Tom's Race Report from Arroyo Seco Raceway

4/9/2006 Deming, NM - with ASMA

 

 

We finally get out early!!!  But there is no sense in getting there early so we make a detour to stop and pick up Pat's new addition to his stable, a 1994 RC45. Sweet bike with minimal low side crash damage and only 150 original miles! We picked it up from Scott in Tucson and I got to see his bike collection and garages, yes that is garages! It would take way more time than I have here to describe the collection he has, but let me say his setup and collection would rival anyone's, I mean ANYONE's!! Thanks for the tour Scott! Scott is one of the most down to earth nice guys which makes seeing the collection even nicer, since most of the time with a collection like that the owner is some stuck up dick head. ( oops, can I say dick head here??)

Anyway we get to the hotel at 2:30 and to the track by 7:30am. It was a little cool in the morning but warmed up very nicely to around 75 or so with a very light, yes I did say light and meant it breeze. Not much wind Sunday either and it got to around 82, so it was a weather perfect weekend!

This was one of those weekends we had a choice. We could go to Vegas and race with WERA (where I'm second in F-40) or race with ASMA in NM. The choice was actually easy (well at the beginning of the season when I wasn't 2nd in F-40)! because Roger has such a great series and makes it a fun weekend. Besides at the beginning of the season we made a commitment to do all the AFM and all but 1 ASMA (the bikes are staying in NorCal all summer and we are doing Miller the weekend of the ASMA event).
I felt good about this weekend. I got some confidence the last 2 races before my clutch went at Button and I like the clockwise direction at Arroyo. I got warmed up and out in the second session and in the third did a 1:12.1. I wanted to try the 16.5 front. Ivan was out there with me and we talked after the session. One thing he brought up (yes Pat you have been telling me also) was gearing. Now I'm not saying I don't think it should be changed for different track just like suspension, no I'm not saying that at all. I know to get better times those things need to be done. What I am saying and have been saying is that the times I was running those little things wouldn't make much of a differences in the overall picture. Hell, anybody with any skill can run 1:15 - 1:14's on stock bikes. OK back to the point. I didn't change anything on my bike as far as gearing or suspension settings ever. The advantage IMO is that I know the bike and what it does like nobodies business now. So when I made the gearing change in 1 lap I knew and felt the change. After help from Pat I whipped through 2 different front sprockets and 3 different rear's and nailed it. I hope the suspension stuff goes this easy when I do it (yeah right)!

Sunday morning, first race Unlimited Supersport. I use this for a last test and tune at race pace. I am not legal for this class, but ASMA like WERA lets you run in it, cause hey, this is club racing after all! Finished 4th on the last of both front and rear tires. After the race I had to get the tires switched real fast and only had time to get the rear done and not on the warmer. I threw the 16.5 on and ran the F-40 with the cold rear and a used front. I didn't want to waste my clutch either so I got off the line bad with no clutch slip. Had to do it again cause of a red flag. Got off the line in 2nd or 3rd, let the tires warm and won the race.

I really wanted to have the new front on for the F-40 race also to scrub that in. The next race was Formula Arroyo and I got the rear the way I wanted it for the money race just not the front. I had a blast! Used up some clutch on the start for second into the first turn just behind Ivan. Tried to stay with him and did for a little and he kept me pushing as he went away. I kept thinking I had 3 bikes on my ass so rode as hard as I could and never saw anybody finishing 2nd and running 1:11's with a best of 1:11.1, just missing getting to the 10's.

Last race of the day was Unlimited Superbike. I was beat! Got a good start and fell in behind Scott who followed Ivan. Ivan as he did all day except one race ran away at the front and I stayed with Scott. I felt like I could get him on the brakes at the end of the drag straight, although it would be tough, he was riding really well. The whit flag lap I plan on the pass and when we get to the turn there are 2 lappers there, It would have been really really risky to try the pass so I fell in line and finished in third.

BTW I did race the Kawi 650 in the spec class. I didn't put it on warmers so it took 3 laps to get the tires up to temp and had fun. I caught Bobby and Mike at the end of the drag straight passing Bobby and following Mike thru the esses. He crashed right in front of me a 111 and I just missed him, getting on the front brake hard at the apex! Wound up with a third and it was fun. The other race I did was the twins race. I had third for the first 3 laps behind Mike and Pat and this guy on a 250 passes me on the drag straight. I would be on his ass at all the corners but at the 3 straights (drag, Yucca, and Pit) he would gap me huge. Now I know how all the 600s feel when I get to the straights with my 192 horses! I don't like that feeling and if they don't they should get bigger bikes, haha!

Great weekend, won $590 in tire and prize money. Thanks Pat for all the help, Mark at North Valley for putting the best bike under me (much better than me!), Michelin for awesome tires, Ivan for the go fast help, Roger and Michelle for a great race series, Stone for staying home (just kidding ya big lug,haha), Hunter& Scott for pushing me, Brian for all the web work and my wife Sally for putting up with all this racing shit every minute of every day I am not working, thanks Babe!!!

I can't wait for Infineon!! 2 weeks with AFM, lets rock!!!
 

Tom
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