faster. Chris has a lot of laps riding, but really wanted to push himself when it came to racing, which is what Jason and Stokes were here to help him with. And when they weren't helping Chris, they were more than happy to answer the array of questions I was throwing at them. :)

That night, Chris, Lora (Chris' fianceee), Mike and I went out to eat at this good BBQ place. Doug and Marion were spent, as were Brian and Jason from working all day, so they headed back to the hotel and home respectively.

Friday practice started off well, with good morning times heading into the races. The track was busy with plenty of guys of varying speeds. At one point I was behind a group of 4-5 bikes that looked like they were trying to race each other. I pulled off and cruised through the pits to let them get clear ahead of me, so I could work on putting in some good laps. As practice concluded, I would just have two races on the day – the 750 Superstock and 750 Superbike race. We had the bike ready to go and the only problem for me was trying to apply what I had learned at the JDSA, while also trying to go fast and not get stuck reverting to old habits. This was becoming tougher than I had realized. I would enter a corner and normally not think too much about it. Now, I was going through the mental checklist of to-do's from what I learned the previous weekend, which was making my head spin!

Race one was 750 Superstock. Doug had the bike all ready to go and we were gridded on the third row. I had a decent launch into T1. I was pretty tight heading into this race, but things played out well and I put in some good laps, finishing 7th out of 25 or so bikes. My fast lap of the race was a 1:32.216. Just a few more tenths to get into the 1:31's. The competition in this race was strong. Tucker Lancaster, Danny Kelsey, Daytona Anderson, Jimmy Merck and Andre Ochs (this year's Horizon Award winner) finished ahead of us, but our times were competitive. Definitely a strong field.

After this race, some stuff was going on with the front of the bike. 750 Superbike was next and we made a significant change to the front end after talking with my dad and with Fitzgerald. I had a better start and off we went, but the change wasn't helping. I struggled a bit, only doing low 1:33's. We weren't too far off the pace, as the times for everyone were slower compared to the first race (temperature drop likely the reason). On the up side, we finished 6th and I was able to follow Miles Thornton around for a few laps during that race, who's a fast AMA regular. There were about 40 bikes in this race total, between experts and amateurs that were all gridded together.

Day one of the GNF was pretty decent overall with good results. We were going faster than we had been, but were now encountering some new issues with the bike, all while I was trying to work on changing my riding style at the same time. We were plugging away as best we could. The day ended with Lora and Bethanie cooking dinner and all of us eating in the RV, while watching Reel Steel (pretty good flick). Doug and Marion hit the hotel after that, with Jason and Bethanie heading home shortly thereafter. Both Chris and I crashed pretty early that night to get a head start on Saturday's racing.

Saturday morning's practice was cold. The temperature had dropped over 20 degrees from Friday to Saturday. What was 75 and sunny the previous day, was now in the 40's early in the morning, with a high only in the 50's. Brrr. Doug and I tried throwing a stiffer spring on the back of the bike for morning practice, in an effort to find more traction and stability. With the weather being cold though and practice time being at a premium, we didn't have enough time to make it work. Once practice had wrapped up, I thought it would be better to go with our previous spring which was a known entity, rather than trying to change something significant before a big race.

We were running the same front tire going into the first race, with a new Pirelli SC1 rear. The 600 Superstock finale was up and I was ready. I had a great launch and was 2nd or 3rd into T1. I kept pushing and our lead group was moving pretty good, considering the cold temperatures and overcast skies. A couple laps in, Jimmy Merck was in front of me and had a near highside exiting T5, which allowed me to get by and move into 2nd place. Daytona Anderson was up in the lead and moving. He, along with Andre and Tucker have some real talent.

For the next couple laps, I could hear someone right on me. I kept them at bay for two laps or so, before making a slight mistake exiting T5, where Andre (Ochs) got alongside me and passed heading into T6. I kept him close for a couple laps and started pushing too hard, which led to slower lap times. Miles Thornton got a good drive out of T5 a lap or so later and got by me on the brakes into T6. I followed him for a couple laps before relaxing on the bike on the last lap, monitoring the gap back to Merck, who had rebounded from his near highside.

A 4th place finish in this class was solid. With a near 30-bike grid and some big names on it, I was extremely happy with the finish, even though I kept thinking if I could have relaxed more, we would have gone faster and been on the pace to be on the podium. The times weren't so great, as I only managed a 1:32.7 and couldn't bridge the gap to the 31's that I wanted. I'm sure the weather played a part in it, but Miles put down a 1:32.0 and Andre a 1:31.8. Daytona was on it with a 1:30.8 in the win, so the potential was there for faster times.

After the races, Doug put in fuel and checked tires. Things were good before I suggested we try a gearing change before our last race. I was running out of gear in a couple spots and thought this could help. With Mike's help as well, Doug and he made the quick change without missing a beat – and we were ready to go.

I had a nice launch in this race, 600 Superbike, getting the holeshot into T1. From there on though, it unraveled. Into T5 and on the exit, something felt loose in the back of the bike. Then onto the fast left on the back straight, it felt it again. I immediately went into panic mode thinking something was wrong with the bike. I knew there was a fleet of bikes behind me, so I just held my line and let them by until there was a gap and I could get off line. Rather than pushing it and having something happen, I pulled in and came onto hot pit lane. Once there, Doug and I looked at the bike. Everything looked okay at initial glance, and I didn't know what had happened. Something definitely didn't feel right though.

Back into the pits, I was bummed. We had a great finish in the first race, and then this happened. It may have just been my fault and feeling something weird on the track that wasn't any big deal. The overall pace of that race for everyone else was slower, so who knows. We haven't taken the bike apart yet, but nothing was visibly loose upon initial inspection. Arg ..

That race wrapped up our weekend and overall, the weekend was a success. We went faster than last year (our first time at Barber) and did it at a more comfortable pace than before. The biggest struggle was trying to apply these new riding techniques I had just learned, in a racing environment. I was consciously thinking about what to do in corners, and sometimes reverting back to old habits – rather than just riding on instinct. I plan to practice what I've learned at the JDSA this winter so come 2013, these new techniques will come more naturally and not feel so forced. Throughout the weekend, we were only a good second off the winning pace. That's something I'm happy with, especially given our lack of laps around Barber, compared to other tracks we visit. And the guys that were winning on the 600, were on Pirellis, which was good to see.

What also made things challenging was not having my dad there. He's always been my counterpart and a constant in the racing equation, and with that variable not present as often this season, it's made things tougher. This season my dad was tied up with work and some other things, so that really took away from both the fun and the level of preparation we've had in the past. It's just the way things go sometimes and you have to deal with it, but not having your counterpart there certainly leaves a void. When we had our core group together at BeaveRun (PIRC), we were able to win all of our Sunday races, clicking like normal. With that said, Doug was absolutely great. He was an invaluable piece to the puzzle and there is no way I could have done the weekend without him and Marion there, but with just us – we were stretched thin. When we have dad, Doug and also Aaron there – we're rolling on all cylinders and the difference it makes in our overall performance is noticeable. Each person brings a special skill set that is vital to the overall program. Without that, it's certainly more difficult to go out and find those precious tenths – especially at this level. Doug worked overtime both on the bike and as a motivational coach, which was a tall task to say the least, in dealing with me. :) I can't thank Doug enough though for all that he did and the results he's responsible for bringing in.

A big thank you goes out to Chris and Lora, who let me stay with them in the RV all week/weekend. I thought I was OCD, but Chris clearly has me beat in that department I've come to realize, but that's a good thing. :) We had a great time and the hospitality they offered was genuinely appreciated. Also a big thank you to Jason and Brian, who I learned a great deal from over the past ten days in both the school and over the course of the race weekend. I've kinda been doing this for awhile, but there are always new little things to pick up and learn along the way – and what better guys to learn from than Jason DiSalvo and Brian Stokes. Mancation 2012 was something I'll not soon forget. Thanks also to Chris Jensen, Kevin Graham and Jeff Johnson at Pirelli. They were all there and took extremely good care of us. I can't say enough good things about the Pirelli tires and how well they work. Lastly, thanks to Gina who dealt with me being gone for over a week to go racing and watching our little guy. She's awesome and has been there to support me through thick and thin, no matter what.

Thank you also to all my sponsors this season. Honda East, Zipfizz Energy, the Animal Aid Foundation, Pirelli, SportbikeTrackGear.com, Oakley, Hanshaw Engines, Pit Bull, Dynojet, Sharkskinz, WWB, NGK, Motul, GP Tech, Chicken Hawk, Samco, Full Spectrum, Motion Pro, Spider Grips, Knox Armour, Spiegler, Bell Helmets, RS Taichi, MC Designs and Detroit Custom Paint.

Going into the season, I wasn't sure how things would shake out with my wrist, but they've gone better than expected. I'm excited at what I've learned this past week and am looking forward to putting in a lot of work over the winter and becoming a better rider heading into the 2013 season.

Thanks for reading.

Tuesday, October 30th, 2012 | POSTED AT: 5:53 AM
FILED UNDER: Race Reports

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You're currently reading "WERA ’12, Grand National Finals – Barber (WKR and JDSA)," an entry on Witchkraft Racing.
Published: 10.30.12 / 5am
Category: Race Reports