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Sept
18-19 WSMC
Another weekend at WSMC, they just
keep coming, don't they? The only thing really note-worthy about this
weekend is 1) It was incredibly windy 2) I wasn't geared for it and it
is my own fault.
We left early Saturday
morning and
arrived in time for first practice round. The weather was nice, a bit
breezy
in the am to downright windy after around 11am. I had a 20 lap GT race
at
lunchtime, which is essentially becoming another 250 race, since the GP
bikes
cannot run in the other GT classes. Well sheesh, if I had a 500cc
two-stroke,
I could run it in that class and clean up! But I'm on my 125 against
mostly
250's at Willow Springs raceway, a very fast track.
Last month I had 3rd place
in the bag for this race, until I was black flagged for missing a
second tech
sticker. This month I actually led the race for three laps and then got
taken to the cleaners by the 250's. The wind had picked up and it
really
hurts the ultra-light 125 bikes. So I place 5th. I did two more
practice
sessions after that, it felt like the longest day in the history of man.
Race day was windy by 8am.
I knew it was going to be a rough one, but I didn't make any changes to
the bike. I should have changed the gearing for the wind but I just
left it and thought I could ride through it. My race was 11th so by
then the wind was howling. I took pictures of JM's race while I
waited for mine.
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Brienne our pit mate contemplates kicking
some ass
Entering
turn one. Note the wind whipping the flag straight out
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I was
gridded 2nd, but Kevin Murray on pole did not race due to eye surgery.
The race started and I was 2nd into turn one, behind Sharyn
Namnath who got a smoking start. It was so windy that I had to
downshift in the middle of turn 2, which is usually wide open in 4th
gear. A couple of times coming around turn 9 onto the
straight, I had to downshift to 3rd! I take that corner normally in 5th
(it's
a fast corner, obviously). I'd say the winds were at 40 MPH. Most
of
the race I struggled to find a gear to get me through a corner or
section
of the track, and stay upright. At least the wind wasn't gusty, just
steady
and strong.
Jay Pilster passed us both fairly early in the race and proceeded to
gap us. I didn't see anyone else in that race, but I think there were 7
or 8 people in it. I passed Sharyn a couple times in turn 5 and
she would pass me back on the front straight. I decided I'd have to
pass earlier if I wanted to place second. So I got her entering turn
three on the last lap and finished second. This put me back in
the points lead for the championship, by six points. Not the
white knuckle race that last month was, but not
a bad one either.
Thanks to California Race Services for the tires and JM for the
support. And congratulations for our friend Jim on his very first
race ever.
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Another
turn one photo, but this one has some advertising in the background for
something
interesting to look at
aww look, matching shirts and trophies. (I know this is bad. I'm really
sorry)
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