July 21 & 22 Practice Report

In the Garage

Anyone for some Ribs

Thursday Practice

Got there on Thursday for practice at around 12pm. Track was excellent (No debris or oil).  A few people were saying it would be bad because of NASCAR on the previous weekend.  I didn't notice any difference. Weather was a little better than the June Weekend but not much.   Anyway, I didn't get any timed sessions.   Overall the practice was very productive.  I got all of my shift points down and I was really looking forward to Friday and the Advanced Penguin School

Friday brought the Penguin Advanced School

I would rate the school pretty good.  The track walk was good.  I definitely learned some new lines and some mistakes I was making.     I would have liked to walk the track with Jeff but his alternate did a pretty good job.   I didn't like the lines he gave in Turn 3 but I ended up following one of the fastest guys on the track later and finding the line that I did like.   The classroom was alright although there was no curriculum handed out.   Describing riding position would have been better done at a bike as opposed to in a classroom.   After the classroom we went out on the track for what was supposed to be follow the leader.  That lasted about one session then it seemed kind of like a free for all practice session.  As I stated earlier,  I ended up falling in behind one of the fastest guys at the track (purely by luck) and that was probably the most helpful thing to me next to the track walk.

For my last practice sessions, I asked one of the experts (and instructors) to go out with me for a session and he did.    I followed him for about 4 or 5 laps then he followed me for 4 or 5 laps.  Then he motioned me into the pits for a discussion.   He said I looked good on all of the corners except that I was not letting myself go wide enough on the back straight out of T-2 which was making me have to do extra steering before T-3.    He recommended that I go out to finish my practice session which was ending in about 2 minutes.  

All in all,  I would have liked more one on one time, more time spent on rider position and technique, and some curriculum to take home and review.   Although I significantly reduced my lap times (8 or 10 seconds), I think I could have accomplished the same thing walking the track with a fast expert and just going out and following him for a few practice session.     I gained the most time in Turns 1-2,  6 to 8, and 10 to 12.   Only bad thing was that because I was faster in most of the track,  all of my shift points were screwed up again and I was bouncing the rev-limiter in a lot of places.

The last lap of my practice session

So after my critique in the Hot Pit,  I headed out for 1 last lap of my practice session.  On hind sight,  I probably should have called it a night.

I exited Pit out and shot down to T-3 nice and smooth and quick,  Out of 3 around 4, Up over the hill and down into the Bowl.   Hit the marks in Turn 6 except I was just a smidge early and wide on the apex.  This in turn shot me a little wider at the apex of 7 which of course made me wide at the entrance to 8.  The school had completely changed my lines through 6 and I don't think I had the lines completely down.  I know I was going a lot faster in the bowl because at most laps previous to this one during the practice,  I was now bouncing the rev limiter in 4th at the entrance to 8.

Anyway,  going wide at the entrance to 8 proved to be very bad!  I ran off the track into the gravel,  Bike hit some soft stuff and spit me off.   At which point I evidently contact the apron of the track with my shoulder and ribs (which promptly broke)  then with my helmet.     Can't really remember anything after going into the gravel except bits and pieces of the ambulance ride to the track hospital.   And telling them not to cut my leathers off.

The bike was not too bad off and as of 8/15/05 is almost back together.  Fairings are mostly re-fiberglassed and It will look good as new as soon as I add some paint to the fairings.  With my shoulder and ribs,  I don't really have the strength to do much sanding so it will have to wait a week or so more.

I will not be able to go back and race until the October weekend by doctors orders (mild concussion).  A bummer that I will end up missing 4 weekends of racing.

Thank you to Dave and John of Slidin-By-Racing for collecting my bike and helping me load the trailer on Sunday.  We stayed for the weekend,  which was difficult since, with my new lap times,  I probably would have done very respectable in my races.  The drive home was definitely interesting.