Ducati Monster Forum

Good luck, Tigre!  

RACE SCHEDULE -- Infineon May 22 & 23 / 2010

Saturday

1. Clubman Middleweight
2. AFemme, Clubman Lightweight, Vintage
3. Clubman Heavyweight
4. Formula 40 Heavyweight, Formual 40 Mediumweight,Formula 40 Lightweight

Sunday
1. 250 Superbike, Formula 4
2. 600 Production Sponsor: Keigwins at the Track
3. Open Superbike Sponsor: CT Racing
4. 750 Superbike
5. Formula 3, 450 Superbike, 250 Production
6. Open Twins Sponsor: Desmoto Sport, Open Production Sponsor: The Track Club
7. 600 Superbike Sponsor: Pacific Track Time
8. Formula Pacific
9. Formula 2, 650 Twins
10. Open GP Sponsor: City Bike
11. 750 Production
12. 650 Production, 500 Twins, Super Dino, Formula Singles
13. Formula I Sponsor: Scuderia West

Hope the new goodies yield some ass-kicking at the track. Good luck Tigre!

Go Tigre! Might try to make it up Sunday.

Enzo and I plan on being there most of Sunday.   [thumbsup]

I'm actually meeting someone there to do some low-speed maneuverability testing of a Monster as well.  If someone has a video camera I'd like to borrow it.  Or perhaps you can take the video for me? 

Yay!

See you guys up there.  Looking forward to trying the bike out!

I'm outta town, but GL.   [thumbsup]   [moto]

Bike felt great on Friday.  New modifications all are objectively better.  Especially the lightened crank and con rods -- motor is more responsive, it is more nimble in high-speed transitions, and allows me to carry more corner-entry-speed.  Yay!

Rough day today, though.

1st practice session I dropped a second off my times from Friday and went 1:46.4.  Fairly effortless, and in COLD and windy conditions.  I was pretty happy.

When I came in off the track, I stopped to check tire pressures right off the track (not in my pits).  Bike wouldn't start again.  Thought maybe it was my new fancy lightweight battery -- dead?  Pushed it back to the pits and charged for 15 minutes.  Still no dice.  Drew, my mechanic for the weekend, figured out it was the starter motor.  He could tap on it and it would move slightly, but would not start the bike. 

I thought to myself, "SHIT".  Briefly thought about trying to use the rear wheel starter from my neighbor in the garages, but those don't work if you have a slipper clutch.  Damn.

Drew and I went back to Desmoto, and Drew and Scott ripped the starter motor out to inspect.  Sure enough, starter motor was TOAST.  They patched the bike back up, tested it, and we were on the way back to the track.

After navigating MASSIVE traffic getting out of SF, we got to the track early enough to get out for the last session.

Two laps in (first flying lap a 1:46.7), and my rear tire started sliding MASSIVELY on left turns.  I knew I was running an old tire, but something seemed wrong.  I pulled in, and saw oil on the left side of the bike.

Drew found the source (bolt backed out from my head).  We didn't have the part at the track, but stopped and picked it up on the way home.

Back into the fray again tomorrow!

Dang.  You are *not* having a run of good luck lately.  Glad to hear none of it resulted in a crash.  Hopefully fortune will smile on you tomorrow after all of this. 

I see you got my earlier text.  Sorry about not being able to come.  I keep brushing off this cold thinking that it'll just go away and it won't.  Being outside in the colder weather all day isn't going to help, so I'm going to stay home in bed and see if I can kick it.  Enzo has to work so he can't come either.   :-X  Sux man.  We were really looking forward to this.  Can I get a live feed of the races online?  If I'm at home maybe I can follow what's going on at least. 

Check on teh BARFs.  They have been trying to get live video up and running.

Enzo says that it's not possible for one person's bad luck to go on this long.  Mathematically speaking I think he's correct.  I'll see if BARF has its tech together.  Would love to be able to watch AFM from home.   [thumbsup]

Sorry to hear about the mechanical issues, hope you get everything worked out soon!

Stuck at work, but just got a text from Tigre. 

He beat Gogo on the last lap to grab THIRD in Open Twins!!! [clap]

WOOOO HOOOO!  Where's the Tigre emoticon?  I think we deserve a custom one. 

Excellent! Good work Steve!

(http://www.iconarchive.com/icons/mozco/animals/32/Tiger-icon.png)

I foundz a pickchur [thumbsup] 

(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m290/jorbar1551/AFM%20MAY%202010/DSC_0054.jpg)

Pic from warmup lap, methinks.  Where'd you find?

Yes, folks -- had a good result in open twins today.  I was happy.  Very happy.  Ecstatic, even.  Was hoping for a podium heding into the race, but knew Nick Hayman and GoGo would be thinking the same thing.  I got a rockin' start off the front row, came around the outside of Gogo, and trailed only Siglin and Randolph into Turn 2.  Thought I was running a good lap, but Gogo came screaming past me on the outside heading down toward 9.  

I maintained contact for a couple laps, but GoGo broke contact.  Then I started to realize I was under pressure from Nick Hayman, who was right on my rear.

A few laps later, I saw GoGo run wide on the entrance to Turn 9, which allowed me to re-gain contact with him.  I got a bit closer as we headed into the last lap.  I caught a lucky break, and GoGo got held up by a lapper headed into turn 4.  It killed his drive heading through 5 & 6, and I was able to get onto his rear wheel going into the carousel.

I knew I could outdrive him heading into 7, so I got into a good tuck and got on the gas HARD.  I sling-shotted past Gogo, and braked as late as I could into 7.  He is never one to lie down, and I saw him try to come back by on the brakes in my peripheral vision, but I was able to hold the line.  I rode a defensive 2nd half to the lap except turn 11, where I just focused on getting a monster drive up the front straight.  

My final lap was a 1:44.9 -- passing a lapped rider, and GoGo on the final lap.  1st podium of the season, and a good ray of hope that I'm getting dialed on the new bike.

Can't thank my sponsors enough -- Desmoto Sport, for all their help keeping the darned bike running (special shout-out to Drew who came to the track Sat/Sun to be my pit crew), and Mark with DoubleDog, who supplied some pregnant dogin' lightweight parts (17 pounds of weight savings!) and pulled DoubleDog duty as my pitmate.

Cheers,
Steve

Some guy on BARF bought a new camera or something and was snapping some photos.  Not sure if he's a turn-worker or not--might be.  He provided a link to his album, so I thought I'd take a peek to see if you were in any of them... He said most of the photos were from warm up and cool down laps, which makes sense if he's a turn-worker. 

Sounds like we missed a great race day.  We were there in spirit even though I'm still in bed with my cold. 

ROCK ON TIGRE!!!!! [clap] [clap] [clap]

One of these days I'll get my sorry busted arse back out there.

Wooo! Glad to see everything coming together as it should  [thumbsup]

Congrats, great job Steve! [thumbsup] [clap]

CONGRATZ STEVE [thumbsup] [thumbsup]!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!