9/20/03 Las Vegas Speedway AFM Race Thursday ======== Doug Addler and I met up and head over to Kenyon Kluge's to load up his fun mover. After this was done, Doug and I hit the road in Doug's car. About 8 and a half hours later we pulled into Vegas. The sun was still up so we walked the track and then hit the strip. I dunno why the AFM choose to run the course backwards 'cause it seems far more dangerous this way in terms of k-wall in impact zones but, the course is going to be much more interesting this way! When you run the course clockwise most of the corners widen up at the end so, now they'll all be decreasing radius' and I'm anticipating it to be alot faster this direction. When we get back to the track Kenyon still hadn't arrived so, we tossed our sleeping bags on the ground and hit the sack. This was actually so nice that I did it for the rest of the weekend. Friday ====== I'm fast, yehaw! Saturday ======== Faster still. I'm able to get some dicing in with Joe Rust and Terry Cheney on their 400's and am in the running for the 250p lap record - this is a great track! I ran out of gas in the second morning practice session and they let me run the bike in between sessions. David Crone, Rick Williams and Ross Schlichting meet me at the hot pit entrance in time to hold my bike before I drop it from heat exhaustion and were kind enough to walk me back to my pit. After I recover I decide to try out some spanky race gas from VP since my tank is empty already. I decide on the VP Ultimate 4 'cause it's supposed to be their best go-fast fuel and it's cheaper than the MR-1 for some reason. 250 Superbike Race ================== I've never done superbike before so, with no points, I'm gridded second from dead last. I'm looking at this race as just another practice session and an opportunity to see how the VP fuel works. I get a decent launch and work my way through the pack. Eventually David Crone and I start dicing it up for the top proddy position. I seem to be a little down on power 'cause I don't have any motor to get by David - everything has to be done through drafting or on the brakes. At the finish I was in front of David and top production bike in 10th place. On my way back to my pit I stop at David's and we congratulate each other on a great race. Afterwards my bike was hard to start again and the idle was a little thrashy. I'm a little concerned about seeming down on power during the race but, someone says that David Crone uses a slip-on in Superbike and that this may have been why I didn't seem to have any motor on him. I never got around to finding out if this is true or not but, leave it at that even though my lap times were worse too. Part of me thinks that I should drain the tank and put the pump gas back in but, it's just too damn hot. 250 Production Race =================== If I get a great start, and Chris McGrail and Jay Kinberger don't, I have a shot at winning this one. The green flag drops and I get a okay launch when something goes ka-plang and the RPM's drop to the bottom of the dial as everyone leaves me at the starting line. I beg and curse at the motor to suck it up and it eventually builds a few revs and I'm off after ...well, everyone. I rail through the pack as hard as I can - this race is my last best chance for my top finish of the year and I'm not gonna let anything stop me. The poor motor wheezes and thrashes beneath me as I do my best to stay tucked into someone's draft at all times so, that they don't just charge away from me. Eventually I find myself behind Asaf Chibi. He's really hard to get by - I don't have any power and he's all over the place in the corners. I finally get under him on the brakes into turn 5 and begin to chase David Crone down for third place. Somehow I get in front of him too but, we both want this podium bad. Chris and Jay are too far ahead so, there's no draft for me to hide in and the motor's clanking is getting worse with every revolution. David powers in front of me on the back straight on the last lap. I go in hot and hard into the second to last corner but, it's gonna be way too close so, I have to let him go. On the last corner I'm inches from his rear tire but, as soon as I pull out from directly behind him I hit a wall of air that my poor motor can't overcome. He looks back at me and we both wring it for all we're worth and he takes the final podium position at the flag with me rattling just behind. We pull into the pits and congratulate each other again as I notice smoke pouring out of the fairings and the horrible metalic sounds the motor's making. Michael Lohmeyer comes by and tells me about the great clouds of smoke I was leaving behind me on the course and I walk the bike back to my pit. A few people gather around my poor still smoking heap and hypothesize about what might be wrong. I'm depressed. They post the results and my lap times got slower and slower as the laps progressed and the motor ate itself. I thank Barbara for not meat balling me and she said it was an extremely close call and that I better not take that bike back out on her course again. I assure her that my weekend is over and collect my Top Novice trophy. Kenyon takes me out to the strip with his friends and we have a good time but, I'm still in kind of a funk. Even though this was my best AFM finish ever and I won Top Novice it doesn't seem worth a good motor and I'd apparently really set my heart on the podium. I'll drop the bike off at Speedshop tonight and then we'll see what can be done or not in time for Sears Point in two weeks.