Southern Downs Round 2 Race Report

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Mike_SS
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Southern Downs Round 2 Race Report

Post by Mike_SS »

Another great weekend at the track. I took the 750 out to a very wintery Morgan Park for 3 days. (Overnight frosts and 0 degree mornings :) )

Friday track day was busy with a fair bit of track time. The track temp was down in the low 20s and combined with a rear tyre that had already done 2 race meetings it was a bit slippery. Times were down a bit for most people but I manged to be within a few tenths of my best but it was not very comfortable.

Saturday Qualifying

There was ice covering everthing on the trailer when I got to the track at 7:30! Thankfully it was a big meeting and we were slotted in at 8th in the schedule so things had thawed a bit before we went out for our first session. I threw a new rear in and just slotted in behind one of the normal front runners for the session. Times were all still a bit off by some of the guys so I ended up 3rd. I expected to be pushed back to the second row after the second qualifying. We all went a bit faster and I equalled my PB which suprisingly meant I kept my 3rd place start :) There was only about half a second from 2nd to 5th so it was looking good for some close racing. (Pole position was taken by our resident A grader who is just in a league of his own and consistently 2 to 3 seconds faster than eveyone else :) )


Saturday

Race 1

Made a bad start and went form 3rd to about 7th into turn 1. I managed to get back past a couple in the first lap and tacked onto the back of the 2nd to 5th freight train. Got a bit carried away and out braked myself and ran off the track. Rejoined and ran around to the end. Took half a second of my PB.

Sunday

Race 2

Another crap start and then pretty much a rerun of race 1 with the same result. Shaved a tenth of my PB.

Race 3

Worse start again. I could not figure out what was going on as my starts had been good. My reactions were OK the bike was just not getting off the line. Got angry this time and barged through the ones that had beaten me off the line in the first few corners and then put my head down. Caught up with the pack again and had a few looks at overtaking but not quite. ( I really need to be a bit more assertive). I decided I could go for 4th in the last corner of the last lap and was lining myself up for it but a yellow flag was out so I had to sit behind and take 5th again. You could throw a blanket over 2nd to 5th. I smashed a second off my PB on the second lap pulling them back in again :)

Race 4

My starts were so bad I decided I wasn't even going to try a race start I was just going to pretend I was taking off from the traffic lights because it could not be much worse.:) It was!. Let the clutch out and nothing happened really. Got overtaken by all of the second row and some of the third before I had gone 50 metres :) It then took me a lap and a half to get back to 5th again. I could see the back of the pack still so I pushed for one lap and the gap seemed to be about the same. The next lap I could see they were picking it up a bit. It was a 5 lap lap race so I decided to back it off a bit and finish the day in one piece. :) (The backed off pace ended up being about my best pace before this weekend :) )

Summary

A great weekend. Smashed 1.6 seconds off my PB and was running competitively. The funny thing in our class is that there is never a meeting where a couple of us don't run PBs. This weekend 6 of us trimmed chunks of time off. (Even our A grader slashed a second off his best. He took his pre modern bike out in formula 1 (basically superbikes) and led all races until he was out horse powered near the end.)

I wasted a rare front row start opportunity with my crap starts but on balance I am a fairly happy camper :)


(Next outing is on PJ in September)
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1992 FZR1000 Race/Track Bike

JasonL
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Post by JasonL »

Top report Mike, very promising indeed to be taking such big chunks of time out. Unfortunately with club races tending to be very short in duration, qualifying and starts are crucial. Do you think the fickle Yamaha clutch action is partly to blame?? I need to do some work on getting the 1000 off the line that's for sure.

It all looks good though Mike, keep qualifying like that and tidy up the starts a bit and it'll all come together very well! I know what you mean about being more assertive, I have diddled myself out of places by not taking the plunge and just making a move.

Mike_SS
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Post by Mike_SS »

Do you think the fickle Yamaha clutch action is partly to blame??
Really don't know what was going on Jason. Murray Clark watched my races at the last meeting (we were in different classes) and said they were good and he is a master. Something has changed. In the heat of the start line I am not even sure if the engine was bogging down or the clutch was slipping or what was going on. Just had to keep stabbing at it get moving. Will probably have a new clutch (attached to a different motor) next time I take that bike out and that will be months away. Will just have to go down as a mystery I guess :)
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sbutler
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Post by sbutler »

JasonL wrote:I need to do some work on getting the 1000 off the line that's for sure.
Your kidding right?
BTW great report Mike. Cant wait till you get the 1000 off the line!
96 GSXR 750 racer gone
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JasonL
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Post by JasonL »

Steve,

Yep I do, made some comment in my report about getting off the line, the clutch action is very different to VFR so just need more familiarisation, engages RIGHT at the end, I messed it up and double dipped it. Lucky I now have enough grunt to make a fair bit of that back up, right??!!

sbutler
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Post by sbutler »

JasonL wrote:Steve,

the clutch action is very different to VFR so just need more familiarisation, engages RIGHT at the end, I messed it up and double dipped it.!!
I know how to fix that problem. But It'll cost ya for the secret. ha ha ha
96 GSXR 750 racer gone
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hotcam
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Post by hotcam »

I know how to fix that problem.
Let me guess, bend the lever in a bit? :P

Thanks for the report Jason, sounds like you got the speed and the
cornering OK, get the starts down pat and you'll be unstoppable!
Now who was it in the WSBK that spent a full day practicing nothing
but starts recently... can't remember but it made a difference for him...
-------
'95 FZR1040 '09 FZ1-S
"And they had a machine, a dream of a machine, with wheels and gears and perfect in every respect, and they lived on it..." -Stanislaw Lem, "Cyberiad"

spook
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Post by spook »

Well done Mike :) Good to hear you had fun and safe weekend. Hell 1.6 seconds is huge!

You don't have to start with the clutch all the way in. Don't you hold it a fraction off where it engages?

Thanks for the report :)

Mike_SS
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Post by Mike_SS »

You don't have to start with the clutch all the way in. Don't you hold it a fraction off where it engages
Yeah that is what I normally do and I hook the front brake with one finger so it doesn't creep. Something was just not right. All good though. The boys I was running with were the ones that kicked some ass at the Barry Sheen this year so I was happy with that :)
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1992 FZR1000 Race/Track Bike

spook
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Post by spook »

Did you have the WP fitted up?

Mike_SS
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Post by Mike_SS »

Did you have the WP fitted up?
Nah I ran out of time. That's the funny thing, the only change I made was jacking the back up by about 4mm.

Obviously I just hadn't been riding it properly before :)
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sbutler
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Post by sbutler »

Mike_SS wrote:
You don't have to start with the clutch all the way in. Don't you hold it a fraction off where it engages
Yeah that is what I normally do and I hook the front brake with one finger so it doesn't creep. Something was just not right. All good though. The boys I was running with were the ones that kicked some ass at the Barry Sheen this year so I was happy with that :)
Yeah but you guys arn't comming next year are you?? :poke
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JasonL
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Post by JasonL »

It's going to be an invasion Steve - pincer movement, from the south and the north!

Might have learnt to get mine off the line by then

Mike_SS
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Post by Mike_SS »

Yeah but you guys arn't comming next year are you??
Shit yeah :)
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spook
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Post by spook »

JasonL wrote:Might have learnt to get mine off the line by then
Might have to learn to put my engine back together by then :)

Big Jon
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Post by Big Jon »

Years ago Anthony Gobert spent a weekend with 1/4 mile guru Ricky Gadsen and found out everything he was doing on the line was wrong! He was blipping constantly while the flag was up, and he had one foot on the pegs, so even pro's can use a weekend or two at the drags.

JasonL
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Post by JasonL »

Spook, The Barry Sheene is in April - you've got 7 months, no kids and your time is your own - see you there!

sbutler
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Post by sbutler »

JasonL wrote:It's going to be an invasion Steve - pincer movement, from the south and the north!
Oh no!
96 GSXR 750 racer gone
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Retired TeamExup racer.

Mike_SS
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Post by Mike_SS »

It's going to be an invasion Steve - pincer movement, from the south and the north!
And the East too ?
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JasonL
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Post by JasonL »

Right. I always think of NZ being south but Auckland is almost straight across from Sydney.

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