Race Report

[SixPots]

First time out on the '01 GSXR 1000, first time at Road America using full track.( Attended Level 1 in '02 using CSS Kawi., half track.) One word described the weekend-cold. Entered the 30 minute GTO for Friday and the twin sprints of Unlimited SS and Unl Grand Prix held Sat/Sun.

Friday is the running for GT classes in CCS. The 30 minutes gave plenty of time to acclimate to bike and cold tires. Lap one was run at 3:35. Last lap, #8, ran at 3:04. I took it very slow as we have no tire warmers yet. Race time temps varied from 36-45 over the weekend. Tried to focus on exercises Keith puts into the program such as finding RPs, less braking, staying smooth, staying loose, counter steering, and relaxing grip. However, I let my self get caught up in the corner racing too much, and several times had to step back from the craziness of 60 bikes on track and relax again.

By Sunday morning I had somewhat gotten over the "holy ###### I'm racing at Road America" stuff and could better focus on RPs, backshifting to exactly which gear for which corner, and braking markers,etc.. I took a few mental laps and it is amazing how clear they were and helpful in finding solutions to trouble spots like turn 5. Incredible. Now, I have to re-do my track maps and add the changes.

Unfortunately, the timing systems failed at some point Sat morning and my pit crew was not timing. So, there are no reference points for improvement in lap times except for Friday's GTO. That's OK with me. I could feel great improvements in cornering speed, smoothness, and confidence. A decision was made to put more time back into the CSS methods now that the time consuming aspect of bike prep is relatively complete. I can spend more time in the books, notes, and track maps, and better integrating the study aspect with the machine. Thank You for introducing me to the Art of Cornering. Blackhawk Farms is our next race May 8-9th. Ended up running Michelin H2s, front and rear, and would not recommend an H2 for front. S2s were recommended for front by several other Michelin guys. Thanks again.