|
Our
very own Charles Gallant gives us an insight into what
a days racing is like at the famous Sears Point raceway
in California. Having only recently acquired the MC28
racer, he was entering into the relatively unknown! |
|
RACE
REPORT: May 29th, and 30th. Infinion Raceway (Sears
Point) |
|
|
|
Saturday
started out pretty early; 4:00 AM to be exact. Since
the van was loaded, I just had to take a shower and
put the cooler in the van with me. I got out on the
road, and found the traffic was light at this time of
the morning. Within a record 2 hours, I was at the track. |
|
I
found a good spot for my pits, and started to unload
all of my equipment. Got the pits setup, and started
getting the bike ready for tech (scrutineering
to those in the UK!) The MC28 went through tech
with the no problems except for the disappointment of
being assigned to practice group 1! I guess since last
month I was running just at the cut off time, it meant
I was still in the lower group. The AFM didn't have
the records of the day after the last months' race where
I dropped another five seconds, putting me into the
second groups time by that five seconds. |
|
Practice
seemed to get a little late start this weekend. Didn't
seem to get out onto the track until 9:00 AM. Session
one sucked! It seemed like a lot of the people in group
1 were actually just learning how to ride motorcycles.
The lack of clean lines, and slow riders really made
it fun though. By the second session of the morning,
I had enough practice passing riders - I figured passing
the majority of the group more then once during a practice
session meant I was doing just fine. |
|
I
brought my time sheets to tech, showed them 2:02's,
and asked to be moved to group 2. They gave me a new
sticker, and I was happy again. Since the morning started
slow, and kept up the same pace, we got only two sessions
in before lunch. I grabbed a nap while it wasn't that
loud. |
|
After
lunch, things went as slow as they did prior to lunch.
Only two more sessions for a total of four practice
sessions for each group all day. Can't figure it out,
as I swear we used to get at least six on a full practice
day. I ran the same times for the remainder of the day.
At least I felt confident in my times, and the bike
felt comfortable. I figured I was just letting myself
get used to the new constant times, and make sure I
was comfortable there before I started to move to the
next level. |
|
On
the last practice session, my clutch was really slipping
coming out of turns 7 and 11. They are slow corners,
with straights after them. Basically, you get on it
hard after the exit, and the clutch wasn't doing well.
After the last session of the day, I decided to swap
out the fiber plates. Since it's an SE, this took no
time at all!
I got my pit area cleaned up, and headed to the hotel. |
|
Couple
of my friends needed places to stay, so I shared my
hotel room with them. We added to the night by watching
Torque. What a movie! When I grow up I want to ride
like they do in that movie!
Yeah, we won't hold out breath Chas!! Ed. |
|
Sunday
morning was nice, the weather was looking good early
on. It was warm by 7 AM with no clouds in the sky. I
went through tech, and got the dreaded group 1 practice
sticker again. No good in talking the tech people into
a group 2 sticker this time, so I figured I would make
the most of it. |
|
|
|
Got
down to the pre grid, and went out at the end of the
second wave of bikes let on the track for practice.
I passed up my wave within the first four corners, then
caught up and passed the first wave by the last turn!
This left me with open track for a couple laps. Got
in some good solid low 2's and felt really comfy. I
knew this would be a good day for the bike, and myself. |
|
Since
I wasn't racing till races 9 and 13, I stripped out
of my leathers, and started drinking water. It was going
to be a hot and long day! Later in the morning they
posted the grids. I was in shock when I found myself
on the fourth row of the 250SB grid. Sixteenth position!
I found out later it was because I finished seventeenth
two months before. And here I thought I was near the
back. That's what I get for not looking at the final
results from the last race!
Little did I know I am a top 20 finisher. The F4 race
wasn't as good. I was on the 9th row, but still not
bad when your talking about 75 bikes on the start. I
was pretty much dead smack in the middle of it all. |
|
The
race day was dragging on... too many accidents, and
by my first race there were already two medic helicopters
called in. The 250SB race came round and I got ready
for it. Went out on pre-grid, and got ready for the
warm up lap. I ended up behind a friend of mine on an
Aprilia RS250. Got to my grid position, and my friend
was gridded just in front of me. |
|
After
the entire grid got ready, the starting process got
underway. The two board went up (click it into first,
drop my visor), one (start to rev the bike), sideways
(rev, rev, rev!!!)... greenflag - GO!! Slip the clutch,
gas, more slip, more gas see a spot on the inside open,
dive for it getting a good start... then my multiprocessing
mind gives up on one process, and I
dump the clutch the rest of the way out! CRAP!!!!! I
lost at least ten to fifteen spots as the grids blows
by me! |
|
Turn
one is a mess, turn two, a little less, I pass a group
on the outside of two, grab some more going into three,
a couple more before four, one or two between six and
seven, and then I just put my head down, and start pushing
hard! |
|
My
first lap, I look down, and see a 2:00 on my timer.
Excellent!!! I keep the pushing on... |
|
Turn
1 at Sears Point is a fast, on the gas in top gear,
left hander. Up a hill, under a bridge, stand it up,
drop two gears, and drop it right into a off chamber
cresting turn 2... let it drift to the outside, and
your on the gas from the apex, standing it up, and getting
ready for turn 3. 3 is a left hander that climbs to
another cresting turn, 3A, going right. You have now
had your knee on the ground for what seems like more
time then not since the start finish. |
|
After
turn 3A you drop down a hill, and drop a gear for turn
4. Turn 4 is a right hander; you put your knee on the
inside candy stripping and drift it out to the opposite
edge of the track. You're pretty much getting on the
gas, and grabbing gears as you keep it leaned over for
turn 5, as you climb up another hill. |
|
At
the top of the hill, you sit up, scrub off a little
speed, as you decent down into the "Carousal"
turn 6. This is a fast, left hander that you can drag
a knee for most of the corner. Since you can't see the
exit from the start, and the turn goes on for ever,
you just trust your instincts, and keep on the gas.
As you get to the bottom, you are shoot out onto a straight
that brings you up quickly to turn 7. |
|
|
|
Turn
7 is a double apex right hander that puts you 180 degrees
from the entrance. On the exit, you are on the gas,
dragging a short distance to a couple quick jogs called
turn 8, 8a. It's basically candy strip to candy strip,
left, right, left. This brings you up a little hill,
over a slight cresting turn 8b. You're fully on the
gas, leaned over to the right, with your knee on the
deck, screaming your head off cause your having the
time of your life! |
|
Flick
it back to the left for turn 9, and then back to the
right for a fast turn 10, still on the gas, and your
knee on the ground. Stand it up, and grab some brake
as you pass the tower on your right... pop out from
behind the tower over looking the drag strip, and drop
into turn 11. This is another hairpin right hander,
where you basically drop the entire bike onto your knee,
and get ready to bring it back up so you can start twisting
the throttle. Slip some clutch to get the engine going,
pulling the front tire off the ground on the exit, and
start grabbing gears for the front straight... |
|
As
I looked down at my timer, I started seeing 1:58, 1:57,
and then two 1:56's in a row! I was screaming so loud
going into turn one I am sure the corner workers heard
me. I had the absolute biggest grin on my face, knowing
that I was going were I wanted to be for the weekend,
and knowing the NSR was simple ready for more!! |
|
Only
problem was the race was coming to an end! Yep, the
next lap was a checkered flag, and I was ecstatic I
had just done my absolute best ever! I had made up (I
am thinking) most of the spots I gave up, and had some
good dicing with some other racers, passing them as
I went. |
|
Did
the cool down lap, waving, and grinning my ass off.
I know I didn't come in first, but I felt just as good
I am sure. |
|
So
now I had four more races to go till my F4 race. The
last race of the day. Something inside me told me it
wasn't going to happen, as the day was still dragging
on, and time was running out. |
|
At
about 5:00 PM, they gave us a first call. I geared up,
got the bike warmed up, and went to pre-grid. Waited
for what seemed like an hour, but was actually about
20 minutes. Still nothing... Finally I looked up to
turn 7, and realized why we were waiting... there was
another helicopter in the parking area on the outside
of turn 7 loading up another rider from a crash the
race before my race. |
|
By
5:30, the helicopter was getting ready to take off,
but this didn't help. The writing was on the wall,
and the call had been made... The day was over...
we ran out of time to run the track. I was pissed,
but yet over all, my weekend was a success. I had
made my goals, and even went beyond them. I will need
to wait till next month to continue my learning racing!
|
|
Charles
Gallant. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|