April Ccs Vegas

[Balistic]

Hi All

I decided to go race at a track that I had never seen to see if I could do well learning the track and racing with the local guys. I left for the CCS Vegas at 9:30 PM Thursday night, Later than I wanted to but Stoney was lending his crew chief Tarl and he needed to work late.

 

We got to Vegas at 2:30 am and I decided since it was just practice that sleeping would be the thing to do and I didn't set the alarm. We got to the track at 9:30 and when I went to registration I found out that the GT races were on Friday and by the time I got ready I got one 15 minuet session before the GTU race.

 

I was tripping out about not knowing what the schedule was and getting only the one session, but that wasn't the thing that had me on the rev limiter. CCS had lost my pre-entry and now I had to post enter every race and be at the back of the grids all weekend. When I was at registration the girl called the office and said that I was the eleventh rider with this problem. I will not be using the on line system again.

 

I was girded on the fifth row for GTU and couldn't even see the starter, they were running the track backwards (counter clockwise) with a new section. I just waited until I saw the riders in front of me move. I was just hoping that I could get up to third in the half hour race. I got a good start and was fifth into turn one. I didn't try to push at all and was just following the guy in front of me and figuring out where I could go faster. By the cross flags I was second And Tristan missed a shift handing me the lead. With no one to follow I just started lapping with what I thought I could do and pulled away for the win. Since it was a new configuration I had set the track record at 1:32.2

 

Stoney had lent me his ZX10 and now I had to go race it. They changed the schedule and I got one practice on it before the GTO. I had ridden it at streets but couldn't get the front to stop chattering in the fast turn one. It was good every where else but this track had a fourth gear turn onto a sixth gear straight and if it chattered there I would be sunk .I went out in the one session and it didn?t chatter at all, but what an adjustment after the 600. The 10 is a missile.

I was girded on the third row and had a terrible time getting it off the line without the PC3 it seems to bog below 8,000 rpm when starting. I was off in eighth and worked my was up through the field and took the led by the cross flags and held it for the win. I had gotten some advice from a little birdie about what was causing the chatter and having applied that solution the bike was awesome. No chatter and none of the built bikes were getting away on the straights. The ZX10 is simply scary fast and with the setup I ran felt like a 600 until you turn the throttle, when all doubt about what you are on is removed. From this race I lowered the track record to a 1:31.2.

 

I went out on Saturday morning for two practice sessions and made a gearing change to the 10 that was good, however the transponder was dead and I had no times from either session. Several others were however going faster than me and I new I would need to bring it to do well. I got a new transponder just before the Unlimited GP qualifying and Qualified fourth with a 1:29.8. I was very happy to be doing 29s but not so happy to be fourth, though still on the front row.

 

The first race was 600 Superbike and I got off about tenth from me third row start. I worked up through the field to second behind Tristan and decided to follow him until I got passed on the brakes by a first race expert (#133) who had scared me with his apparent out of control style and then in the next corner by 888 who chopped across my front wheel and I thought we were both going down. I got it together not loosing any more spots or ground and set up what to do to get to the front. In two laps I had passed both of them and set to pass Tristan when I think he missed a shift again and handed me the lead. I put my head down and gapped them not wanting to deal with any more questionable passes for the win. Getting away from them I had done my best lap on the 600 at 1:30.2.

 

My next race was the Unlimited GP and was up for it. I went out on the warm up and got the first of two surprises. The fuel light was on, I knew I put two gallons in it and that would be enough but having the dash flashing FUEL was a little disconcerting. The second was that the front tire was doing more than just rolling; I had a vibration that seemed to be there all the time leaned over or not. I got to the grid and decided to do the best I could and see where I finished this being a warm-up for the Kawasaki money races on Sunday. I got off in fourth and worked my way up to second by lap four when Beckman and Ledesma got buy. Now fourth with all of us following Sanders I was looking for a way by so I could get up to Sanders. Beckman went into one too hot and took Ledesma with him handing me second on the sixth lap about a second and half behind Sanders. I reeled him in just over a lap and set him up for a pass going onto the back straight. I got into the turn late and on the gas early so I could drive out under him and it worked perfectly. I had his draft and about three MPH on him but just as I pulled up the inside and started the pass he made a move to the left, I don't know why I had put several laps in behind him and he was on his line. So I had to make a steering correction to keep from running into him and that is when it started going wrong. The bike started a half steering lock wobble that didn't get any worse so I kept it pinned thinking I could get him on the brakes instead. When I went for the brakes at the rev limit in fifth It came back to the bar. five more pumps before I left the track at something over 130 didn't get me any front brake either. I was on the rear and pumping the front which did come in just after I was in the dirt but I couldn't do much with it by then. I stood on the pegs and just tried to get as much speed off as possible. I went through a ditch that had clamed another rider earlier and flew out of it just missing an out house and that was when I saw the 6' chain link fence coming up. No way was I going to stop and I thought that trying to stuff it under the fence between the posts would do best, the thing I didn't see was the pavement started just before the fence and with the ass end hung out it high sided me into the fence. I would guess at something over 35 though the view from the pits many thought it looked much faster. I hit the fence above the bike but the bike got hold of my right arm and as it went into the fence at the bottom pulled me through with it flipping us up on the other side with the bike landing on me before coming to rest next to me. I got up and was now wondering how in the world I was going to get to the other side of the fence. I knew my right arm was dislocated right away before I even got up. What I didn't know was that my leathers had been torn from the neck to the bottom of the arm pit.

 

It is so easy to think that would never happen to me as I have. but to be caught up in the moment of trying to win the thought of the brakes never crossed my mind, just weather the shake would get bad enough that I would need to shut off or not. I am now laughing about the old adage "win or punch a hole in the fence" as that is truly the decision I had to make. I may have chosen poorly.

 

The other good part is even with the front tire not doing the right thing I was able to run a beast lap of 1:29.1 which would have been the record but Ledesma put down on flyer at 1:28.7 his next fastest lap at 1;29.6 which was slower than my average for the race. All in all I had a good weekend with getting on pace quickly, getting Stone's bike to work, first race with multiple bikes, first race with a tuner, three wins, the DNF being my first of the year but walking away from a 150 mph no brakes off feels good.

 

 

 

Will Eikenberry WSMC # 87 CCS Pacific # 63

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to all who helped me, Keith Code and the California Superbike School, Kawasaki, Dunlop, Silkolene, AGV Sports, KBC Helmets, Lockhart Phillips, Sharkskinz, Elka Shocks, GP Suspension, Factory Pro Tuning, Graves Motorsports, Mackie's, L&L Motorsports, Pit Bull, Yin's TKD, Stompgrip.

[sanfret]

Awesome and scarey at the same time... you can write and ride... you had me on the edge of my seat. How long until you are back on a bike with that arm of yours?

[Balistic]

Awesome and scarey at the same time... you can write and ride... you had me on the edge of my seat. How long until you are back on a bike with that arm of yours?

Amazingly enough I am already without the sling and have been driving my standard car since Wednesday. I would guess from these first few days another week or two before I would want to. I have five weeks until my next WSMC race so I think I will be fit enough to race by then, probably not 100% for a couple of months though.

Will

[AndyIbbott]

Will,

 

You are bonkers. But I love ya!

 

Well done mate

 

Andy

[SlowDragon]

Will

 

Glad to hear that you are recovering. I got back on a bike at Thunderhill on Sunday for the first time since my crash. The lefts were fine but the rights were a pain....literally. Perhaps I should find a Nascar oval to ride?

 

See you back at the track soon.

[sanfret]

Any May race reports?

[Balistic]

Any May race reports?

Technicaly that was it, the 1st and 2nd. I missed the WSMC in May. Good thing because my arm was not too good. June WSMC will be my next race.

Will